There are 30 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2015 Volkswagen GTIin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Suction jet pump failed causing vehicle to have numerous issues and had to be repaired due to being unable to drive. Suction jet pump has a recall with no remedy. Repairs cost me $3369.39 and car was in the shop for 24 days while shop tried to locate recalled part from a distributor.
This recall was issued in feb 2024 and there is still not a remedy available. Feb 14,2024 Manufacturer Recall Number20UF NHTSA Recall Number24V110 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available I am smelling gas in my car intermittently and this could be related to the recall. We need a remedy for this now. So I am issuing this complaint.
Camshaft broken due deficiency on quality of the product, they have a recall of many cars but for casualty my car is not on the list, va don’t want to fix it and now I have to spend mor than 5500
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Coolant leak from very known area which is the water pump. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? If leaks to much it can cause the car to run very hot and have to pull over. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes most dealers do say it is a common problem. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No
There is an issue with the thermostat housing that causes coolant to leak out. This can cause the water pump to fail or if enough of the coolant leaks it can cause the engine to over heat and fail. The Thermostat housing is totally sealed so this is a manufacture defect that happens on the make of my car and should have a recall on the part. There were no warning lights or indicators to let me know of this issue. I brought the car in to my local Volkswagen dealer (dealer of purchase of the car) for another recall to be serviced and I was informed of this issue and need to have it fixed or risk having major issues with the car. I checked online and found MANY other car owners with this same issue so it seems to be systematic and a failure in the part in question.
The coolant shutoff valve/water pump has failed twice in a little over 13,000 miles. The first incident caused the engine to overheat and go into "lump mode" on the highway and would not go over 45 mph. In the 2nd incident, the coolant shutoff value because stuck in an open position, resulting in poor gas mileage and an engine that takes much longer than normal to reach operating temperature. Problem has been confirmed by the dealer that performed all scheduled maintenance. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance or others. Warning Lamps: I was not the driver during the first incident. The 2nd incident, the engine warning light came on within a couple of days of a major maintenance at the dealership.
The engine stalled at idle while I was at the stop light.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PAID TO HAVE NEW VW TURBO PUT IN CAR AND IT LASTED 116 MILES. TOOK IT BACK AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TURBO HAD FAILED AND THE TURBINE BROKE AND FELL INTO THE MOTOR. AS A RESULT IT BLEW THE MOTOR. VW WARRANTY REFUSED TO WARRANTY THE PART AND TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BLOWN ENGINE. EVEN THE DEALER SHIP AGREED IT WAS A FAULTY TURBO AND AS A RESULT IT BLEW THE ENGINE.
FIRST CAR STARTS. SECOND PUT THE GEAR INTO REVERSE. THIRD CAR STARTS TO STALL SLOWLY SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE WHILE IN REVERSE. FOURTH, CAR HAS DIFFICULTY STARTING THE ENGINE WHILE PUTTING IN PARK GEAR. FIFTH, I HAD TO PRESS THE BRAKE AND THE PUSH START BUTTON IN ORDER TO START WHILE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO INCREASE THE RPM. THEN I DRIVE. THIS HAPPENS OFTEN WHEN FIRST STARTING THE VEHICLE UNDER STATIONARY.
MY WATER PUMP IS LEAKING AT ONLY 76 THOUSAND MILES0
WATER PUMP & THERMOSTAT HOUSING LEAKING COOLANT AT 31,000 MILES. BOTH ITEMS WERE REPLACED AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR
MY COOLANT WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AT ABOUT 71K MILES, TO MY SURPRISE. MY MECHANIC CHECKED ALL FLUID LEVELS WHEN I LAST HAD THE CAR IN, WHICH WAS ABOUT 6K MILES PRIOR. I CHECKED THE COOLANT LEVEL AND IT WAS WAY BELOW THE MINIMUM LEVEL IN THE RESERVOIR. MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED IT WAS THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING WHICH IN TURN CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WATER PUMP AS WELL. THIS RESULTS IN A $980 REPAIR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS AFFECTED OTHER VW GTIS OF THE SAME MODEL GENERATION. THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY VW BUT MY CAR IS NOW OUTSIDE OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY. I AM SEEKING TO RECOVER THE MONEY I HAVE SPENT OUT OF POCKET AND TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO ANY OTHER OWNERS. THE DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS: THE ISSUE IS LIMITED TO 2015- US MODELS AND 2013- EUROPEAN MODELS, AND SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE EA888 REV3 ENGINE THAT IS IN SEVERAL MQB MODELS SOLD BY VW/AUDI. COOLANT WILL SLOWLY SEEP OUT OF A WEEP HOLE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH TO EVER LEAVE A PUDDLE BUT SLIGHT RESIDUE MAY BE SEEN UNDER THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING AND POSSIBLY ON THE OIL PAN. THE LOSS OF COOLANT OFTEN TRIPS THE LOW COOLANT WARNING IF THE LEVEL ISN'T MAINTAINED. DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE LEAK, THE COOLANT DROP CAN EITHER BE GRADUAL OR CATASTROPHIC. LOSS OF COOLANT HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED TO THE WATER PUMP FAILING. FURTHERMORE, THE ACCESSORY BRACKET GASKET CAN LEAK HOT OIL DOWN ONTO THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING (EVEN AFTER REPAIR) WHICH CAN CAUSE FAILURE. *TR
COOLANT LEAKING REQUIRING THERMOSTAT HOUSING REPLACEMENT AS WELL AS NEW SENSOR AND NEW WATER PUMP.
WATER PUMP FAILURE AT 49500 MILES.
ENGINE LOOSING COOLANT, DEALERSHIPS FAILS TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. FAULTY WATER PUMP THAT VW FAILED TO DIAGNOSE TWO TIMES.
Showing 1–20 of 30 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026