2012 Volkswagen Eos reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 94 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen Eos over 15 years — 1 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Eos years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Unknown or other, Inflator, and Frontal.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (64 of 94), then Engine (13) and Electrical system (6). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Eos has 26 complaints, 0 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Volkswagen Eos. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall Unknown or other 2018-05-16 · NHTSA campaign 18V329000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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 air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2018-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 18V148000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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 air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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 air bags, frontal 2015-08-04 · NHTSA campaign 15V483000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (94 total)

Air bags

Engine

Electrical system

Powertrain

Steering

Fuel and propulsion system

Seats

Suspension

Visibility

Exterior lighting

Fuel system, gasoline

Seat belts

Structure

Visibility and wipers

Show 6 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"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…"
Steering, Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-20
"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…"
Electrical system, Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2025-03-02
"While driving, turned seat heater on, it overheated enough to burn the seat and my coat. No noticeable fire."
Seats · filed 2025-02-01
"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…"
Seats · filed 2025-01-15
"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…"
Powertrain · filed 2024-05-29

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Eos	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	22	30	25 MPG	$3200

Specs and fitment

First generation (1F), 2012–2016

Body styles Convertible

Oil 5W-40 or 5W-30 , 4.9 qt capacity

Tire size 235/45R17 or 235/40R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V-148 covers certain 2010-2014 Eos vehicles among other Volkswagen models: upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture. The multi-model campaign lists 363,713 vehicles; dealers replace the driver's frontal air-bag inflator. Related Takata campaigns 16V-078 and 19V-014 also name certain Eos model years. Recall 18V-329 covers certain 2012-2016 Eos vehicles among other VW models for a separate air-bag/inflator population.

Compare

Next year 2013 Volkswagen Eos See every Volkswagen Eos model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Volkswagen Eos reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Volkswagen Eos?

Is the 2012 Volkswagen Eos more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Eos has 26 complaints, 0 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Volkswagen Eos been recalled?

The 2012 Volkswagen Eos has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Volkswagen Eos?

Owners have filed 94 complaints about the 2012 Volkswagen Eos with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Volkswagen Eos get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Volkswagen Eos is 25 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volkswagen Eos use?

Common fills are 5W-40 or 5W-30 meeting VW specs; capacity is about 4.9 qt with filter on typical gasoline engines—confirm the manual.

What tire sizes does a Volkswagen Eos use?

OEM tire sizes commonly include 235/45R17 and 235/40R18 depending on wheel package.

What air-bag inflator recall covers certain Eos models?

Recall 18V-148 covers certain 2010-2014 Eos vehicles among other Volkswagen models for a driver's frontal air-bag inflator that may rupture with excessive internal pressure.