2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

ON 8/8/2014, I TURNED ON MY CAR TO GO WORK. ONCE I TURNED ON THE IGNITION/ENGINE, ALL WARNING LIGHTS (POWER STEERING, ENGINE, ELECTRONICS, ABS, ESP AND BRAKING) CAME ON OR FLASHING. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS (3 TIMES) TO RESTART THE CAR, THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY. WITH A LAST RESTARTING ATTEMPT THAT MORNING, ALL WARNINGS LIGHTS WENT AWAY AND I DROVE OFF TO WORK. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAY, ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AGAIN. THIS TIME, POWER STEERING, ABS, SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, ETC. ALL MALFUNCTIONED PERIODICALLY DURING MY DRIVE. DURING THE DRIVE, I HAD NO IDEA HOW FAST I WAS DRIVING OR HOW MUCH GAS I REALLY HAD AND WITH NO POWER STEERING AND ABS ETC. I DID ARRIVE AT WORK SAFELY BUT NOT WITHOUT SOME SERIOUS AND PERHAPS DANGEROUS MANEUVERS WITH A NONWORKING POWER STEERING, ABS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO A VW DEALERSHIP IN BRAINTREE MA THE NEXT MORNING. AFTER A WEEKEND OF DIAGNOSIS AND A RANDOM REPAIR TO THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WAS THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAULT AND IT NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. SINCE THAT VW DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE ME A PRECISE DIAGNOSIS WITHOUT REPAIRING RANDOM PARTS OF MY CAR AND HAD ME PAID FOR IT, I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER VW DEALERSHIP IN DANVERS MA. AFTER HOURS OF DIAGNOSIS, I GOT THE SAME RESULT THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE IS AT FAULT. I HAD THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ABS CONTROL MODULE AND PAID THOUSANDS FOR THE REPAIR. NOW THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE. BUT KNOWING THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAULT IS VERY COMMON AMONG MY MODEL OF THE CAR AT ALL MILEAGE FROM RESEARCH AND TALKING WITH LOCAL MECHANICS, I WANT TO MAKE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE DANGERS BEHIND A RANDOM FAILURE IN THE ABS CONTROL MODULE THAT CAN CAUSE FAILURE OF BOTH ELECTRONIC AND MECHANIC COMPONENTS IN THE CAR WHICH CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, OR EVEN DEATHS WITHOUT SLIGHTEST WARNING ON THE ROAD. *TR

ABOUT A MONTH AFTER BUYING THE CAR DURING ONE OF THE LARGER SNOW STORMS THIS YEAR IN VA. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND WAS STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN I GET "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS," ON MY DASH, BEEPING THREE TIMES AND FLASHING ECS, AS WELL AS ABS. I DROVE TO WORK WITHOUT HUGE INCIDENT KNOWING MY ABS AND ECS WERE TURNED OFF AT THIS POINT, AND PARKED TO SEE IF TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF WOULD RESET THE LIGHTS. I DIDN'T WORRY UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN ON MY HOME AFTER A 12 HOUR NIGHT SHIFT WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN, THIS TIME I WAS MOVING AND TRYING TO SLOW DOWN ON ICE AFTER THE NIGHT OF SNOW, AS SOON AS I HIT THE BRAKE THE DASHBOARD LIT UP AGAIN, CAUSING ME TO SLIDE INTO A CURB, ALMOST HITTING ANOTHER CAR. I THEN DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND IT TO BE A FAULTY OR BAD ABS CONTROL MODULE, I THEN TOOK MY CAR INTO VW A FEW WEEKS LATER TO GET SERVICED FOR THE ISSUE, AND THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE SHIPPED THE CAR TO SPAIN WHILE I AM HERE FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND HAVE REPRODUCED THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ICE, SNOW, OR EVEN WATER, TWICE IN A WEEK PERIOD. NOW SINCE MY CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER A CERTIFIED PRE OWNED WARRANTY WHILE IN SPAIN I WILL HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO GET IT FIXED, SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE! HERE IS A LINK TO OTHERS WHO'VE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.GOLFMKV.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=151505 AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS S PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN FIXED WITH A NEW PART. MAKING THIS A PRETTY GOOD REASON TO BE RECALLED. *TR

ABS LIGHT ON AND BRAKE LIGHT BLINKING WITHOUT ANY REASON (SOMETIMES IT DISAPPEAR), DEALER SAID I HAVE TO CHANGE ABS MODULE. *TR

WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER IT HAD SAT FOR A WEEK WITHOUT STARTING, WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED FOR ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BRAKES. I DROVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK TO TEST THINGS OUT, AND THINGS SEEMED TO BE RUNNING PRETTY MUCH LIKE NORMAL, SO I DROVE IT TO A MECHANIC. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC, AND 8 CODES CAME UP, ALL HAVING TO DO WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE REPAIRS AT THAT MECHANIC, SO THEY TOLD ME I COULD DRIVE THE CAR, BUT THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE ABS OR TRACTION CONTROL. UPON DRIVING IT A FEW MILES, THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF, AND EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING AS NORMAL. WHEN I STARTED IT THE NEXT DAY, THE LIGHTS WERE BACK ON, BUT I DECIDED TO DRIVE IT TO WORK, BASED ON WHAT THE MECHANIC HAD TOLD ME. ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING, AND THE CAR THEN BEGAN TO CHANGE GEARS AT RANDOM, WHICH PRESENTED AN ALL NEW SAFETY RISK. AT THIS POINT I ALSO LOST POWER STEERING. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE CAR. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, JUST THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON, SO I DECIDED TO DRIVE HOME, CONSIDERING I WAS ONLY ABOUT A MILE AWAY. EVERYTHING WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY ON THAT DRIVE. MY COMPLAINT MOSTLY HAS TO DO WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE, AS IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A RELATIVELY COMMON ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL YEAR, AND IT DEFINITELY PUTS PEOPLE AT RISK, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS AFFECTING OTHER SYSTEMS, AS WELL. *TR

ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILS, CAUSING ESP AND ABS SYSTEM TO BE DISABLED UNTIL IGNITION IS RESTARTED. HAPPENED OVER A DOZEN TIMES DURING THE WINTER. FAULT IS NOTICEABLE BY BLINKING LIGHTS THAT DO NOT TURN OFF UNTIL IGNITION IS RESTARTED. I WOULD USUALLY DO THIS WHILE ROLLING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHICH IS NOT DIFFICULT WITH A MANUAL. DEALER FIXED THIS SAYING IT WAS A WIRING ISSUE BY CLEANING THE MODULE AND RE-ATTACHING IT IN THE SPRING FOR FREE. THE ISSUE STARTED AGAIN IN MAY, AND THE DEALER DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ABS SENSOR FAULTS WERE RELATED. I STARTED TO GET THE WINTER BLINKING LIGHT FAULTS AGAIN. I PAID OUT OF POCKET $600 FOR THE PART, AND ABOUT $500 FOR LABOR TO GET THE REVISED MODULE INSTALLED, WHICH I SAW WAS THE PROPER FIX OTHER DEALERS WERE DOING FOR PEOPLE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

BRAKE LIGHT (FLASHING), ABS AND ESP LIGHT ON. LOSS OF TRACTION CONTROL/ABS FUNCTIONALITY. POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH IN AN EMERGENCY BRAKING EVENT. AS PER OWNERS (ONLINE FORUMS) IT HAPPENS TO 2009 GTI OWNERS. ABS CONTROL MODULE/PUMP ISSUE. HAPPENS TO 2009 GTI OWNERS WITH VARIOUS MILEAGES. *TR

SEVERAL 2009 GTI OWNERS ARE REPORTING THAT THEY ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. UPON LOSS OF TRACTION, THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CAN GENERATE A FAULTY SIGNAL, CAUSING THE ECU TO DISABLE ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES NOW ESPECIALLY DURING THE WINTER WHEN ROADS ARE SLIPPERY AND IT IS NEEDED MOST. THE FOLLOWING IS THE COMMON CEL CODE: 1 FAULT FOUND: 01130 - ABS OPERATION 008 - IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL - INTERMITTENT ADDRESS 03: ABS BRAKES (-----) LABELS: 1K0-907-379-60EC1F.CLB PART NO SW: 1K0 907 379 AE HW: 1K0 907 379 AE COMPONENT: ESP MK60EC1 H35 0104. *TR

PURCHASED USED 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG TRANSMISSION ON 03 AUG 13. ON 06 AUG 13 UPON BRAKING AND TURNING A CORNER THE TRANSMISSION SEEMINGLY DROPPED OUT OF GEAR, ENGINE REVVED FREELY, THE TRANSMISSION RE-ENGAGED WITH A LOUD CLUNK IN THE DRIVELINE. OVER THE NEXT WEEK THE FREQUENCY OF THIS SAME PROBLEM HAPPENING INCREASED UNTIL 12 AUG 13. ON 12 AUG 13 THE TRANSMISSION WOULD TAKE SEVERAL SECONDS(UPWARDS OF 30) TO ENGAGE EITHER 1ST OR REVERSE AND IN DOING SO WOULD AGAIN CLUNK ON ENGAGEMENT. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO AN UNKNOWN GEAR, THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT INDICATOR STARTED TO FLASH, AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT. HAD TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART TO CONTINUE. WITHIN ONE MILE THE SAME PROCESS HAD TO BE REPEATED. THIS CONTINUED FOR THE REST OF THE 10 MILE TRIP TO MY HOME. THIS CAR IS ONE THAT WAS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL. THE RECALL HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THIS CAR BUT OBVIOUSLY STILL HAS ISSUES. CAR WILL BE TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP ON 16 AUG 13 TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHERE IT BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

WHILE PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AFTER LEAVING A STOP LIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED BUTTONS AND LIGHTS (HORN, STEERING WHEEL, ETC) FLICKERED OFF WHEN TURNING. AT THAT POINT, THE BUTTONS FAILED TO WORK UNLESS THE WHEEL WAS TURNED ALMOST TO FULL LOCK CLOCKWISE. IT TOOK ABOUT A DAY OF DRIVING UNTIL THE AIRBAG LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON TELLING ME THERE WAS A FAULT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION LED TO A FAULTY AIRBAG CLOCKSPRING. NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF PEOPLE REPORTING SIMILAR FAILURES ON VW FORUMS WITH SIMILAR MODEL YEARS. A RESEARCH IN PART NUMBERS SHOW IT'S THE SAME PART NUMBER AND VERSION THROUGH VARIOUS VW MODELS INCLUDING 2006-2013 JETTA, GOLF, GTI, PASSAT, TIGUAN, ETC. MANY STORIES OF PEOPLE WITH THOSE CARS HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. THIS PART SHOULD BE REDESIGNED AND REPLACED IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES SINCE THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG CAN FAIL TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH EVEN IF THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT ISN'T ALWAYS ON. *TR