Skoda Kodiaq SUV Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

DSG Gearbox Fault

Tags
skipping odd gears
3 reading
Jump to Latest
39K views 48 replies 27 participants last post by  SWDan  
#1 ·
Triangular warning light comes on dashboard, then the DSG box will not engage the 'odd' gears 1,3 5 or 7 either in auto or manual. Switching off ignition can sometimes re-set. All gears engage OK. No problems for a while until the cycle starts again whilst driving for no apparent reason. Seems like maybe a sensor is tricking the gearbox into perceiving a problem that doesn't exist. Has anybody else experienced this problem?
 
A
#2 ·
Not seen this one myself, but the car can usually tell you a bit more than just the orange triangle…. If you use the controls on the right side of the steering wheel you can change the central dashboard display to Vehicle information and the reason for the fault light will be displayed. (Nb:Controls are on a stalk on some models, and the digital dashboard may be different again..).

I guess as it is a DSG and you only have half the gears it is likely to be a fault with one of the clutches and the car is trying to limp along on the other. I’m no expert however and if my car were to do that I’d be taking it in to a mechanic to be looked at….
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
S
#3 ·
Yep, exactly that - odd gears are on one shaft and even ones are on the other. Each shaft has its own clutch which are part of the clutch pack (also referred to as the mechatronics unit), which can be replaced at a lower cost than replacing the entire gearbox. If it's in warranty then obviously take it to your local Skoda dealer. If not then I'd probably take it to an independent in the hope that just replacing the clutch pack will solve the issue. Any Skoda dealer are likely to recommend replacing the entire gearbox and then you're into big sums to fix it.

Parts available here to give you an idea of cost of the clutches:
ŠKODA DSG Clutch Repair Kit | Horton ŠKODA
or there are companies that will replace the entire mechatronics for a little more, available through eBay (price quoted is fitted - the company is based in Essex, but guess they offer a mobile service?):
skoda kodiaq dsg 7 speed automatic gearbox mechatronic repair supply and fit | eBay

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but think it's likely to cost you if not in warranty...

Hope that helps!
 
#7 ·
steven1 said:
Are instances of the DSG gearbox failing common ?
Or do you have to be very unlucky
My warranty runs out in 12 months do Skoda extended warranty’s cover things like gearbox failures
Click to expand...
steven1. Up until quite recently my Kodiac has performed perfectly. Couldn't have been happier. Purchased new May 2017. It might just be bad luck for us. As in life, a little bit of luck goes a long way. Why not discuss with your main dealer. They may offer a warranty extension.
GS.
 
S
#22 ·
Hi. New to the forum and posting here after recent diagnosis of failed mechatronic unit on our 2018 Kodiaq with 75k on the clock. Full service history with local independent who uses genuine Skoda parts. I got the same fault on the dash - 'gearbox in emergency mode, no reverse' also knocked out 2nd and 4th gear. Skoda garage have quoted £1800 to replace mechatronics unit. Two years earlier also had failed water pump ahead of time which cost £655 and included new cam belt. I spoke to an independent gearbox specialist and they advised that a new mechatronic unit would not work well with the existing clutch and would soon fail after replacement and quoted me IRO £3K to £4K to refurb mechatronic and replace clutch as well. Has anyone got any intel or experience of having replacing the mechatronics unit, it then goes on to fail again and does in fact need a new clutch as well? I am really naffed off with this car as I thought I was buying reliability with all Audi parts under the bonnet. Skoda should be owning this, the DSG system is not fit for purpose.
 
P
#14 ·
My 18 plate superb with 54k on clock has recently had this DSG problem. I have been quoted £2681 plus vat for a repair/replacement of control unit from main dealer in Inverness. Cost seems way inflated but car not old, just out of warranty, Is this a latent fault and has anyone had any luck with Skoda admitting a fault?
 
L
#15 ·
Hi I own Kodiaq TSI DSG 4x4 2019 I have the same issue as the others “Emergency Mode” the car is at the dealership but was told it’s the Mechatronic Unit Control. Garage or Skoda dealer then adviced me that parts have been ordered and been authorised as it’s on warranty. This was since 4th of January and it now March! How long I have to wait for this parts? Luna
 
E
#17 ·
Hi , I have a Kodiaq 2019 with 26800 miles on the clock . Three weeks ago I got a warning message Gearbox has gone into safe mode .
Could only get 1,3,5 and 7.
Called out Skoda assistance he plugged in his laptop and diagnosed new control unit required . He advised not to drive the car .
Tried getting in touch with Skoda dealer , after three days of phoning service dept and no one answering my calls I rang Skoda UK.
Within an hour I got a call from the service manager saying sorry but they are short staffed . I gave up on them and took my car to an independent VW, Skoda and seat garage .
New unit ordered from Germany , it came within 7 days and I had my car back in 9 days . £2588 . My problem is surely Skoda should pay a large percentage of this , but I need to know if this is a common problem with 2018/19 Kodiaqs DSG gearboxes . Help .
 
B
#19 ·
I am joining your club! I have a Kodiaq which i bought new in 2018, now has 62,000 miles on the clock. Yesterday, for the first time, the fault warning " Gearbox has gone into emergency mode, safe to drive on" appeared on the dashboard. As others have described in could only select even number gears. I reported it to the main dealer who has looked after the car from new to be told they can't look at it until the 15th. May and, no, I can't have a loan car, even though the car is still under extended warranty. Today, the fault appeared to have gone and all was well for the first hour, then, it returned but then the car was stuck in second gear! Stopped for ten minutes to allow it to reset, which it did, then, after a further 15 minutes of normal driving, back it came. As before, car stuck in second gear. Limped home and now awaiting the RAC to recover the car to the main dealer.
Skoda must be aware that this is an issue that they should bear some responsibility for. A car of this cost and quality should not fail in such a major way with such a small mileage on the clock. Thank heavens for extended warranty.
 
S
#20 · (Edited)
Did you register with Skoda Ensurance? (NB not Insurance, it's Ensurance - something different). It's free for the first three years from new, not sure if it's included in the extended warranty, but suspect it is and if you registered in the initial 3 years and your warranty was purchased before it reached 3 years old and has remained valid throughout, then I would think you ought to still be registered. I do think you need to at least register with them initially though. They then act as the go-between and ought to sort out a hire car (or loan car from the dealer), manage the repair and any liaison needed with Skoda UK for any warranty claim. Worth a call if you did register at some point?

Their claims phone number is 0333 043 3782.

Hope that helps!
 
W
#25 ·
Hello - yes, another new member of the club. In March I bought an L&K Kodiaq 2 litre petrol, 2019 reg like most of the others mentioned here, having had a trouble-free lower level model for a couple of years. Last week, the gearbox message came up. It reset a couple of times and then had to be recovered to the main dealer from whom I purchased it. I am informed it's a clutch sensor problem and that the mechatronic needs to be replaced - they have applied for the warranty cover and should hear back about that this afternoon.

My question is this: does that repair actually fix the problem properly or are these vehicles prone to developing the same or similar faults again? I've read of some owners having repeated issues and repairs, which seems incredible for a company like Skoda. I've owned other Skoda models for many years and never encountered problems before.
 
P
#26 ·
I got the same problem 2 weeks ago. I have a 2018 Kodiaq. "Gearbox emergency mode. No reverse". I had to change the Mechatronic unit and cost me £2300. The gearbox specialists told me that they have changed more than 100 mechatronic units in the last 6 years. Volkswagen group will repair it for free in the US apparently even if your car was outside warranty but not too old, but not in the UK.
I always had VW group cars and Mercedes. Always liked my VWs more than any other car but I have lost trust in them the last 4 years when my Golf, A5 and Kodiaq cost me a lot in repairs. VW group sales politic became more aggressive as well even though their are losing ground.
 
A
#28 ·
Hi everyone, I have had the same issue, Kodiaq 1.4 auto (2019, had since new and service plan / main dealer every time) and was amber warning of "gearbox in D, safe to drive on" or something like that, then various other faults came up too, eg "traction control failure" or "front sensor failure" but all reset when I stopped and started again. Booked it in for a diagnostic and in the week before diagnostic due, got a red warning "gearbox failure stop when safe" and car went into coast mode.

(NB the "warning" messages are my best guess, they flash up and disappear so fast hard to read....

the car did have slight juddering when changing gear, so I am hoping it is clutch rather than mechatronic.

Will report back when I get the diagnostic.

QUESTION: What's the score with courtesy cars? My worry is that if the car is in for more than a week, we have half term holiday and a driving trip to France coming up...that will be challenging if I don't have a 7 seater for my family :-( Skoda Assist say that it is the dealer to sort, the dealer say ask Skoda extended warranty and Skoda extended warranty said "try your car insurance" who told me "ask the dealer"

So, no one will help cover my lack of car for a potential week or two when I have a warranty-covered mechanical failure.....?
 
A
#30 ·
So, I've had the diagnosis. Turns out a cable loom between gearbox and somewhere has come loose, has now corroded the wires and needs replacing. £250 diagnostics and £650 repair. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY

"transmission faults stored in vehicle causing EML to appear on dash. carried out initial inspection Inside car all ok. inspected plug for mechtronics and found wiring repair has been carried out. harness has been routed incorrectly and not sufficiently protected and has rubbed through to the copper. corrosion is also occurring in this area and broken wire into plug. recommend replacement of plug and recheck after "

So, I bought the car from skoda, had it serviced exclusively by skoda, took out skoda warranty and now this repair is needed (to fix an apparent previous (skoda) repair). How on earth is this not covered by Skoda warranty?

My issue is I need the car back ASAP (France driving holiday coming up) so I am gonna have to pay to get the car back and then...what? Chase the main dealer for their previous shoddy service work? How will I find out who even did the work/when (I have the car serviced at main dealer every time, but got this latest repair undertaken at another (different) skoda dealership because they were the only one who could fit me in for the diagnostic in time).
 
S
#31 ·
Not sure you can necessarily blame Skoda for the previous repair? Reading between the lines, you didn't buy this car from new, but you did buy it from Skoda, presumably with a full Skoda service history? That only means that all servicing was done by Skoda, not necessarily any previous repairs, which could have been done by an independent garage, or even the previous owner themselves and prior to when you bought the car. Whilst Skoda will inspect cars prior to putting them on their forecourt to sell as a used car, I wouldn't think they would be able to inspect every single bit of wiring and every single connecting plug.

I would say you could only blame the Skoda dealer's shoddy repair if you had evidence that the previous repair to the gearbox wiring plug had been done by them, otherwise it's not their fault, so not their problem to sort. Sounds to me like someone has bodged a repair previously, and seeing as Skoda has now found that this poor repair has caused the latest fault, I think they're quite within their rights to decline any warranty claim. I doubt Skoda would do a repair to the wiring that would result in the wiring loom being routed incorrectly and also leave it insufficiently protected, but it's possible - but you'd need to prove that they undertook the work previously to such a poor standard and that is what has now led to the latest failure.

Probably not what you want to hear, but I think you'd need evidence that the latest failure was as a result of a repair they had undertaken themselves.
 
A
#34 ·
Thank you scratch113. I've checked every receipt/service invoice and the only "repair" I can see listed (that is to do with wiring) is a camshaft sensor replacement. The car HAS broken down a couple of times (and been repaired by the main dealer) but I don't see the repair that would have been "carried out poorly" that the new dealer is now referring to.

I will ask them for a print-out of the Service Record...Can Dealer B see the service history/repairs reported by Dealer A? I need to get some evidence don't I?

This is all very suspicious to me....feel like I am paying out for something Skoda have done., yet I won't have the evidence.
 
A
#37 ·
UPDATE: I got the full service history (and repairs undertaken) from the main (original dealer) and sure enough, the part number for the wiring loom that necessitated the recent repair matches. this was also confirmed by the (other) main dealer who conducted the repair. Have written to Skoda Finance (who I pay for the warranty) to intervene and pay me my repair costs back.

Will let you know how I get on.
 
#39 ·
Well, looks like it's my turn now.... (are Skoda still denying there is an issue??)
I bought my Kodiaq new and is now just over 4 years old with mileage of c35k on the clock.

The same message appeared (Auto Gearbox in emergency mode - safe to drive), with the car spluttering when slowing and accelerating from slow or stationary starts.

It has appeared on my dash yesterday (2nd May 2025) towards the end of a standard 50-60 mile drive. I haven't yet contacted Skoda as it's a Bank Holiday weekend, but any tips on how to approach any potential push backs before I visit them next week would be very useful.

The official Skoda dealer is the same place I bought the car as well as have it serviced. The service record is fully up to date. I have an extended warranty in force which still has another 18 months plus, to run.

I'm (possibly foolishly) assuming they won't be looking to try and wriggle out of this, even if the repair is as expensive as it feels it's going to be, but if someone has a view (and it looks like there are many out there with this gearbox failure), how to approach this conversation with them, I'd be very grateful.

Cheers,
Andy
 
S
#40 ·
andyyounghome said:
Well, looks like it's my turn now.... (are Skoda still denying there is an issue??)
I bought my Kodiaq new and is now just over 4 years old with mileage of c35k on the clock.

The same message appeared (Auto Gearbox in emergency mode - safe to drive), with the car spluttering when slowing and accelerating from slow or stationary starts.

It has appeared on my dash yesterday (2nd May 2025) towards the end of a standard 50-60 mile drive. I haven't yet contacted Skoda as it's a Bank Holiday weekend, but any tips on how to approach any potential push backs before I visit them next week would be very useful.

The official Skoda dealer is the same place I bought the car as well as have it serviced. The service record is fully up to date. I have an extended warranty in force which still has another 18 months plus, to run.

I'm (possibly foolishly) assuming they won't be looking to try and wriggle out of this, even if the repair is as expensive as it feels it's going to be, but if someone has a view (and it looks like there are many out there with this gearbox failure), how to approach this conversation with them, I'd be very grateful.

Cheers,
Andy
Click to expand...
Hi Andy,
Did you get anywhere with your local Skoda dealer? I would imagine that the DSG Mechatronics ought to be covered under an extended warranty, but it might depend on whether you've got the fully comprehensive one or the limited warranty that comes as part of the "All-in" package that also includes European roadside assistance, two services, two MOTs and the warranty. I think under that scheme, any diagnostic work they have to do is not covered, so in essence, you have to pay for their time just to wheel your car into their workshop and plug in a computer. I'm fairly sure that bit is also covered under the full warranty, however that is much more expensive initially. No idea which you get if you purchase the 4 year/80k mile or 5 year/100k mile warranty with the car from new?

Let us know how you get on, I would think Skoda will probably cough up based on the warranty, but there might be a small bill for you just for them to diagnose the fault (even though you can probably be 99% sure that it's the mechatronics that have failed on one side!).
 
S
#42 ·
I'm fairly sure that all Kodiaq DSG gearboxes are the newer DQ381, either in front wheel drive guise (designated DQ381-7F) or AWD with the addition of a Haldex clutch system to drive the rear wheels (designated DQ381-7A). Both versions have a manufacturer recommended oil and filter interval of 80k miles. The older DQ250 DSG (6 speed, but never fitted to the Mk1 Kodiaq afaik) had a 40k mile interval and some dealers will tell owners that this still applies to the newer 7 speed DSG, but that isn't what the manufacturer recommends. I think the new Mk2 Kodiaq iV plug-in hybrid does however come with the DQ250e, which adds the electric drive, but reverts to a 6 speed box.

Hope that helps!
 
D
#47 ·
i got the red warning light on my DSG ( 2016 VW Tiguan )after the amber light - £1100 for new mechatronic box - in 2023!
Got the amber light on a regular basis after that and the VW people quoted £1200 to fix - my independent garage suggested a new battery as the battery was showing less than 20%- replaced the battery and have not had the amber light since - 5 months ago !!!
DSG's appear to be a big problem ???
i am reading this site as i am considering a 2023 Kodiaq - think i'll maybe look at another make - Audi or Merc??????
 
S
#48 ·
Hi, think this is my first post here. Had a new mechatronics unit fitting last week, 2019 Kodiaq 1.5 tsi, approx 50,000 miles. Lost the odd gears and finally got the local dealer to investigate and a new unit was replaced under my extended warranty.

Now the second key (i.e. the one that was at my house whilst the car was at the dealer) doesn't work at all, doesn't remote unlock, not recognised by the car. Obviously replaced the battery but no change. Tried to resync as per the instructions in the manual but doesn't work.
Does anyone know if the coding work they do to the mechatronics affects the keys? Taking it back to the dealer today but trying to get my ducks in a row so I don't get fobbed off (pun not intended)
 
S
#49 ·
To answer my own question is case anyone else comes looking. The person at the dealers services centre just looked confused as to why there would be an issue. The second person sitting on the desk next to him then confirmed they code the keys to the mechatronics unit. So if you go in to have it done take both keys!
 
Skoda Kodiaq SUV Forum
posts
36K
members
6.7K
Since
2015
A forum community dedicated to Skoda Kodiaq SUV owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Main Skoda Kodiaq Chat Faults & Technical Introductions Electronics and In Car Entertainment Interior and Exterior Cosmetics