Volkswagen GTI Complaints (2017)
52 consumer complaints on file.
- #11287624December 7, 2019ENGINE
ENGINE IS LOSING COOLANT. STARTED AT ~50K MILES MARKED. COOLANT NEEDS TO BE TOPPED OFF. NOW THE CAR IS AT 71K MILES. LOW COOLANT TRIGGERED WARNING LIGHT AGAIN! COOLANT NEEDS TO BE TOPPED OFF. THERE APPEARS TO BE WHITE CRUSTY MARKED NEAR THE ENGINE OIL PAN AND SEEM TO BE COMING OFF FROM THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11287512December 6, 2019ENGINE
THERMOSTAT HOUSING & ASSOCIATED SEALS ON THE CURRENT 1.8L AND 2.0L VOLKSWAGEN/AUDI EA888 GEN 3 ENGINE ARE PRONE TO FAILURE, CAUSING LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT. THIS COULD AFFECT ANY VW/AUDI VEHICLE USING THE 1.8 OR 2.0L EA888 GEN 3 ENGINE. VW HAS A LONG HISTORY OF WATER PUMP/THERMOSTAT HOUSING ISSUES AND THE CURRENT GENERATION OF VEHICLES IS NO EXCEPTION. MANY OTHER REPORTS CAN BE FOUND ON VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS SUCH AS REDDIT.COM, GOLFMK7.COM AND VWVORTEX.COM, ETC. THIS IS A COSTLY OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIR REQUIRING REMOVAL OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND HAS BEEN REPORTED ONLINE BY OWNERS OF 2015 '2019 US MY VEHICLES. SOME VEHICLES, SUCH AS OURS, EXPERIENCED A REPEAT FAILURE. THERE ARE THREE FAILURE MODES THAT I AM AWARE OF AS REPORTED ON THE SITES MENTIONED ABOVE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILURE MODES 1 AND 2. WHEN THIS ISSUE IS OCCURRING OWNERS OFTEN REPORT THE SMELL OF COOLANT OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE 1. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SLOW WEEP OR LEAK FROM THERMOSTAT HOUSING ASSEMBLY & ASSOCIATED SEAL, MOST OF THE TIME NOT DETECTABLE AT THE HOUSING ASSEMBLY/SEAL WITHOUT PRESSURE TEST. OFTEN, VW SERVICE CENTERS ARE UNABLE TO VERIFY THERE IS A LEAK, EVEN AFTER PRESSURE TEST, OWNERS ARE SENT ON THEIR WAY, AND YET COOLANT STILL DISAPPEARS FROM THE TANK. MY WIFE'S CAR WENT IN FOR TESTING MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE ISSUE WAS FOUND. 2. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SMALL BUT CONSTANT LEAK LARGE ENOUGH TO CREATE A SMALL PUDDLE OR STREAM UNDER THE CAR. A LOW COOLANT ALERT MAY/MAY NOT APPEAR DEPENDING ON SPEED OF THE LEAK. 3. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN RAPID LOSS OF COOLANT AND CAUSING A VISIBLE LARGE PUDDLE UNDER THE CAR AND A WARNING ALERT TO APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11287568December 6, 2019VISIBILITY/WIPER
MY WINDSHIELD HAS HEAVY PITTING AND SMALL CHIPPING AFTER JUST 50,000 MILES. LOOKING ONLINE IN THE VARIOUS VW FORUMS (VWVORTEX, MK7GOLF, ETC), I DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VW NOW. THE GLASS IS THIN AND CHEAP. THE PITTING IS VERY VISIBLE WHEN DRIVING INTO THE SUN AND IS VISIBLE AT NIGHT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IT ALSO CAUSES WIPER BLADES TO WEAR OUT QUICKLY. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE AS IT IS HARD TO SEE UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11265912October 3, 2019FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL SPILLED ONTO THE GROUND WHILE THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO FILL THE FUEL TANK. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO FILL UP THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND NOTICED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL HAD DROPPED. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT FUEL SPILLED OUT OF THE FUEL TANK WHILE DRIVING AND THE FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11217100May 31, 2019STRUCTURE:BODY
NUMEROUS CRACKS APPEARED IN THE SUNROOF FRAME OF THE 2017 VW GTI CAUSING LEAKING AND INSTABILITY OF PANORAMIC SUNROOF. VW ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TO PREVENT CRACKING IN PANORAMIC SUNROOFS. THIS SERVICE BULLETIN WAS PERFORMED WITHIN THE FIRST 1000 MILES AND NOT ONLY FAILED TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM, BUT THE CRACKS ACTUALLY FORMED IN THE VERY PLACES WHERE THE TAPE AND SEALANT WERE APPLIED.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11202558April 19, 2019ENGINE
NOTICED BURNING COOLANT SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AFTER THE VEHICLE REACHED OPERATING TEMPERATURE AND THE CAR WAS STOPPED. COULD HEAR A SIZZLING NOISE WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE HOOD OPEN. THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS AT THE MINIMUM LINE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED A LEAKING THERMOSTAT HOUSING. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE PART UNDER WARRANTY. THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AT 34,655 MILES.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11202564April 19, 2019ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AT AROUND 28,000 MILES, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS NEAR FREEZING AND THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING OVERNIGHT, I NOTICED A ROTATIONAL SQUEAKING/CHIRPING NOISE WHEN THE INTERIOR FAN SPEED WAS ON THE LOWER SETTINGS. THE FREQUENCY WOULD CHANGE WHEN THE FAN SPEED CHANGED. THE ISSUE GOT WORSE WHEN MAKING LEFT TURNS. ONCE THE CAR WARMED UP, THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT REPLACE THE PART UNTIL THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE IT THEMSELVES. I WAS CONTACTED BY MANAGEMENT AND THE DEALERSHIP FINALLY REPLACED THE BLOWER MOTOR ONCE I REDUCED MY RATING FOR THEM ON GOOGLE REVIEWS. THE MANAGER STATED THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR THEY INSTALLED WAS AN UPDATED PART. THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED AT APPROXIMATELY 35,900 MILES.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11101789June 14, 2018ENGINE
THE "COMBI" VALVE ON MY GTI STAYS STUCK OPEN CAUSING MORE EXHAUST GASES TO FLOW THROUGH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. AS A RESULT NMY CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. AFTER REPLACING TO COMBI VALVE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11075140February 26, 2018VISIBILITY/WIPER
I WAS DRIVING MY 2017 GTI ON A CITY STREET IN RENTON, WA, AT 35MPH HEADING EAST ON S 180TH STREET. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD NEAR ME. AS I AM DRIVING, I HEAR A LOUD BANG AND LOOK UP TO SEE MY SUNROOF COMPLETELY SHATTERED. AS THE SUNROOF SHATTERED, SMALL PIECES OF GLASS CONTINUED TO FALL INSIDE THE VEHICLE, WHICH LANDED ON MY HEAD, SHOULDERS AND ANY EXPOSED AREAS OF MY BODY. HAD I NOT HAD A BILL ON MY HAT, THE PIECES OF GLASS COULD HAVE ENTERED MY EYE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO INSPECT THE SUNROOF AND THE SHATTERED PIECES WERE ALL INTACT IN THEIR ORIGINAL LOCATION AND THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11030608September 30, 2017SERVICE BRAKES
THERE IS A PIECE OF RUBBER PROTRUDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT BECAME ENTANGLED ON THE LACE OF MY RIGHT SHOE, AND I WAS UNABLE TO USE MY RIGHT FOOT TO BRAKE (THE FOOT WAS TRAPPED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL). I WAS EVENTUALLY ABLE TO BRAKE USING MY LEFT FOOT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT THE TIME, ON I-95. TRAFFIC WAS RAPIDLY SLOWING DOWN AT THE TIME. I ALMOST REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11000692June 22, 2017STRUCTURE:BODY
THE DRIVERS SIDE B-PILLAR IS NOT WELDED TOGETHER CORRECTLY AND CAUSES POPPING AND TAPPING SOUNDS AS VEHICLE FLEXES WITH MOVEMENT. VOLKSWAGEN REPLACED MY PREVIOUS 2016 GTI WITH SAME ISSUE. NO KNOWN CRASH TESTING HAS BEEN DONE ON VEHICLES WITH MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT APPEARS TO BE EXTREMELY WIDESPREAD. DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN VEHICLE AND VALUE OF VEHICLE IS LIKELY EFFECTED.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10936539December 20, 2016VISIBILITY/WIPER
REAR WINDOW SHATTERED WHILE STATIONARY UNDER A CAR PORT IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURE. BOUGHT THE CAR BAND NEW SATURDAY. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW 0. SUNDAY (THE DAY AFTER BUYING THE CAR) THE REAR WINDOW WAS SHATTERED. CAR HAD A LITTLE OVER 200 MILES ON IT WHEN I PICKED IT UP FROM DEALER.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0