There are 2 owner-reported tires & wheels complaints for the 2008 Volkswagen GTIin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. CONSUMER STATED THEY HIT A POTHOLE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IN THE POCONE PA AREA. THE TIRE WAS LESS THAN ONE MONTH OLD. HAD ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE IN JUNE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE LOW PROFILE HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES WERE PRONE TO FREQUENT BLOW OUTS. *JB
I PURCHASED A NEW 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI IN SEPT, 2008 WHICH CAME WITH DUNLOP SP SPORT 01 AS SIZE 225/40R/18 TIRES. WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT OF THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WHEN AT VERY LOW SPEED (APPROX 5 MPH I HIT A SMALL POTHOLE. IN THE YEAR SINCE THEN, I HAVE HAD THREE MORE TIRES GET LARGE BUBBLES IN THE SIDEWALL (INCLUDING TWO OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS) UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. I ALSO RESEARCHED THIS TIRE ON THE TIRE RACK WEBSITE AND FOUND THAT OUT OF APPROXIMATELY 45 REVIEWS OF THIS TIRE THERE WERE 18 COMPLAINTS OF EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENING AND IN MOST OF THESE THEY ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS FAILURE 3 OR 4 TIMES IN A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. I HAD PURCHASED A TIRE WARRANTY WHEN I PURCHASED MY CAR AND THEY HAVE PAID TO REPLACE THESE TIRES EACH TIME. SINCE THERE ARE ALMOST NO CASES SUCH AS THESE LISTED FOR ANY OTHER TIRE REVIEW ON THE TIRE RACK WEBSITE I NOW BELIEVE THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THIS PARTICULAR TIRE. I HAVE CONTACTED GOODYEAR/DUNLOP TO REQUEST THAT THEY EITHER REPLACE THIS TIRE WITH A DIFFERENT MODEL OR BUY THEM BACK FROM ME AND ALLOW ME TO PURCHASE A SAFE TIRE AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING OR ACKNOWLEDGE THERE MAY BE A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THIS TIRE. *TR
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