Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Volkswagen R32 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On four separate occasions, vehicle spontaneously shifted into neutral. This occurred on both highway and city streets, both while in motion and while braking (downshifting). The lever selector position flashed on the dashboard and the "depress brake" indicator light came on. Vehicle required shifting to park and turning engine on/off (sometimes several times) before becoming drive-able again. Repair facility reports transmission temperature fault, as described in the following recall for other Volkswagen/Audi vehicles with the same dsg transmission: NHTSA campaign id 09V333000 Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 passenger cars manufactured between September 2008 and August 2009. The wiring harness of a temperature sensor in the direct shift gearbox (dsg) May have connector wires that were insufficiently crimped. …
I am experiencing the well known symptoms of a failing mechatronic unit in the Volkswagen dsg gearbox. There was a recall from previous complaints regarding this issue. Symptoms are lurching/harsh engagement when starting from a stop. Jerky/ almost bouncy reversing. Harsh/clunky shifts between gears. Loss of drive operation at freeway speeds. This can be dangerous in many situations. My recall was completed through Volkswagen at roughly 55,000 miles. I started to notice the symptoms arise again at approximately 103,000 miles. This is literally just after the vw "extended" warranty on the dsg gearbox and replaced mechatronics unit expired. (10 year/100,000 miles) I find it very odd that the first mechatronics unit lasted just 50,000 miles and it seems as if the 2nd has failed in nearly the exact same time frame. …
Vehicle false nuetraled on a busy interstate. I was almost rear ended by a 18-wheeler solenoid failure in the transmission. No power on vehicle until fix. This could cause and probably has caused death or injury
When I first bought my 2008 vw R32 it was a decently smooth riding car. After a few months it got really rough. When I start moving from a complete stop the car jerks back and fourth 1 or 2 times roughly. This happens 100% of the time. Also, the car slams into first gear really hard when slowing down to a stop making all passenger's bodies shift forward from momentum. It feels like I slammed on the brake. Also sometimes from a stop when I put my foot on the gas, the car hesitates before slamming into gear after 2 or 3 seconds of not responding to my throttle input. This has scared me in a couple instances because I almost got into a rear end collision from someone behind me not paying attention and almost slamming into the back of my car. Luckily I knew that my car had this characteristic so I reacted quick enough to accelerate in time to get out of their way. …
Purchased a 2008 vw R32 in October of 08 equipped with the 6 speed dsg transmission. I was satisfied with the car as a whole however recently I have been experiencing some fairly scary issues with the vehicle that I relate to the transmission. Often times, when manually downshifting from 3rd to 1st when coming to a stop, the engine will completely lose power and there is a approximately 1-2 second delay from hitting the gas to any type of forward motion. This also occurs from 5th to 3rd or 4th to second. It is quite alarming when you downshift to scoot into traffic or off an on ramp and the car responds with no power. More than one occasion I have nearly been rear ended as the car simply began to coast during a lane change into traffic. …
The dsg transmission in my 2008 vw R32 has been jerky its whole time I have owned it but it seems to be progressively getting worse. When accelerating from a dead stop to get up to driving speeds the dsg will react extremely jerky and hesitate from time to time, causing the engine to rev super high, then it will kick in to gear causing me and my passengers to go through a whiplash type state for a few seconds before the cycles starts over again when going into the next gear. Also when at highway cruising speeds when I try to occasionally pass another car and depress the gas pedal the engine will just rev really high for a few seconds before accelerating. During all of these instances that this has occurred I have been extremely lucky to be able to avoid all other vehicles around me and not get into any serious accidents. …
After coming to a complete stop and letting off the brake pedal, while the car is still in drive, it will lurch or jump forward - almost as though I've pressed the accelerator pedal. This seems to get worse as the outside ambient temps increase. In stop and go traffic the car is a nightmare to drive, as it will lurch and jerk heavily. I've actually had my starbucks coffee shoot out of the cup and spill on me because of this - yes, it lurches that much. I've almost rear-ended a few cars and hit my garage wall. All of this is actually our second go around as we've had the mechatronics unit replaced by vw with 17646 miles on the car. The car now has 21500 miles on it and the symptoms are back again. I'm not sure what to do? …
My vehicle is a 2008 Volkswagen model R32. All of the following issues happens when the transmission is in "d" (drive) position. At low speeds (below 40 MPH) the transmission appears to go in and out and up and down the gears resulting in a "clunky" and un-smooth movement of the vehicle. Also this is often evident during slow gentle acceleration and slowing down from low speed (approx 40 MPH or less). About 75% of the time the car does not respond to a gentle acceleration, there is a very noticeable delay until the transmission shifts itself. Similar for slowing down, the engine remains at high RPM and suddenly slows, but not consistently I did notice that all of this happens more when the car is warmed up, rarely while the engine is cold.. At high speed the car acts normally including during quick acceleration. …
Tl contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen R32. The contact was driving approximately 55 MPH on normal road conditions. There was pressure applied to the accelerator pedal followed by no power response. The engine began to rev excessively high. After a few seconds the transmission shifted into gear and resumed to normal operation. There were no warning lights indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, there was a hard shifting from "reverse" to "drive" and "park" to "reverse" position. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician was unable to locate the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on five separate occasions for identical failures. The technician replaced the fly wheel. The failures continued and there was no resolutions. The failure mileage was 26,000 and the current mileage was 33,000. The VIN was unavailable. Bl
Random loss of power/torque coming out of dsg transmission when shifting into certain gears, jerky reverse, hesitation starting from stop, jerky downshift to first gear. Hesitation has randomly occured multiple times including at an intersection. Jerking (or pulsating power delivery) during reverse and when downshifting into first is always there. Hesitation when starting from stop is also always present. I believe this probably as something to do with the mechatronics unit of the dsg. I am worried about saftey due to the abnormal behavior of this transmission. Lossing power at an intersection or other critical locations can easily lead to an accident. Also I am afraid that this abnormal behavior is going to lead to transmission problems including but not limited to abnormal clutch pack wear which might need to be replaced later down the line after the 60,000 mile warranty is up.
NHTSA investigations
Vehicle stall/loss motive power
The subject vehicles are equipped with direct shift gearbox (dsg) transmissions, which feature a 6-speed automatic gearbox with two wet running clutches (dual clutch) in which the clutch mechanism and gear changes are electrohydraulically operated by a mechatronic control unit.the dsg mechatronic controller includes extensive self diagnostic functions and strategies to ensure safe operation and prevent…
Transmission complaints in other R32 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2008 Volkswagen R32?
NHTSA has 82 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2008 Volkswagen R32, 71% of the model year's 115 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (60 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Volkswagen R32 transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2008 Volkswagen R32, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Volkswagen R32 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 15,000 miles, and 75% before 25,000 miles.
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.