Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Volkswagen Eos owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 the clock spring was replaced?
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 [redacted] 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 unidentified vin or vehicle they seem to pick and choose and that isn't right. …
Takata recall. Recalled October 2018 for replacing the airbag unit, recall completed. In nov. Dec. 2018 received phone calls telling us the wrong part had been fitted and we should return to the dealer joseph vw 3813 montgomery road, cincinnati ohio 45212. Returned car to dealer who after 2 1/2 hours could not get the wrong part off. Dealer to contact vw for instructions. Came back next day to collect the car. I found that back in October a new air bag assembly had been fitted which was the correct part. The wrong part was infact that only a new igniter was to be fitted. The dealer claimed he had kept the old airbag assembly, removed the new assembly from the vehicle and changed the igniter from the new assembly to the old assembly and reinstalled the old assembly. The problem was that the mechanic could not get the part off which was stuck to the assembly. …
I took my 2012 vw Eos to them for a clock spring failure which is under a recall. They told me that it did not fall under the recall because they put a dust cover over the clock spring in 2015. I told the that there is no way the mechanic who did the work could guarantee that no debris got into the clock spring during the 3 years prior to the dust cover being installed. I also told them that the feds opened another investigation in oct 2017 for vw not doing enough to fix the problem with the poorly designed part in 2015. I told the manager at the dealership about this and he said there was nothing he could do. He said that when the dust cover was put on they never got close to the clock spring. …
While driving a 2012 vw Eos, the engine stumbled and unloaded tons of smoke out of the rear of the car. This incident occurred while driving the car at a high rate of speed and caused a dangerous situation. The dealership replaced the defective fuel injector, which happens to be under warranty for 120,000 miles. The issue I have is that vw will not proactively replace the defective fuel injectors, potentially causing 3 more dangerous situations. Additionally, when a fuel injector fails there is a high probability of a catalytic converter failure due to the engine misfire. This happened to me and vw would not cover the failure of the catalytic converter - which seems unfair, especially in light of vw's issue with its recent emission scandal. …
I called findlay vw in henderson nv to make appt to have airbag replaced. They said vw does not "have a remedy" and they have no idea when the air bag can be replaced. It is common knowledge vw is dragging their feet in replacing these Takata airbags. I want to sell this car since I only bought it in 9/2015. Where can I get the airbag replaced? I have a three year platinum extended warranty thru that covers the airbags. I do not want to drive the car because of the danger. I have read where other manufacturers and replacing the airbags at a good steady pace except for vw, which doesn't seem to be replacing any. What gives? Who can I seek recourse from?
The vw safety recall 15V483 - safety recall 69l2 on the clock spring- vw did their "fix" when I took it in 2016, however the steering wheel clock spring went bad (loss of steering control when backing up- also controls steering wheel controls such as cruise control) still- when I contacted vw service they ran my VIN and stated the problem was taken care of under the 2016 recall and it would only be fixed for cost. - obviously it did not take care of it. I took it into a private vendor of german cars who replaced the clock spring - total cost $543.98 I feel that vw needs to expand this recall as they didn't do enough
As I was backing out of a parking spot on 12/29/17, not quite 3 months after I bought the car, the clock spring failed, which meant no airbags. Since I knew this was previously an issue, I contacted vw directly since the recall was not coming up at the dealership. They told me that the part had been previously fixed in 2016 under the recall, and even though the part failed again in less than 2 years, it wasn't covered under warranty.
Takata recall. I contacted vw today and they have refused to remove my vehicle from service and provide a rental or loaner vehicle until my car is repaired and safe to drive. Honda has provided loaner vehicles. What makes vw any different. As our primary mode of transport, this vw should be required to be removed from service by the us government. This car is a potential death trap to my family!!
Received airbag recall notice from vw. Called local dealer was referred to vw America. Vw is doing nothing for customers as NHTSA has not issued a do not drive order. How many deaths will it take to force vw into doing what is right for consumers or for NHTSA to issue a do not drive order?. If my wife drives her car, and is injured, I will be holding vw and the NHTSA responsible.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
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…
Air bags › Frontal
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.
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.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta…
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (SCCM) failures in model year (MY) 2012 Volkswagen Passat and CC models.The SCCM is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system while…
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta…
Airbag complaints in other Eos years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2012 Volkswagen Eos?
NHTSA has 64 complaints about the air bags of the 2012 Volkswagen Eos, 68% of the model year's 94 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Volkswagen Eos airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 18V-148 (inflator module, Mar 6, 2018); NHTSA recall 16V-078 (inflator module, Feb 10, 2016); NHTSA recall 15V-483 (frontal, Aug 4, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2012 Volkswagen Eos airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.