Volkswagen makes a great modern car. But as with everything mechanical, certain design trade-offs can cause problems as the parts wear and bugs are discovered. There are several common transmission issues that we see crop up in the Jetta, Passat, Eos, and GTI. The VW Tiptronic transmission system (cars equipped with the paddle shifting transmission) experience some of these problems. Other issues are related to VW’s Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) system.
The DSG defects have recently triggered a transmission recall of 1.6 million cars by Volkswagen.
Faulty Temperature Sensor
The transmission fluid temperature sensor (TFT) is one of several sensors providing input to the transmission control module. The TFT is built in to the wiring harness for the transmission. If the transmission computer gets bad information when monitoring the temperature of the transmission fluid, you could get misleading warning lights or the transmission will slip into neutral in the worst case.
VW Sudden Downshifts
Sudden downshifts can be a symptom of a faulty clutch component. A Volkswagen voluntary recall replaces the Mechatronics unit on your DSG transmission. After we perform the repair, your DSG shifts will be silky smooth again.
Solenoid N89 Failure
Your Volkswagen may have a transmission solenoid that VW calls a “N89”. While solenoids may sound scary, they are just electromagnets that operate a switch. If your N89 fails, it can cause a sudden shift from gear 4 to gear 1. Another symptom could be that the transmission gets stuck in the shift from 3rd to 4th gear. If this happens, you’ll experience a sudden deceleration similar to hitting the brakes. We haven’t seen any transmission damage from this problem but you will need to have the N89 replaced.
General Tiptronic Transmission Problems
Volkswagen’s Tiptronic transmission uses a lot of cutting edge technology. Being an early adopter of modern systems can be a bumpy ride. Volkswagen has taken steps to improve upon the weak parts of the system. Common problems you may experience with the Tiptronic transmission are hard shifts from gear 1 to 2, erratic shifting from gear 3 to gear 4 and a shudder in the torque converter. Volkswagen has released software updates that Perfection Auto Works can install to repair your VW transmission. Give us a call when you suspect an issue. As Volkswagen experts, we are one of the premier VW repair shops in Tucson.