2017 DSG 6th gear issue

racerx20 · Oct 18, 2018

Intermittently on the freeway my dsg won't shift into 6th. Usually happens when I'm in D cruising and accelerate to pass etc. The car will downshift several gears but when I resume normal cruising it won't go into 6th. Usually after a few miles it acts normally. If I switch to manual mode I can manually get 6th but when I go back to auto it down shifts to 5th. Very odd. Anyone else experience this issue?

dequardo · Oct 18, 2018

That is odd. It won’t go to 6th in S mode. May well be an electronic issue in the shifter toggle from D to S.

Diggs24 · Oct 18, 2018

racerx20 said:
Intermittently on the freeway my dsg won't shift into 6th. Usually happens when I'm in D cruising and accelerate to pass etc. The car will downshift several gears but when I resume normal cruising it won't go into 6th. Usually after a few miles it acts normally. If I switch to manual mode I can manually get 6th but when I go back to auto it down shifts to 5th. Very odd. Anyone else experience this issue?

1. Are you original owner?
2. What speed are you cruising at that it won't go into 6th?

Wrath And Tears · Oct 18, 2018

If you floor it to pass (and floor it long enough), the DSG will go into S mode, even when you are in D. It then takes a few minutes to revert back to D.

adam1991 · Oct 18, 2018

racerx20 said:
Intermittently on the freeway my dsg won't shift into 6th. Usually happens when I'm in D cruising and accelerate to pass etc. The car will downshift several gears but when I resume normal cruising it won't go into 6th. Usually after a few miles it acts normally. If I switch to manual mode I can manually get 6th but when I go back to auto it down shifts to 5th. Very odd. Anyone else experience this issue?

Owner's manual to the rescue:

Kick-down acceleration
The kick-down feature permits maximum acceleration when the selector lever is in the Drive or Sport Drive (D/S) position or in Tiptronic mode.

If you push the accelerator all the way down, the vehicle will automatically downshift, depending on vehicle speed and engine speed (rpm). This feature lets you take advantage of the full acceleration capacity of the vehicle ⇒ .

With kick-down activated, the transmission will stay in the current gear longer and not upshift until the engine reaches maximum rpm.

racerx20 · Oct 19, 2018

Wrath And Tears said:
If you floor it to pass (and floor it long enough), the DSG will go into S mode, even when you are in D. It then takes a few minutes to revert back to D.

This makes the most sense with the way the car acts thanks.

Diggs24 said:
1. Are you original owner?
2. What speed are you cruising at that it won't go into 6th?

1. Yes I am the original owner, car had 12 miles when I purchased.

2. 70-80 mph.

racerx20 · Oct 19, 2018

adam1991 said:
Owner's manual to the rescue:

My issue is once you go back to normal cruise throttle input after engaging kick-down, the car won't go into 6th for a period of time.

Diggs24 · Oct 19, 2018

Well, that rules out DSG tune. I don't recall my car doing this when stock. Odd.

The Fed · Oct 19, 2018

OP, are you engaging the kickdown button? If not, even in S the transmission will shift into 6th at 80 for sure. Mine does, and the R can't be geared that much lower than a GTI.

racerx20 · Oct 19, 2018

The Fed said:
OP, are you engaging the kickdown button? If not, even in S the transmission will shift into 6th at 80 for sure. Mine does, and the R can't be geared that much lower than a GTI.

Yes engaging button, car almost acts as if it's in S but in D. Like I said when it does it I can switch to manual mode and upshift to 6, as soon as I put it back to auto mode it will down shift back to fifth all while in D. While it's doing it if I go to S it will downshift to 4th and hold there. A few miles later it goes back to normal.

adam1991 · Oct 19, 2018

racerx20 said:
My issue is once you go back to normal cruise throttle input after engaging kick-down, the car won't go into 6th for a period of time.

Which is *exactly* what the owner's manual documents.

And?

adam1991 · Oct 19, 2018

racerx20 said:
Yes engaging button, car almost acts as if it's in S but in D. Like I said when it does it I can switch to manual mode and upshift to 6, as soon as I put it back to auto mode it will down shift back to fifth all while in D. While it's doing it if I go to S it will downshift to 4th and hold there. A few miles later it goes back to normal.

Which is what the owner's manual documents is the designed behavior.

It's operating as designed.

And?

The Fed · Oct 20, 2018

I can't remember the last time I bothered using the button. If I know I'm going to be in traffic I put it in S. At lower speeds it keeps it in one gear lower. If I need unusual power a one-gear drop is all I need.

adam1991 · Oct 20, 2018

The Fed said:
I can't remember the last time I bothered using the button. If I know I'm going to be in traffic I put it in S. At lower speeds it keeps it in one gear lower. If I need unusual power a one-gear drop is all I need.

+1

McCabe89 · Oct 20, 2018

I had this exact same issue. I could be doing 120km and the tranny would stay in 5th. I'd put the car in sport, shift to 6th, move in back to auto and it would down shift to 5th again. It seemed to arise shortly before I had my first DSG service. After the service I never had the issue. Possible loss of DSG fluid? I don't really know if that is even possible.

Mine is a 2016 Performance Pack if that makes any difference.

2017 DSG 6th gear issue

racerx20

Ready to race!

dequardo

Autocross Newbie

Diggs24

Autocross Champion

Wrath And Tears

Go Kart Champion

adam1991

Banned

racerx20

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racerx20

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Diggs24

Autocross Champion

The Fed

Old Guys Rule

racerx20

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adam1991

Banned

adam1991

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The Fed

Old Guys Rule

adam1991

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McCabe89

Passed Driver's Ed