2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION SLOWING DOWN TO A RED LIGHT WHEN THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BREAK LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. I RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND ALL 4 ABS SENSORS FAILED. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THERE MIGHT BE A PROBLEM WITH THE GROUNDING CONNECTION OR THE ENTIRE ABS MODULE IS FAULTY. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THE CAR MAY THINK THE TIRES ARE SKIDDING ON DRY PAVEMENT, COMPUTE A FALSE POSITIVE, AND CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS AND I WAS PROVIDED NO LOANER CAR IN THE MEAN TIME. ATTACHED YOU WILL FIND DIAGNOSTICS REPORTS WHEN I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND PRICE REPAIRS, VWS OWN WEBSITE RESULTS FOR RECALLS UNDER MY VIN NUMBER, VW ACTUAL SPECIFIC RECALL POLICY, AND THE NHTSA RESULTS CONFIRMING THERE IS AN OPEN RECALL FOR MY SPECIFIC VIN NUMBER. VW ACTION CODE IS 45F2. NHTSA RECALL NUMBER IS 16V913.

WITHOUT WARNING, THE ABS MODULE IN THE CAR FAILED, GIVING WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH AND MAKING THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE. RECALL WORK WAS PURSUED WITH THE A VW DEALER AND VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, BUT THE RECALL WORK WAS DENIED, SAYING THIS FAILURE WAS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL. CAR HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED.

ABS FALIURE. ABS WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATES, ACTIVATES SPORADICALLY WHILE DRIVING RANDOMLY, BRAKING ABILITY IS HAMPERED, DOES NOT WORK NORMALLY. OCCASSIONALLY ANTILOCK BREAKS ENGAGE AT LOW SPEED BREAKING. BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION NORMALLY. SPEEDOMETER EXPERIENCED MALFUNCTION, FLUCTUATIONS NOT RELATED TO SPEED OCCURED. STABILITY MALFUNCTIONED DURING BREAKING AND AUTOMATIC DOWNSHIFTING.

MY GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS (PRNDS) FLASH AND MY CAR EITHER WILL NOT ENGAGE INTO GEAR OR WILL LIMP. IT HAS DONE IT SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WILL SLAM INTO A LOW GEAR CAUSING RPM TO MAX TO 8000 AND ACTS AS IF I SLAMMED ON THE BREAKS. ALSO THE NUMBER 3 FUSE ON TOP STARTED SMOKING AND MELTED INSIDE THE FUSE BOX. FEARED MY CAR WAS KING TO CATCH FIRE.

THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BEGINNING IN MARCH, 2018. EPC LIGHT COMES ON (SEEMINGLY) RANDOMLY. OCCASIONALLY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT/SERVICE ENGINE NOW WARNING WILL ALSO COME ON. SOMETIMES THEY ALL SHUT OFF AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT OVERNIGHT. EPC LIGHT COMES ON SOMETIMES WHEN WE TURN THE CAR ON AND SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING. WE HAVE HAD THREE INCIDENTS WHERE WE TRY TO GET ONTO THE INTERSTATE (70MPH) AND CAN'T GET ABOVE APPROX 40MPH. I'VE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED TWICE BECAUSE OF THIS. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, I COULDN'T GET THE TURBO TO KICK IN. SO, DRIVING AT 65MPH AGAIN ON THE INTERSTATE, I COULDN'T GET UP HILLS AND WOULD END UP AT APPROX 55PMH BY THE TIME I REACHED LEVEL GROUND. AGAIN, CARS SWERVING TO GET AROUND ME. MY HUSBAND HAS HAD A COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL OF ACCELERATION AND HAD TO COAST OVER ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAD IT HAPPEN ONCE AT A STOP LIGHT, TAKING A LONG TIME AND A LOT OF COAXING OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL JUST TO GET UP TO 40MPH. THESE ALL HAPPENED ON STRAIGHT STRETCHES OF ROAD AND NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. RESTARTING THE CAR MAY OR MAY NOT RESET THE ACCELERATION ISSUE AND THE EPC LIGHT. COMPUTER SCAN FROM VW DEALER SHOWED THROTTLE BODY SENSOR, SO WE REPLACED THAT WITH SAME SYMPTOMS AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS. THEN, COMPUTER SAYS IT'S ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR. REPLACED ALSO WITH SAME RESULTS. REPLACED SPARK PLUGS, AIR FLOW SENSOR, CLEANED OTHER SENSORS, STILL THE SAME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I SEE IN FORUMS THAT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES. IT IS EXPENSIVE TO KEEP CHASING THE PROBLEM BUT LIVES ARE AT RISK. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT BECAUSE THEIR LIMP CARS CAN'T KEEP UP WITH TRAFFIC. VW SEEMS STUMPED. THE ONLY SOLUTION I SEE IS GETTING RID OF THIS DANGEROUS CAR BUT I'D HATE TO PASS THAT RISK ONTO ANOTHER PERSON EITHER! PLUS, DEALERS PAY VERY LITTLE TO TAKE THIS OFF OF OUR HANDS FOR THE SAME REASONS. PLEASE HELP!!!!

I RESEARCHED MY VIN WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND AN INCOMPLETE SAFETY RECALL ON THE ABS MODULE. THAT RECALL NUMBER IS 16V913. BEFORE I COULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT THE ABS MODULE FAILED. THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON CHARGED ME A DIAGNOSTIC FEE BECAUSE THE MODULE FAILED COMMUNICATION, IN WHICH THEY FOUND THE MODULE DID INDEED FAIL, BUT THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE IT BECAUSE THEY CLAIM IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY OR THE RECALL. THEY SUBMITTED A SECONDARY CLAIM TO VW OF AMERICA TO TRY TO HAVE THEM APPROVE THE CLAIM WHICH WAS ALSO DENIED. I AM REACHING OUT TO HOPEFULLY GET HELP WITH GETTING MY VEHICLE FIXED AND ONCE AGAIN SAFE TO DRIVE. ATTACHED WILL BE A COPY OF THE INVOICE FROM THE DEALER AND THEIR FINDINGS.

VEHICLE HAS 140,455 MILES ON IT AND WAS WELL MAINTAINED. AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH HEARD LOUD SOUND AND HAD TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. CAR WAS TOWED TO A VOLKSWAGEN SPECIALIST AND SAID THAT THE TIMING CHAIN THREW DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER, A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2.0 TSI ENGINES FROM 2008-2012. MINIMUM FOR REPAIR WOULD BE $4,000 DUE TO BENT VALVES; MAXIMUM WILL BE ENGINE REPLACEMENT (~$9,000). GIVEN CAR'S AGE AND VALUE, NEITHER OPTIONS ARE WORTH FIXING AND I WILL HAVE TO SELL CAR FOR PARTS. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH 2.0 TSI ENGINES YET VOLKSWAGEN DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL RELATED TO THE ISSUE.

DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WENT AND DESTROYED THE ENTIRE ENGINE THAT HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT. APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH VW THAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT AFTER THE FACT. LUCKILY IT HAPPENED IN MY DRIVEWAY.

WHILE DRIVING LIGHTS FLASHING,SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING ,FUEL GAUGE STOPS WORKING. STEERING WHEEL MOVES FUNNY. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE PROGRAM THAT THEY INSTALLED BUT NOW THEY JUST SAY THAT THE UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY ARE ASKING 2400.00 FOR THE REPAIR BUT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET FROM MANY OWNERS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS MODULE MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY UNTIL THE WARNING INDICATORS REMAINED ILLUMINATED AT ALL TIMES. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ESC). THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO GUNTHER VOLKSWAGEN OF FORT LAUDERDALE (1660 S STATE RD 7, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33317, (954) 797-1660) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE ABS MODULE NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SERVICED PER THE RECALL BECAUSE INSUFFICIENT PCU GROUND CONNECTION WAS NOT DETECTED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE MODULE COULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.