Touareg CR -Transmission Jerky Shift Symptoms

Malaudi said:

Hi Bruce, I'm getting the same symptoms, but intermittently, but as you describe. I was thinking about starting a thread on that, but you beat me to it! Under harder acceleration it generally shifts smoothly. Generally tends to be smoother when everything warmed up too, but still present. I was wondering if it could have been uneven acceleration from the engine. Either way I'm thinking maybe a software issue too. I had mine serviced about 6 weeks ago and asked about any software updates for anything, but was told none other than the centre screen. I'm thinking about taking a demonstrator for a quick drive and running a scan with VCDS at the same time to check the software version in that to see if it's been updated!

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Steve104 said:

I have the same issue. It doesn't appear on light acceleration, but in more brisk acceleration situations. Only in the bottom 3 gears and even then intermittently. I reported it to the dealer at first service and they couldn't replicate it (they said). They also said they were no software updates pending.

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Tristo said:

Hi All, I've had the same issues since the beginning too - rough shifts, jerky at low speed etc. We had a bit of a chat about it here 8 months ago: Anyone have the new touareg yet?

I've got the 2019 launch edition and at my 15k service complained to the dealer - no surprise that the mechanic says he couldn't replicate and due to COVID I wasn't able to be in the car for a test drive. I'm about due for the 30k service and will be ramping up the pressure on the dealer as the shifting is horrible. I'm also going to ask to drive a demo for comparison now that Vic is out of lock down.

I've found the transmission reset (ac on, hold accelerator for 15secs etc) does make a difference for a while but then appears to learn and revert. Different feel between normal and sport mode but still pretty jerky when using the tiptronic paddle shift in manual mode.

I've been sent a couple of VW new owner surveys and I went to town on how poor the transmission is for a $100k car. Obviously no one from vw actually reads the responses as I haven't been contacted.

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Curious Mind said:

I've been following this thread with interest as my Launch Edition CR Touareg started displaying same symptoms as described by others at around the 10,000km mark. I was very disappointed and was hoping to see if any solution could be found. I initially did the transmission reset as mentioned by others and that actually improved the lumpy/jerky acceleration that was evident up to 4th gear. Previously, no matter how I drove it (gentle or firm acceleration), the lumpy/jerky acceleration was still noticeable. After the reset it was a noticeable improvement, but I could sense it was going to slowly return. Until... We drove from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast 1800km and the car drove beautifully. Then we picked up our new Zone RV caravan 2.5T and towed it about 3000km touring back down to Melbourne (between lockdowns). Since this trip the car has performed flawlessly. There has been no sign or return of lumpy/jerky acceleration. I have now done 18,000km. I don't have a scientific explanation other than to say that I don't think COVID has been kind with all the lockdowns as our cars haven't had a chance to get decent highway runs or put the car under any serious load. Or maybe you've got to hitch up a load and go towing? Hoping we actually get to the bottom of it as so far this seems to be the only consistent flaw that has appeared to a decent number of Touareg CR owners.

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mikereinc said:

Hi Guys, I have a 2019 launch edition. Bought it 2nd hand from a dealer it had done 87000k. Now up to 90000k.
Had no problem with jerkiness in low gears at first, but now increasingly so. Which suggests to me dealer temporarily resolved the issue ??.
Thanks for all the input from everyone

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Benz1 said:

Some interesting developments with regard to the transmission jerky acceleration issue.
At the last service I reported this issue with my car, the issue was acknowledged and last week the car went in for 3 days for a turbo replacement as the service manager said that was the problem.
Long story short, picked the car up Friday last and the improvement was palatable!
Start up and overall smoothness of gear changes and acceleration is first rate. So different and Immediately noticeable.
The other more surprising improvement is the responsiveness to throttle inputs, Almost no turbo lag, just instant get up and go. Now it’s a brilliant car!
Early days but do hope I can report back in a few months to confirm the continued good behavior.

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bainy said:

Following this one closely. 210TDI R line with the same issue. Best way to describe the issue (with sunroof open to hear things), light acceleration (normal driving changing gears 1900-2100rpm) from a stand still, as the vehicle changes gear between 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd, there is an audible suction / squish noise, followed by hesitation while it transitions gears. Doesn't do this all the time but easily replicated especially on a slight incline. Putting in sports mode or more heavier acceleration does not replicate the issue. I have also had it make this same noise/hesitate a few times in 2nd/3rd gear similar to the gear transition. It's almost like the vehicle is having issue handling excess boost at times. (I saw in a previous post VW changing the turbo rectified a similar issue...) This issue has been ongoing for 9months or so now, never noticed it before. Now to dealing with VW warranty. This has not been a fun time. Alot of time wasted dealing with dealer, car taken away, emails, phonecalls with VW Australia etc. We have gotten to the stage where apparently there is a TSB (technical Service Builletin) released late last year the determines this a normal characteristic of the vehicle and no way to resolve. (believe it or not!). The issue is, they won't release this TSB or show where it's classed as normal characteristic of the vehicle so it's starting to appear we the issue is not easily fixable or too expensive for VW to resolve. The dealer has advised all 2020 onward Touareg Diesels do this and just accept it. Either way, not really the purchasers issue in my opinion. As others have mentioned, a completely unrefined experience when driving especially for such an expensive, premium VW luxury vehicle. Interested to hear if others out there have a similar experience and if this is indeed a case to get may together to take further action.

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alba said:

G'day Crew,
First post here (Feb2025). Have studied this thread in detail as I recently purchased a 2020 Premium 3.0TDI with 93k kms. It's a magnificent machine "however..." it didn't take long to feel the exact same jerkiness that has been described here: "the gear change from 2-3 (or 3-4?) jolts to do that first gear change up (you feel it, very noticeable)".
On this car, it's particularly noticeable anytime the revs are held constant (eg driving up a slight hill) within the rev range 1600-1900; the car's engine rpms will pulsate for as long that throttle input and load is maintained. So for inclines it's audible and visible on the taco, but for many other times (like general stop go acceleration around town) the problem presents as jerky acceleration and uncomfortable gear changes (and I suspect, hard downshifts too).

(The previous owner noted this behaviour on his last service late 2024, for which the dealer (in a sydney region) replaces the fuel sensor - to no avail.

So I went to the effort of booking in with my local dealer - I drove around the block with their master technician. He looked at me like I was wasting his time and said he'd check the logs. Sure enough, no fault found. ($180 out of pocket for a health-check, wash and a wheel alignment.)

I drove out of there thinking I can live with it. But a few days later, driving the family around town, I realised the uncomfortable jerkiness is something I will notice every time I drive, and I feel it's truly unacceptable for a premium car of that price (which is still under manufacturers warranty - until may25) to have such an obvious fault.

What would you guys do:
1. Accept that you've purchased a second-hand lemon and live with it or sell it.
2. Kick-up a stink with the dealer and VW Australia, knowing that it's a problem that is difficult to replicate.. and they will attempt to kill time until the warranty runs out in May (if so, what approach angel would you take?)
3. Pay for investigation and potential fix via a third-party mechanic (if so, can you recommend a specialist within Sydney metro)

Thanks for your input.

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