2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32 Complaints

TOOK OFF FROM A STOP PULLING INTO TRAFFIC AND DSG TRANSMISSION IN 2008 VW R32, REVVED, WENT NOWHERE, THEN FINALLY SHIFTED INTO FIRST VERY ABRUPTLY, CAUSING LOUD BANG, THUD AND ALMOST CAUSING CRASH. *TR

TYPE VEHICLE: VOLKSWAGEN/R32 2008 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE09035 CURRENT MILEAGE: 25,000. THE FAILURE: SEVERAL SYMPTOMS: 1) LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER: BASICALLY, AT TIMES, FROM A STOP, THE CAR JUST DOESN'T GO. THE ENGINE REVS, BUT THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T ENGAGE. AFTER A FEW SECONDS NORMAL FUNCTION RETURNS. 2) EXTREMELY HARSH SHIFTING WHILE MANEUVERING AT LOW SPEEDS, USUALLY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. 3) AT TIMES, AT LOW SPEEDS, NOTICEABLY WHEN APPROACHING A STOP, THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT WHEN I TRY TO SHIFT MANUALLY, USING THE CONTROLS. 4) WHEN BACKING ESPECIALLY, BUT ALSO WHEN MOVING VERY SLOWLY AS WHEN PARKING, THE CAR HAS BEGUN TO MOVE IN A VERY JERKY MANNER. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN A BUSY GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT. THE SYMPTOMS BEGAN AT ABOUT 17 OR 18000 MILES AND ARE GRADUALLY GETTING WORSE. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS EITHER WHEN UP SHIFTING OR DOWNSHIFTING, THE DSG TRANSMISSION IN MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32 HAVE BEEN VERY JERKY, OR COME WITH A "CLUNKY" FEEL AND NOISE. ALSO HAVE TRIED TO DOWNSHIFT FROM 6TH GEAR, DOWN 2, AS VW RECOMMENDS WHEN PASSING ON A HIGHWAY, AND THE CAR WILL EITHER HESITATE FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE IT FINALLY DECIDES TO SHIFT, AND THEN I STILL HAVE NO POWER FOR A FEW MORE SECONDS UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION DECIDES IT WANTS TO SEND POWER TO THE WHEELS AGAIN. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION IN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS FOR THE PROBLEMS, AND ALL THE DEALER SAYS, IS EITHER THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE EFFECTS, OR THE CAR HAS NO FAULT CODES, SO THEREFORE IT MUST JUST BE ME. *TR

ONCE THE TRANSMISSION IS WARM IT WILL LITERALLY SLAM INTO FIRST OR REVERSE AT LOW SPEEDS. DEALER IS REPLACING THE MECHATRONICS UNIT THAT FAILED IN THE TRANSMISSION BUT IS ON A 8-10 WEEK BACK ORDER, THE DEALER HAS BEEN GREAT BUT THE CAR IS AWFUL WHEN STARTING OUT OR BACKING UP. *TR

DURING NEAR FULL THROTTLE ACCELERATION, CAR EXPERIENCES NO INCREASED SPEED. CAR WILL INCREASE RPMS, BUT SEEMS LIKE IT IS SEARCHING FOR A GEAR. IT IS MOST SCARY IF YOU NEED TO ACCELERATE IN ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE, AND THE CAR DOESN'T GO. VERY CHOPPY STARTS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR, FEEL LIKE SOMEONE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SHIFT A MANUAL GEARBOX, YET THIS IS A DSG GEARBOX. *TR

ONGOING / RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE DSG AND SLOPPY GEAR CHANGES, INABILITY FOR THE CAR TO FIND THE RIGHT GEAR (SLOW TO CHANGE GEARS), AND NOTICEABLE CLUNKING NOISE WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE. ON OCCASION WHEN MOVING AWAY FROM A STANDSTILL AT A LIGHT, THE TRANSMISSION WILL DIS-ENGAGE AND RE-ENGAGE QUICKLY ACCOMPANIED WITH A NOTICEABLE CLUNKING NOISE, THEN LURCH FORWARD BRIEFLY. MOST RECENT DATE THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE WAS ENTERED FOR THE APPROXIMATE INCIDENT DATE. *TR

DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX IS VERY CHOPPY. DSG IS ESPECIALLY CHOPPY AT LOW SPEEDS AND IN REVERSE. I TOOK THE CAR TO SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND TECH SAID IT WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED, BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE SO ROUGH. NO PARTS WERE REPLACED OR ORDERED. *TR

DSG MALFUNCTION DURING NORMAL DRIVING ON VW R32 2008: MY AUTOMOBILE HAS ERRATIC MOVEMENT FROM A STANDING STOP AND AT LOW REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (LESS THAN 1500 / MINUTE) AT LOW SPEEDS. THE MOTION IS A JERKING ACTION. THE VEHICLE ALSO EXHIBITS LOSS OF POWER WHEN GEARS ARE LOWERED AND FOLLOWED BY A THROTTLE INPUT. THIS IS SEEN FOR EXAMPLE WHEN DRIVING IN 6TH GEAR AT 55 MPH, SHIFTING INTO 5TH AND THEN ACCELERATING TO PASS ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE AT THAT TIME DOES NOT RESPOND WITH POWER AND THE CAR SPENDS MAYBE 1 OR 2 SECONDS SORTING OUT HOW TO APPLY THE POWER. THE DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE THEN NORMAL AND OPERATION CONTINUES WITHOUT A PROBLEM. THE GENERAL SHIFTING OF THE CAR IS NOT SMOOTH UNDER OTHER OPERATIONS ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT STALL OR LOSE POWER. YET THE SHIFTING FEELS UNNATURAL AND DETERIORATED FROM HOW IT WAS WHEN THE AUTO WAS NEW. THE VEHICLE HAS NOW 22000 MILES. *TR

THERE IS A DELAY WHEN PRESSING ACCELERATOR FROM A STOP. SEVERAL TIME THE CAR BEHIND ME ALMOST HIT ME BECAUSE OF THE DELAY. *TR

THE DSG TRANSMISSION IN MY 2008 VW R32 SOMETIMES PERFORMS VERY UNPREDICTABLY. SPECIFICALLY, WHEN DOWNSHIFTING IT SOMETIMES DISENGAGES FOR SEVERAL SECONDS DURING WHICH I HAVE NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE. ALSO, IN REVERSE GEAR THE GEAR TAKES A LONG TIME TO ENGAGE, THEN IF BACKING UP-HILL, SEEMS TO "SLIP". I WOULD HATE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN IN A SITUATION IN WHICH I AM TRYING TO BACK OUT OF THE WAY OF DANGER. I AM ALSO CONCERNED BECAUSE THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE IF PROBLEMS WORSEN AFTER WARRANTY PERIOD HAS EXPIRED. *TR