2012 Volkswagen EOS recalls and problems

The 2012 Volkswagen EOS has 4 safety recalls and 94 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Volkswagen dealer.

Recalls
4
Complaints
94
Crashes / fires
1 / 2
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2012 Volkswagen EOS vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2012 Volkswagen EOS recalls

Recall 18V-329: Unknown or Other

Reported May 16, 2018 · 252 vehicles affected · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Recall 18V-148: Air Bags

Reported Mar 6, 2018 · 363,713 vehicles affected · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Recall 16V-078: Air Bags

Reported Feb 10, 2016 · 659,493 vehicles affected · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Recall 15V-483: Air Bags

Reported Aug 4, 2015 · 415,825 vehicles affected · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.

Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

2012 Volkswagen EOS problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Air Bags64
Engine13
Unknown or Other6
Electrical System6
Power Train5
Steering5
Fuel/Propulsion System4
Visibility2
Suspension2
Seats2
Visibility/Wiper1
Seat Belts1

Most reported parts

  • Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly — 2
  • Structure › Body — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 59,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2012 Volkswagen EOS complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Air Bags · reported Mar 20, 2026
My airbag light came on my 2012 EOS and Vw dealer said it was a Clock Spring part issue causing it part number (5K0-953-569-AL) I mentioned this is a safety issue as it also disabled my horn on steering wheel and was pretty sure VW had a recall/bulletin or campaign on this issue. Appears for some odd reason VW didn’t have my vin [XXX] listed or flagged which I believe is a clear mistake. I am escalating this situation with VW and now here as my vehicle is having this same problem and needs listed as well. I strongly feel vw should replace the defective part 5K0-953-569-AL as part of an…
Air Bags · reported Mar 2, 2025
In an accident I was struck by another vehicle that swerved into my lane at a very high rate of speed. His vehicle struck my car on the drivers side front quater panel just after the head light and continued past the drivers door. Air bags failed to deploy causing injuries to my head and body. In a separate accident, head on collision the airbags failed in the front and side causing bodily injuries. The failure of the air bags to deploy was supposed to fixed in Nov 2022 at the VW dealership with the clock spring recall . I did have that replaced so why did mine fail not once but twice after…
Seats · reported Jan 15, 2025
Due to the cold weather I turned on the driver heated seat. I suddenly started feeling it extremely hot, I was wearing a quilted sweater. When I arrived at my work a coworker noticed that my sweater was burned from the back, it had a hole. Then I saw that the seat was burnt due to the extreme heat, the seat melted, it had three small holes and one bigger. I am just concerned that my car could’ve burned while I was driving, due to the malfunction of the heated seats.
Power Train · reported May 29, 2024
My car goes into a false neutral and shifts out of gear while driving. The "PRNDS" indicator on dash had a blinking "D" alternating with a wrench. I have to come to a complete stop turn the car off and right back on and it goes away for about 5-10 minutes only to reoccur. This started happening when weather became hot, and only occurs after driving for an hour or more. Only when hot outside. I performed transmission fluid service with no resolve. There was no debris in the old fluid to indicate mechanical issues. I also get error code P2711- "unexpected mechanical failure". This has almost…
Suspension · reported Sep 6, 2022
The vehicle has 37444 miles on it and the front driver side coil spring was laying broken off partially by the front wheel well when I went to move vehicles around (The vehicle was sitting, not driving when the coil broke, which really is curious). I reported the issue to VW customer care tonight (9/6/22) and they said that it was outside of warranty-Essentially nothing they could do. The complaint number is 05384519, and the rep I spoke with is named Tara. This is not something that should happen with a front coil spring (maybe sagging at 100k+) and seems indicative of bad heat treat. There…

Other Volkswagen EOS years

Compare all Volkswagen EOS years · All Volkswagen models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2012 Volkswagen EOS have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2012 Volkswagen EOS: 18V-329 (unknown or other), 18V-148 (air bags), 16V-078 (air bags), 15V-483 (air bags). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Volkswagen EOS?

Owners report air bags problems most often (64 reports), followed by engine (13). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 59,000 miles.

Are Volkswagen recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Volkswagen dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.