Volkswagen GTI Complaints (2008)

67 consumer complaints on file.

#10278851July 31, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
PURCHASED A NEW 2008 VW GTI WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, I NOTICED THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM: WHEN VEHICLE STARTS TO SLOWLY ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE SURGES BACK AND FORTH (JERKS) CONSTANTLY UNTIL YOU PICK UP SPEED THEN CONDITION GOES AWAY. THIS IS MORE PREVALENT WHEN ENGINE/TRANS IS HOT. ALSO CONDITION IS WORST WHEN VEHICLE STARTS TO MOVE WHEN GOING UPHILL OR INCLINES, IT WILL SURGE HARD AS IF TRYING TO DECIDE ON 1ST OR 2ND GEAR. I WANT TO REPORT THIS, BECAUSE ON SEVERAL INSTANCES, SPECIALLY WHEN SLOWLY APPLYING THE GAS TO CREEP UPHILL ALONG WITH TRAFFIC, MY VEHICLE HAS SURGED FORWARD HARD ENOUGH THAT I ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME IF I HAD NOT AND REACTED QUICKLY TO THE JERKING SURGE. CONDITION ALSO PRESENTS WHEN DRIVING ON A LEVEL ROAD, BUT ITS MORE CONTROLLABLE THAN IN AN INCLINE. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN CREEPING OF GOING SLOWLY BELOW 1200RPM. I HAVE READ THAT THIS CONDITION AFFECTS THE DSG TRANSMISSION AND ITS MECHATRONICS UNIT IS PRONE TO FAILURE CAUSING THE SYMPTOMS I HAVE DESCRIBED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278703July 29, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WITH ABOUT 4,000 MILES ON MY CAR I WAS PARKED ON A HILL GOING UPWARDS, I TURNED THE CAR ON ONLY TO FIND THAT IT WOULD GO INTO D, BUT NOT ENGAGE IN DRIVE AND I WOULD JUST DRIFT BACKWARDS. THEN I NOTICED "PRNDS" WAS FLASHING WHERE THE GEARS USUALLY ARE LOCATED ON THE MFD. I SHUT THE CAR OF AND TURNED IT BACK ON, EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FINE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME, SAME EXACT SCENARIO, AT 15,000 MILES. ALSO, WHEN STARTING OUT OR SLOWING DOWN, NO MATTER WHAT GEAR I'M IN, MY CAR WILL SHUTTER VERY ROUGHLY. I TOOK A FEW PEOPLE FOR A RIDE, THEIR REACTION WAS "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: AND "IS THAT NORMAL?" NOW I HAVE HAD MY CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP TWICE ABOUT THIS, AND ALL THEY TELL ME IS THAT IT'S "NORMAL FOR THE DSG" AND I DON'T NEED TO WORRY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278706July 29, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
DSG TRANSMISSION JUMPING OUT OF GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SLOW DRAMATICALLY. WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP THERE IS A DELAY BETWEEN THROTTLE INPUT AND ACTUAL MOVEMENT. THE CAR WILL REV, AND THEN "LURCH" HEAVILY AND SUDDENLY FORWARD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO THESE TWO PROBLEMS. SLOW SPEED "PARKING" MANEUVERS ARE ALSO DANGEROUS DUE TO A "SURGING" IN ACCELERATION, AND OCCASIONAL LAG IN GEAR SELECTION. THESE ISSUES ONLY APPEAR WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS WARM. I HAVE REPORTED THE ISSUES TO VOLKSWAGEN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS ONLY TO BE TOLD IT IS NORMAL, AND SENT AWAY. IT HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR OVER 6 MONTHS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278424July 27, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
THE CAR HAS JERKING DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING AND HAS HARD SHIFTS SOMETIMES. WHEN BACKING UP THE CAR BUCKS OR WHEN TAKING OFF SLOWLY OR IN TRAFFIC THE CAR IS EXTREMELY JERKY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278158July 24, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
MY DSG WORKED WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR. I NOW HAVE 20K MILES ON THE CAR AND MY DSG IS CLUNKY, UNSMOOTH, AND SOMETIMES THE REVERSE GEAR DOES NOT EVEN WORK, IT JUST GOES INTO NEUTRAL AND STAYS THERE UNTIL I GO BACK INTO PARK AND SWITCH BACK TO REVERSE. I THINK THAT THE DSG IS A GREAT TRANSMISSION, DON'T GET ME WRONG, BUT I FEEL THAT TOO MANY OF THEM ARE FAILING TOO QUICKLY. IF VWOA WERE TO FIX THESE BUGS THEN IT WOULD BE AN AMAZING TRANSMISSION. I AM HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION THAT IM THINKING THAT I SHOULD HAVE JUST GOT THE MANUAL. VWOA NEEDS TO FIX THESE BUGS BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, TO ME, OR OTHER FELLOW VW OWNERS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278235July 24, 2009
POWER TRAIN
WHILE IN DRIVE MY CAR JERKS AND LUNGES IN LOW SPEED DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AND IS A CONCERN OF MINE. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE ISSUES ARE STEMMING FROM THE DESIGN OF THE TRANSMISSION, NOT FROM A FAULTY PART. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278061July 23, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SURGING DURING PARKING MANEUVERS HARSH SHIFTING FROM THE STOP LIGHT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10278094July 23, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
PROBLEM WITH DSG TRANSMISSION SURGING AND CAR LURCHING AT LOWER SPEEDS. MAKES PARKING PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AND DIFFICULT. CAR DOWNSHIFTS VERY HARSHLY CAUSING EXAGGERATED ENGINE BRAKING. VEHICLE WILL HESITATE FROM A STOP AND SOMETIMES IS INDECISIVE ABOUT WHICH GEAR SHOULD BE ENGAGED. WE ARE TOLD THE "MECHATRONICS" UNIT WILL NEED REPLACED, IT'S BEEN OVER 4 WEEKS AND NO UPDATE ON PARTS OR SERVICE. WE ARE TOLD THE PARTS ARE COMING FROM GERMANY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10277889July 22, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI IT WAS A GREAT CAR, BUT SHORTLY AFTER THINGS STARTED TO CHANGE. FOR NO APPARENT REASON THE CAR STARTED DRIVING VERY ROUGH AND HAS ALMOST GOT ME INTO ACCIDENTS AT TIMES. ONE INSTANCE OF THIS WAS WHEN I WAS TURNING ONTO A HIGHWAY (RIGHT ON RED) AND AFTER ACCELERATING AND THE CAR SHIFTING TO 2ND GEAR FROM 1ST THE CAR JUST PAUSED AND TOOK 3-4 SECONDS TO SHIFT AND LEFT ME THERE NOT ACCELERATING AND ALMOST GETTING REAR ENDED. LUCKILY THERE DRIVER AVOIDED HITTING ME AND I WAS SAFE. I HAVE BEEN READING UP ON THIS PROBLEM AND IT SEEMS TO BE WITH THE MECHATRONICS UNIT OF THE DSG(DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX) IN MY CAR AND MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH FOR IT TO BE FIXED AND OTHERS ARE STUCK WITH IT STILL NOT WORKING AFTER MULTIPLE FIXES. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF SOMEONE COULD LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM AND FIND A RESOLUTION. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10277526July 20, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
THE DSG TRANSMISSION ON MY 2008 VW GTI BEGAN ACTING UNPREDICTABLY ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO. WHEN LIFTING OFF THE BRAKE AFTER COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS ABOUT TO STALL, THE ENGINE RPM'S DROP VERY LOW (250RPM), AND THEN QUICKLY JUMP TO 750-1000RPM, FORCING THE CAR TO BUCK AND SURGE FORWARD. IN REVERSE, THE CAR BUCKS BACKWARD. THIS CREATES UNPREDICTABLE DRIVING CONDITIONS. I AM CONCERNED IT COULD CREATE AN ACCIDENT AT A STOP LIGHT OR OTHER INTERSECTION BY EITHER UNCONTROLLABLY SURGING INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME OR BY BEING HIT BY THE CAR BEHIND ME AS THE CAR BUCKS FORWARD. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AND THEY IDENTIFIED A FAULTY MECHATRONICS UNIT WHICH WOULD REQUIRE 3-4 WEEKS TO BE REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL THAT PART IS REPLACED AND WILL REMAIN IN THEIR POSSESSION UNTIL THAT TIME. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10277383July 19, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I STARTED TO NOTICE A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT MY DSG TRANSMISSION ON MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WAS STARTING TO ACT WEIRD. IT WOULD HAVE A HARD JERKING WHEN IT WOULD DOWNSHIFT INTO A GEAR WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ITS WOULD ALSO HESITATE GOING INTO GEAR WHEN I WOULD GIVE IT THROTTLE. A FEW TIMES WHEN THE HESITATION WOULD OCCUR IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276726July 14, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I HAVE EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WITH MY 2008 VW GTI DSG TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED SAFETY HAZARDS DUE TO THE JERKING AND UNRESPONSIVENESS OF THE CAR WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. VW DID REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION PARTS WHICH WERE DEFECTIVE BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SAME FAILURES WILL REPEAT AFTER MY WARRANTY PERIOD ENDS. PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON DSG TRANSMISSION FOR 08 VW GTI'S. THANK YOU. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276764July 14, 2009
POWER TRAIN
MY 08 GTI HAS VERY STRANGE ACTIONS WHEN I AM DRIVING MY AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION. IT WILL EITHER LURCH FORWARD OR SLAM INTO GEARS. AT TIMES IT FEEL LIKE IT STALLS AS THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY. I KNOW PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHANGED THEIR MECHATRONI UNITS AND FOUND IT'S JUST A CPU PROBLEM BUT WHEN I TAKE THIS TO THE DEALER THERE IS ISSUES WITH THEM STATING THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH SOMEBODY REAR ENDED ME BECAUSE MY CAR SLAMMED INTO 1ST GEAR AS I BRAKED. THIS SCARES ME VERY MUCH WHEN THE VEHICLES GEAR DOESN'T SEEM TO ALWAYS BE IN THE PROPER GEAR. *TR
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276785July 14, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I OWN A 2008 VW GTI WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS IT HAS BEEN SURGING WHEN DRIVING AT LOW "PARKING LOT" SPEEDS LESS THAN 10 MPH. THE CAR ALSO SHIFTS VERY HARD FROM 3RD TO 2ND AND THEN TO 1ST GEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP AND THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS HIGH, AROUND 90 DEGREES. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276551July 13, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
CAR SHIFTS VERY ROUGHLY 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME. WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP THE CAR HESITATES AND THEN JERKS INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES IT SLAMS INTO GEAR VERY HARSHLY WITH EVEN THE LIGHTEST PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. THIS HAS TAKEN ME BY SURPRISE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ALMOST CAUSING ME TO REAREND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. IT ALSO DOWNSHIFTS VERY STRANGELY...SOMETIMES SEARCHING FOR GEARS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276577July 13, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I NOTICED MY "AUTOMATIC" DSG (DIRECT SHIFT GATE) TRANSMISSION TO BE ACTING UP. FROM A STOP UP TO 15 MPH IN 1ST GEAR AND REVERSE THE TRANSMISSION FELT VERY LURCHY AND HAD LOTS OF SURGING ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATION. IT COULD BE SIMULATED IN A "NORMAL" CAR BY TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN STARTING TO DRIVE INSTEAD OF SMOOTHLY PRESSING IT. IT WAS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN THE CAR'S OPERATING TEMPERATURE WAS HOT. IE: THE HOTTER IT WAS THE WORSE THE SYMPTOMS ARE. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR LONG ENOUGH TO HEAT THE CAR UP. IT'S DANGEROUS IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE CAR DOESN'T GO, THEN I GIVE IT MORE GAS AND IT GOES TOO MUCH. I AM AFRAID I WILL REAR-END ANOTHER CAR SOMEDAY. REVERSE GEAR IS EVEN WORSE. I HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN PARKING THAT I DO NOT SMASH INTO ANOTHER CAR. THESE PROBLEMS ARE ALSO FOR SOME REASON AMPLIFIED WHEN ON ANY INCLINE. THE SECOND ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IS THAT MAINLY WHEN THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE IS COLD THE CAR EXPERIENCES TROUBLE WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. NORMALLY UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION, THE CAR CAN'T SEEM TO "FIND" 2ND GEAR. IT WILL SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND "HANG" IN A NEUTRAL POSITION WHERE NO POWER IS AVAILABLE TO MOVE THE CAR FORWARD. APPROXIMATELY .5 - 1 SECONDS LATER, IT SHIFTS INTO SECOND GEAR. I WOULD HATE TO BE TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION AND HAVE NO POWER AVAILABLE IF NEEDED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. VOLKSWAGEN HAS TOLD ME THESE ISSUES ARE "NORMAL" AND THAT IT IS WORKING AS DESIGNED. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE SINCE THESE SYMPTOMS WERE NOT EVIDENT WHATSOEVER WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW 11 MONTHS AND 13 DAYS AGO. AS VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM, I HOPE THE NHTSA CAN GRASP THEIR ATTENTION. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276306July 10, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
I OWN A 2008 VW GTI EQUIPPED WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. RECENTLY, I HAVE NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION AND ITS DELIVERY OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE TO THE WHEELS OF MY CAR. WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SMOOTHLY AND PREDICTABLY DELIVER POWER TO THE CAR'S WHEELS. WHEN IN REVERSE, THE PROBLEM IS VERY NOTICEABLE. IT SURGES AND STOPS CONSTANTLY WHILE BACKING UP, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU ARE BACKING UP. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR BUCKS AND SURGES FORWARD. THIS IS NOT AS DANGEROUS AS WHEN IN REVERSE, BUT IT IS STILL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. THERE ARE SEVERAL INTERNET FORUMS THAT ARE SHARING INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION AND ITS VARIOUS PROBLEMS. TO DATE, VW DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. I'M ADDING MY COMPLAINT TO THE OTHERS IN THE HOPES THAT SOMEONE WILL PUT PRESSURE ON VW TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS NEED TO BE SERIOUSLY LOOKED AT NATIONWIDE AND PERHAPS A RECALL STARTED IN ORDER TO FIX THE ISSUES WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND UNDERSTANDING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10276153July 8, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES. HAVE MAJOR ISSUE WITH DSG AUTOMATIC TRANS OCCASIONALLY GOING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND LOW SPEED JERKINESS (LIKE THE TRANS DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER IT SHOULD BE IN NEUTRAL OR 1ST/REVERSE) AFTER AT LEAST 15 MIN OF DRIVING. THE LOW SPEED JERKING ISSUE IS EASILY REPEATABLE BUT THE CAR NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN AT LEAST 15 MINUTES TO NOTICE IT. THE TRANS GOING INTO NEUTRAL ISSUE IS HARD TO REPRODUCE AS IT CAN HAPPEN RANDOMLY WITH UP TO 3-4 WEEKS IN BETWEEN OCCURRENCES, BUT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 8 TIMES. WHEN IT HAPPENS THE CAR ROLLS TO A STOP, USUALLY LIFTING OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL, GIVING IT A FEW SECONDS BEFORE GIVING IT GAS AGAIN SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH FOR IT TO GO INTO GEAR. I'VE BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS. ALMOST GOT HIT BY A GARBAGE TRUCK ON THE WAY TO THE FIRST DEALER, WHEN THE TRANS WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE MERGING ONTO A BUSY STREET. LUCKILY IT WENT INTO GEAR JUST IN TIME. 1ST DEALER REPLACED A FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR WHICH FIXED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BUT HAS NOT FIXED ANY OF THE ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. 2ND DEALER ADMITS IT'S THE TRANSMISSION, BUT SO FAR VW OF AMERICA HAS NOT APPROVED ANY PARTS REPLACEMENT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10275876July 6, 2009
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
LURCHING AND JERKINESS FROM DEAD STOP IN BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE WITH A 2008 VW GTI. THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM PARTICULARLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM AND IN WARMER WEATHER. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE LURCHING, YET, BUT THE INABILITY TO PULL AWAY WHEN A LIGHT TURNS GREEN, AND THE INABILITY TO CONTROL THE ACCELERATION WHEN REVERSING IS LIKELY TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT SOON. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS ONLINE IS THAT THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH SOME 2008 MECHATRONIC UNITS (ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAR'S DSG TRANSMISSION), AND THAT REPLACEMENT SOLVES THE PROBLEM. BUT VW HAS, SO FAR, REFUSED TO REPLACE MY MECHATRONIC UNIT, ISSUE A RECALL, OR IN ANY WAY RECTIFY THE SITUATION. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10264477April 8, 2009
SEAT BELTS
DAILY USAGE FOR APPROXIMATELY A YEAR CAUSED MY VEHICLE'S SEATBELT TO NO LONGER LOCK IN. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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