NHTSA — Power Train: Automatic Transmission Problems

9.6

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
886 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Volkswagen Passat transmission problems

transmission problem

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2010 Volkswagen Passat Owner Comments

problem #4

Jun 062010

Passat

  • 2,380 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased 2010 VW Passat in June 2010. The car started to jump on acceleration from stop, auto hold button did not work, and car was rolling back on mild slope. I took car to the VW dealership. I was told that it is not safe to drive the car. I had to wait for 2 weeks since the part was coming from germany. They replaced the mechatronic unit and autohold button. The car is not jumping now but I have a feeling the problem is coming back since it does not go smoothly from stop to drive sometimes. Autohold button is working. If the autohold button is not on, a car is still rolling back on a mild slope so you have to move your foot quickly from brake to gas and pray there is no car behind you. 2010 VW Passat performs very well after you reach 60 miles and over but below that speed, it takes times to pick up a speed. Sometimes, the gas pedal hits the floor and a car is still not picking up the speed. Driving in a sport mode does not help, since the traffic is on stop and go.

- Duarte, CA, USA

problem #3

May 202010

Passat

  • 16 miles
Test drove new VW Passat (2010) not understanding the dsg type of transmission, first drive from a red light had the car jerking a little. Thought this was unusual but accepted the car for the performance. After reading about the dsg and double clutch transmission being a smooth transmission. I knew I had an issue with the trans. (very jerky starts from a dead stop after engine got warm) I thought the "auto hold" switch was stuck in the on position. VW confirmed no problem with that switch. (the rough starts felt like a beginner on a manual drive transmission on a steep hill.). 1st round of complainants, VW replaced "clutch pack" but symptoms would not go away. After many frustrating days hoping the symptom would go away, I pushed VW to fix or buy back the car. Finally had VW consultant (an outside mechanic working the regional area) test and approve the "mechatronic unit " swap out for it was at fault. VW replaced at 3254 miles. Waiting see how long this will last as many blogs have stated this is a growing trend.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #2

Jun 272010

Passat

  • 150 miles
Purchased 2010 VW Passat with 69 miles on 6/14/2010 immediately noticed vehicle shuddered in reverse after starting. On 6/27/2010 after driving approx. 4 blocks while on an incline the vehicle suddenly stopped. The rpms and the engine was revving up and the vehicle was in drive but the vehicle would go no where in addition no gear was indicated on the control display. Changing gears didn't help. After repeatedly restarting the vehicle I was able to get it to display a gear and move. The same situation occurred again later that same evening almost under the same conditions. At this point the vehicle had less than 150 miles. I placed the vehicle for service the next day. The service tech indicated that VW was aware of a problem with the computer that controlled the transmission and that I should be getting a notice about a recall and that it would take up to two weeks to get the part. My vehicle was scheduled to be in the shop for after market detailing for two days anyway. On 6/29/2010 I was told my vehicle was ready that the tech's had driven the car around the parking lot and found nothing wrong that the computer needed to just learn the transmission. On 6/30/2010 I drove the vehicle to pa. On 7/1/2010 I experienced the same mechanical problem. After driving approx 1/4 - 1/2 mile I slowed down to turn into a fastfood establishment. After turning in about a car's length the vehicle stopped and would not move. I immediately put on my hazard lights and tried to move the vehicle and calm down the irate driver behind me. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. I was told that the dealer spoke with VW repeatedly and was told to drive the vehicle until the condition repeated. I am being told a code relating to the transmission was detected. That it was cleared and test drove and that there seems to be no problem. That the computer needed to relearn the transmission. No parts were replaced. This vehicle failed at less than 150 miles and I don't feel safe!

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #1

Jan 152010

Passat

  • 1,000 miles
I purchased a 2010 VW Passat wagon with dsg in Dec. '09. Since the beginning I noticed a strange quivering/shutter as it gears down from 2nd to 1st gear. I took it in at 1500 miles and a service coordinator told me it was "normal". it progressively got worse and became a vibrating clunk when gearing down. It also started lurching forward when stopped as I took my foot off the brake. I couldn't accept that the car was engineered to act this way. I took it back at 4,000 miles and they drove it and agreed there was an issue and duplicated it during a drive. They reset the electronic settings to factory and told me it was fixed. I drove it off the lot and immediately felt the same problem. I took it back and they said they had to consult with VW for a further fix. They got with VW and concluded the transmission needed a replacement front clutch pack. So the parts are on order. I have no confidence this will fix it since I have newly learned about all of the dsg issues in previous models with same transmission that seem to have no fix. It is extremely frustrating to pay $32K for a car that is broken from the beginning. VW needs their feet held to the fire just as Toyota is with their quality problems. At least Toyota has stepped up to the plate to address their with finality.

- Prospect, KY, USA

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