NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Volkswagen GTI. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
ABS, TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKE LIGHT COME ON ALL TOGETHER. THE ABS MODULE IS FAILING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A RAMPANT PROBLEM WITH MANY 2009 GTI'S. THE BAD MODULE ALSO MAKES POWER STEERING GO OUT, AS WELL AS THE FUEL GAUGE AND SPEEDOMETER NOT WORK.
2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI IS HAVING CONSTANT INTERMITTENT IGNITION AND FUEL PUMP ISSUES ON START UP STATIONARY AND WILL SHUTDOWN IN MOTION WHILE IN REVERSE OR DRIVE GEAR POSITIONS . VEHICLE IS SERVICED REGULARLY ON SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. VOLKSWAGEN DEALER WILL ONLY REPAIR ISSUE AT THE COST OF $624.91. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA HAS BEEN CONTACTED BUT HAS OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WITH THE ISSUE.
ONE OR MORE OF THE BREAKS LOCKED UP ON THE CAR. THE ABS, EPC, TRACTION CONTROL, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER LIGHTS ON THE CAR LIT UP AND BEGAN FLASHING. THE CAR'S SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GUAGE STOPPED WORKING. AFTER THE CAR WAS RESTARTED MOST OF THE ERRORS WENT AWAY BUT HAVE SINCE REAPPEARED. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF POSTS I'M FINDING ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE 09'S.
2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI - ABS CONTROL MODULE OR PUMP FAILURE. UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, SEVERAL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING "BRAKE" AND "ABS", AS WELL AS BEING ACCOMPANIED BY BEEPING. THE ABS SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER ACTIVE AS SOON AS THIS HAPPENED. ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON, THE LIGHTS WERE GONE AND ABS WAS ACTIVE. NOW, IN ANY INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS HAPPENS AND IMMEDIATELY DISABLES THE ABS, WHICH IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD. VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT CURRENTLY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE.
ABS WARNING LIGHT STARTED COMING ON. THEN A WARNING LIGHT THAT THE RIGHT, REAR TURN SIGNAL HAD FAILED. ONE WEEK LATER THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD IS COVERED IN WARNING LIGHTS, INCLUDING A "FAULTY ENGINE WORKSHOP" WARNING LIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT ABS CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED, LEAVING ME WITH NO ABS BRAKING ON A WELL MAINTAINED, 50K MILE CAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE RAMPANT PROBLEM WITH THE TSI MKV GTI AT THIS MILEAGE. VW OF AMERICA OFFERED ME NO ASSISTANCE. VW SHOULD RECALL THIS PART BEFORE THEY SEE ANY ACCIDENTS LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURIES.
DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 34 FROM GREELEY CO TOWARDS LOVELAND CO AT SPEED LIMIT OF 65. I APPLIED THE BREAKS TO ADJUST MY SPEED FOR TRAFFIC, AS I APPLIED THE BREAKS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILED CAUSING WHEELS TO LOCK UP CAUSING THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. AFTER A MOMENT I WAS IN A DITCH WITH BENT WHEELS AND BODY DAMAGE TO MY GTI FROM THE SPEED LIMIT AND MILE MARKERS SIGNED I STUCK. MOST LIKELY THESE TWO POST WERE PROBABLY WHAT KEPT THE CAR FROM ROLLING AND KILLING ME. POLICE AND INSURANCE HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE CRASH.
THE ABS MODULE FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIMES ONLINE. THE MODULE WILL FAIL CAUSING ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, POWER STEERING, AND ENGINE LIGHTS TO ALL COME ON. MUCH OF THE DASHBOARD IS LIT NOW. THE CAR READS "ENGINE FAULT WORKSHOP" AND THE SPEEDOMETER WILL DROP TO 0 MPH. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL CHANGE FROM EMPTY TO 3/4 TO 1/2 WHILE DRIVING. AUDIBLE BEEPS ARE HEARD FROM DASH.
I PURCHASED MY 2009 GTI FEB 2015 AND THE CARFAX WAS GREAT; HOWEVER, THE ABS CONTROL MODULE RANDOMLY FAILED ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER CAUSING LOSE OF STEERING AND CONTROL, THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND IT WAS VERY SCARY. LOUD WARNING BEEPS WENT OFF AND WARNING LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING. THE WARNING LIGHTS CONTINUED FLASHING UNTIL I TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED THE ENGINE, THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER LIT AND DROVE IT HOME. I TESTED MY CAR AGAIN MINUTES AFTER ARRIVING HOME. IT SEEMED FINE, BUT THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN AFTER JUST A MINUTE OF DRIVING IT. I TOOK IT TO THE VW DEALER SERVICE CENTER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO BE THE ABS MODULE. IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST IS $2,260. I CALLED VW AND THEY DO NOT COVER THE REPAIR COSTS. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY CONSIDERING THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND THE DANGER THIS MALFUNCTION IMPOSES. *TR
DRIVING AT SPEED, THE ABS CONTROL MODULE RANDOMLY FAILS, CAUSING ABS BRAKES TO SKID UNDER HARD BRAKING. LOSE OF STEERING AND CONTROL IS THE RESULT. IN ADDITION THE PARTIAL STEERING IS AFFECTED. THIS IS A LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN, I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICAN DOES NOT REPLACE FAULTY UNITS AS THIS CAN CAUSE FATALITIES AND INJURIES. MANY PEOPLE ARE REPLACING THESE UNITS THROUGH NON-CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS, OR DIY. THIS SHOULD BE INSTALLED BY A VW CERTIFIED TECH. NHTSA SHOULD MANDATE A RECALL OR SOMEONE COULD GET SERIOUSLY INJURED OR DIE. THERE ARE SO MANY CASES OF THIS FLOATING AROUND THE INTERNET FORUMS AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE FOR PEOPLE TO FINALLY LISTEN????? *TR
AS I AM DRIVING OR ACCELERATING, NOT BRAKING OR OTHERWISE SLOWING DOWN, I GET A WARNING BEEP AND THEN THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND THE 'BRAKE' LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD STARTS FLASHING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS. THE LIGHTS GO OFF WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. WHEN I REPORTED THE SECOND INCIDENT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPORTED THAT THE ABS MODULE IS FAILING AND THAT LACK OF REPAIR COULD CAUSE THE BRAKES TO LOCK OR OTHERWISE FAIL IN THE CASE OF A SHARP OR SEVERE STOP. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE IS ENDEMIC AMONG 2009 VWS, PARTICULARLY GTIS AND THERE ARE KNOWN INSTANCES OF CRASHES AS A RESULT OF BRAKE FAILURE. VW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART (MADE BY BOSCH) AND THEY HAVE IN SOME CASES REPLACED THE PART AT NO COST TO THE OWNER, BUT THERE IS A LACK OF COMMUNICATION/ADMISSION FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE ISSUE EVEN EXISTS! I HAVE A FILED A COMPLAINT ONLINE WITH VW DIRECTLY AND HOPE THAT THERE IS SOME MOVEMENT IN THIS CASE--THAT IT WILL BE COVERED AND THAT THERE WILL BE SOME PUBLIC MENTION OF THIS PROBLEM.
DURING ANY EMERGENCY BRAKING SITUATION, MY CAR WILL LOCK ALL FOUR TIRES AND THE TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, AND EMERGENCY BRAKE (FLASHING) LIGHTS WILL TURN ON. THE LIGHTS REMAIN ON UNTIL THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS FAULT THAT APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON ON THE 2009 GTI. THIS ISSUE IS VERY EASY TO REPRODUCE BY BRAKING HARD FROM ANY SPEED GREATER THAN 35 MPH. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE, WHICH IS IN LINE WITH ALL OF THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ABS SYSTEM. VWOA SHOULD RECALL THE ABS CONTROL MODULE ON THE 2009 GTI. *JS
SECONDARY AIR INJECTION HOSE FOUND TAPED AFTER VW WARRANTY EXPIRED. HAD TAKEN CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES TO THE WOODLAND HILLS VW DEALERSHIP AFTER THE UPC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED TO NO AVAIL.
WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH IN SIXTH GEAR ON THE NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY, I SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY TURNED OFF. I CONSEQUENTLY QUICKLY DECELERATED AND WAS ALMOST REARENDED BEFORE BEING ABLE TO TURN ONTO THE SHOULDER. I SMELLED A BURNING ODOR AND GOT OUT OF MY CAR. EVENTUALLY, THE VW DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT THE #2 COIL HAD FAILED AND CAUGHT FIRE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE IGNITION COIL AND PLASTIC COVER SURROUNDING THE COIL HAD BEEN DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT INVOLVING AN IGNITION COIL ON THIS VEHICLE. APPROXIMATELY 12 MONTHS AGO, THE #4 IGNITION COIL FAILED LEADING TO RAPID DECELERATION AS I WAS DRIVING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION COILS THAT MAY RESULT IN OTHERWISE AVOIDABLE ACCIDENTS. *TR
THE VW DEALER HAS DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. WHILE DRIVING A CAR WITH A FAILED CONTROL MODULE, THERE A NO SYMPTOMS, BUT IF YOU HIT THE BRAKES HARD ENOUGH TO TRIGGER THE ABS SYSTEM, THE ABS SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK. THE TIRES LOCK, AND THE CAR SLIDES. THEREAFTER, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS COME ON, BUT POWER CYCLING THE CAR TURNS THE LIGHTS OFF, GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT THE PROBLEM HAS RESOLVED. I WASN'T INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, BUT THE RISK OF SOMEONE BEING IS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF AN ABS FAILURE IS HIGH. YOU WOULD ONLY FIND OUT THE PART HAD FAILED AFTER YOU NEEDED IT. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I REACHED A SPEED OF 55 MPH WHEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHERE THE GUY TOLD ME THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD GONE BAD. I'VE READ MULTIPLE THREADS ONLINE AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON FACTOR IN 2009 GTI'S IT ALSO SAYS THEY MAY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR 10YR/120K MILES. *TR
PREMATURE FAILURE OF ELECTROMECHANICAL STEERING RACK. STEERING RACK SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAR AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT WITHIN 5 YRS OF PURCHASE DATE AND NEAR 50,000 MILES.
WHEN BRAKING IN SLIPPERY CONDITIONS, THE ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS COME ON AND THE ABS CEASES TO FUNCTION, ALLOWING THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP AND THE CAR TO SLIDE. THE LIGHTS RESET WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND ON BUT THE FAILURE HAPPENS EVERY TIME ABS SHOULD BE ENGAGED. EFFECTIVELY, THE ABS DOES NOT WORK. *TR
WHILE DRIVING NORTH ON I-895 AT 55 MPH, NEARLY ALL OF MY WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD, ALONG WITH "ENGINE FAULT WORKSHOP" ON THE MASS DISPLAY. THE VW DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT IT WAS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. UPON RESEARCH ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH 2009 VW GTI'S. SOME HAVE REPORTED THAT THE THEIR BRAKES HAVE COMPLETELY LOCKED UP ON THEM. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, AND THEY DENY ANY ISSUES WITH THIS. *TR
ON 11/14/2014, I PAID MY VW DEALER $1102 TO HAVE THE FAULTY ABS CONTROL MODULE REPLACED. AT THE TIME, MY CAR HAD 72,648 MILES ON IT. EARLY IN 2017, VW ANNOUNCED A RECALL OF SOME 2009 CARS OVER THE SAFETY ISSUE OF A FAULTY ABS COMPUTER. MY CAR WAS NOT LISTED IN THIS RECALL- BUT I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE, AND I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR MY REPAIR COSTS.
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, MULTIPLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS INDICATING LOSS OF TRACTION CONTROL, ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, AND POWER STEERING WERE ILLUMINATED. THIS THEN CAUSED ISSUES BECAUSE THOSE SYSTEMS ARE NOT WORKING WHILE THE SPEEDOMETER (WOULD STAY AT 0MPH WHEN DRIVING) AND THE FUEL GAUGE (MOVED AROUND RANDOMLY FROM 1/4 TO 3/4 FULL). LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE I FOUND THAT SEVERAL OWNERS OF THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR HAVE HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM AS ME. *TR
I WAS TRAVELING EAST IN THE RIGHT LANE ON INTERSTATE 44 AT APPROXIMATELY 0645 IN THE AM. IT WAS NORMAL HEAVY MORNING WORK TRAFFIC GOING INTO OKLAHOMA CITY, TRAVELING THE POSTED SPEED OF 70 MPH. I WAS FOLLOWING A FULL SIZE PICKUP TRUCK AND MODERATE TRAFFIC WAS PASSING ME ON MY LEFT. WITHOUT NOTICE, TRAFFIC SUDDENLY SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, CAUSING ME TO HIT MY BRAKES HARD. THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED AND MY CAR WAS THROWN SIDEWAYS OFF THE ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. I PULLED THE CAR BACK LEFT, CAUSING VEHICLES IN THE LEFT LANE TO SWERVE TO MISS HITTING ME. THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON MY CAR, INDICATING A FAILURE HOWEVER, A DUMMY COULD FIGURE OUT THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND, HAD MY CAR BEEN THROWN LEFT WHEN I HIT THE BRAKES I WOULD HAVE BEEN SMEARED BY ON COMING TRAFFIC, LIKELY A FATALITY. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY CAR TO VOLKSWAGEN AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A PUMP/ABS MODULE; A 2500 REPAIR. UNDERSTAND WHEN I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON, THE ABS/BRAKE FAULT LIGHTS CLEAR. I HAD NO INDICATION MY ABS SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING UNTIL I NEEDED BRAKES. AND BAM!. AFTER READING FORUMS, ITS APPARENT THIS IS AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH 2009 GTIS AND IT SHOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY CONCERN OF VOLKSWAGEN. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. I'VE ASKED FOR MY OLD PARTS SO I WILL HAVE THEM WHEN THERE ARE COURT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST VOLKSWAGEN FOR THE INJURY OR DEATH OF SOMEONE AS A RESULT OF A FAILED ABS SYSTEM. THIS REALLY DOES NEED INVESTIGATING. THANK YOU *TR
INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, STEERING LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT. ABS NO LONGER WORKS IN A HARD BRAKE SITUATION, WHEELS LOCK AND CAR WILL SKID. ENGINE ALSO REFUSES TO REV PAST AROUND 3900 RPM UNLESS MANUALLY UPSHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR. STEERING ASSIST NO LONGER WORKS. *TR
I WAS DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS ON DRY CITY STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY A LOUD WARNING TONE WENT OFF AND 3 WARNING LIGHTS (ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BRAKE) STARTED FLASHING. THIS WAS IN HEAVY TWO-WAY TRAFFIC AND IT WAS TERRIFYING TO THINK THESE SYSTEMS HAD FAILED. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP SAFELY. THE WARNING LIGHTS CONTINUED FLASHING UNTIL I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I RESTARTED THE ENGINE, THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER LIT, SO I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME TYPE OF FLUKE. BUT TO BE SAFE I BROUGHT IT TO MY VW DEALER SERVICE CENTER. INITIALLY THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS THE DSG MECHATRONIC UNIT, WHICH THEY REPLACED. HOWEVER SHORTLY AFTER GETTING THE CAR BACK, THE SAME SYMPTOMS OCCURRED AGAIN UNDER NORMAL DRIVING. THIS TIME WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO VW THEY INDICATED THAT THE ABS MODULE AND PUMP NEED TO BE REPLACED, AT THE COST OF $3,600. VW REFUSES TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIR. DUE TO THE HIGH COST INITIALLY I POSTPONED THE REPAIR, BUT SINCE THEN THE SAME SEQUENCE OF EVENTS HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 6 MORE TIMES AND I HAVE READ ABOUT NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES RELATED TO THE SAME ISSUE, SO I AM GETTING THE WORK DONE. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR. WHEN THIS PROBLEM STARTED IT HAD ONLY 29,000 MILES AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER AND DRIVEN RESPONSIBLY. EVERY TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED DURING MILD DRIVING CONDITIONS AND I WAS NOT APPLYING THE BRAKES. IT JUST FAILS AT RANDOM. USUALLY BUT NOT ALWAYS THIS OCCURS WHILE TURNING. *TR
AIRBAG FAULT INDICATOR IS ERRONEOUSLY PRESENT. NOW THE AIRBAGS ARE NOT ACTIVE EVEN WITH PASSENGERS ONBOARD. DEALERSHIP US ASKING ME TO PAY THE 55 DOLLARS TO GET THE LIGHT RESET FOR THE AIRBAGS TO WORK. *TR
ON 8/8/2014, I TURNED ON MY CAR TO GO WORK. ONCE I TURNED ON THE IGNITION/ENGINE, ALL WARNING LIGHTS (POWER STEERING, ENGINE, ELECTRONICS, ABS, ESP AND BRAKING) CAME ON OR FLASHING. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS (3 TIMES) TO RESTART THE CAR, THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY. WITH A LAST RESTARTING ATTEMPT THAT MORNING, ALL WARNINGS LIGHTS WENT AWAY AND I DROVE OFF TO WORK. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAY, ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AGAIN. THIS TIME, POWER STEERING, ABS, SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, ETC. ALL MALFUNCTIONED PERIODICALLY DURING MY DRIVE. DURING THE DRIVE, I HAD NO IDEA HOW FAST I WAS DRIVING OR HOW MUCH GAS I REALLY HAD AND WITH NO POWER STEERING AND ABS ETC. I DID ARRIVE AT WORK SAFELY BUT NOT WITHOUT SOME SERIOUS AND PERHAPS DANGEROUS MANEUVERS WITH A NONWORKING POWER STEERING, ABS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO A VW DEALERSHIP IN BRAINTREE MA THE NEXT MORNING. AFTER A WEEKEND OF DIAGNOSIS AND A RANDOM REPAIR TO THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WAS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAULT AND IT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. SINCE THAT VW DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE ME A PRECISE DIAGNOSIS WITHOUT REPAIRING RANDOM PARTS OF MY CAR AND HAD ME PAID FOR IT, I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER VW DEALERSHIP IN DANVERS MA. AFTER HOURS OF DIAGNOSIS, I GOT THE SAME RESULT THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE IS AT FAULT. I HAD THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ABS CONTROL MODULE AND PAID THOUSANDS FOR THE REPAIR. NOW THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE. BUT KNOWING THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAULT IS VERY COMMON AMONG MY MODEL OF THE CAR AT ALL MILEAGE FROM RESEARCH AND TALKING WITH LOCAL MECHANICS, I WANT TO MAKE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE DANGERS BEHIND A RANDOM FAILURE IN THE ABS CONTROL MODULE THAT CAN CAUSE FAILURE OF BOTH ELECTRONIC AND MECHANIC COMPONENTS IN THE CAR WHICH CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, OR EVEN DEATHS WITHOUT SLIGHTEST WARNING ON THE ROAD. *TR
FAULTY ABS CONTROL MODULE FOR 2009 MODELS OF THE VOLKSWAGEN GTI. AS A RESULT OF THE FAULTY ABS CONTROL MODULE, IT CAUSES ALL KINDS OF OTHER ERRORS IN MY CAR, SHOWN IN THE DASHBOARD. SOME ARE ABS DISABLED, TRACTION CONTROL/ESP DISABLED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED , EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, HYDRAULIC STEERING GONE, SPEEDOMETER DROPS TO 0 (CAN'T TELL WHAT HOW FAST I'M DRIVING ANYMORE), ETC. WITH ALL THESE PROBLEMS HAPPENING AS A RESULT OF A FAULTY ABS CONTROL MODULE, HOW IS THIS ISSUE NOT ADDRESSED YET? WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS PUT OUT YET? THIS WILL DEFINITELY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT EITHER FOR ME, OR ONE OF THE MANY OTHERS WHO OWN 2009 VW GTI MODELS IN THE FUTURE, AND I HOPE THAT IT WILL NOT HAVE TO COME TO THIS BEFORE VW DOES A RECALL ON THIS. *TR
ABS LIGHT ON AND BRAKE LIGHT BLINKING WITHOUT ANY REASON (SOMETIMES IT DISAPPEAR), DEALER SAID I HAVE TO CHANGE ABS MODULE. *TR
WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER IT HAD SAT FOR A WEEK WITHOUT STARTING, WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED FOR ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BRAKES. I DROVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK TO TEST THINGS OUT, AND THINGS SEEMED TO BE RUNNING PRETTY MUCH LIKE NORMAL, SO I DROVE IT TO A MECHANIC. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC, AND 8 CODES CAME UP, ALL HAVING TO DO WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE REPAIRS AT THAT MECHANIC, SO THEY TOLD ME I COULD DRIVE THE CAR, BUT THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE ABS OR TRACTION CONTROL. UPON DRIVING IT A FEW MILES, THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF, AND EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING AS NORMAL. WHEN I STARTED IT THE NEXT DAY, THE LIGHTS WERE BACK ON, BUT I DECIDED TO DRIVE IT TO WORK, BASED ON WHAT THE MECHANIC HAD TOLD ME. ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING, AND THE CAR THEN BEGAN TO CHANGE GEARS AT RANDOM, WHICH PRESENTED AN ALL NEW SAFETY RISK. AT THIS POINT I ALSO LOST POWER STEERING. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE CAR. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, JUST THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON, SO I DECIDED TO DRIVE HOME, CONSIDERING I WAS ONLY ABOUT A MILE AWAY. EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY ON THAT DRIVE. MY COMPLAINT MOSTLY HAS TO DO WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE, AS IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A RELATIVELY COMMON ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL YEAR, AND IT DEFINITELY PUTS PEOPLE AT RISK, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS AFFECTING OTHER SYSTEMS, AS WELL. *TR
ABS , TRACTION LIGHT, AND BRAKE LIGHT WENT ON DURING DRIVING. MANY 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTIS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. ITS KNOWN AN KOABS MODULE AND PUMP DEFECTIVE. *TR
THE VEHICLE SEVERELY WONDERED UNDER HARD BRAKING WITHOUT ANY ALARM BEING TRIGGERED BEFORE THE INCIDENT. ONLY AFTER THE INCIDENT, ABS AND RED BRAKE LIGHT WENT ON. AS A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT, THE ABS CONTROL MODULE AND PUMP WERE REPLACED. THE ABS SYSTEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE DESIGNED AS A FAIL-SAFE SYSTEM WHICH DOES NOT SEEM GOOD ENGINEERING PRACTICE. *JS
BRAKE LIGHT (FLASHING), ABS AND ESP LIGHT ON. LOSS OF TRACTION CONTROL/ABS FUNCTIONALITY. POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH IN AN EMERGENCY BRAKING EVENT. AS PER OWNERS (ONLINE FORUMS) IT HAPPENS TO 2009 GTI OWNERS. ABS CONTROL MODULE/PUMP ISSUE. HAPPENS TO 2009 GTI OWNERS WITH VARIOUS MILEAGES. *TR
ABOUT A MONTH AFTER BUYING THE CAR DURING ONE OF THE LARGER SNOW STORMS THIS YEAR IN VA. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND WAS STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN I GET "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS," ON MY DASH, BEEPING THREE TIMES AND FLASHING ECS, AS WELL AS ABS. I DROVE TO WORK WITHOUT HUGE INCIDENT KNOWING MY ABS AND ECS WERE TURNED OFF AT THIS POINT, AND PARKED TO SEE IF TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF WOULD RESET THE LIGHTS. I DIDN'T WORRY UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN ON MY HOME AFTER A 12 HOUR NIGHT SHIFT WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, THIS TIME I WAS MOVING AND TRYING TO SLOW DOWN ON ICE AFTER THE NIGHT OF SNOW, AS SOON AS I HIT THE BRAKE THE DASHBOARD LIT UP AGAIN, CAUSING ME TO SLIDE INTO A CURB, ALMOST HITTING ANOTHER CAR. I THEN DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND IT TO BE A FAULTY OR BAD ABS CONTROL MODULE, I THEN TOOK MY CAR INTO VW A FEW WEEKS LATER TO GET SERVICED FOR THE ISSUE, AND THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE SHIPPED THE CAR TO SPAIN WHILE I AM HERE FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND HAVE REPRODUCED THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ICE, SNOW, OR EVEN WATER, TWICE IN A WEEK PERIOD. NOW SINCE MY CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER A CERTIFIED PRE OWNED WARRANTY WHILE IN SPAIN I WILL HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO GET IT FIXED, SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE! HERE IS A LINK TO OTHERS WHO'VE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.GOLFMKV.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=151505 AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS S PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN FIXED WITH A NEW PART. MAKING THIS A PRETTY GOOD REASON TO BE RECALLED. *TR
TURNING RIGHT FROM A STOP. CAR'S ABS FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND CONTINUED TO STAY OFF UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE ABS LIGHT DISAPPEARED UNTIL NEXT TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN ABS FAILED AGAIN. ISSUE HAS PERSISTED IN ANY TYPE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER OVER THE PAST 10 MONTHS. *TR
WAS DRIVING AND HIT A PATCH OF SNOW AS I BRAKE AND MY CAR SLID A LITTLE AND THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGED AND I JUST KEPT SLIDING ALMOST HITTING A CAR AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH TURNED AND THERE WAS A LOUD BEEPING SOUND. *TR
ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILS, CAUSING ESP AND ABS SYSTEM TO BE DISABLED UNTIL IGNITION IS RESTARTED. HAPPENED OVER A DOZEN TIMES DURING THE WINTER. FAULT IS NOTICEABLE BY BLINKING LIGHTS THAT DO NOT TURN OFF UNTIL IGNITION IS RESTARTED. I WOULD USUALLY DO THIS WHILE ROLLING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHICH IS NOT DIFFICULT WITH A MANUAL. DEALER FIXED THIS SAYING IT WAS A WIRING ISSUE BY CLEANING THE MODULE AND RE-ATTACHING IT IN THE SPRING FOR FREE. THE ISSUE STARTED AGAIN IN MAY, AND THE DEALER DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ABS SENSOR FAULTS WERE RELATED. I STARTED TO GET THE WINTER BLINKING LIGHT FAULTS AGAIN. I PAID OUT OF POCKET $600 FOR THE PART, AND ABOUT $500 FOR LABOR TO GET THE REVISED MODULE INSTALLED, WHICH I SAW WAS THE PROPER FIX OTHER DEALERS WERE DOING FOR PEOPLE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *TR
I WAS DRIVING AROUND A TURN AT ROUGHLY 60MPH ON A HIGHWAY OFF-RAMP DURING DRY CONDITIONS WHEN THE DASHBOARD CHIMED AND SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. BOTH THE ESP AND ABS LIGHTS LIT AND REMAINED LIT CONTINUOUSLY, AND THE BRAKE LIGHT BEGAN TO BLINK CONTINUOUSLY. THE CAR STILL DROVE NORMALLY, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES TO MY HOME. UPON TURNING OFF THE IGNITION COMPLETELY AND RESTARTING THE CAR, ALL THREE INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE CLEARED. THIS SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, DURING SNOWY/ICY CONDITIONS. ON ANY SLIPPERY ROAD SURFACE DURING HEAVY BRAKING, THE THREE INDICATOR LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE AND THE DASH WOULD CHIME. THIS FAULT WAS ALWAYS CLEARED BY SIMPLY RESTARTING THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE ABS SYSTEM NEVER FUNCTIONED PROPERLY; THE BRAKES WOULD SIMPLY LOCK UP WHEN THIS FAULT OCCURRED. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO HAVE A PROPER DIAGNOSES COMPLETED, AT WHICH POINT IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS MODULE WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR COST WAS ESTIMATED AT $1700.00. I CONTACTED VW'S CORPORATE NORTH AMERICAN OFFICE SEVERAL TIMES THROUGH PHONE CALL AND MAIL, AND I WAS DENIED COVERAGE OR PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, AS THE VEHICLE WAS BEYOND THE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY. I DECIDED NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEM UNTIL THIS WINTER, BUT LAST WEEK I HAD THE FAULT OCCUR AGAIN WHEN DRIVING AT ABOUT 55MPH ON A WET ROADWAY AND HITTING MY BRAKES HARD TO AVOID A DEER THAT RAN ACROSS THE ROAD. I WAS FORTUNATE TO MISS THE DEER, BUT THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE REAR-END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLIDE AROUND BEFORE I LET OFF THE BRAKES. I HAD ANOTHER DEALER DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE ABS PUMP AND MODULE WERE BOTH FAULTY. I JUST HAD THE REPAIR PERFORMED AT A COST OF ABOUT $2,450.00. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL. *TR
SEVERAL 2009 GTI OWNERS ARE REPORTING THAT THEY ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. UPON LOSS OF TRACTION, THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CAN GENERATE A FAULTY SIGNAL, CAUSING THE ECU TO DISABLE ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES NOW ESPECIALLY DURING THE WINTER WHEN ROADS ARE SLIPPERY AND IT IS NEEDED MOST. THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMON CEL CODE: 1 FAULT FOUND: 01130 - ABS OPERATION 008 - IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL - INTERMITTENT ADDRESS 03: ABS BRAKES (-----) LABELS: 1K0-907-379-60EC1F.CLB PART NO SW: 1K0 907 379 AE HW: 1K0 907 379 AE COMPONENT: ESP MK60EC1 H35 0104. *TR
PURCHASED USED 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG TRANSMISSION ON 03 AUG 13. ON 06 AUG 13 UPON BRAKING AND TURNING A CORNER THE TRANSMISSION SEEMINGLY DROPPED OUT OF GEAR, ENGINE REVVED FREELY, THE TRANSMISSION RE-ENGAGED WITH A LOUD CLUNK IN THE DRIVELINE. OVER THE NEXT WEEK THE FREQUENCY OF THIS SAME PROBLEM HAPPENING INCREASED UNTIL 12 AUG 13. ON 12 AUG 13 THE TRANSMISSION WOULD TAKE SEVERAL SECONDS(UPWARDS OF 30) TO ENGAGE EITHER 1ST OR REVERSE AND IN DOING SO WOULD AGAIN CLUNK ON ENGAGEMENT. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO AN UNKNOWN GEAR, THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT INDICATOR STARTED TO FLASH, AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT. HAD TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART TO CONTINUE. WITHIN ONE MILE THE SAME PROCESS HAD TO BE REPEATED. THIS CONTINUED FOR THE REST OF THE 10 MILE TRIP TO MY HOME. THIS CAR IS ONE THAT WAS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL. THE RECALL HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THIS CAR BUT OBVIOUSLY STILL HAS ISSUES. CAR WILL BE TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP ON 16 AUG 13 TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE CANYON AND WENT INTO A TURN AT 40MPH. I HEARD A BEEP AND MY ABS, BRAKE AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ALL WENT ON AT ONCE. THE LIGHTS STAYED ON BUT THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT FLASHED. THE CAR FELT WEIRD WHILE DRIVING AND I WAS AFRAID TO KEEP DRIVING SO I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. AFTER CHECKING THE CODES THROUGH MY VAGCOM CABLE I HAD A 01130 - ABS OPERATION CODE. THE LIGHTS WENT AWAY AFTER I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON BUT THIS SAME ISSUE KEPT HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CANYON UNTIL I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION. I STOPPED PULLING OVER AND JUST DROVE WITH THE LIGHTS CAREFULLY ALL THE WAY HOME. THE ABS SEEMS TO BE TURNED OFF AS THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURS. THIS IS DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY ON WET ROADS AND ON CANYONS. I TRIED CONTACTING VW OF AMERICA AND THEY SAID THEY DO NOT COVER THIS PROBLEM. THEY WANTED $2000+ FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. I THINK THIS IS NOT FAIR AND SHOULD BE A RECALL. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN FOR ALL 2009 VW GTI'S. MANY 2009 GTI'S HAVE FAULTY ABS UNITS. I HOPE THIS WILL BE LOOKED INTO AND HOPEFULLY VWOA WILL START A RECALL CAMPAIGN. THANK YOU FOR READING. *TR
WHILE PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AFTER LEAVING A STOP LIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED BUTTONS AND LIGHTS (HORN, STEERING WHEEL, ETC) FLICKERED OFF WHEN TURNING. AT THAT POINT, THE BUTTONS FAILED TO WORK UNLESS THE WHEEL WAS TURNED ALMOST TO FULL LOCK CLOCKWISE. IT TOOK ABOUT A DAY OF DRIVING UNTIL THE AIRBAG LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON TELLING ME THERE WAS A FAULT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION LED TO A FAULTY AIRBAG CLOCKSPRING. NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF PEOPLE REPORTING SIMILAR FAILURES ON VW FORUMS WITH SIMILAR MODEL YEARS. A RESEARCH IN PART NUMBERS SHOW IT'S THE SAME PART NUMBER AND VERSION THROUGH VARIOUS VW MODELS INCLUDING 2006-2013 JETTA, GOLF, GTI, PASSAT, TIGUAN, ETC. MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE WITH THOSE CARS HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. THIS PART SHOULD BE REDESIGNED AND REPLACED IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES SINCE THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG CAN FAIL TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH EVEN IF THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT ISN'T ALWAYS ON. *TR
TWO OUT OF THE FOUR ENGINE COILS WENT BAD AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT CAUSING THE CAR TO LOOSE TWO OUT OF FOUR CYLINDERS. THIS MADE THE ENGINE NOT ABLE TO IDLE OR RUN. HAD THIS HAPPENED WHILE TRYING TO CLEAR AN INTERSECTION OR SAY MERGING ON A HIGHWAY THE RESULT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. VW INSISTS THAT THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND NOT EVEN COVERED BY IT'S 5-YEAR 60K MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH THESE COILS THAT PROVIDE SPARK TO THE ENGINE, AND VITAL TO IT'S SAFE OPERATION, THEY INSIST THAT ARE ONLY COVERED BY THE VEHICLE'S 3-YEAR 36-K MILE WARRANTY. LOOKING AT VW CHAT LOGS IT CLEAR THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VW GTI FOR NUMEROUS YEARS AND NEEDS TO REVISITED FOR THE 2009 MODEL YEAR. *TR
ON 4 AUG 2012 AT ABOUT 2:15PM MY WIFE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF HER RIGHT (PASSENGER SIDE) REAR TIRE. THE TIRE IS A DUNLOP SP SPORT 01 AS 225/40R18. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT ABOUT 35 MPH ON SURFACE STREETS. MY WIFE HEARD A "POP" NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE TIRE INFLATION WARNING CAME ON. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED ME AND AAA. THEY PUT ON THE FULL-SIZED SPARE. WHEN I INSPECTED THE TIRE THE INSIDE SIDEWALL SHOWED A "SPLIT" IN ONE OF THE SEAMS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TYPE OF FAILURE (INSIDE SIDEWALL SHOWED A "SPLIT" IN ONE OF THE SEAMS) WITH THE SAME TIRE TYPE (DUNLOP SP SPORT 01 AS 225/40R18) ON 1 JUNE 2012. THAT TIME THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. THAT TIME THE RIGHT FRONT (PASSENGER) TIRE FAILED. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE! BOTH TIRES FAILED WIT APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES ON THEM. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THEY WERE SAFE TO INSTALL AT THE START OF THE SUMMER SEASON. WE SWITCH TIRES TWICE A YEAR BECAUSE THE DUNLOPS ARE CONSIDERED MORE OF A "PERFORMANCE" TIRE. AFTER THE FIRST FAILURE THE DEALER ORDERED A PAIR OF TIRES. HE ORDERED THE SAME ONES SO THE TREAD WOULD MATCH. NOT SURE AT THIS POINT THAT I WILL CONTINUE WITH DUNLOPS. *TR
PROBLEM OCCURRED OCCASIONALLY, MOSTLY WHEN THE SPEED WAS AROUND 0-30MPH. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HAVE A PROBLEM IN UPSHIFTING/DOWNSHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST-3RD GEAR. WHILE ACCELERATION FROM STATIONARY, THERE WAS A LAG IN UPSHIFTING FROM 1ST-2ND-3RD GEAR. SOMETIMES IT DID NOT UPSHIFT AT ALL. WHEN YOU RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR AND RE-APPLIED IT AGAIN, IT WOULD BE BACK TO NORMAL. WHILE DOWNSHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR, IT SEEMED LIKE BEING PUSHED BY SOMETHING FROM THE BACK. *KB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING BETWEEN 40-60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES WHERE THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE IGNITION COIL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,600 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL OF THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V333000 (POWER TRAIN); HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE DSG GEAR BOX NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.
I BOUGHT THIS VW GTI 2009 IN 01/2009. SINCE LAST SUMMER, THE ENGINE START TO HAVE ISSUES WHEN TRYING TO TURN IT ON. HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS: WHEN THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE IS COOL, IT HAS NO PROBLEM TO TURN IT ON. BUT WHEN THE ENGINE IS ALREADY WARMED UP (E.G., AFTER DRIVE 15 MIN ON THE FREEWAY), AND YOU TURN IT OFF. THEN THERE IS >50% CHANCE IT WON'T GET STARTED WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN IT ON AGAIN. IF THIS HAPPENS, I MIGHT HAVE TO TRY A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN IT CAN GET THE ENGINE STARTED. I HAVE BEEN TO TWO DIFFERENT VW DEALERS FOR SEVERAL TIMES, NEITHER CAN IDENTIFY WHAT'S THE ROOT CAUSE. IN MY LAST VISIT, I SHOWED THEM HOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, AND I LEFT THE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. *TR
I PURCHASED MY 2009 VW GTI ON 5/6/09 WITH 217 MILES ON IT. THESE ARE THE INSTANCES THAT HAVE OCCURRED SO FAR: 1)ON 5/11/2009 AT 610 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME AFTER REVVING ON ITS OWN. IT RETURNED A CODE P0171 'SYSTEM TOO LEAN' WHICH ONCE AGAIN POINTS TO THE INTAKE. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 1 DAY. 2)ON 2/5/2010 AT 19,743 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER STRANGE IDLE SPEED SYMPTOMS. THEY REPLACED MY INTAKE MANIFOLD. I WAS WITHOUT MY VEHICLE FOR 7 DAYS. 3)ON 3/29/2010 AT 22,114 MILES THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON AND HAD TO DRIVE 30 MILES BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 2 CYLINDERS. WIRING WAS REPAIRED PER TBS #2018652. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 2 DAYS. 4)ON 9/16/2010 AT 32,910 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER ONCE AGAIN STRANGE IDLE SYMPTOMS. IT RETURNED A CODE P2015, GERMANY WAS CALLED, EVERYONE WAS BAFFLED, AND THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. I WAS WITHOUT MY VEHICLE FOR 5 DAYS. 5)ON 12/21/10 AT 35,201 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, CAR WAS REVVING ON ITS OWN. THEY REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I WAS WITHOUT MY VEHICLE FOR 3 DAYS 6)ON 3/26/2011 AT 37K THE CAR WAS REVVING ON ITS OWN, AND AFTER 10 MINUTES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I RETURNED A CODE P0507 'IDLE AIR CONTROL SYSTEM RPM HIGHER THAN EXPECTED' WHICH ONCE AGAIN IS POINTING AT THE AIR INTAKE. SO FAR I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 3 DAYS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHERE IT BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 190,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN 2009. SHE STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE THE GEAR WOULD SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR AS IT SHOULD. SHE HAD REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE TWICE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER, 09V333000, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MORE THAN THREE TIMES. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO ACTUALLY CORRECT THE FAILURE TO DATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE UNDER 13,055.
2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI (AND VARIOUS OTHER MODELS 2006-2009) WINDSHIELD INTERIOR DEFROSTER AIR DISPERSION GRILL DIRECTS AIR TO RIGHT AND LEFT PORTIONS OF WINDSHIELD ONLY. NO SEGMENTS OF THE AIR DISPERSION GRILL LOCATED AT THE BASE OF THE WINDHIELD DIRECT AIR UP THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD, THIS CREATES A LARGE PATCH OF FOG/CONDENSATION ON THE INTERIOR OF THE WINDSHIELD BELOW THE REARVIEW MIRROR AND CAUSES DRIVER FIELD OF VISION TO BE REDUCED. CAN BE "FIXED" BY RUNNING AC AND DEFROST-ONLY W/ FAN SPEED ON "3", THIS IS VERY NOISY INSIDE THE CAR AND THE DRY AC AIR OUTPUT MAY CRITICALLY AFFECT DRIVER EYES/OTHER MUCUS MEMBRANES WHEN DRIVING FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. THIS DEFECT IS CORRECTED IN THE MY 2010 GTI WHERE THE CENTER TWO VANES OF THE AIR DISPERSION DEFROSTER UNIT HAVE BEEN MADE TO POINT STRAIGHT UP RATHER THAN TO EITHER SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. VW DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR A YEAR AGO REFUSES TO TRY AN '10 PART ON MY '09 VEHICLE TO SEE IF THE NEW AIR DIFFUSER UNIT WILL FIT. A COOWORKER HAS THE SAME MODEL YEAR CAR I DO AND HAS THE SAME COMPLAINT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PRONOUNCED IN THE WINTER MONTHS AND IN HUMID WEATHER AND CREATES A LARGE AREA OF BLURRED GLASS DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD, VERY HAZARDOUS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT OR WHILE LOOKING SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT WHEN APPROACHING A RIGHT HAND TURN IN THE ROAD. TW*