2002 VOLKSWAGEN GTI Complaints

THE PARK/NEUTRAL SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED , WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO START IN GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH. WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) *JB THE UNIT FAILURE ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO START IN NEUTRAL OR ANY GEAR. SCC

I HAVE A 2002 VW GTI 1.8T. THE IGNITION COILS HAVE FAILED THREE SEPARATE TIMES. EACH TIME I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE, AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR WOULD ONLY DRIVE AT 30 MPH. I HESITATE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE ONE OF THE FAULTY PARTS( THE PART NUMBER ENDS IN I)IS STILL IN MY CAR. VOLKSWAGEN WILL ONLY REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS WHEN THEY BECOME DEFECTIVE. THE PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I FEEL MY SAFETY IS IN JEOPARDY EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR!*JB

WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. WINDOW WAS DOWN AND WHEN THE SWITCH WAS HIT TO BRING IT BACK UP, IT REMAINED DOWN AND MADE AN AWFUL SOUND, AS IF THE GLASS WAS SHREDDING INSIDE. WINDOW HAD TO BE TAPED UP AND DID NOT GET AN APPOINTMENT TO FIX IT UNTIL 2 WEEKS LATER

I HAVE A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 1.8T WITH 4700 MILES AT THE TIME OF THIS COMMON COIL PACK FAILURE. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. ONE OF MY COIL PACKS WENT WHILE TURNING ONTO MAIN ROAD AND CAUSING MY CAR TO SPUTTER AND LOSE POWER. ON COMING TRAFFIC HAD SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. THANKFULLY AN ACCIDENT WAS AVERTED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THESE COIL PACKS ARE FAILING AT EPIDEMIC LEVELS. MAJOR NEWSPAPERS ARE DOING ARTICLES ON THIS PROBLEM. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED WHILE I WAITED IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND I MISSED WORK. VW WILL ONLY REPLACE BAD COIL PACKS AS THEY FAIL AND MY DEALER ADMITS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. THEY REPLACED THE BAD COIL PACK BUT I STILL HAVE 3 THAT ARE GOING TO FAIL AT SOME POINT. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIVING WITH THIS IN YOUR MIND? PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. *JB

HAD TWO COILS GO OUT ON MY 2002 GTI 1.8T AS I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE. CAR LOST ALL POWER AND WAS UN DRIVEABLE. HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. ONLY THE TWO FAILED COILS WERE REPLACED LEAVING ME TO WORRY ABOUT WHEN AND WHERE THE OTHERS WILL FAIL CAUSING MY CAR TO BECOME ONCE AGAIN UN DRIVABLE.

I BOUGHT A NEW 2002 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI 1.8T ON JUNE 22, 2002. ON JANUARY 29, 2003 I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT FOR THE #2 IGNITION COIL FAILURE. AT THAT TIME, THE CAR ONLY HAD 10,600 MILES ON IT. NOW, AS I DRIVE DOWN ROUTE 93 FROM NH TO MASS EACH DAY FOR WORK, I BRACE MYSELF FOR THE TIME THAT THE NEXT COIL FAILS. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENS, THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE LOSS IN POWER, TO THE POINT THAT THE CAR CAN STALL. THE CAR BEGINS TO "BUCK" AND STAGGER, AND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THIS BECOMES VERY DANGEROUS. AS VOLKSWAGEN IS WELL AWARE, THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC PROBLEM WITH THE 1.8T ENGINES IN ALL OF THEIR CARS. THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE ALL 4 COILS AT ONCE. THEREFORE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS AGAIN TO MY CAR, AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BUYERS THAT HAVE EITHER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM ALREADY OR WILL BE. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THESE PARTS, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, AN INVESTIGATION ON THE IGNITION COILS AND THE LOSS OF SAFETY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPARABLE LOSS OF POWER. HOPEFULLY, THIS CAN BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED.

WHILE TRAVELING THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT DOWN WITH OUT PRIOR WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS

I HAVE A 2002.5 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 1.8T WITH A 4-CYLINDER TURBOCHARGED ENGINE. ALL VW ENGINE IGNITION SYSTEMS ARE AFFECTED. THE COIL OR COILPACK FAILS DUE TO POOR MANUFACTURE OR DESIGN. IN SOME CASES MULTIPLE CYLINDERS WILL LOOSE POWER. I LOST CYLINDER #1 WHEN ACCELERATING AWAY FROM AN INTERSECTION. I LOST CYLINDER #2 WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC ON SURFACE STREETS. IN BOTH CASES THE SIGNIFICANT LOSE OF HORSEPOWER COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO REMAIN IN AN INTERSECTION LONGER THAN EXPECTED AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. VW IS CURRENTLY REPLACING FAILED COILS FREE OF CHARGE AND PROVIDING RENTAL CARS WHEN A REPLACEMENT CANNOT BE PERFORMED IMMEDIATELY. HOWEVER, VW WILL NOT REPLACE ALL COILS, JUST THOSE THAT FAIL. THIS LEAVES THE OTHERS TO FAIL AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE ACCIDENTS. I MUST DRIVE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I COULD LOSE POWER FROM ONE OR MORE CYLINDERS AT ANY TIME. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HEAVY TRAFFIC OR WHEN CROSSING ANY INTERSECTION WHERE CROSS-TRAFFIC HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY.

3 IGNITION COILS FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THIS RESULTED IN VEHICLE STALLING ON HIGHWAY. CONSUMER HAD TO WAIT 4 WEEKS FOR REPLACEMENT COILS IN BOTH INCIDENTS. DEALER ADVISER CONSUMER WILL NOT REPLACE REMAINING COILS UNTIL FAILURE. FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED MID-OCTOBER 2002. 2ND INCIDENT IN DECEMBER 2002. *AK

COILPACKS ARE PRONE TO FAILURE, CAUSING THE CAR TO VIOLENTLY LOSE POWER. ALSO HAVING AN ISSUE WHERE THE CAR IS TRYING TO START ITSELF AGAIN WITH THE CLUTCH DEPRESSED.