← New search

2009 Volkswagen Gti

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

153 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 94 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

167 reports
89,000 miles · Dec 4, 2012
Fuel/propulsion System

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 VEHIC…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #10487298

50,000 miles · Nov 20, 2012
Air BagsSteering

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…

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10485287

42,000 miles · Oct 13, 2012
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

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 A…

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10480007

36,600 miles · Aug 29, 2012
Engine

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 R…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #10472889

53,699 miles · Aug 4, 2012
Tires

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 …

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10469199

45,000 miles · Jul 17, 2012
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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…

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10465930

31,500 miles · Mar 20, 2012
Power Train

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…

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10452417

400 miles · Sep 9, 2011
Power Train

AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 2009 GTI I NOTICED SOME HESITATION IN THE CAR UPON TAKE OFF/SLOW DOWN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR THIS CAR AND ITS DSG TRANSMISSION. I LATER IN THE YEAR TOOK IT BACK WITH THE SAME RESULT. I ALSO CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS GIVEN A CASE NUMB…

Read full complaint

AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 2009 GTI I NOTICED SOME HESITATION IN THE CAR UPON TAKE OFF/SLOW DOWN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR THIS CAR AND ITS DSG TRANSMISSION. I LATER IN THE YEAR TOOK IT BACK WITH THE SAME RESULT. I ALSO CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS GIVEN A CASE NUMBER BUT NO ONE EVER CALLED ME BACK AND I WAS ONCE AGAIN WAS REFERRED BACK TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP VIA EMAIL. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD! MY WIFE HAS JUST TAKEN THE GTI AGAIN, SEPT. 6TH, 2011 AND AFTER 3 DAYS WITH THE GTI WE RECEIVED THE SAME RESPONSE - "THIS IS NORMAL FOR DSG TRANSMISSION". THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!! OUR BEST DESCRIPTION OF THE SAFETY HAZARD. WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN SPORT (S) MODE IT WILL OFTEN HESITATE TO PULL OFF FROM A STOP. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND THIS OCCURS THERE IS ABOUT A TWO SECOND DELAY FROM THE TIME THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED TO FINALLY TAKING OFF. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE TACHOMETER WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS (WITHOUT ANY APPROACHING TRAFFIC, AND THE RPMS BARELY GO BEYOND IDLE EVEN THOUGH THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED DOWN 1/4 TO 1/2 WAY DOWN. WHEN THE CAR DOES FINALLY TAKE OFF, IT IS ABRUPTLY, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED ALREADY. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC OR TURN ACROSS IT, THIS DELAY AND THEN ABRUPT RESPONSE COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR WORSE TO US OR THE OCCUPANTS OF MY VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP US AS CORPORATE VW AND OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR SAFETY OR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS AND ITS JUST A MATTER OF WHEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OCCURS BECAUSE OF THIS SAFETY HAZARD. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10424396

37,000 miles · Mar 31, 2011
Fuel System, Gasoline

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,…

Read full complaint

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

NHTSA ODI #10393886

13 miles · Jan 28, 2010
Visibility

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/CONDENSA…

Read full complaint

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*

NHTSA ODI #10303060

Official recalls

2

16V913000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Dec 20, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

09V333000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Aug 20, 2009

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND AUGUST 2009. THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED. WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH. IN ADDITION, THE "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL" INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE09035 · Vehicle Stall/loss Motive Power

Opened Jul 17, 2009 · Closed Nov 19, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:manual Transmission

THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSIONS, WHICH FEATURE A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX WITH TWO WET RUNNING CLUTCHES (DUAL CLUTCH) IN WHICH THE CLUTCH MECHANISM AND GEAR CHANGES ARE ELECTROHYDRAULICALLY OPERATED BY A MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT.THE DSG MECHATRONIC CONTROLLER INCLUDES EXTENSIVE SELF DIAGNOSTIC FUNCTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATION AND PREVENT SYSTEM/COMPONENT DAMAGE IN THE EVENT OF COMPONENT FAILURES OR HARSH OPERATING CONDITIONS.THE BASIC HIERARCHY OF FAULT MODES INCLUDES SOME THAT ONLY RESULT IN THE STORAGE OF A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) AND CAUSE NO LOSS OF FUNCTION, SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND REDUCE VEHICLE OPERATION TO A LIMP HOME MODE, AND SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER (I.E., OPEN CLUTCH).THE DRIVER IS ALERTED TO THE LATTER TWO MODES BY THE DASH GEAR POSITION INDICATOR (PRNDS) FLASHING. ONE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT RESULTS IN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER IS EXCESS GEARBOX TEMPERATURE.THE SYSTEM INITIALLY RESPONDS TO INCREASED GEARBOX TEMPERATURE BY RAMPING DOWN ENGINE TORQUE.IF THE TEMPERATURE KEEPS RISING THE MECHATRONIC UNIT RESPONDS BY OPENING THE CLUTCH.IN A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT SUBMITTED TO NHTSA ON AUGUST 20, 2009, VOLKSWAGEN DESCRIBED A POTENTIAL DEFECT IN THE WIRING HARNESSES OF THE DSG GEARBOX TEMPERATURE SENSORS USED IN APPROXIMATELY 16,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2009 AND 2010 VOLKSWAGEN (EOS, JETTA AND GTI) AND AUDI (A3 AND TT/TT ROADSTER) VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSIONS AND BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 2008 THROUGH AUGUST 2009 (NHTSA RECALL NO. 09V-333, VOLKSWAGEN RECALL NO. 37E3/S7 AND AUDI RECALL NO 37E4/J7). VOLKSWAGEN PROVIDED THIS DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFECT, THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DSG MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED BY THE CONNECTOR SUPPLIER DURING A LIMITED PRODUCTION PERIOD.WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL.IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH.IN ADDITION, THE DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.VOLKSWAGEN ESTIMATED THAT LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN THE DEFECT CONDITION. ODI IDENTIFIED 40 COMPLAINTS THAT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR DEFECT CONDITION DESCRIBED BY VOLKSWAGEN.VOLKSWAGEN RECEIVED 139 COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE CONDITION, WITH 7 INVOLVING VEHICLES REPORTED TO ODI, RESULTING A 172 TOTAL COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND VOLKSWAGEN.ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS INVOLVE THE MY 2009 AN 2010 VEHICLES SUBJECT TO RECALL 09V-333. ODI ALSO IDENTIFIED COMPLAINTS OF HARSH/JERKY SHIFTING IN SOME VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES WITH DSG.VOLKSWAGEN ATTRIBUTED THIS CONDITION, WHICH TYPICALLY OCCURS AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, TO EXCESSIVE WEAR IN THE BUSHINGS OF THE TWO SOLENOID VALVES IN THE MECHATRONIC UNIT THAT CONTROL CLUTCH OPERATION.VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE THIS CONDITION IS A SAFETY DEFECT BECAUSE THE CHANGES IN SHIFT QUALITY DEVELOP GRADUALLY OVER TIME, DO NOT CAUSE A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND HAVE NOT RESULTED IN ANY FATALITIES, INJURIES OR SERIOUS CRASHES (THERE WERE THREE REPORTED PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS RESULTING IN MINOR BODY DAMAGE IN VERY LOW SPEED, PARKING MANEUVERS).VOLKSWAGEN ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM IN THE FIELD WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES THE REPLACEMENT OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED MECHATRONIC UNITS AS WELL