1.5 TSI kangaroo effect problem. Is there a solution?

It’s been about 8 years now since the first report about the 1.5 TSI “kangaroo” effect came out and scared the public.

What’s the problem? VAG Group cars equipped with the 1.5 TSI engine of any modification and manual transmissions make a significant jerk or kick when you release the clutch pedal and are about to start driving. This happens in the first gear and sometimes in the second gear.

The first “kangaroo” reports started right after this engine came out in Europe in 2016-2017 and then Volkswagen issued several software updates and even a recall. But still, I regularly get messages about the “kangaroo” problem, so I decided to write what I think about the solutions.

Is this a purely software problem?

No, I’m pretty sure Volkswagen lied to us when tried to convince everyone that a simple software update would be enough to deal with the problem.

In 2019, they released a serious update and it seems to have helped about 80% of owners. But the other 20% are left struggling with their new wonderful Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat, or Audi cars jerking as if these people drive manual cars for the first time in their lives. Embarrassing, I should say.

Also, I’m not sure if the problem is with the engine itself. Most likely, no, because if you are lucky to have this engine coupled with the DSG, you won’t experience the “kangaroo” trouble. DSG is cursed, of course, but this is another story.

So, I believe this is the combination of some software issues, power supply, and control unit hardware. What Volkswagen did with the update, they just made the engine add some revolutions when you release the pedal. They didn’t even try to tackle the problem itself.

This is my opinion and I don’t claim I’m completely right, but this is what my investigation says.

What’s the recall?

The initial recall was made for Skoda cars – 24EV. Also, Volkswagen issued the 24ER recall, and then Seat also recalled some vehicles under the 24EP recall. But just some vehicles were actually covered.

Instead of searching for a recall for your car, you can ask your dealership to install the updated software that is aimed to deal with the “kangaroo” problem in the 1.5 TSI engine. With your fingers crossed, hope that it will help you.

What to do if the update doesn’t work?

Now, the most interesting part. The recall and the update don’t help all car owners. And Volkswagen doesn’t seem to be really interested in solving the problem. They are investing in EVs and don’t care much about the dying petrol industry.

But still, I know people who bought VW or Skoda cars in 2023 and still got that annoying jerking at the first speed.

Here are some things you may try:

1) Don’t touch the gas pedal when starting

Drivers of manual cars have a habit of pressing the gas pedal before the clutch is completely released. Try just releasing the clutch pedal completely and then pressing the gas. Yes, it will take you several moments and you will not start driving as quickly as before. But it will cure the jerking problem.

2) Upgrade the ECU software (tune it)

The “kangaroo” effect is known to get lost when you install unofficial tunes to the ECU. I warn you that not all tune types will work and you should ask the tuner if they have the experience in solving this problem. But at least there is a chance of coping with the problem.

ATTENTION: tuning will void the warranty, so only do that if the car is not under warranty anymore.

3) Go to the dealership

This is an especially good idea if the car is still under warranty. While the manager will try to make an understanding face and say that this is normal behavior of the 1.5 TSI, don’t listen to them and ask to deal with the problem. If they refuse, contact a VW (or Skoda) representative in your country. This should help.

4) Try turning off all power consumers

If you have any additional equipment plugged into the vehicle’s sockets, turn them off. Some forums claim that this solves the problem. I tried in one of the Skoda cars with a serious “kangaroo” problem and it didn’t help. But forums can’t be wrong, so it’s worth trying.

5) Put up with this

If nothing helps and you can’t solve the problem, just keep driving with this issue. Yes, it affects your comfort and creates the feeling that you don’t know how to drive a manual car. But no one knows any certain way to deal with this with 100% success.

So, what are the true reasons for this problem?

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no one seems to have a clue about the reasons for the “kangaroo” effect in the 1.5 TSI (and also 1.5 eTSI hybrid) engines equipped with manual transmissions. I still can say that younger engines tend to have this problem much less often than older ones. So, VW still tries to do something with partial success.

Still, there are several forum-born reasons that seem pretty logical to me:

• Emission systems are choking the engine and it tries to avoid revving where unnecessary.
• The initial software is set to consume less fuel and doesn’t care about the engine almost stalling.
• The alternator is freaking out and stops sending power to the system in the optimal quantities once the revolutions are lower than idling.
• There is a foolproofing function that doesn’t allow you to rev up the engine when the clutch is being engaged, but the function is poorly coded.
• There is a problem in the transmission or in the clutch pack that VW may know about but have no intention to solve (because it would be too expensive).

Personally, I think that the alternator version is the winner with the combination of the ECU function to limit revs when starting to drive. Why? Because when you are releasing the clutch, you physically can’t rev up high in the 1.5 TSI – something limits you. And when the RPM of the engine stays at 800-900, the jerking occurs.

It seems that the alternator loses its efficiency at this moment and the engine still tries to not use the battery charge for support. This leads to kicks and punches till the revs of the engine go up.

Although this is just the theory, it seems to be pretty interesting and explains why some engines weren’t cured by the software update.

Myths about the “kangaroo” issue in the 1.5 TSI engine

There are a lot of misleading threads in different forums on the internet. People try solving the problem by installing different ECUs, cleaning the valves from carbon buildup, changing the alternators, deactivating Webasto, and even deactivating the ACT (cylinder deactivation system). These are wrong ways and nothing of these will eventually help you solve the jerking.

Unfortunately, I can’t provide you with more detailed information about the problem. If I ever find the all-purpose solution, I will update the article. Meanwhile, please write your comments if you have any information that can be helpful for VW and Skoda owners!