kodiaq 4x4 7 seater 2019 . Should be recalled ! Frightening drive - local Volkswagen garage has two 2017/ 2019 sat on his forecourt with same problem !! Mine has 40 k miles , one on his forecourt has 29,000 . I have since found out it is a common fault and expensive fix . Presently 6 week wait for part . ŠKODA USA fixing for free…

my experience-
Whilst driving home on the motorway an amber engine light came up in the display. My husband searched the internet and it suggested sensor issue (not a flashing amber light). We carried on driving for a few miles and then a message came on which was something like ‘emergency gearbox mode safe to drive’ . As I was on the motorway, I thought it would be ‘safer’ to pull over onto the hard shoulder.
Then my husband pointed out, the car message had read ‘safe to drive, ’. We agreed we should try to get to the nearest motorway exit. As I pulled back onto the motorway, I quickly noticed that the engine was revving high, but I didn’t have much power- this was not ‘safe’ at all in fact its bloody dangerous and frightening! I managed to pull back onto the hard shoulder. Thank goodness I wasn’t on a smart motorway .

We called the AA, and they picked us up and the car was put onto a transporter; we were taken to the nearest Motorway Service Station. The AA transporter then called an AA engineer to see if he could fix our car. We waited approx. 30-40 minutes for the AA engineer to show. We looked up online the symptoms our car had displayed and noticed that it could be a problem with the gearbox sensor, a dodgy DSG / mechatronics unit.

When the AA engineer arrived, he stated that he has previously worked for the VW group. We had turned the ignition on the amber light was still showing. However, by the time the Engineer started the car, the fault had disappeared.
he plugged in his machine and informed us it showed a sensor fault. He then proceeded to drive it around the Services carpark to see if the fault would appear… he drove around in way he said, “should reproduce the fault, should the car have one” still no fault appeared on the dash.

The Engineer suggested that we drive it with the Hazzard lights on to the next junction- bringing the car up to speed- stating that if that fault light or -emergency gearbox mode does not appear then we could continue home. He followed us with his hazard lights on, in his van, just in case the fault appeared again.

For 10 minutes everything seemed fine…then the amber dashboard light appeared again and emergency gearbox mode. We eventually got transported to our local garage. The fault code shows sensor issue, however when talking to Skoda they stated its potentially a mechatronic unit problem. £2000 to repair.

Being a common and dangerous fault I feel the Volkswagen group are on the make here for repairs . Would suggest that no one should buy a kodiaq until Skoda takes this problem seriously, before people are killed by this fault!

Issue aside (have you had the gearbox serviced, as it's due?)...

3 hours ago, Curlymum said:

ŠKODA USA fixing for free…

ŠKODA USA doesn't exist..?

Had a full service two weeks ago. I don’t think gearbox service is due until 80,000. Yes, sorry. I was referring to the Volkswagen DSG in the USA . I believe it’s the same unit.

5 minutes ago, Curlymum said:

Had a full service two weeks ago. I don’t think gearbox service is due until 80,000. Yes, sorry. I was referring to the Volkswagen DSG in the USA . I believe it’s the same unit.

Is yours a 7 speed or 6 speed box? 6 speed will be 40,000 miles (DQ250) whereas the 7 speed is 80,000 (DQ381) although most people, myself included, do it every 40k.

MCU failure on the DQ381 is an issue, however the reason you've probably seen so many instances of failure is likely because they are such a common box. The DQ381 is used in stuff like Golf GTI/R, vRS, S3 and Cupra, as well as more 'average' models like the Kodiaq, Tiguan, etc - many cars push well north of 400/500bhp, on a stock gearbox, without any issues. I know one that is on 83,000 miles, and his S3 is putting out just under 620nm.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I'm just saying that I don't think it's an immensely crippling fault. There is some info here, as well as in other threads.

@Ootohere might be able to shed some light on this.

FWIW, look at the issues with early Ford Ecoboost engines. Now that is a flaw!

For reference, these are the cars that use a DQ381 box -

• VW Golf 8 GTI 2020+

• VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport 2020+

• VW Golf 8 R 2020+

• VW Golf 7 & 7.5 2013-2020

• VW Passat B8 2015+

• VW Arteon 2017+

• VW T-Roc 2017+

• VW Tiguan II 2016+

• VW Jetta / GLI 7 2018+

• Audi S3 8Y 2020+

• Audi A3 2.0 TSI 8Y 2020+

• Audi S3 8V 2013-2020

• Audi A3 8V 2013-2020

• Audi TT 3 8S 2014+

• Audi SQ2 2018+

• Cupra Leon IV FW 2020+

• SEAT Leon IV FW 2020+

• SEAT Leon III Cupra 5F 2014-2020

• SEAT Leon III 5F 2015-2020

• Cupra Ateca 2018+

• Cupra Formentor 2020+

• SEAT Ateca 2016+

• SEAT Tarraco FR Sport 2.0 TSI 245ps 2021+

• Skoda Octavia IV NX 2020+

• Skoda Octavia III 5E 2014-2020

• Skoda Octavia II 1Z 2004-2013

• Skoda Superb III 3V 2015+

• Skoda Superb III 3V 2015+

You'll agree, with that many cars, any reasonably uncommon problem is going to seem very common, very quickly.

Thank you for this and your time . Mine is a 7 speed. Doing a quick search the DSG in some Volkswagen cars has flagged up the same the issues . I will continue to delve deeper into this .

Edited 13 August, 202513 Aug by Curlymum

7 Speed Wet Clutch DQ500 DSG were used with Kodiaq vRS (RS) i believe.

40,000 miles Oil & Filter changed regime with those.

Edited 13 August, 202513 Aug by Ootohere

48 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

7 Speed Wet Clutch DQ500 DSG were used with Kodiaq vRS (RS) i believe.

40,000 miles Oil & Filter changed regime with those.

I'm seeing OP has a Kodiaq 2.0 TDI SE?

7 hours ago, Curlymum said:

Thank you for this and your time . Mine is a 7 speed. Doing a quick search the DSG in some Volkswagen cars has flagged up the same the issues . I will continue to delve deeper into this .

Again, I'm not at all suggesting what you're saying is wrong - I know the MCU unit on these boxes is a point of failure, in the same way that the water pump/thermostat is on the 2.0 petrol engines.

Any model, from any brand, will have apparently crippling issues - it sounds like you have just been unlucky. If you look here, you can see another thread on it, or something similar. There's something like 60,000 Kodiaq's in the UK, so seeing forum posts with say, fifty of them, isn't bad going.

Unfortunately, replacing the MCU is expensive. Doing anything with the DSG is probably the most expensive service thing you'll do with the car.

Have you spoken/seen a specialist, or just Skoda? If the car isn't under warranty I'm not sure I'd be going to Skoda - an independent place will probably do the same job, for a bit less and do a better and more thorough service. Equally, are Skoda not offering anything? If VW (Audi?) in the US are doing the job FoC, then surely Skoda UK would at least offer something toward it? You may have to get a bit creative and persuasive.

They are good cars - but, like anything, they do have faults. I think you've just been quite unlucky and had it 60,000 miles sooner than others.

8 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

I

• VW Golf 8 GTI 2020+

• VW Golf 8 GTI Clubsport 2020+

• VW Golf 8 R 2020+

• VW Golf 7 & 7.5 2013-2020

• VW Passat B8 2015+

• VW Arteon 2017+

• VW T-Roc 2017+

• VW Tiguan II 2016+

• VW Jetta / GLI 7 2018+

• Audi S3 8Y 2020+

• Audi A3 2.0 TSI 8Y 2020+

• Audi S3 8V 2013-2020

• Audi A3 8V 2013-2020

• Audi TT 3 8S 2014+

• Audi SQ2 2018+

• Cupra Leon IV FW 2020+

• SEAT Leon IV FW 2020+

• SEAT Leon III Cupra 5F 2014-2020

• SEAT Leon III 5F 2015-2020

• Cupra Ateca 2018+

• Cupra Formentor 2020+

• SEAT Ateca 2016+

• SEAT Tarraco FR Sport 2.0 TSI 245ps 2021+

• Skoda Octavia IV NX 2020+

• Skoda Octavia III 5E 2014-2020

• Skoda Octavia II 1Z 2004-2013

• Skoda Superb III 3V 2015+

• Skoda Superb III 3V 2015+

You'll agree, with that many cars, any reasonably uncommon problem is going to seem very common, very quickly.

There's a few more on that list as well. Including the Karoq, Kodiaq, Q3 etc etc.

Premature failure rate worse with DQ381 worse then 2013-2015 or even to 2018 DQ200,S. No acknowledgement of such from VW group. No fit for purpose for 6 years laws / legislation coming in here. Again fundamental design manufacturing or material faults. Tough titty on those without a valid warranty and even the same for some with you are treated like idiots. Just a minor issue, you are lucky to have a VW group car not as bad as some others from other manufacturers.

9 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

Premature failure rate worse with DQ381 worse then 2013-2015 or even to 2018 DQ200,S. No acknowledgement of such from VW group. No fit for purpose for 6 years laws / legislation coming in here. Again fundamental design manufacturing or material faults. Tough titty on those without a valid warranty and even the same for some with you are treated like idiots. Just a minor issue, you are lucky to have a VW group car not as bad as some others from other manufacturers.

What happened in 2013-15? DQ381 wasn't around till 2017.

I was under the impression (generally) that the 381 was one of the more reliable DSG boxes (the DQ200 likes to have issues, that I do know).

Ultimately, it's a robotised dual clutch transmission, so when things go wrong, they are going to be pricey and be shouted about. Certainly, I've only really heard good things about the DQ3XX or DL3XX.

If there were only 50 faulty DQ381,s out of 60,000 Kodiaq with DQ381,s then Skoda might get on and stop taking the p!th, even if 100 out of 60,000 they could say an issue they are addressing regardless of Warranty.

But the issue is Global and VW, Skoda, SEAT and Audi.

It is a biggy, not jst overblown on Social Media, Forums, Briskoda.

@OccyVRS 2013-2015 DQ200,s.

The Service Campaign period covered after the 2009-2012 World Wide Recall excluding Europe of 5 million plus DQ200,s.

Then 2015-2018, TPI,s on Clutch Packs and Software. Uprades.

So as i said, the DQ381 worse than the failure rates of these with known issues.

Obviously denied long enough by VW group.

Just look how many we build and how few are Sh!te.

Or how many owners and told lies at Dealerships & Customer Services.

PS

If looking at forums including Briskoda and reading about failings, look maybe at UK, Ireland, New Zealand & Australia, so right hand drive cars.

Then maybe see which are people with FWD,s or with AWD,s and are they all having pretty much the same faults with DQ381,s.

Edited 13 August, 202513 Aug by Ootohere