Volkswagen Taos acceleration problems

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The car does not accelerate when the gas is pressed. It will delay, jerk or accelerate slower than it's supposed to.

NHTSA complaint #11740205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

​SUMMARY OF SAFETY HAZARD: I am reporting a catastrophic and unpredictable loss of motive power in a 2023 Volkswagen Taos (4Motion with DQ381 DSG Transmission). The vehicle presents a critical electronic sensor failure within the transmission mechatronics unit that causes the vehicle to enter an immediate "Limp Mode" without warning. This has resulted in several near-miss incidents where the vehicle became immobilized in active traffic and on high-speed roadways. ​TECHNICAL DATA OF FAILURE: Factory-level ODIS diagnostic logs (recorded Feb 3 and March 17, 2026) reveal that the transmission’s "Actual position clutch 1" reports a constant value of -0.69 bar. In an automotive hydraulic system engineered for positive pressure, a reading of -0.69 bar is a physical impossibility (a vacuum state). This indicates a total failure of the pressure sensor/TCU logic, leading to the unintentional disengagement of the primary drive clutch. ​DECEPTIVE REPORTING RISK: Authorized service centers have been documented falsifying the safety status of this vehicle. Despite possessing internal diagnostic logs showing the -0.69 bar vacuum failure, a dealership issued a final Service Order certifying "No issues found" and stating "Actual values match." This reporting practice is forcing a vehicle with a known, documented powertrain failure back onto public roads, creating a severe life-safety risk for occupants and other motorists. The vehicle is currently grounded to prevent a collision.

NHTSA complaint #11736005 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While driving with my ACC activated to 71MPH, I was pulled over by Mass state police and told that my speed was between 76-81MPH. I've since confirmed the statement of the officer to be accurate by comparing the displayed vehicle speed is lower than what's displayed on apps such as Waze and google maps. Citation [XXX] was issued by the officer INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11720642 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The speedometer on the new 2025 Volkswagen Taos undervalues the speed by 5%. For example, if the SUV speedometer says 40 mph the actual speed of the vehicle is 42 mph. This seems to be a known problem on new Taos vehicles but is not being addressed by Volkswagen. They are saying legally a 10% variance is allowed and the vehicle passes electrical tests. This problem has been reported to corporate and two dealerships and has a case number. Speed was noticed by driver after going the speed limit on a street near a baseball field with a sign and flashing speedometer. Waze and Google Maps gps also confirm the 5% variance. This problem causes unintentional speeding, reduced reaction time and stopping distance, difficulty matching traffic flow and misjudgment of vehicle control.

NHTSA complaint #11713931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

On 12/20/25, the "lane assist not available" and the "EPC" warning indicators lit up. I was in the car with my 11 year old, we pulled over and looked in the manual to understand EPC, and the manual said it "is possible to continue driving," so we continued. As we entered the freeway the car went into limp mode and would not accelerate. I put the gas pedal to the floor, put on my hazard lights, and got off at the next exit, but we did were not able to drive > 40 mph on a crowded, rainy freeway with big-rigs ahead, behind, and to the left of us. We got off at the next exit, drove to a parking lot and let the car rest for 10-15 minutes. When we turned it back on, the "Exhaust System Malfunction" light and "Central Warning Light" indicators were on. The lane assist not available indicator had lit up a day prior, as well. My safety and the safety of my child were at risk on the freeway. I called the dealership from which I had purchased the car 2 years earlier and which has ~11,280 miles. I was told by their service department to drive the car home, but not to drive it after that. However, they also told me to drive the car from my home to their shop (10 miles), but to avoid the freeway, in order to have it serviced. This suggestion also put me at risk, as it would have been unsafe to drive the car between my home and their shop. I did call back to say that I didn't feel safe driving it, at which point they looked up my car and saw that it is under warranty, which includes roadside assistance coverage. The car will be towed to their shop on the morning of 12/22/25.

NHTSA complaint #11706418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated for an extended period before suddenly accelerating rapidly, almost causing a crash. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to provide a specific diagnosis but stated that the failure was turbo lag, which was not necessarily a failure with the turbo charger. The contact was informed that the failure was a known issue with the manufacturer; however, there was no fix available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 2,500.

NHTSA complaint #11689756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The car has an issue with acceleration, when you stop or driving if you hit the gas pedal the car wont accelerate instantly it has a delay and it super dangerous when crossing through a 2 lane road, we have taken the car 3 times at VW and they finaly gave us an answer that this is an issue with all of the cars for this year and there is no fix or resolution and asked us to call VW to find a solution for our problem since they sold us a car that has a major deffect. VW wont do anything.

NHTSA complaint #11676369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

unknown jerkiness or lurching, especially when driving at lower speeds, especially if you’re used to driving a regular automatic with a heavy foot. Slow to downshift Jerkiness or lurching when accelerating from a stop Shifts to higher gears too early

NHTSA complaint #11662354 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While driving Dec 10, 2024 my VW Taos failed to accelerate after slowing at an intersection. If this happens when I’m turning, on coming traffic has to slow down unexpectedly. The EPC light and check engine light came on. Car would not go above 15-20 mph. Called dealer and cautiously drove car to dealer. The mechanic said a popped fuse was reason the lights came on and car wouldn’t accelerate. They replaced 10A fuse and said codes/lights corrected. Now on 12/23/24 same exact issue has occurred. This is a huge safety concern. Taos 2022 models had a safety recall for a fuel delivery module that was causing that exact same issues and EPC and check engine light to come on. I am waiting for the dealer to call me back now to discuss how serious this really is and to get them to acknowledge they didn’t truly diagnose the vehicle the first time (given the 2022 Taos safety recall). Please investigate, I believe the 2023 models have the exact same problem. Not being able to accelerate is dangerous in multiple scenarios.

NHTSA complaint #11632173 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Vehicle will take off like a rocket when accelerating from a stop. I had to restart the vehicle because it had no acceleration before issue started. Took to the dealer was told that this is normal. I was then advised to put the vehicle in sport mode and it should stop. Vehicle has only 3300 miles on it and this is a new issue that just started. Took it to a local shop and it showed a p2422 so we took it to the dealer and that’s when they stated no codes found and no issues found. We have multiple videos of the rocket take off.

NHTSA complaint #11598898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The component that appears to have malfunctioned is the vehicle's turbocharger or acceleration system. This issue is reproducible upon request for inspection. The malfunction poses a significant safety risk as it creates a delay in the vehicle's response when turning, leaving the vehicle momentarily stranded in the middle of the opposite lane. This puts the driver and other road users at risk of collision. The problem has been confirmed by my dealership. They attributed it to turbo lag and advised against using Sam's Club gas. Despite following their advice, the issue has persisted. The vehicle has yet to inspected by my dealership. There have been no inspections by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives as of now. There have been no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The acceleration lag was initially subtle but has progressively become more severe over time. Whenever I attempt to make a normal right or left turn, my car hesitates for approximately three seconds before abruptly accelerating into the intended lane. This delay leaves me temporarily stuck in the middle of the opposite lane, creating a hazardous situation. The dealership diagnosed it as turbo lag and recommended against using Sam's Club gas, but the issue persists and has worsened. Now, the car exhibits significant acceleration lag after stopping for more than three seconds, followed by a sudden surge of speed. This behavior is particularly dangerous at intersections and during turns.

NHTSA complaint #11596248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1. car is unsafe starting from a stop and after slowing down to accelerate out of a turn. in both instances there is a significant lack of response w/ the accelerator where it won't actually respond until there's about 2-3k RPMs. this makes it extremely dangerous at intersections because you can't trust that it will accelerate in a responsive manner. many times, the car will respond as if you've dropped the clutch on a manual transmission - jerking around like a 15YO learning to drive a stick. The problem has not been confirmed by dealer - they were supposed to review at our 1st year maintenance but didn't then wanted to charge me to come back. It has not been inspected by others. There are no warning lights. 2. The coolant level on car consistently drops despite low mileage (1st time was around 9k) and less than a year old. It's a risk because it may be a head gasket or engine issue. The dealer did not find anything, but it continues to go through coolant. Advised to keep an eye on it. 🙄 Not inspected by others. Yes low coolant warning light - first appeared multiple times around 9k.

NHTSA complaint #11585799 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Vehicle has been having accelerator issues. Car has not been registering acceleration. This has happened on 6 separate occasions. The first occurrence happened when I was at an intersection and I took my foot off the brake and put my foot on the gas pedal. No acceleration besides the torque received when not applying gas (1-3mph). This lasted for about 7-10 seconds and then I jolted forward due to gas pedal being pressed down and car registering the gas. The other occurrences have happened when I start my car in the morning. I will start my car and apply gas. The car does not register the gas, it moves slowly from the torque converter. This lasts about 7-8 seconds of this slow moving. My foot is applied to the gas pedal, but car doesn't register it. After about 8 seconds, my car will register my foot being on the gas pedal. It goes from about 1 mph to 12-17 mph in 2 seconds. When it does, the gas pedal is not pressed 1/2 day down, 3/4 way down or all the way down to the floor. The gas pedal is pressed very gently. I learned from the first time in the intersection, not to press the gas pedal down all the way due to the aggressive acceleration of the car at an unknown time. The date of the intersection occurrence I did not record due to me thinking it was a one off situation. After the second time I started documenting each time this happened. Temperatures have varied from when this happens, it does not happen when it is a certain temperature out. I have driven my car consistently and does not happen when leaving my car sit for long periods of time. I have had regular maintenance on my car. Date of events this has happened 01/08 01/16 01/17 01/29 01/31 This is very concerning to me as I am afraid my car will hit an object or a human without my control. This car was bought new from the dealership and is less than 3 years old. I have reported this problem to the local dealership and have an appt in February.

NHTSA complaint #11569326 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle stalled and jerked. The contact stated that the failure was persistent and almost caused several crashes. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

NHTSA complaint #11561459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Vehicle accelerates rapidedly or sluggish from stopped. Unable to anticipate which response you may get operating the vehicle and is therefore a safety in my opinion. Also the drop pad overheats my android phone to the point the phone shuts down and is so hot you can't pick it up.

NHTSA complaint #11547491 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I purchased the new 2023 TAOS Volkswagen. I am experiencing sudden burst of acceleration when I’m gently accelerating. I have had several near misses of having an accident. I have read several other reports of the same problem on online forums. What is Volkswagen going to do about this? I just paid $35,000 for this new car and I’m afraid I’m gonna have an accident the way it suddenly accelerates. Please contact me so I know if there’s anything I can do to resolve this problem. This car is my only transportation and it scares me to drive it. This should not be happening.

NHTSA complaint #11541108 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Accelerating from hard stop causes vehicle to jerk. There is a lag that is dangerous when sitting in traffic. I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic when I accelerated. The car has no response and then will have a sudden acceleration seconds after pushing the pedal. This only happens when accelerating from a hard stop. I have called 2 local dealers and they confirmed they have seen this issue. 1 dealer stated they have seen this issue in my exact model, with no fix. 2nd dealer states they have seen it in a different model but have no fix for my current model. This problems puts the safety of myself and others at risk.

NHTSA complaint #11531249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The vehicle has a lag that keeps it from properly accelerating from a stop, it also seems like there might be an issue with the transmission because the vehicle will jerk back and forth when letting off of the gas like it is a manual transmission but it is an automatic transmission. It seems like the vehicle never knows what gear it should be in.

NHTSA complaint #11517151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The car auto-accelerates and the acceleration is very jerky. When you put the car in gear it accelerates without control. Too dangerous to drive in the city.

NHTSA complaint #11510499 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.