Page 2 of 2 · complaints 51–53 of 53

2010 Volkswagen GTI complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2010 record →

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Feb 22, 20104,500 milesTX

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2010 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED HE LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AS HE WAS DRIVING THERE WAS A BIG CLUNKY SOUND AND THE VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN BUT DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. HE HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AT LEAST THREE TIMES BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE FAILURE. THE VOLKSWAGEN MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,500.

Equipment
Filed Feb 4, 2010250 milesIL

I PURCHASED A NEW 2010 VOKSAWAGEN GTI IN THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER 2009.ONLY A FEW DAYS AFTER I TOOK DELIVERY OF IT I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM.I WAS DRIVING HOME GOING THE SPEED LIMIT AROUND A LONG TURN THAT I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 7 YEARS NOW AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR MADE A FEELING LIKE I HAD RAN OVER SOMETHING BIG OR HAD A FLAT TIRE,I WAS NOT PRESSING ON THE BRAKES OR HARD ON THE GAS,I WAS JUST DRIVING NORMALLY.I PULLED OVER AND I COULD NOT FIND ANY DAMAGE TO THE CAR OR A FLAT TIRE.I GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND WENT BACK TO THE TURN AND THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE ROAD AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DRY THAT NIGHT TO.IT FELT LIKE A GRINDING CRUNCHY FEELING AND SOUNDED LIKE A FLAT TIRE GRINDING ON THE PAVEMENT OR SOMETHING CRUNCHY,IT ALSO SLOWED THE CAR DOWN A LITTLE BIT.I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND WHEN I PICKED IT UP THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM.I DROVE THE CAR HOME AND A DAY LATER IT DID THE SAME EXACT THING,A FEW DAYS AFTER THAT I WAS GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE I WENT TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES AND MY BRAKE PEDAL WAS SOLID SO I HAD TO DOWNSHIFT TO SLOW DOWN,HAVING NO BRAKES IS VERY SCARY,THE NEXT DAY IT RAINED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I HAD THE CAR AND THE SUNROOF STARTED LEAKING AND THEN A FEW DAYS LATER THE RADIO STARTED TURNING DOWN AND MUTING BY ITSELF,I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN AND THE DEALER HAD IT FOR 3 WEEKS AND WHEN I PICKED IT UP ALL THEY HAD FIXED WAS THE SUNROOF.I DEMANDED SOMEONE COME OUT TO DRIVE THE CAR AND HE G

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Jan 3, 2010263 milesKY

CONDITIONS: 20 DEGREES, SUNNY, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. VEHICLE: 2010 VW GTI 4-DR W/DSG TRANSMISSION. CURRENTLY 263 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. BACKED OUT OF MY GARAGE, PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE (D), AND PROCEEDED DOWN MY DRIVEWAY. BEGAN DRIVING OUT MY SUBDIVISION AND NOTICED THE ENGINE RPMS WERE GETTING LOUDER AND THE CAR APPEARED TO BE STUCK IN 1ST GEAR. I PUT THE DSG TRANSMISSION IN BOTH MANUAL MODE AND SPORT MODE, TRIED TO MANUALLY SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO ANOTHER GEAR, BUT HAD NO SUCCESS. STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED IT OFF, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, STARTED THE CAR, STARTED DRIVING AGAIN. SAME BEHAVIOR... THE CAR WOULD ONLY RUN IN 1ST GEAR. PROCEEDED TO TURN AROUND TO GET THE VEHICLE BACK TO MY HOUSE ONLY TO LEARN THAT REVERSE WAS NOT WORKING. CONTACTED VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND HAD THEM TOW THE CAR TO THE LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP. SERVICE IS CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY, 1/4/2010, SO WILL NOT KNOW NEXT STEPS UNTIL THEN. CONFIRMED MANUFACTURE DATE OF THIS 2010 VW GTI WAS 07/2009 (APPARENTLY WITHIN THE TIME FRAME VW HAS INDICATED THERE WERE MANUFACTURING ISSUES WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION). THE SYMPTOM OF THE FAILURE I EXPERIENCED IS FAR DIFFERENT THAN THE CURRENT RECALL FROM VW (CARS SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL). IN THIS CASE, MY CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND ALSO WOULD NOT WORK IN REVERSE). BELIEVE THE VW DSG TRANSMISSION ISSUE IS ONLY GOING TO EXPAND. WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE NHTSA FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER WITH VW TO ENSURE ALL AFFECTED TRANSMISSIONS ARE REPLACED. *TR REGARDS, BRIAN PEARSON

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2010 Volkswagen GTI → · Every GTI year → · How the figures are calculated →