2017-2020 Skoda Karoq Problems: 8 Known Issues

EU RAPEX alert A12/0299/18 (notified by Germany, published 2 March 2018) covers Skoda Karoq built 10 October to 19 November 2017. When the curtain (head) airbag deploys, parts of the A-pillar covering can break off and injure occupants — the trim is not tearing along its intended seam. This is a very narrow six-week production window at the very start of Karoq production.

Skoda recall 69Y9, published as EU RAPEX alert A12/1750/19 on 22 November 2019, covers vehicles built between January and August 2018. A possible defect in the driver's airbag housing means the airbag may not deploy properly in a collision. The same campaign spans several Skoda models built in that window — Fabia, Karoq, Kodiaq, Octavia, Rapid and Superb — so it is a shared supplier component, not a Karoq-specific design fault.

Skoda recall 72J6, published as EU RAPEX alert A12/1302/19 and as DVSA R/2019/214, covers Karoq (type approval types NU/NS) built in January 2019. A production fault allows cracks to develop in the frame/mounting of the left front seat (the driver's seat in left-hand-drive cars, the passenger seat in UK right-hand-drive cars), which reduces the seat's protective function in a collision. Only 238 UK vehicles were listed, so this is a narrow build window rather than a model-wide fault.

Two separate DVSA recalls cover rear head restraint defects on the 2018 Karoq. R/2018/357 (189 UK vehicles) reports that the rear backrest head restraint mounting is not correctly welded. R/2019/079 (1,627 UK vehicles) reports that the centre rear head restraint may not be to specification; the matching EU alert describes the locking pin securing the head restraint being missing from the centre rear seat. Either defect reduces whiplash and rear-impact protection for rear-seat occupants.

DVSA recall R/2018/329 on the 2018 Skoda Karoq: the parking brake disengages improperly when the clutch pedal is released. 1,179 UK vehicles were listed. The consequence is that the car can roll away on a gradient when the driver expects the electronic parking brake to be holding it, for example during a hill start or when handing the car over.

EU Safety Gate/RAPEX alert A12/00364/21 (Skoda recall code 46i5) covers Skoda Karoq and Kodiaq built between 29 June and 31 August 2020. A manufacturing error means the brake-pedal plate may not have been adequately welded; it can deform or detach completely when the brake pedal is applied firmly, seriously impairing braking. 14,097 vehicles worldwide were listed and the alert is graded 'serious'.

Skoda service campaign 24FQ (VW 24FO, SEAT 24FP) covers three-cylinder 1.0 TSI direct-injection engines built 2018-2020. The injectors have an excessively high leakage rate, allowing fuel into the combustion chamber outside the injection event, with the result that the vehicle no longer meets its type-approval pollutant emission limits. The campaign spans the VW Group 1.0 TSI fleet — on the Skoda side the Fabia, Kamiq, Karoq, Octavia, Rapid and Scala. Only Karoqs with the 1.0 TSI are in scope; 1.5 TSI, 2.0 TSI and TDI cars are not.

DVSA safety recall R/2019/303 covers Skoda Karoq built in the 2018-2019 model years, where "too little torque may be provided by the engine at low engine speeds". 1,231 UK vehicles were listed. In practice owners experience a flat spot, hesitation or surging when pulling away and at low revs in the lower gears. The DVSA record does not name an engine code, so do not assume it applies to every Karoq: the low-rev drivability behaviour it describes matches the early EA211 evo 1.5 TSI ACT calibration used in this period, but the engine is not stated in the official record. Check by VIN.