2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

I OWN A 2008 VW MKV GTI WITH DSG TRANSMISSION, AND I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS. 1. AFTER A 700 MILE DRIVE, I NOTICED THAT THE PRDNS DISPLAY WAS FLASHING, AND THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS LOCKED IN 2ND GEAR, NO OTHER GEARS COULD BE USED INCLUDING REVERSE AFTER SHUTTING DOWN MY CAR, AND LETTING IT SIT FOR 20 MINUTES, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT WAS BEHAVING NORMAL AGAIN, AND THE FLASHING OF THE PRDNS DISPLAY WAS GONE. 2. FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS NOW I HAVE EXPERIENCED A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR OF MY DSG TRANSMISSION, WHEN COMING TO A STOP IT JERKS AND SURGES FORWARD IN 1ST GEAR, THE SAME HAPPENS WHEN TAKING OF FROM A STOP IT JERKS AND SURGES, WHICH MAKES IT FOR THE DRIVER IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL/MODULATE THE SPEED WITH WHICH THE CAR WILL MOVE FORWARD, I HAVE TO KEEP A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROM THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME TO NOT HIT THEM BY ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SURGING BEHAVIOR OF MY TRANSMISSION THIS SURGING AND JERKY BEHAVIOR IS ONLY IN 1ST GEAR AND REVERSE, AND HAPPENS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS BACK INTO 1ST OR WHEN YOU TAKE OFF FROM 1ST OR REVERSE. CURRENTLY DEALERS ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUES, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUES DUE TO PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE AT THE TIME I CALLED. *TR

1. PROBLEM - ROUGH UP AND DOWNSHIFTS IN D, MANUAL/TIPTRONIC MODE, AND S MODES (ALL MODES AVAILABLE IN THE CAR). 2. WHEN MANUALLY DOWNSHIFTING/UPSHIFTING THE CAR OR WHEN ALLOWING THE CAR TO DO SO ON ITS OWN, YOU OFTEN GET A SLIGHT TO SEVERE JERK. PROBLEM OCCURS ON 90% OF ALL SHIFTS. 3. BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES, HAVE DROPPED THE CAR OFF 3 TIMES. FIRST TWO TIMES THEY HAD DONE SOFTWARE RESET AND THEN A SOFTWARE UPDATE. NEITHER FIXED THE ISSUE ALTHOUGH THEY TOLD ME THE CAR WAS 'RUNNING FINE' OR THE 'JERKS ARE NORMAL'. THIS THIRD TIME, THE MECHATRONIC UNIT (WHAT I FEEL IS THE CULPRIT AND HAVE BEEN PUSHING) IS SUPPOSEDLY BEING REPLACED. UNCERTAIN IF THIS WILL RESOLVE THE ISSUE 100%. STILL DO NOT HAVE THE CAR. *TR

WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR LUNGES AND/OR IS VERY JERKY (EXTREMELY SUDDEN STARTS AND STOPS). IF THE CAR IS ON A HILL THE CAR ROLLS BACK VERY QUICKLY AND TAKES A WHILE TO START MOVING FORWARD, IF THE VEHICLE BEHIND IS TOO CLOSE ITS POSSIBLE TO ACCIDENTALLY HIT THEM. DURING CONGESTED TRAFFIC ITS UNPREDICTABLE WHEN THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY LUNGE, IN THE EVENT OF GETTING CUT OFF BY ANOTHER CAR ITS VERY POSSIBLE TO ACCIDENTALLY DRIVE INTO THEM. *TR

WHEN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE ON IN THE SLOW CONSTANT (AKA 'LOW' OR IN THE VW OWNERS MANUAL "POSITION 2") AND I COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE WIPERS STOP AND GO TO A LONG DELAY INTERVAL. ONCE I START MOVING AGAIN, THEY GO BACK TO 'NORMAL'. I FIND THIS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN IT IS RAINING HARD AS IT BECOMES DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD WHEN AT STOPLIGHT, INTERSECTION ETC. IF I TURN THE WIPERS ON TO "HIGH" LEVER POSITION 3 THEY WILL WIPE CONSTANTLY, ALBEIT SLOWLY. THIS OCCURS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER WHO SAYS THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CORRECT THIS AND I HAVE CONTACTED VW WHO SAYS IT IS NORMAL AND CANNOT BE CHANGED. I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW SEMI-FUNCTIONAL WIPERS FOR A WINDSHIELD EVEN WHILE THE VEHICLE ISN'T MOVING COULD BE CONSIDERED NORMAL. HOW ELSE AM I TO MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T ANYTHING, OR ANYONE IN FRONT OF ME BEFORE I MOVE FORWARD. *TR

I'VE NOTICED STARTING THIS SUMMER MY CAR HAS BEEN REALLY JERKY, EVEN SURGING FORWARD WHEN STOPPED OCCASIONALLY. A FEW DAYS AGO IT ACTUALLY LOST POWER WHILE I WAS AT SPEED ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER TIME WITH ICY CONDITIONS WHERE I LIVE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM I'VE NOTICED I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE BEFORE IT COSTS SOMEONE THEIR LIFE. *TR

I WILL START WITH THE MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT FIRST. AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING UP A HILL MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO A SIDE STREET. I STOPPED TO WAIT FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR, WHEN TRAFFIC CLEARED I LET OFF THE BRAKE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR SLOWLY STARTED TO ROLL FORWARD AS I APPROACHED THE MIDDLE OF THE ONCOMING LANE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND THE RPM'S CLIMBED. WE STARTED TO ROLL BACK SLIGHTLY. I PRESSED THE GAS HARDER AND THE CAR ROLLED BACK FOR A SECOND, THEN SLAMMED INTO THE FORWARD GEAR AND I MADE IT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION, WITHOUT BEING HIT BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. MY GIRLFRIEND WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS. EARLIER THAT EVENING WE EXITED A DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE, THEN PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE. THE CAR ROLLED BACK AND STALLED. I GOT THE CAR STARTED AND WE RESUMED OUR TRIP. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NO FAULT CODES AND SAID EVERYTHING IS FINE. YESTERDAY (AUG 10TH 2009) I WAS EXITING A PARKING LOT, MAKING A LEFT TURN AND AGAIN HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL, NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, THE CAR THEN SLAMMED BACK INTO GEAR AND RESUMED FORWARD MOTION. IN ADDITION TO THESE INCIDENTS THE VEHICLE SLAMS INTO FORWARD GEAR FROM ALMOST EVERY STOP. AND WHEN THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS WHILE STOPPING THERE IS A STRONG JERKY MOTION. ALSO IN REVERSE THE VEHICLE BUCKS AS IF IS GOING IN AND OUT OF THE REVERSE GEAR. ALL INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN NORMAL "D" DRIVING MODE, FOR THE FORWARD INCIDENTS, OR "R" GEAR FOR THE REVERSE INCIDENTS. THESE JERKY MOTIONS ARE DAILY OCCURRENCES. *TR

-WHEN I LIFT MY FOOT OF THE BRAKE AND APPLY GAS AFTER COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR WILL HESITATE AND THEN VIOLENTLY LURCH FORWARD AS IT SHIFTS INTO GEAR, THIS IS EXTREMELY BOTHERSOME WHEN IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC SITUATIONS, WHEN I HAVE MANY TIMES LIFTED MY FOOT OF THE BRAKE, APPLIED NO PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR, AND THE CAR PROCEEDED TO VIOLENTLY LURCH FORWARD 6 FEET OR SO, NEARLY INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. IT SEEMS AS THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION CAN NOT SLOWLY MOVE INTO 1ST GEAR. -THERE IS OFTEN A DELAY IN POWER WHEN "GETTING ON IT", THIS IS ESPECIALLY TROUBLESOME WHEN MAKING A MERGE ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN I NEED TO QUICKLY ACCELERATE. I WILL LITERALLY PUT THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WILL EITHER REV AND NOT MOVE, OR SIMPLY STUTTER FOR 2-4 SECONDS. I AM SURPRISED I HAVEN'T BEEN REAR ENDED BECAUSE OF THIS ALREADY. -BOTH IN DRIVE AND REVERSE THE CAR MAKES A BUCKING MOTION WHEN A CONSISTENT LIGHT AMOUNT OF PRESSURE IS PUT ON THE ACCELERATOR. ALTHOUGH MY FOOT DOES NOT MOVE, THE ENGINE GOES INTO A CYCLE OF POWER SURGES. *TR

PURCHASED A NEW 2008 VW GTI WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, I NOTICED THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM: WHEN VEHICLE STARTS TO SLOWLY ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, VEHICLE SURGES BACK AND FORTH (JERKS) CONSTANTLY UNTIL YOU PICK UP SPEED THEN CONDITION GOES AWAY. THIS IS MORE PREVALENT WHEN ENGINE/TRANS IS HOT. ALSO CONDITION IS WORST WHEN VEHICLE STARTS TO MOVE WHEN GOING UPHILL OR INCLINES, IT WILL SURGE HARD AS IF TRYING TO DECIDE ON 1ST OR 2ND GEAR. I WANT TO REPORT THIS, BECAUSE ON SEVERAL INSTANCES, SPECIALLY WHEN SLOWLY APPLYING THE GAS TO CREEP UPHILL ALONG WITH TRAFFIC, MY VEHICLE HAS SURGED FORWARD HARD ENOUGH THAT I ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME IF I HAD NOT AND REACTED QUICKLY TO THE JERKING SURGE. CONDITION ALSO PRESENTS WHEN DRIVING ON A LEVEL ROAD, BUT ITS MORE CONTROLLABLE THAN IN AN INCLINE. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN CREEPING OF GOING SLOWLY BELOW 1200RPM. I HAVE READ THAT THIS CONDITION AFFECTS THE DSG TRANSMISSION AND ITS MECHATRONICS UNIT IS PRONE TO FAILURE CAUSING THE SYMPTOMS I HAVE DESCRIBED. *TR

DSG TRANSMISSION JUMPING OUT OF GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SLOW DRAMATICALLY. WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP THERE IS A DELAY BETWEEN THROTTLE INPUT AND ACTUAL MOVEMENT. THE CAR WILL REV, AND THEN "LURCH" HEAVILY AND SUDDENLY FORWARD. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO THESE TWO PROBLEMS. SLOW SPEED "PARKING" MANEUVERS ARE ALSO DANGEROUS DUE TO A "SURGING" IN ACCELERATION, AND OCCASIONAL LAG IN GEAR SELECTION. THESE ISSUES ONLY APPEAR WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS WARM. I HAVE REPORTED THE ISSUES TO VOLKSWAGEN ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS ONLY TO BE TOLD IT IS NORMAL, AND SENT AWAY. IT HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR OVER 6 MONTHS. *TR

WITH ABOUT 4,000 MILES ON MY CAR I WAS PARKED ON A HILL GOING UPWARDS, I TURNED THE CAR ON ONLY TO FIND THAT IT WOULD GO INTO D, BUT NOT ENGAGE IN DRIVE AND I WOULD JUST DRIFT BACKWARDS. THEN I NOTICED "PRNDS" WAS FLASHING WHERE THE GEARS USUALLY ARE LOCATED ON THE MFD. I SHUT THE CAR OF AND TURNED IT BACK ON, EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FINE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME, SAME EXACT SCENARIO, AT 15,000 MILES. ALSO, WHEN STARTING OUT OR SLOWING DOWN, NO MATTER WHAT GEAR I'M IN, MY CAR WILL SHUTTER VERY ROUGHLY. I TOOK A FEW PEOPLE FOR A RIDE, THEIR REACTION WAS "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: AND "IS THAT NORMAL?" NOW I HAVE HAD MY CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP TWICE ABOUT THIS, AND ALL THEY TELL ME IS THAT IT'S "NORMAL FOR THE DSG" AND I DON'T NEED TO WORRY. *TR