The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen CC · 2012

2012 Volkswagen CC. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index113100 = average car
Complaints31NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold21,646U.S. model year
Per 100K sold143complaints
Complaint rank#2 of 2among the 2 scored Volkswagen CC model years (2011–2012); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 22,000 and 55,000 miles. Median 37,200, from 29 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Airbags29%
Electrical26%
Steering23%
Engine23%
Fuel system13%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
3111000

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 6

  • 18V329000 May 2018 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

    Risk. If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

  • 18V148000 Mar 2018 Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

    Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

  • 17V509000 Aug 2017 Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Volkswagen CC, 2006-2010 Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.

    Risk. If the fuel pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AE.

  • 16V078000 Feb 2016 Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

    Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners m

  • 15V483000 Aug 2015 Air Bags / Frontal

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.

    Risk. A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen

  • 11V312000 Jun 2011 Tires / Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

    Defect. VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012, CC VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)." THE FACTORY INSTALLED WHEELS AND TIRES WERE REPLACED AT THE PORT WITH ACCESSORY WHEELS AND TIRES THAT WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE PROPER TPMS SENSORS.

    Risk. WITH THE INCORRECT TPMS SENSORS, DRIVERS WILL RECEIVE A CONSTANT WARNING FROM THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM ALERTS THE DRIVER BUT, DUE TO INCORRECT TPMS SENSORS, THE SYSTEM CANNOT DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE TIRES ARE PROPERLY INFLATED. THIS INCREASES THE RISK THAT THE VEHICLE WILL BE DRIVEN WITH ONE OR MORE UNDERINFLATED TIRES, INCREASING THE RISK OF A TIRE FAILURE THAT MAY LEAD TO A

    Remedy. VOLKSWAGEN WILL REPLACE THE TPMS SENSORS WITH THE PROPER SENSORS TO MAKE THE TPMS SYSTEM OF THE VEHICLES COMPLIANT WITH FMVSS 138. AS OF JUNE 1, 2011, VOLKSWAGEN HAS CONTACTED ALL AFFECTED CUSTOMERS TO SCHEDULE THE REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
ClosedClockspring failure20182026
ClosedAir bag clockspring failure20172018
ClosedAir bag clockspring failure20152015

Manufacturer communications 991

Volkswagen filed 991 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Stiff steering paired with yellow and red warning lights
  • Some consumers may complain that the steering is stiff
  • Tech Tips (Comfort Module (J393) or BCM (J519) Replacement): This document informs if a…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen CC 4 DR AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆
Volkswagen CC 4 DR FWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.0L 4-cyl turboAuto (S6)FWD22 / 31 / 25Premium$3,100
2.0L 4-cyl turboManual 6-spdFWD21 / 31 / 24Premium$3,200
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S6)AWD17 / 25 / 20Premium$3,850

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

YouTube repair topics

200 videos about the 2009–2017 Volkswagen CC, 19.5M views.

TopicVideosViews
Gauges, lights & wiring4488K
Infotainment, battery & electrical5372K
Cooling system4174K
Oil changes & service4147K
Brakes & ABS1111K
Intake, EGR & engine sensors141K

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
201125929,502Steering
20121133121,646Airbags
2013–72–Airbags
2014–47–Airbags
2015–12–Fuel system

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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