Volkswagen has a good reputation for being a producer of quality, affordable compact cars, hatchbacks in particular, but VW also has a good track record in midsize sedans. The Passat B7 is one such variation in their line of NMS, or New Midsize Sedan vehicles. No matter how much VW owners love their cars, problems do arise from time to time, such as DSG issues.
The DSG, or direct-shift gearbox, is a manual gearbox. This dual clutch gearbox has a multiple shaft and is electronically controlled and on occasion does need to be replaced. In general, Volkswagen has a pretty low failure rate on these, so the issue may just be normal wear and tear and should not happen to vehicles with lower mileage. Some customers have reported problems with sedans containing the dry clutch 7 speed variant of the DSG, but these where never installed in the Passats sold to the North American market.
If your Passat is newer and has low miles, then it would be unusual to experience a DSG failure. However, it can certainly be the case that there is a problem with a part of the gearbox that will require the replacement of that particular part, or perhaps even replacement of the entire gearbox.
With a carefree maintenance program, VW owners can get the extra satisfaction of extended coverage. For terms of either 2 years and 24,000 miles or 3 years and 36,000 miles, this can save you a little coin when problems require that you take your vehicle into a trained German import technician.
Search for a local, independent Volkswagen repair shop with Volkswagen mechanics that have dealer-level expertise at a fraction of the expense.