Volkswagen / GTI / 2009
2009 Volkswagen GTI problems
Owners have filed 295 complaints about the 2009 Volkswagen GTI with NHTSA. Service brakes account for 31.9% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electronic stability control (ESC) at 23.4%.
Complaints295
Crashes8
Fires2
Injuries1
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes 31.9% · 94
Electronic stability control (ESC) 23.4% · 69
Power train 10.8% · 32
Electrical system 10.5% · 31
Steering 6.8% · 20
Engine 5.1% · 15
Vehicle speed control 2.0% · 6
Service brakes, hydraulic 1.7% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 8 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 1 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 5 model years of the Volkswagen GTI in this data, 2009 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 35 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 78,000 miles.
In owners' own words
When driving the car, a lot of the warning lights flash out of nowhere. The abs light, traction, power steering, epc lights all flash. I also lose power steering. On top of that, the speedometer does not work. This happens abruptly and sometimes at high speeds. It is extremely dangerous. From what I've read, it is the abs module failing. This seems to be a common problem of 09 gtis and needs to be recalled! Service brakes · reported at 120,000 miles
The vehicle was in motion when the warning lights for abs, brake and the esc systems illuminated making a beep noise, the gas indicator said the car had less gas than really had. While in the road the car lost power. I think it is related with the abs and stability control recall: nhtsa campaign number: 16v913000. Took it to the dealer, they say they do not have the recall number yet. Service brakes · reported at 3 miles
My abs pump & module were determined to need replacement. Searching online, it seems a large number of people with the 2009 model are having this issue. I was quoted at $2200 to fix it. I was driving on a city street to a restaurant after my wedding and the abs, traction control and brake lights all came on. Days later the car started to rev weird and the speedometer would not work. Service brakes · reported at 96,485 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…