2008 Volkswagen GTI Complaint Log

DAILY USAGE FOR APPROXIMATELY A YEAR CAUSED MY VEHICLE'S SEATBELT TO NO LONGER LOCK IN. *TR

DSG TRANSMISSION JUMPING OUT OF GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SLOW DRAMATICALLY. WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP THERE IS A DELAY BETWEEN THROTTLE INPUT AND ACTUAL MOVEMENT. THE CAR WILL REV, AND THEN "LURCH" HEAVILY AND SUDDENLY FORWARD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO THESE TWO PROBLEMS. SLOW SPEED "PARKING" MANEUVERS ARE ALSO DANGEROUS DUE TO A "SURGING" IN ACCELERATION, AND OCCASIONAL LAG IN GEAR SELECTION. THESE ISSUES ONLY APPEAR WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS WARM. I HAVE REPORTED THE ISSUES TO VOLKSWAGEN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS ONLY TO BE TOLD IT IS NORMAL, AND SENT AWAY. IT HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR OVER 6 MONTHS. *TR

CAR WAS INVOLVED IN FRONTAL CRASH, HITTING ANOTHER THAT WAS STOPPED IN THE ROAD. CAR WAS GOING BETWEEN 20 AND 30 MPH. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING DRIVER TO HIT NOSE ON STEERING WHEEL. NOT BROKEN BUT SEVERELY BRUISED. *TR

THE CAR HAS JERKING DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING AND HAS HARD SHIFTS SOMETIMES. WHEN BACKING UP THE CAR BUCKS OR WHEN TAKING OFF SLOWLY OR IN TRAFFIC THE CAR IS EXTREMELY JERKY. *TR

MY 08 GTI HAS VERY STRANGE ACTIONS WHEN I AM DRIVING MY AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION. IT WILL EITHER LURCH FORWARD OR SLAM INTO GEARS. AT TIMES IT FEEL LIKE IT STALLS AS THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY. I KNOW PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHANGED THEIR MECHATRONI UNITS AND FOUND IT'S JUST A CPU PROBLEM BUT WHEN I TAKE THIS TO THE DEALER THERE IS ISSUES WITH THEM STATING THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH SOMEBODY REAR ENDED ME BECAUSE MY CAR SLAMMED INTO 1ST GEAR AS I BRAKED. THIS SCARES ME VERY MUCH WHEN THE VEHICLES GEAR DOESN'T SEEM TO ALWAYS BE IN THE PROPER GEAR. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS FOR MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI MKV MUST HAVE SOME FORM OF A HOLE OR INSUFFICIENT SEALANT BECAUSE WHEN IT WAS COLD OUTSIDE ALLOT OF MOISTURE BUILT UP INSIDE THE HEADLIGHTS AND MADE MY VISIBILITY SO HARD TO SEE ON THE HIGHWAY I ALMOST RAN INTO 1 CAR AND WHILE I WAS EXITING AND GETTING ONTO THE SERVICE ROAD I WAS GOING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN ONTO MY STREET WHEN I ALMOST HIT 2 PARKED CARS. MY FRIEND HAS ALSO BEEN HAVING THE SAME ISSUES WITH HIS CAR. *TR

I AM UNABLE TO REPLACE MY THIRD BRAKE LIGHT WITHOUT TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I DRIVE A 2008 VW GTI. *TR

WITH ABOUT 4,000 MILES ON MY CAR I WAS PARKED ON A HILL GOING UPWARDS, I TURNED THE CAR ON ONLY TO FIND THAT IT WOULD GO INTO D, BUT NOT ENGAGE IN DRIVE AND I WOULD JUST DRIFT BACKWARDS. THEN I NOTICED "PRNDS" WAS FLASHING WHERE THE GEARS USUALLY ARE LOCATED ON THE MFD. I SHUT THE CAR OF AND TURNED IT BACK ON, EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FINE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME, SAME EXACT SCENARIO, AT 15,000 MILES. ALSO, WHEN STARTING OUT OR SLOWING DOWN, NO MATTER WHAT GEAR I'M IN, MY CAR WILL SHUTTER VERY ROUGHLY. I TOOK A FEW PEOPLE FOR A RIDE, THEIR REACTION WAS "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: AND "IS THAT NORMAL?" NOW I HAVE HAD MY CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP TWICE ABOUT THIS, AND ALL THEY TELL ME IS THAT IT'S "NORMAL FOR THE DSG" AND I DON'T NEED TO WORRY. *TR

THE 2008 VW GTI USES THE HEADLIGHTS AS RUNNING LIGHTS. WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS RELEASED THE HEADLIGHTS TURN ON. THIS OCCURS REGARDLESS OF THE POSITION OF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THIS CAUSES A HAZARD AS AT NIGHT THE DRIVER IS LIKELY TO START THE CAR AND PROCEED TO DRIVE. USUALLY ONE WOULD NOT PROCEED TO DRIVE WITHOUT TURNING THE LIGHTS ON HOWEVER THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AUTOMATICALLY. NOW YOU ARE DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS BUT NO TAILLIGHTS. THIS FEATURE IS CREATING A HAZARD AND SHOULD BE CHANGED. I INQUIRED AT THE DEALER AND THEY STATED 'THAT IS THE WAY IT IS DESIGNED TO WORK'. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS DEFICIENCY. *TR

I CAN'T REPLACE THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT BULBS ON MY 2008 VW GTI. THERE IS NO WAY TO SERVICE THEM AND THE DEAL STATES THEY WOULD HAVE TO PHYSICALLY RIP OFF MY SPOILER TO DO SO. *TR

THE 2008 VW GTI USES THE HEADLIGHTS AS RUNNING LIGHTS. WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS RELEASED THE HEADLIGHTS TURN ON. THIS OCCURS REGARDLESS OF THE POSITION OF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THIS CAUSES A HAZARD AS AT NIGHT THE DRIVER IS LIKELY TO START THE CAR AND PROCEED TO DRIVE. USUALLY ONE WOULD NOT PROCEED TO DRIVE WITHOUT TURNING THE LIGHTS ON HOWEVER THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AUTOMATICALLY. NOW YOU ARE DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS BUT NO TAILLIGHTS. THIS FEATURE IS CREATING A HAZARD AND SHOULD BE CHANGED. I INQUIRED AT THE DEALER AND THEY STATED 'THAT IS THE WAY IT IS DESIGNED TO WORK'. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS DEFICIENCY. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 08 VW GTI 10/13/07. AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE MANUAL 6 SPEED CLUTCH MADE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST INTO 2ND GEAR. INITIALLY I TOOK IT IN 3 TIMES, THE TECH SAID THE CONDITION COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. ON 7/5/08, AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, THE CLUTCH ACTION FELL LIMP AND SMOKE BELLOWED FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE CAR WAS DOWN FOR A WEEK. THE CLUTCH DISC,PRESSURE PLATE,TRANS SEALS,BOLTS,FLYWHEEL AND RELEASE BEARING WERE REPLACED. HOWEVER, 2 MONTHS LATER THE ISSUE RETURNED BUT WAS WORSE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER ANOTHER 10 TIMES. I EVENTUALLY HAD TO TRADE THE CAR @ A HUGE LOSS. THERE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. I CONTACTED VW HEADQUARTERS 2 MONTHS BEFORE I HAD TO SELL THE CAR, THEY WERE OF NO ASSISTANCE. *TR

WHEN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE ON IN THE SLOW CONSTANT (AKA 'LOW' OR IN THE VW OWNERS MANUAL "POSITION 2") AND I COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE WIPERS STOP AND GO TO A LONG DELAY INTERVAL. ONCE I START MOVING AGAIN, THEY GO BACK TO 'NORMAL'. I FIND THIS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN IT IS RAINING HARD AS IT BECOMES DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD WHEN AT STOPLIGHT, INTERSECTION ETC. IF I TURN THE WIPERS ON TO "HIGH" LEVER POSITION 3 THEY WILL WIPE CONSTANTLY, ALBEIT SLOWLY. THIS OCCURS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER WHO SAYS THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CORRECT THIS AND I HAVE CONTACTED VW WHO SAYS IT IS NORMAL AND CANNOT BE CHANGED. I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW SEMI-FUNCTIONAL WIPERS FOR A WINDSHIELD EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE ISN'T MOVING COULD BE CONSIDERED NORMAL. HOW ELSE AM I TO MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T ANYTHING, OR ANYONE IN FRONT OF ME BEFORE I MOVE FORWARD. *TR

WHILE IN DRIVE MY CAR JERKS AND LUNGES IN LOW SPEED DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AND IS A CONCERN OF MINE. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE ISSUES ARE STEMMING FROM THE DESIGN OF THE TRANSMISSION, NOT FROM A FAULTY PART. *TR

APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES. HAVE MAJOR ISSUE WITH DSG AUTOMATIC TRANS OCCASIONALLY GOING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND LOW SPEED JERKINESS (LIKE THE TRANS DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER IT SHOULD BE IN NEUTRAL OR 1ST/REVERSE) AFTER AT LEAST 15 MIN OF DRIVING. THE LOW SPEED JERKING ISSUE IS EASILY REPEATABLE BUT THE CAR NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN AT LEAST 15 MINUTES TO NOTICE IT. THE TRANS GOING INTO NEUTRAL ISSUE IS HARD TO REPRODUCE AS IT CAN HAPPEN RANDOMLY WITH UP TO 3-4 WEEKS IN BETWEEN OCCURRENCES, BUT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 8 TIMES. WHEN IT HAPPENS THE CAR ROLLS TO A STOP, USUALLY LIFTING OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL, GIVING IT A FEW SECONDS BEFORE GIVING IT GAS AGAIN SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH FOR IT TO GO INTO GEAR. I'VE BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS. ALMOST GOT HIT BY A GARBAGE TRUCK ON THE WAY TO THE FIRST DEALER, WHEN THE TRANS WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE MERGING ONTO A BUSY STREET. LUCKILY IT WENT INTO GEAR JUST IN TIME. 1ST DEALER REPLACED A FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR WHICH FIXED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BUT HAS NOT FIXED ANY OF THE ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. 2ND DEALER ADMITS IT'S THE TRANSMISSION, BUT SO FAR VW OF AMERICA HAS NOT APPROVED ANY PARTS REPLACEMENT. *TR

THE ENGINE CONSUMES 3-4 EXTRA QUARTS OF SYNTHETIC OIL BETWEEN 5,000 MILE OIL CHANGE INTERVALS AS INSTRUCTED BY MANUFACTURER. ITS A 2.0T ENGINE THAT USES SYNTHETIC OIL. I HAD PREVIOUS VERSION OF 1.8T AND IT DID NOT CONSUME ANY OIL AT ALL. IF THE OIL IS NOT ADDED, THE CAR WOULD TAKE 2-3 TIMES TO START UP (DOESN'T MATTER WHICH SEASON) AND ITS HORRIBLE ON GAS MILEAGE. WENT TO DEALERSHIP 5 TIMES ALREADY AND EVERY TIME THEY TELL ME THAT THIS IS NORMAL CONSUMPTION. I INFORMED THAT I HAVE TO ADD OIL TO KEEP THE CAR GOING, THEY TOLD ME THAT ITS NOT THEIR PROBLEM UNTIL THE ENGINE CEASES AT WHICH TIME THEY WILL LOOK INTO IT. AS A CONSUMER, I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KEEP ON ADDING THE SYNTHETIC OIL. I THOUGHT THAT SYNTHETIC OIL IS HARD TO BREAK DOWN AND YES I USED THE RECOMMENDED GRADE. VW IS TAKING ME FOR A RIDE. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? *TR

JERKING WHEN GOING IN REVERSE OR WHEN TAKING OF FROM A STAND STILL. *TR