Georgina

Had to bring our long term car ownership plans forward by a couple of years, so I've gone for the Fabia in 1.0 TSI 95 manual as it will eventually be passed on to our son once he's at driving age. Had I been able to keep the Karoq for the full 3 years it was always the plan to then replace it with a small car for our son to use, its just happened a lot sooner. Got SEL spec though to ease the pain. And my husband's Kodiaq is due for a swap at the end of this year, so he may well order a Karoq if the budget doesn't stretch to another Kodiaq (which is a totally amazing car). He needs 4 wheel drive and high clearance as he does a fair bit of off road driving so Karoq might not be as practical.

Hello, having not had my Karoq since 20th April and with no timescale for a repair in sight I have rejected the car and ordered a Fabia SEL from the UK stock so as to bring this very frustrating six months of Karoq ownership to a close. Skoda UK accepted the rejection not on the basis of the cold start/light throttle issues but because a service engineer at the dealership was driving the car when it 'hesitated' and was able to agree with and replicate the issues I had experienced since the software update was done in March/April. I am very sad at having to return such a gorgeous looking car which was loaded with add ons and extras, but out of 180 days ownership I had only been in possession of the car for 100 days. The dealership have been truly amazing which is why I have ordered another car from them, and VWFS have also been great, I can't praise them enough. I thank you all for your advice and comments and wish you all many happy years in your Karoqs, I'm truly sorry I haven't got one anymore! I'm off to join the Fabia forum now Best wishes

Hi, that's a good point, why are/why did Skoda continue to sell this gearbox/engine combo when they knew it was causing problems? My Karoq went back to the dealer yesterday indefinitely again, as not only is the 'lumpiness' from a cold start worse than ever and the power been scaled back most noticeably in Eco mode, but it also stalled on me and left me stranded at traffic lights last week. Mitchell's (dealer) are a 'feedback dealer' for the factory in the U.K and the problems I'm having are being reported back to the factory for a fix. Two of the servicing team from Mitchell's have been to Skoda HQ to liaise on how effective the first software upgrade was as mine and a Kodiaq were the first two they did. I'm glad there finally is an acknowledgement that this engine/gearbox combo is a problem and it seems there is a lot going on at dealer/factory level. I really don't want to give up on the car because I like it so much, but it's a 50 mile round trip to the dealer each time and if they can't solve the problem this time (third time back to the dealer) then I'll be looking to offload it. It's not fit for purpose. Will keep you posted.

Dealer told me both issues were engine problems and not gearbox

Same here, I’m really hacked off. Fuel consumption dreadful too so far.

The software update was released last Friday, my car was repaired on Monday. First impression is its far smoother from cold moving through the lower gears and doesn't seem to hunt through gears/revs any more. Its incredibly smooth moving off from the handbrake at junctions and lights. Its slower to respond on acceleration however, I don't think overtaking would be possible from Eco mode like it was before, I haven't used Sport mode since I got it back. I have reset my long trip computer so I can record mpg over the next 2,000 miles post repair and compare it to the first 2,000 miles pre repair to look at the impact on fuel consumption. Only time will tell re throttle response. Dealer an absolute pleasure to do business with. Best wishes.

My car has had the software update today and I’m collecting it tomorrow, phone call from the dealer came out of the blue today. Fingers crossed and am keeping an open mind and positive outlook.

Insurance sorted but thank you for your concern. I don't expect a car rejection to be easy, having already done my research on this, but if it can't be repaired I have no intention of driving it again and certainly not with my son in it. Whether that means it sits in the driveway til the contract ends or it is rejected, I'm not driving a car that can 'lose' throttle. I can live with looking like a kangaroo having put up with a Ford Powershift for 3 years, but not loss of throttle when driving. Best wishes.

Hi, I went to the dealership the third time I lost gear, which they call a "throttle response" issue, and told them the car was not safe to drive. They didn't quibble or argue or question me, they just took my car away and gave me one off the forecourt. You should definitely take the loan car option. I will get mine back when the software updates are available. I think you should do what I did as you are the only other driver I know who has had the loss of drive/loss of gear. I came very close to being hit by a recycling lorry the third time it happened and I usually have children in the car with me so there was no way I was going to risk their safety as well as my own. If the issues can't be repaired then I will be rejecting the car. Good luck.

I hope yours is as it should be, fingers crossed.

Same with mine.

Not the problems I'm having. I would not say being stranded in a road looking at a bin lorry 30 feet away heading towards me, with the car rolling backwards and forwards and no drive is a gearbox characteristic. And bouncing down a road to the point my arse is off the seat is also not a characteristic of a gearbox!

Pre WLTP / post WLTP issue?

I nearly was T-boned by a bin lorry the second time I lost drive, it was because I rang the dealership and said I didn't think the car was safe to drive that they arranged for the long term loan of the diesel Kodiaq. Do you think if you looked at a petrol Tiguan/Ateca which for all intents and purposes are nearly the same cars you would have the same issues?

Get a room you two! I get an email each time you post and here I am hoping for some constructive commenting, instead I get Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga !

Hi, I got an update today on my Karoq 1.5 DSG - my car will stay with the dealer until the beginning of June, when there are two software updates due for release from Skoda, one to resolve the jerkiness and the second to resolve what they call the 'throttle response' which was the loss of drive. Both are engine issues not gearbox issues I was told. The dealer wants me to keep the long term loan car until then rather than take mine back, in order to keep the 'job card ' open for Skoda. I can't complain about the dealer, they're great. And the long term loan is a diesel Karoq 2 litre SEL which is a really nice car to drive (apart from the noise), amazingly smooth and rather fast in Sport mode ! I'd be interested to hear if anyone with the jerkiness issue is contacted by their dealers for the software update this Spring? Hope this info I've posted is of use. Best wishes to you all.

That’s interesting, same age cars and mileage. I think I got a lemon!

Just collected my temporary hire car (Karoq TDI 1.5 DSG) - dealer says they reckon the lumpy start from cold is engine not DSG but my loss of gear (obvs) is gearbox related. Will keep you updated ! Thanks for all your replies.

Hi, thanks for the feedback - done just over 2,000 miles. I’m hoping I’ve got a Karoq on hire although been told might end up with an Octavia, as it will be interesting to drive another Karoq. The lumpy starts can be managed by accelerating into the upper range but I can’t do that from our house as there are some twists and turns to navigate for a couple of hundred yards, so I look a bit of an idiot til I join the main roads!

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I hope this info is useful for Karoq 1.5 DSG drivers. My 1st November 2018 Karoq is going back to the dealership today indefinitely, Skoda are supplying me with an equivalent size hire car. From new the car has been kangerooing from a cold start, but more recently has been "hitching" in 6/7th gears which is terrifying to the point that I'm sticking to the left lanes wherever possible in case I break down. The car went back a couple of weeks ago to sort this, and the dealer confirmed its a known software flaw with the DSG that Skoda are working to resolve, with a fix scheduled for June. They told me a number of other Karoq customers have reported the same issues. Yesterday, I drove off my driveway (very slowly as its a sharp right turn on a narrow road) and the car lost drive. I was stranded half in the road, half in the drive, couldn't depress the accelerator, lost power steering and the car was rolling forwards a couple of feet, then back a couple of feet, it did this twice. No warning lights, engine was still running. I put it in park, handbrake switched on, I switched off the ignition, re-started the car, and all was fine other than the kangarooing was worse than ever until the engine warmed up. No problems this morning, car was smooth as silk. Has this happened to anyone else? I also have a couple of other niggles - the car "groans" horribly in reverse (Skoda can't resolve this issue), and the petrol flap is a nightmare to open and close. I would be very interested to know if anyone else has these issues and whether the dealer has been as helpful as mine, I'm grateful for the hire car as I don't think my Karoq is safe to drive. My husband has a 1st May 2017 Kodiaq SEL diesel DSG and he has had no problems at all and is at 35,000 miles. I'm disappointed because I got rid of my 2016 Focus Estate as it had the notorious wobbly Powershift system and I was hoping for some smooth driving!

Hi Jed, my husband has the Kodiaq as he does occasional off road driving and carries a lot of gear, and we were so pleased with it when it came time to order a new car for me the Karoq was our first choice, and came in under our budget. Both are SEL editions. The Karoq is a gorgeous car and for the three months I've had it I've been delighted, but my reason for joining the forum is it's going back to the dealership today indefinitely with a DSG issue for which there isn't a fix yet, and yesterday I lost gears/ drive while driving, v scary. So I'm going to look for the appropriate place on the forums to ask anyone if they're having this problem too. Regards

Kodiaq owner since May 2017, Karoq owner since November 2018