There are 5 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2001 Audi TTin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
While driving on a city street in Ann Arbor Michigan, the manual transmission shift lever snapped off. The lever detached at the base right above the spring assembly that allows the shifter to be moved into reverse. I was stuck in third gear and had to feather the clutch and keep the revs high in order to get through a traffic light and pull into a parking garage. The part required a complete replacement (completed myself).
I AM DRIVING A MANUAL 6 GEAR AUDI TT ROADSTER 2001. IN 2008, APPROX 2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT USED I SHIFTED GEAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HELD THE SHIFT IN MY HAND, IT HAD CLEANLY BROKEN OFF THE GEAR BOX. THE LEVER WAS FIXED AND IT COST ME ABOUT 600.- TO HAVE THAT PART REPAIRED. *TR
VEHICLE WAS SITTING FOR ABOUT 2.5 HOURS ON A VERY COLD DAY (15 DEGREES). STARTED CAR AND LET VEHICLE WARM UP. THEN I STARTED HOME. AFTER APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES ON DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH SHIFTING THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET THE CAR INTO ANOTHER GEAR. I FINALLY NOTICED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS NOT RETRACTING COMPLETELY. I HAD TO USE MY FOOT TO BRING THE PEDAL UP TO ITS NORMAL NON-DEPRESSED POSITION. *CB
SUDDEN CLUTCH FAILURE ALMOST RESULTED IN ACCIDENT AS NO POWER WAS GOING TO WHEELS WHEN TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. CAR WAS STARTED ON A SLIGHT HILL, POSSIBLY IN THIRD, BUT WITH NO HESITATION, CLUTCH WAS SLIPPED BUT NOT SMOKED. DURING APPROX 3-5 MILES OF DRIVING WITHOUT RIDING THE CLUTCH THE REVS CLIMBED WHILE MAINTAINING A STEADY SPEED, BY THE TIME I PULLED OVER THE CLUTCH WAS GONE. AOA COVERED HALF OF THE PART COST & 10% OF THE LABOR BECAUSE IT IS A NORMAL WEAR ITEM, AND THUS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
VEHICLE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAD A MAJOR COMPUTER MALFUNCTION CAUSING THE GAS GAUGE NEEDLE TO ROTATE VIOLENTLY FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND BACK AGAIN CONTINIOUSLY. CLUTHH PEDAL WHEN WET TURNS INTO A SLIPPERY SURFACE DUE TO THE METAL ON THE PEDAL CAUSING THE FOOT TO SLIP OFF. THE SEAT BELT DESIGN FOR THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGERS IS DEFECTIVE CAUSING THE SEATBELT NOT TO RETRACT. THIS CREATES THE DANGER OF THE SEAT BELT NOT WORKING AS INTENDED.
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 Apr 26, 2026