2013 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

MY 2013 VW GTI HAS AN ONGOING ISSUE-CONDITION WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FUEL PUMP AND/OR LOW FUEL PRESSURE. IT USUALLY OCCURS RANDOMLY, WITHOUT ANY HINT. AFTER THE START UP THE CAR STALLS WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. AT THAT POINT THE CAR WOULD DIE AT EVERY ATTEMPT TO START UP AGAIN. HOWEVER, THE CAR WILL COME BACK TO LIFE AFTER STAYING IDLE FOR 40-60MINUTES (IN SEVERE CASES EVEN LONGER). IN ADDITION, WE HAD SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHEN THE CAR WOULD STALL WHILE IN SLOW MOTION ON A HILL. THE GAS TANK IN ALL INSTANCES WAS FULL OR NEAR FULL. WE HAVE HAD NUMEROUS MAJOR AND MINOR INCIDENTS THAT HAVE STARTED SINCE APPROXIMATELY 7,000 MILES. WE HAD SOMEHOW TOLERATED SUCH RANDOMLY OCCURRING INCIDENTS UNTIL THE ISSUE BECAME (SUDDENLY) ALMOST A DAILY NORM IN DECEMBER 2014 AND JANUARY 2015. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED BY THE VW DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 2 TIMES WITHIN 2 WEEK PERIOD. THE ISSUE STILL OCCURS THESE DAYS, YET WITH LESSER FREQUENCY. THE ISSUE IS CAUSING SERIOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS ON TOP OF THE MAJOR INCONVENIENCE AND ADDITIONAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES.

MY 2013 VW GTI HAS HAD DEFECTIVE WATER (COOLANT) PUMP. I HAVE ALREADY HAD THREE (3!) MAJOR REPAIRS TO REPLACE THE FAULTY WATER PUMP AND FIX THE LEAK OF COOLANT. THE ISSUE FIRST STARTED AT ABOUT 10,000 MILES AND REOCCURED AT 15,000 MILES AND THEN AT 25,000. I ALWAYS MAINTAINED AND REPAIRED MY CAR AT VW DEALERSHIPS. THE ISSUE WITH THE WATER PUMP USUALLY STARTED WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION ON A MAJOR ROAD OR A FREEWAY WITH MY FAMILY (INCLUDING 2 CHILDREN) INSIDE. THE LIGHT WOULD USUALLY TURN ON ON THE DASHBOARD. FORTUNATELY, IN ALL THE INSTANCES, WE'VE BEEN NOT FAR FROM THE HOME OR A SAFE LOCATION TO PARK AND REQUEST ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THESE INCIDENTS WITH WATER PUMP, WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION CAN LEAD TO CRASH OR OTHER SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.

HAD CAR FOR NOT EVEN TWO YEARS AND BEEN THROUGH TWO WATER PUMPS THAT HAVE WENT FOR NO REASON AT ALL. THE DEALER WHEN ASKED AM I THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THE ANSWER HAS BEEN ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON HAD THIS ISSUE BUT I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS BEEN BACK FOR THE SECOND TIME FOR FAULTY WATER PUMPS AND THE DEALER CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY THIS HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN.

REPORTED RECURRING COOLANT SMELL TO DEALER AT FIRST POST-PURCHASE MAINTENANCE VISIT (5,000 MILES), BUT DEALER FAILED TO FIND A CAUSE. AT 14,000 MILES, PULLED INTO MY GARAGE. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, BACKED OUT OF MY GARAGE AND DISCOVERED A LARGE PUDDLE OF FLUID WHERE THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED, AS WELL AS TRAILS OF FLUID IN THE DRIVEWAY FROM PULLING IN PREVIOUSLY. DEALER DIAGNOSIS: THE WATER PUMP HAD FAILED. WHEN I NOTED MY PREVIOUS COOLANT ODOR COMPLAINT, THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE ADVISOR REPLIED THAT "THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, BUT WE CAN'T FIX IT UNTIL IT FAILS." THE CAR NOW HAS 18,000 MILES, AND THE RECURRING COOLANT SMELL HAS STARTED AGAIN. *TR

OVER-40 DRIVER, DECADES OF EXPERIENCE DRIVING CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, NO MODIFICATIONS TO THE CAR SINCE NEW. CAR HAD 13,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. ACCELERATING ON THE FREEWAY, NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEMS WHEN SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD...BUT WHEN SHIFTING FROM 3RD TO 4TH AT APPROXIMATELY 50MPH, THE GEAR SELECTOR LEVER HAD BECOME DIFFICULT TO MOVE. SUBSEQUENT SHIFTS FROM 4TH TO 5TH AND 5TH TO 6TH AT APPROXIMATELY 65MPH (NO LONGER ACCELERATING) WERE EVEN MORE CHALLENGING. I EXITED THE FREEWAY, SHIFTING AS NEEDED WITH EVER-INCREASING DIFFICULTY. AT REST, WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN 1ST GEAR AND THE CLUTCH FULLY DEPRESSED, THE CAR CONTINUED TO CREEP FORWARD AS IF THE CLUTCH WERE NOT DISENGAGED. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO 2ND AND LIMP THE CAR TO A NEARBY DEALER. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSIS: A CLUTCH SPRING BROKE OFF, "BOUNCED AROUND AND DESTROYED THE CLUTCH PLATE." *TR

THIS IS MY SECOND GTI. I BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR OR THE TIRES BUT IN 15000 MILES I HAVE HAD AT LEAST 7 TIRES WITH BUBBLES OR DAMAGED VERY EASILY. (AT THE SAME TIME I LEASED THIS CAR I LEASED A SECOND ONE THAT HAS 30000 MILES AND HAS HAD ONLY 1 TIRE PROBLEM. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH VW AND I AM WAITING FOR THEIR RESPONSE. I WILL TAKE THE CAR TODAY AGAIN AS THEY RETURNED IT ON FRIDAY AND AS SOON AS I DROVE A FEW MILES IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC THE TIRE LIGHT WENT OFF. I AM NOT DRIVING THIS CAR AGAIN UNTIL VW ASSURES ME THERE IS NO PROBLEM . THEY BLAME IT ON THE LOW PROFILE TIRES BUT I HAD THE SAME CAR AND TIRE SIZE IN MY PREVIOUS GTI AND DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TIRE INSURANCE SO I DID NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TIRES BUT THERE IS A LOT OF TIME WASTED BESIDES THE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I DROVE 4 MILES AND NOTICE MY COOLANT LIGHT COME ON AND DECIDE TO PARK MY VEHICLE. THE VERY NEXT DAY I NOTICE COOLANT WAS VERY LOW AND HAD BIG LEAK. I JACKED THE CAR UP AND NOTICE THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM ENGINE AND NOT THE RADIATOR. HAVING MUCH EXPERIENCE WORKING ON CARS. I DISSEMBLE THE ENTIRE FRONT TO MY ENGINE AND NOTICE THE WATER PUMP/THERMOSTAT HOUSING PROFUSELY LEAKING. IT WAS NOT A GASKET JOB, BUT A WARP AND HAIRLINE FRACTURE COMING FROM UNDER THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING. I PURCHASE A NEW WATER PUMP/THERMOSTAT HOUSING FOR $317 AT THE DEALER ALTHOUGH IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. IT WAS VERY METICULOUS WORK AND DID NOT WANT THE DEALER (TEDDY VOLKSWAGEN) TO DO A SLOPPING JOB. THEY ALREADY DID A SLOPPY JOB ON PREVIOUS RADIATOR INSPECTION. I DEMAND A REFUND AND THE SERVICE LADY ( [XXX]) STATED THEY HAVE TO DO THE WORK. I SAID FORGET IT AND STORM OUT OF THE DEALER. I AM 100% SURE THIS WILL OCCUR AGAIN, IT IS A BAD DESIGN TO USE PLASTIC IN A HIGH HEAT AREA IN THE BELLY OF A TURBO ENGINE THAT WARPS AND CRACKS THE PLASTIC HOUSING -- METAL DESIGN WITHSTAND THE HEAT MUCH BETTER!!!!! BAD ENGINEERING!! WHY PLASTIC ????? THIS NEEDS INVESTIGATION AND RECALL ASAP ON VOLKSWAGEN BEHALF! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE RIGHT SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR IS MOUNTED DEEPLY IN ITS PLASTIC HOUSING. WHEN THE MIRROR IS PROPERLY ADJUSTED, APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE REFLECTED IMAGE IS OF THE MIRROR'S HOUSING ITSELF, LEAVING A SIGNIFICANT BLIND SPOT. *TR

THE WINDSHIELD HAS MANY CHIPS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE GLASS IS HIGHLY AFFECTED BY SMALL ROAD DEBRIS (ROCKS, SALT) WHICH CAUSES THE GLASS TO CHIP EASILY. IT IS BECOMING A DISTRACTION WHILE I DRIVE. *TR

I PURCHASED MY VOLKSWAGEN GTI MARCH OF THIS YEAR. DURING OWNERSHIP, I HAD THE WINDOWS TINTED AND EACH TIME IT WAS SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP SUBCONTRACTOR, THE WINDOWS WERE SCRATCHED. THE DOOR GLASS AND REAR WINDOW WAS REPLACED WITH THE REAR GLASS QUARTER BEING REPLACED TWICE. THIS WAS NOT THE SAFETY CONCERN, BUT IT LEADS TO MY MAIN CONCERN; THE WINDSHIELD. THE GLASS OF THE WINDSHIELD HAS NOW STARTED TO CHIP EXCESSIVELY. THERE ARE AT LEAST 40 CHIPS THAT REFRACT LIGHT DURING DRIVING AND IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATE THAT IT IS "NORMAL WEAR". I HAVE CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA WITH NO RESPONSE. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS TYPE OF GLASS ISSUE WITH ANY VEHICLE I'VE OWNED, AND I HAVE OWNED NEARLY EVERY MAKE. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR