On jan. 5th 2019 the dashboard warning system showed a "error - transmission". we had it towed to the dealership - they said it was the shifter unit, and that it was not covered under the "powertrain" warranty. we were told it was still safe to drive while they ordered parts. while driving it home from the dealer, it would hesitate when starting off from a stop - with oncomming traffic, this can be a unsafe option. looking on several vw support forums, i see this same problem come up often - most are covered under warranty because they happen earlier than ours did (36,714 miles). to me it seems vw has a problem with these shifter units, but will not do anything about it unless they are forced to.