BestCarRank
Volkswagen

2011 Volkswagen EOS

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Excellent Reliability

Quick Summary

The 2011 Volkswagen EOS has 21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (48% of all complaints), specifically: while sitting on a bridge, was hit from behind causing vehicle to slide into another vehicle. the car is totaled but the air bags did not deploy. *tr.

3 crash reports 2 injuries

21

Total Complaints

0

Recalls Issued

/5

Safety Stars

0.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

10 complaints
48%
  • WHILE SITTING ON A BRIDGE, WAS HIT FROM BEHIND CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CAR IS TOTALED BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR
  • TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN EOS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CO
  • TAKATA RECALL - THE INTIAL RECALL FOR VW WAS FEBRUAY 2016. SIX MONTHS LATER THERE IS STILL NO REPLACEMENT OR REPAIR AVAILABLE. THERE HAS TO BE MORE THAN ONE COMPANY THAT MAKES AIRBAG INFLATORS! DANGER OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH - SHOULD BE A MOTIVATOR TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.
Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

WHILE SITTING ON A BRIDGE, WAS HIT FROM BEHIND CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CAR IS TOTALED BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

2 complaints
10%
  • VEHICLE HAS NO POWER FROM STOPPED POSITION WHEN ON A HILL. VEHICLE EVENTUALLY HAS POWER AFTER 5-6 SECONDS. BRAKES MUST BE APPLIED AND THEN CAR SURGES FORWARD. VEHICLES RESPONSE ON LEVEL GROUND VARIES FROM NON-RESPONSIVE TO IRREGULAR TO FULL POWER. DEALER PROVIDED 3 PAGE DOCUMENT ENTITLED "MOMENTARY
  • I WAS DRIVING OUT OF TOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. I COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO GO ABOVE 20 MPH. I PULLED IT OFF OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I RESTARTED AND AGAIN IT WOULD NOT GET PAST 20 MPH. WHEN I SWITCHED THE CAR TO MANUAL MODE I
Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

VEHICLE HAS NO POWER FROM STOPPED POSITION WHEN ON A HILL. VEHICLE EVENTUALLY HAS POWER AFTER 5-6 SECONDS. BRAKES MUST BE APPLIED AND THEN CAR SURGES FORWARD. VEHICLES RESPONSE ON LEVEL GROUND VARIES FROM NON-RESPONSIVE TO IRREGULAR TO FULL POWER. DEALER PROVIDED 3 PAGE DOCUMENT ENTITLED "MOMENTARY

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

2 complaints
10%
  • MY WIFE WAS SITTING IN HER VEHICLE AT WORK WHEN A DUMP TRUCK WAS BACKING UP TOWARDS HER VEHICLE. SHE TRIED TO ALERT THE TRUCK DRIVER USING THE HORN. THE HORN DID NOT MAKE A SOUND. THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION. AFTER CONTACTING VW DEALER ABOUT THE HORN I WAS TOLD THAT THE KEY HAS TO BE IN THE IGNI
  • STARTED MY CAR AFTER WORK AND NOTICED HALF MY EXTERIOR LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK. CHECKED THE FUSES AND F16 FUSE WAS MELTED.
Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

MY WIFE WAS SITTING IN HER VEHICLE AT WORK WHEN A DUMP TRUCK WAS BACKING UP TOWARDS HER VEHICLE. SHE TRIED TO ALERT THE TRUCK DRIVER USING THE HORN. THE HORN DID NOT MAKE A SOUND. THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION. AFTER CONTACTING VW DEALER ABOUT THE HORN I WAS TOLD THAT THE KEY HAS TO BE IN THE IGNI

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

2 complaints
10%
  • THE CLOCK SPRING IN MY CAR HAS FAILED REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. THIS COMPLETE FAILURE COMES A SHORT 9 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL 'REPAIR' DONE FOLLOWING A VW RECALL ON THE PART- THEY SIMPLY PLACED A COVER OVER THE ORIGINAL CLOCK SPRING. THEY TELL ME THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF T
  • Unable to drive vehicle ABS system failure - no braking is possible. ABS warning light and loss of braking control while attempting to drive. The module part recall 45F2 does not apply to my year 2011 vehicle. Though the previous year there is a recall for the part by VW. VW representatives will not
Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

THE CLOCK SPRING IN MY CAR HAS FAILED REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. THIS COMPLETE FAILURE COMES A SHORT 9 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL 'REPAIR' DONE FOLLOWING A VW RECALL ON THE PART- THEY SIMPLY PLACED A COVER OVER THE ORIGINAL CLOCK SPRING. THEY TELL ME THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF T

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

2 complaints
10%
  • My ABS/ ESC light was on and the brake light was flashing randomly. After diagnostics it appears the ABS module is intermittently not receiving power. Because of this the ABS/ESC system randomly does not work as it should. This seems to be the same issue as the 16V-913 safety recall, but my car was
  • Unable to drive vehicle ABS system failure - no braking is possible. ABS warning light and loss of braking control while attempting to drive. The module part recall 45F2 does not apply to my year 2011 vehicle. Though the previous year there is a recall for the part by VW. VW representatives will not
Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

My ABS/ ESC light was on and the brake light was flashing randomly. After diagnostics it appears the ABS module is intermittently not receiving power. Because of this the ABS/ESC system randomly does not work as it should. This seems to be the same issue as the 16V-913 safety recall, but my car was

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)
$500
TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)
$500
ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)
$500
OTHER(~50K mi)
$500
BRAKES(~50K mi)
$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 21 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

  • AIR BAGS: WHILE SITTING ON A BRIDGE, WAS HIT FROM BEHIND CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CAR IS TOTALED BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

    Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500

  • TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE HAS NO POWER FROM STOPPED POSITION WHEN ON A HILL. VEHICLE EVENTUALLY HAS POWER AFTER 5-6 SECONDS. BRAKES MUST BE APPLIED AND THEN CAR SURGES FORWARD. VEHICLES RESPONSE ON LEVEL GROUND VARIES FROM NON-RESPONSIVE TO IRREGULAR TO FULL POWER. DEALER PROVIDED 3 PAGE DOCUMENT ENTITLED "MOMENTARY

    Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500

  • ELECTRICAL: MY WIFE WAS SITTING IN HER VEHICLE AT WORK WHEN A DUMP TRUCK WAS BACKING UP TOWARDS HER VEHICLE. SHE TRIED TO ALERT THE TRUCK DRIVER USING THE HORN. THE HORN DID NOT MAKE A SOUND. THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION. AFTER CONTACTING VW DEALER ABOUT THE HORN I WAS TOLD THAT THE KEY HAS TO BE IN THE IGNI

    Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500

  • OTHER: THE CLOCK SPRING IN MY CAR HAS FAILED REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. THIS COMPLETE FAILURE COMES A SHORT 9 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL 'REPAIR' DONE FOLLOWING A VW RECALL ON THE PART- THEY SIMPLY PLACED A COVER OVER THE ORIGINAL CLOCK SPRING. THEY TELL ME THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF T

    Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500

  • General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)

NHTSA Safety Rating

No NHTSA safety rating available

At a Glance

Complaints
21
Recalls
0
Fire reports
0
Crash reports
3
Injury reports
2
Segment avg
80

Check a Specific VIN

See recalls for YOUR 2011 Volkswagen EOS