2002 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

ROUGHNESS,CORROSION, WHITE SPOTS ON MY CAR'S RIMS.THE BRAKE PADS ARE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I AM LOOKING TO HAVE THE STOCK RIMS REPLACED. ALONG WITH THE STOCK BRAKE PADS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. I KNOW OF ALL MOST 200 CARS THAT HAVE THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR RIMS. THE PROBLEM IS THE STOCK BRAKE PADS ARE EATING AWAY AT THE SPECIAL FINISH THAT IS ON THE RIM. VWOA DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MORE INFO HERE: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=569321. *AK

OEM RIMS ARE PITTING AND CORRODING EVEN THOUGH I TAKE VERY METICULOUS CARE OF THEM. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM IT SEEMS THAT ALMOST ALL VW GTI 337 EDITION OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS.*AK

OEM WHEELS HAVE BEGUN TO CORRODE. PRESENCE OF BLACK, ROUGH SPOTTING AND WHITE PEELING ON FINISH OF WHEELS. BELIEVE TO BE DUE TO BRAKE PAD DUST EVEN THOUGH WHEELS HAVE BEEN CLEANED BY HAND AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY HUNDREDS OF OTHER OWNERS OF THIS ONE PARTICULAR LIMITED EDITION VEHICLE.*AK

2002 GTI-337 25 ANNIV MODEL ALLOY WHEELS DEFFECTIVE EXCESSIVE CORROSION FORMING AROUND SPOKES ON THE WHEELS. THE CLEAR COATING IS PEELING OFF AT CENTER HUB. BLACK SPOTS FROM EXCESSIVE BRAKE DUST IS IMBEDDED INTO THE FINISH, DESPITE WEEKLY CLEANING BY HAND. *AK

WHEELS ARE CORRODING AND VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN ANY WAY. WHEELS ARE CORRODING ON APPROX. 300 2002 GTI 337 EDITION VEHICLES.*AK

2002 GTI-337 25 ANNIV MODEL ALLOY WHEELS DEFFECTIVE EXCESSIVE CORROSION FORMING AROUND SPOKES ON THE WHEELS. THE CLEAR COATING IS PEELING OFF AT CENTER HUB. BLACK SPOTS FROM EXCESSIVE BRAKE DUST IS IMBEDDED INTO THE FINISH, DESPITE WEEKLY CLEANING BY HAND.*AK

I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 VW GTI VR6 ON A SEMI-ROUGH SECTION OF THE PARKS HIGHWAY IN ALASKA AT APPROX. 30-35 MPH WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS SUDDENLY DEPLOYED. THE ROAD WAS NO WORSE THAN A MAINTAINED GRAVEL ROAD, THERE WAS NO "CRASH" OR ACCIDENT, AND I DIDN'T HIT A POTHOLE. THE DEALER LOOKED AT MY OTHERWISE MINT CONDITION AND UNDAMAGED CAR AND SAID THAT THE COMPUTER HAD "CRASH DATA" AND POSSIBLE GRAVEL DINGS ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE (WHICH COULD HAVE OCCURRED AT ANYTIME IN THE PAST 10 MONTHS I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE AS I FREQUENTLY DRIVE ON MAINTAINED GRAVEL ROADS). IT WAS THE TECHNICIAN'S BELIEF THAT THESE MINOR GRAVEL DINGS ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUSED THE AIRBAGS TO RELEASE AND THAT THE AIRBAG REPLACEMENTS WOULD MOST LIKELY BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT IT WAS VW'S ULTIMATE DECISION. MY INSURANCE ADJUSTOR SAID BASICALLY THE SAME THING AS MINOR DINGS TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE ARE EXPECTED AS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY WERE STRETCHING IT WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION. VW HEADQUARTERS CAME BACK AND SAID SINCE THERE IS "CRASH DATA" IN THE COMPUTER AND THE CAR HAS SMALL DINGS ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE, IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AS IT WAS A CRASH. I THINK VW IS MISSING THE POINT BY SAYING THAT SINCE THERE IS "CRASH DATA" IN THE COMPUTER, THE AIRBAGS ARE MY PROBLEM. THE REAL QUESTION IS SHOULD THE AIRBAGS HAVE DEPLOYED UNDER THESE CONDITIONS? THE DEALER TECHS SAY NO, MY PASSENGER AND I SAY NO, AND MY INSURANCE AND THEIR INVESTIGATOR SAYS NO. THIS AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND RESULTED IN MY PASSENGER BEING BRUISED. *NLM

THE VEHICLE FAILED TO GO INTO FIRST GEAR AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE DISASSEMBLED TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GEARS. ALSO THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT. *AK *JB

HAD A COIL PACK FAILURE CAUSING CAR TO STALL AND DECREASE IN POWER WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. VW SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL WITH THIS PROBLEM. *NLM

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT AND SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED ON MY 2002 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 337 EDITION FOR NO READILY APPARENT REASON. THIS LEFT ME WITH A RINGING EAR, SORE SHOULDER, AND IN A VERY SHAKEN STATE. THE DEALERSHIP THAT I TOOK THE CAR TO FOR FACTORY REPAIR AT FIRST AGREED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO INDICATE ANY SORT OF ACCIDENT. TWO DAYS LATER A FACTORY ENGINEER (APPARENTLY FROM VWOA) EXAMINED THE CAR AND FOUND A NICK IN A METAL BEAM. THIS NICK (SMALLER THAN A DIME) IS APPARENTLY WHAT CAUSED THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS STATED THAT MY INSURANCE WOULD HAVE TO COVER THE REPAIRS AS THEY ARE NOT UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THIS NICK. I'M CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF FILING A CLAIM THROUGH THE BBB AUTO LINE. THEY HAVE A PROCESS THROUGH MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION THAT WILL HOPEFULLY RESOLVE MY SITUATION WITHOUT HAVING TO RESORT TO A LAWSUIT. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THE REPAIR WITHOUT QUESTION, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE DANGEROUS NATURE OF AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *NLM