Volkswagen GTI Complaints

1,407 consumer complaints on file.

#11451063February 8, 2022
ENGINE
The engine stalled at idle while I was at the stop light.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448568January 24, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The horn works on some trips and not on others. I've brought it to the dealership near me and been told that it needs to be broken for them to be able to diagnose it. I hear a clicking sound from the steering wheel when i've needed to press the horn and it doesn't work. However, even if your horn doesn't work on the last trip you had, it sounds fine when you click the key fob lock button. No lights come on anywhere to notify me that horn won't work today, only remembering to try it out in the driveway when I go out
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448621January 24, 2022
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There are many cases of clock spring failure in my model as well as many others. The problem here is that this failure has caused my to lose the use of all my steering wheel controls, horn and airbag and shifters. VW has obliged about the problem and is willing to repair it under warranty. The problem is, is that there are no parts available for the repair. I have no choice but to drive a car with many safety issues. Someone needs to look into allowing aftermarket parts to be used by dealer or expedite the manufacturer. This is putting many people in danger on the road, I am sure it's not only me. Thank You
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447443January 14, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, STEERING
ERROR. SERVICE VEHICLE. ONLY LEAVE VEHICLE IN P POSITION
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443425December 11, 2021
ENGINE
Electronically controlled thermostat failed stuck closed on December 10, 2021. Vehicle had 63814 miles on the odometer. This is a common, known problem with this make/model. Engine overheated in stop and go traffic which caused limp home torque reduction. When traffic resumed there was a potentially dangerous situation because vehicle could not accelerate as quickly as expected by following drivers. There is a design flaw in that the thermostat should fail stuck open, and not stuck closed, to ensure adequate vehicle mobility to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Additionally, this component is an On-Board Diagnostic Device belonging to the emissions control system. Failure should be covered under the federal emissions control warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440710November 16, 2021
ENGINE
The heat in my 2015 GTI Autobahn only blows warm air out of the drivers side when heat is on for both sides. The VW dealership recommends a new thermostat, water pump, and heater core, and blend door. For now, I'm stuck with having a semi warm vehicle and the possibility of engine overheating while on the highway. With the coolant and thermostat being one of the vital parts of the vehicle, its upsetting for such a new vehicle to have such a common problem of needing a new water pump across the board. These types of imperfections in design and quality control need to be addressed due to the shear amount of people needing coolant related issues resolved on their own dime. Do better VW.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439765November 8, 2021
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Plastic Thermostat Housing Failure-- Cracks and leaking coolant. While getting an oil change done at a local Volkswagen dealership, the mechanic pointed out that there is a coolant leak and showed me where the leak is coming from (Thermostat housing/water pump) The coolant is slowly seep out of the crack on the underside of the thermostat housing, I have been adding coolant every other week. As the loss of coolant often trips the low coolant warning if the level isn't maintained. I feel like I'm not the only one with this issue, after reading online Volkswagen community. Many 2015-2020 GTI owners are also having the same problem. The car overheated couple times when stuck in New York traffic, I would like Volkswagen manufacture to address this issue and give all the GTI owners an explanation to why their part fails less than a few years of ownership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439772November 8, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This razor blade sharp chrome trim near the shift nob and the small storage compartment is cutting my finger up every time I tried getting something out of the small compartment. This has already happened to me three times already while driving, it's like a paper cut and you look down to find a cut with blood dripping out of your finger. It is extremely dangerous when you are driving on the road when this happen, Volkswagen should have a recall on this chrome trim piece for the safety of all GTI owners period. I'm not the only one with this problem, many MK7 GTI owners are experiencing the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11438933November 1, 2021
ENGINE
Linkage on the turbo wastegate actuator seizes if the car is not driven for more than a few months at a time. This causes the car to not produce any boost and leaves it in a state in between limp mode and normal rpm range. This makes it incredibly inconsistent with rpm and maintaining speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11438364October 27, 2021
STEERING
Weird rattle sounds coming from the steering column. Supposed to be a clock spring issue. This issue is persistent on a lot of VW models, but unfortunately my car is not under recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11437000October 16, 2021
ENGINE
Hello - I own a MK7 VW GTI with approximately 42,000 miles. The vehicle has consistently had a "check engine" and "Low Coolant" light since approximately 20,000 miles and 3 years. The dealer checked the car but did not see a leak under their test. However, the car was diagnosed with a leaking water pump and thermostat which has been replaced out of pocket by an independent. This is apparently common with MK7 GTIs and can cause engine failure and stalling in the middle of the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430839August 28, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My car has, on several occasions, slammed the breaks on while I’m reversing, while suggesting that I am about to hit something, even though there is nothing there. It is very scary because I have no way of knowing when this will happen. Also it turns off the head unit and goes black while I am in reverse or trying to follow the directions. And finally the key sensor keeps saying my keys are not in the car while they are right there (had the battery replaced and that wasn’t the problem) additionally the wipers are dangerous and go off for no reason constantly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11426711July 27, 2021
ENGINE
The engine blew while stopped at a light at an intersection. The car was unable to restart. We were told there was no compression in cylinder 3. This car had received regular maintenance at the dealer. If the car had been in motion, the driver and passengers could have been seriously injured. The engine only had 67,000 miles on it and no known problems beforehand.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426137July 23, 2021
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI. The contact stated that soon after purchasing the vehicle, she had difficulty placing gas into the fuel tank as fuel would spill out during fill up. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a dealer who informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer who also confirmed that the vehicle was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422288June 25, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sunroof on my car spontaneously exploded with no known cause. I was driving west on I-76 near Pittsburgh PA, going 70 mph. Suddenly a sound like a gunshot was heard and the sunroof had shattered leaving a big hole. The glass was contained above me and the passenger because the sun roof shade happened to be closed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11419311June 2, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle started jerking and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the intake manifold was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 67,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11415615May 7, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
THE FUEL TANK AND CHARCOAL CANISTER IN THIS VEHICLE HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE, ONCE BY THE DEALER I PURCHASED FROM (WEEKS PRIOR TO PURCHASE) AND AGAIN NOT EVEN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE CHARCOAL CANISTER FLOODED WHILE FUELING, HOWEVER I NEVER TOP OFF MY VEHICLES. THIS ISSUES SEEMS TO BE COMMON IN THIS PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL. I NOTICED IT BY SMELL AT FIRST, BUT DIDN'T INVESTIGATE UNTIL I NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN MY FUEL LEVEL OVERNIGHT, WHILE PARKED. ONCE I BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE I NOTICED A FUEL LEAK NEAR THE FUELING DOOR AT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11413570April 23, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
THE CAR ON IS LEAKING GASOLINE FROM BACK OF THE GAS TANK, THE CAR VAS IN MOTION AND I SMELL GASOLINE FROM MY CAR AND MAY CAUSE A FIRE BECAUSE IS NEAR THE WHEEL.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11413320April 22, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WHEN HOT TRANSMISSION IS GETTING STUCK! WHEN WARM I CANNOT GO ONTO REVERSE WHEN SHIFTER IS IN R PUSHING THE GAS DOES NOT GET IT TO MOVE! ALSO WHEN DRIVING WILL D ON DASH BOARD WILL START BLINKING AND WILL NO LONGER SWITCH GEARS ACCELERATOR WILL GO INTO RED! I NEED TO PULL OVER AND RESTART CAR TO CONTINUE DRIVING! I HAVE READ ONLY THAT OTHER VW MODELS HAD RECALLS BECAUSE OF WIRES IT WAS SWITCHING TO N !I THINK THIS CAR IS ALSO HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM AND BE INCLUDED! IT DOES IT MORE ONCE THE CAR IS WARM AND SOME TIMES THE CHECK OIL PRESSURE IN THE ENGINE LIGHT WILL FLASH WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES! I HAVE READ ONLINE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM AND NEEDED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION AND OR GET NEW CAR!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11408156April 14, 2021
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
FAILURE OF THERMOSTAT HOUSING CAUSING COOLANT LEAK AND WATER PUMP FAILURE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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