I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT, IN THE RAIN, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY WIPERS AND MY FAN ALSO STOPPED WORKING. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AGAIN, ALL WAS FINE FOR ABOUT 10 SEC., THEN IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I NOTICED THAT WHEN I TOUCHED THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION THAT IT WENT BACK ON AGAIN, AND I HELD THE KEY FORWARD AND HELD IT THERE, AND THE HEADLIGHTS, WIPERS, AND THE FAN STARTED TO WORK AGAIN. WHEN I LET IT GO, IT STOPPED WORKING. I HAD TO HOLD THE KEY IN THE IGNITION FORWARD ALL THE WAY HOME TO HAVE HEADLIGHTS TO SEE MY WAY HOME. THE NEXT DAY I CHECKED AGAIN AND KNEW FOR SURE THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS THE PROBLEM, IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I LOOKED IT UP ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON ON VOLKSWAGEN GOLF'S OR GTI'S AND THAT THERE WASN'T A RECALL ON THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT. I OWN A 1998 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THANK YOU, AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF THIS PROBLEM WAS ADDRESSED TO VOLKSWAGEN AND A RECALL WERE TO BE MADE OF THIS PROBLEM. I HEARD IT COST'S A LOT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.*JB
1998 Volkswagen GTI
Owners filed 10 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, air › antilock. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Body › Door | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Air › Antilock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Ignition › Switch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Side/Window | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsSIDE AIRBAG (PASSENGER) DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT WITH A POTHOLE WITH THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL
1998 VOLKSWAGEN GTI VR6. ELECTRIC WINDOW REGULATOR FAILURE. SAW THIS SITE ON WWW.VWVORTEX.COM. *NLM
THE ENGINE STALLED WHEN THE CONSUMER MADE A TURN. *JB
THE ENGINE STALLED WHEN THE CONSUMER MADE A TURN. *JB
1998 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI ROLLED INTO A DITCH OFF 101 NEAR GILROY. THREE DAYS PRIOR IT HAD HAD SERVICED ENTIRELY BY MICHAEL'S AUTO BODY IN DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE. WITH REPAIRS TOTALLING $2000. THESE REPAIRS WERE SUPPOSEDLY MERELY "WEAR AND TEAR" FROM A TOWING BY THE SJPD. THE ANTILOCK BRAKES LOCKED AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT RELEASE.
VEHICLE STALLED OUT AND DIED WITHOUT WARNING. JUST BEFORE VEHICLE STALLED ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE HAS STALLED AND DIED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED AND NEVER WENT *AK
DOOR PANELS CAME OFF. *YC
ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON WHEN VEHICLE IS STARTED. NOT SURE IF ABS IS WORKING DURING THIS TIME.
10 of 10 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2019| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2021 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2020 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2019 | 179 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2018 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 2 | Do not drive |
| 2017 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2016 | 66 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2015 | 97 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2014 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2013 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2012 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2011 | 55 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 167 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 77 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2006 | 43 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2002 | 124 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 74 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 45 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 — this page | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1996 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1995 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1993 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1990 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.