Volkswagen Passat Gearbox & Transmission Problems

The DSG is a brilliant idea, but it was affected by a couple of issues that soured the experience for a lot of owners. The latest DSG is not affected by the problems of the older units; there have been a lot of improvements made to overcome the issues it had. You can buy one with confidence.

The most likely cause of the shudder are the clutches, which probably need to be replaced. It doesn't mean you will have long-term issues with the gearbox, but you could be up for replacing the clutches regularly.

There have been a couple of recalls relating to the DSG gearbox, the latest being in November and affecting model year 2013 vehicles. The earlier one, in June this year, affected vehicles produced between 2008-2011. From that you would have to believe that most models with the DSG gearbox are afflicted with the problem. The current models have DSG gearboxes and there's no reason to think that VW will move away from the technology. It is brilliant technology if it works, and you can only assume that they will get the bugs ironed out and when they do it will be a very good gearbox. I couldn't advise you to change to another brand, that's a decision for you and you alone, but if you are concerned about the DSG technology then look around at other makes. But in doing that remember that many companies are going to DSG technology as well as VW, so check to see what gearboxes are being used by any alternative make you might choose to switch to.

The technician is correct, there shouldn't be any shuddering, but it doesn't appear to be having any detrimental effect on the car in any other way. I would report your concerns to the dealer before the warranty runs out and ask for his advice on the problem.

It's impossible to say whether or not you have bought a lemon, but I would strongly urge you not to sell it, that would be the wrong thing to do at this stage. If you look on the positive side, VW has repaired the failures that have occurred, so they have backed the vehicle. The downside is that you would not expect a new car to have issues of the sort yours has had, and that's both disappointing and frustrating. But having bought the car, it's best to stick with it.