There are 2 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2016 Volkswagen GTI in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)I SET THE HANDBRAKE TO SECURE MY VEHICLE IN IT'S PARKING STALL AND LEFT THE VEHICLE WHILE I WENT INTO A STORE. AT THE TIME I LEFT THE VEHICLE, IT WAS COMPLETELY STATIONARY AND SECURE. MANY MINUTES LATER, I BECAME AWARE THAT MY VEHICLE HAD MOVED FROM THE PLACE WHERE I PARKED IT. THE VEHICLE HAD ROLLED BACKWARDS OUT OF IT'S PARKING STALL AND COLLIDED WITH TWO OTHER UNOCCUPIED VEHICLES LOCATED IN PARKING STALLS BEHIND MY VEHICLE, ABOUT 40 FEET AWAY. WHEN I ENTERED MY VEHICLE TO MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE, I FOUND THAT THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE (HAND BRAKE) HAD COME UNLATCHED AND THE LATCHING MECHANISM HAD FAILED. THERE IS A BUTTON AT THE END OF THE BRAKE HANDLE THAT WHEN DEPRESSED, RELEASES THE PARKING BRAKE. THAT BUTTON AND A SPRING LOCATED BEHIND IT HAD EJECTED FROM THE END OF THE BRAKE HANDLE. APPARENTLY, WHEN THE BRAKE RELEASE BUTTON FAILS IN THIS WAY, IT CAUSES THE BRAKE TO RELEASE, WHICH CAUSES GRAVITY TO MOVE THE UNOCCUPIED VEHICLE DOWN HILL, WHERE IT WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL IT REACHED A LOCAL ELEVATION MINIMA, OR STRUCK ANY PERSON OR OBJECT THAT MIGHT HAVE STOPPED IT'S MOTION. A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT WHO OCCUPIED THE VEHICLE PARKED IN THE STALL NEXT TO MINE VERIFIED THAT MY VEHICLE WAS SECURE WHEN I LEFT IT, AND IT HAD GONE INTO MOTION ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT ANY EXTERNAL DISTURBANCE OR INPUT. IT CONCERNS ME THAT THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE HANDLE AND BREAK RELEASE IS ALLOWED TO FAIL IN THIS WAY. I WOULD EXPECT A FAILURE OF THE BRAKE RELEASE BUTTON TO RESULT IN THE INABILITY TO RELEASE THE BRAKE, A "SAFE" FAILURE MODE. IN THIS CASE, THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE HANDLE RESULTS IN AN UNSAFE FAILURE MODE, WHERE THE ONCE SECURELY PARKED STATIONARY VEHICLE COULD SPONTANEOUSLY GO INTO MOTION DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A SIMPLE PLASTIC MECHANICAL WEAR ITEM: THE BRAKE RELEASE. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT AN EMINENT FAILURE WAS LOOMING PRIOR TO THIS EVENT. *TR
MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER FAILURE CAUSING MY BRAKES TO NOT WORK AND ENDANGERED MY SAFETY ON THE ROAD. NO INDICATIONS OF FAILURE UNTIL I WAS ALREADY ON THE ROAD WITH NO BRAKE FLUID IN THE CYLINDER. NO LEAK BRAKE FLUID ALL DRAINED TO THE BOOST PUMP AND FAILED.
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.