2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

WHEN BRAKING HARD TODAY (IT WAS RAINING AND I GOT CUT OFF BY A DISTRACTED DRIVER) MY CAR WENT INTO A (BARELY) CONTROLLED SKID. ABS, ESP. STEERING WHEEL LIGHTS ALL FLASHING WITH THREE BEEPS. THE LIGHTS WENT AWAY WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF/ON. MY WIFE IS 7 MONTHS PREGNANT, AND WAS WITH ME IN THE CAR. I'M NOT IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I'M READING ONLINE REGARDING THE SHEER VOLUME OF OTHERS EXPERIENCING COMPLETE ABS FAILURE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF VW DOESN'T RECALL THE MALFUNCTIONING CONTROL MODULE. I'VE BOOKED MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE NEXT WEEK. I TRULY HOPE VW STEPS UP AND FINALLY ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS LIFE-SAVING REPAIR. PS I'M IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (VICTORIA).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH AND COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING AND THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE AND THE GEAR SELECTOR LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,500.

2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI - ABS CONTROL MODULE OR PUMP FAILURE. UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, SEVERAL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING "BRAKE" AND "ABS", AS WELL AS BEING ACCOMPANIED BY BEEPING. THE ABS SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER ACTIVE AS SOON AS THIS HAPPENED. ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON, THE LIGHTS WERE GONE AND ABS WAS ACTIVE. NOW, IN ANY INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS HAPPENS AND IMMEDIATELY DISABLES THE ABS, WHICH IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD. VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT CURRENTLY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE.

ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH HAD INTERMITTENTLY APPEARED ON SEVERAL OCCASION OVER THE PAST THREE MONTHS WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND CONDITIONS. THE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD STAY ON UNTIL I TURNED THE CAR OFF. ONCE RESTARTED THE LIGHTS WOULD BE OFF. ON 12-AUG-15 THE SAME WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. THEY REMAINED ON AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING. THREE WARNING BEEPS WERE THEN HEARD AT SEVERAL MINUTE INTERVALS UNTIL I REACH MY DESTINATION. OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON BRIEFLY THEN WENT OUT. I WAS INFORMED BY A MECHANIC THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE HAD FAILED. BASED ON AN INTERNET SEARCH I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2009 VW GTI.

PREMATURE FAILURE OF ELECTROMECHANICAL STEERING RACK. STEERING RACK SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAR AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT WITHIN 5 YRS OF PURCHASE DATE AND NEAR 50,000 MILES.

AS I AM DRIVING OR ACCELERATING, NOT BRAKING OR OTHERWISE SLOWING DOWN, I GET A WARNING BEEP AND THEN THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND THE 'BRAKE' LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD STARTS FLASHING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS. THE LIGHTS GO OFF WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. WHEN I REPORTED THE SECOND INCIDENT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPORTED THAT THE ABS MODULE IS FAILING AND THAT LACK OF REPAIR COULD CAUSE THE BRAKES TO LOCK OR OTHERWISE FAIL IN THE CASE OF A SHARP OR SEVERE STOP. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE IS ENDEMIC AMONG 2009 VWS, PARTICULARLY GTIS AND THERE ARE KNOWN INSTANCES OF CRASHES AS A RESULT OF BRAKE FAILURE. VW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART (MADE BY BOSCH) AND THEY HAVE IN SOME CASES REPLACED THE PART AT NO COST TO THE OWNER, BUT THERE IS A LACK OF COMMUNICATION/ADMISSION FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE ISSUE EVEN EXISTS! I HAVE A FILED A COMPLAINT ONLINE WITH VW DIRECTLY AND HOPE THAT THERE IS SOME MOVEMENT IN THIS CASE--THAT IT WILL BE COVERED AND THAT THERE WILL BE SOME PUBLIC MENTION OF THIS PROBLEM.

ONE OR MORE OF THE BREAKS LOCKED UP ON THE CAR. THE ABS, EPC, TRACTION CONTROL, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER LIGHTS ON THE CAR LIT UP AND BEGAN FLASHING. THE CAR'S SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GUAGE STOPPED WORKING. AFTER THE CAR WAS RESTARTED MOST OF THE ERRORS WENT AWAY BUT HAVE SINCE REAPPEARED. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF POSTS I'M FINDING ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE 09'S.

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 34 FROM GREELEY CO TOWARDS LOVELAND CO AT SPEED LIMIT OF 65. I APPLIED THE BREAKS TO ADJUST MY SPEED FOR TRAFFIC, AS I APPLIED THE BREAKS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILED CAUSING WHEELS TO LOCK UP CAUSING THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. AFTER A MOMENT I WAS IN A DITCH WITH BENT WHEELS AND BODY DAMAGE TO MY GTI FROM THE SPEED LIMIT AND MILE MARKERS SIGNED I STUCK. MOST LIKELY THESE TWO POST WERE PROBABLY WHAT KEPT THE CAR FROM ROLLING AND KILLING ME. POLICE AND INSURANCE HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE CRASH.

ABS WARNING LIGHT STARTED COMING ON. THEN A WARNING LIGHT THAT THE RIGHT, REAR TURN SIGNAL HAD FAILED. ONE WEEK LATER THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD IS COVERED IN WARNING LIGHTS, INCLUDING A "FAULTY ENGINE WORKSHOP" WARNING LIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT ABS CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED, LEAVING ME WITH NO ABS BRAKING ON A WELL MAINTAINED, 50K MILE CAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE RAMPANT PROBLEM WITH THE TSI MKV GTI AT THIS MILEAGE. VW OF AMERICA OFFERED ME NO ASSISTANCE. VW SHOULD RECALL THIS PART BEFORE THEY SEE ANY ACCIDENTS LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURIES.

THE ABS MODULE FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIMES ONLINE. THE MODULE WILL FAIL CAUSING ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, POWER STEERING, AND ENGINE LIGHTS TO ALL COME ON. MUCH OF THE DASHBOARD IS LIT NOW. THE CAR READS "ENGINE FAULT WORKSHOP" AND THE SPEEDOMETER WILL DROP TO 0 MPH. THE FUEL GAUGE WILL CHANGE FROM EMPTY TO 3/4 TO 1/2 WHILE DRIVING. AUDIBLE BEEPS ARE HEARD FROM DASH.