NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
40 reportsClear category filter20,000 miles · Jul 19, 2009
Power Train
I STARTED TO NOTICE A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT MY DSG TRANSMISSION ON MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WAS STARTING TO ACT WEIRD. IT WOULD HAVE A HARD JERKING WHEN IT WOULD DOWNSHIFT INTO A GEAR WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ITS WOULD ALSO HESITATE GOING INTO GEAR WHEN I WOULD GIVE IT THROTTLE. A FEW TIMES WHEN THE HESITATION WOULD OCCUR IT ALMOST CA…
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I STARTED TO NOTICE A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT MY DSG TRANSMISSION ON MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WAS STARTING TO ACT WEIRD. IT WOULD HAVE A HARD JERKING WHEN IT WOULD DOWNSHIFT INTO A GEAR WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ITS WOULD ALSO HESITATE GOING INTO GEAR WHEN I WOULD GIVE IT THROTTLE. A FEW TIMES WHEN THE HESITATION WOULD OCCUR IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10277383
19,045 miles · Jul 14, 2009
Power Train
I OWN A 2008 VW GTI WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS IT HAS BEEN SURGING WHEN DRIVING AT LOW "PARKING LOT" SPEEDS LESS THAN 10 MPH. THE CAR ALSO SHIFTS VERY HARD FROM 3RD TO 2ND AND THEN TO 1ST GEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP AND THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS HIGH, AROUND 90 DEGREES. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276785
15,000 miles · Jul 14, 2009
Power TrainCrash
MY 08 GTI HAS VERY STRANGE ACTIONS WHEN I AM DRIVING MY AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION. IT WILL EITHER LURCH FORWARD OR SLAM INTO GEARS. AT TIMES IT FEEL LIKE IT STALLS AS THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY. I KNOW PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHANGED THEIR MECHATRONI UNITS AND FOUND IT'S JUST A CPU PROBLEM BUT WHEN I TAKE THIS TO THE DEALER THERE IS ISS…
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MY 08 GTI HAS VERY STRANGE ACTIONS WHEN I AM DRIVING MY AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION. IT WILL EITHER LURCH FORWARD OR SLAM INTO GEARS. AT TIMES IT FEEL LIKE IT STALLS AS THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY. I KNOW PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHANGED THEIR MECHATRONI UNITS AND FOUND IT'S JUST A CPU PROBLEM BUT WHEN I TAKE THIS TO THE DEALER THERE IS ISSUES WITH THEM STATING THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH SOMEBODY REAR ENDED ME BECAUSE MY CAR SLAMMED INTO 1ST GEAR AS I BRAKED. THIS SCARES ME VERY MUCH WHEN THE VEHICLES GEAR DOESN'T SEEM TO ALWAYS BE IN THE PROPER GEAR. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276764
20,190 miles · Jul 14, 2009
Power Train
I HAVE EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WITH MY 2008 VW GTI DSG TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED SAFETY HAZARDS DUE TO THE JERKING AND UNRESPONSIVENESS OF THE CAR WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. VW DID REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION PARTS WHICH WERE DEFECTIVE BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SAME FAILURES WILL REPEAT AFTER MY WARRANTY PERIOD ENDS. PLEASE TAKE A…
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I HAVE EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WITH MY 2008 VW GTI DSG TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED SAFETY HAZARDS DUE TO THE JERKING AND UNRESPONSIVENESS OF THE CAR WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. VW DID REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION PARTS WHICH WERE DEFECTIVE BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SAME FAILURES WILL REPEAT AFTER MY WARRANTY PERIOD ENDS. PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON DSG TRANSMISSION FOR 08 VW GTI'S. THANK YOU. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276726
15,000 miles · Jul 13, 2009
Power Train
I NOTICED MY "AUTOMATIC" DSG (DIRECT SHIFT GATE) TRANSMISSION TO BE ACTING UP. FROM A STOP UP TO 15 MPH IN 1ST GEAR AND REVERSE THE TRANSMISSION FELT VERY LURCHY AND HAD LOTS OF SURGING ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATION. IT COULD BE SIMULATED IN A "NORMAL" CAR BY TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN STARTING TO DRIVE INSTEAD OF SMOOTHLY PRES…
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I NOTICED MY "AUTOMATIC" DSG (DIRECT SHIFT GATE) TRANSMISSION TO BE ACTING UP. FROM A STOP UP TO 15 MPH IN 1ST GEAR AND REVERSE THE TRANSMISSION FELT VERY LURCHY AND HAD LOTS OF SURGING ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATION. IT COULD BE SIMULATED IN A "NORMAL" CAR BY TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN STARTING TO DRIVE INSTEAD OF SMOOTHLY PRESSING IT. IT WAS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN THE CAR'S OPERATING TEMPERATURE WAS HOT. IE: THE HOTTER IT WAS THE WORSE THE SYMPTOMS ARE. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR LONG ENOUGH TO HEAT THE CAR UP. IT'S DANGEROUS IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE CAR DOESN'T GO, THEN I GIVE IT MORE GAS AND IT GOES TOO MUCH. I AM AFRAID I WILL REAR-END ANOTHER CAR SOMEDAY. REVERSE GEAR IS EVEN WORSE. I HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN PARKING THAT I DO NOT SMASH INTO ANOTHER CAR. THESE PROBLEMS ARE ALSO FOR SOME REASON AMPLIFIED WHEN ON ANY INCLINE. THE SECOND ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IS THAT MAINLY WHEN THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE IS COLD THE CAR EXPERIENCES TROUBLE WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. NORMALLY UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION, THE CAR CAN'T SEEM TO "FIND" 2ND GEAR. IT WILL SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND "HANG" IN A NEUTRAL POSITION WHERE NO POWER IS AVAILABLE TO MOVE THE CAR FORWARD. APPROXIMATELY .5 - 1 SECONDS LATER, IT SHIFTS INTO SECOND GEAR. I WOULD HATE TO BE TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION AND HAVE NO POWER AVAILABLE IF NEEDED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. VOLKSWAGEN HAS TOLD ME THESE ISSUES ARE "NORMAL" AND THAT IT IS WORKING AS DESIGNED. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE SINCE THESE SYMPTOMS WERE NOT EVIDENT WHATSOEVER WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW 11 MONTHS AND 13 DAYS AGO. AS VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM, I HOPE THE NHTSA CAN GRASP THEIR ATTENTION. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276577
20,000 miles · Jul 13, 2009
Power Train
CAR SHIFTS VERY ROUGHLY 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME. WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP THE CAR HESITATES AND THEN JERKS INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES IT SLAMS INTO GEAR VERY HARSHLY WITH EVEN THE LIGHTEST PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. THIS HAS TAKEN ME BY SURPRISE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ALMOST CAUSING ME TO REAREND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. IT A…
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CAR SHIFTS VERY ROUGHLY 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME. WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP THE CAR HESITATES AND THEN JERKS INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES IT SLAMS INTO GEAR VERY HARSHLY WITH EVEN THE LIGHTEST PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. THIS HAS TAKEN ME BY SURPRISE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ALMOST CAUSING ME TO REAREND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. IT ALSO DOWNSHIFTS VERY STRANGELY...SOMETIMES SEARCHING FOR GEARS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276551
15,000 miles · Jul 10, 2009
Power Train
I OWN A 2008 VW GTI EQUIPPED WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. RECENTLY, I HAVE NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION AND ITS DELIVERY OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE TO THE WHEELS OF MY CAR. WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SMOOTHLY AND PREDICTABLY DELIVER POWER TO THE CAR'S WHEELS. WHEN IN REVERSE, THE PROBLEM I…
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I OWN A 2008 VW GTI EQUIPPED WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION. RECENTLY, I HAVE NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION AND ITS DELIVERY OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE TO THE WHEELS OF MY CAR. WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SMOOTHLY AND PREDICTABLY DELIVER POWER TO THE CAR'S WHEELS. WHEN IN REVERSE, THE PROBLEM IS VERY NOTICEABLE. IT SURGES AND STOPS CONSTANTLY WHILE BACKING UP, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU ARE BACKING UP. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR BUCKS AND SURGES FORWARD. THIS IS NOT AS DANGEROUS AS WHEN IN REVERSE, BUT IT IS STILL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. THERE ARE SEVERAL INTERNET FORUMS THAT ARE SHARING INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION AND ITS VARIOUS PROBLEMS. TO DATE, VW DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. I'M ADDING MY COMPLAINT TO THE OTHERS IN THE HOPES THAT SOMEONE WILL PUT PRESSURE ON VW TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS NEED TO BE SERIOUSLY LOOKED AT NATIONWIDE AND PERHAPS A RECALL STARTED IN ORDER TO FIX THE ISSUES WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND UNDERSTANDING. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276306
17,900 miles · Jul 8, 2009
Power Train
APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES. HAVE MAJOR ISSUE WITH DSG AUTOMATIC TRANS OCCASIONALLY GOING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND LOW SPEED JERKINESS (LIKE THE TRANS DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER IT SHOULD BE IN NEUTRAL OR 1ST/REVERSE) AFTER AT LEAST 15 MIN OF DRIVING. THE LOW SPEED JERKING ISSUE IS EASILY REPEATABLE BUT THE CAR NEE…
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APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES. HAVE MAJOR ISSUE WITH DSG AUTOMATIC TRANS OCCASIONALLY GOING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND LOW SPEED JERKINESS (LIKE THE TRANS DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER IT SHOULD BE IN NEUTRAL OR 1ST/REVERSE) AFTER AT LEAST 15 MIN OF DRIVING. THE LOW SPEED JERKING ISSUE IS EASILY REPEATABLE BUT THE CAR NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN AT LEAST 15 MINUTES TO NOTICE IT. THE TRANS GOING INTO NEUTRAL ISSUE IS HARD TO REPRODUCE AS IT CAN HAPPEN RANDOMLY WITH UP TO 3-4 WEEKS IN BETWEEN OCCURRENCES, BUT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 8 TIMES. WHEN IT HAPPENS THE CAR ROLLS TO A STOP, USUALLY LIFTING OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL, GIVING IT A FEW SECONDS BEFORE GIVING IT GAS AGAIN SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH FOR IT TO GO INTO GEAR. I'VE BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS. ALMOST GOT HIT BY A GARBAGE TRUCK ON THE WAY TO THE FIRST DEALER, WHEN THE TRANS WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE MERGING ONTO A BUSY STREET. LUCKILY IT WENT INTO GEAR JUST IN TIME. 1ST DEALER REPLACED A FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR WHICH FIXED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BUT HAS NOT FIXED ANY OF THE ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION. 2ND DEALER ADMITS IT'S THE TRANSMISSION, BUT SO FAR VW OF AMERICA HAS NOT APPROVED ANY PARTS REPLACEMENT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10276153
Mileage unknown · Jul 6, 2009
Power Train
LURCHING AND JERKINESS FROM DEAD STOP IN BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE WITH A 2008 VW GTI. THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM PARTICULARLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM AND IN WARMER WEATHER. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE LURCHING, YET, BUT THE INABILITY TO PULL AWAY WHEN A LIGHT TURNS GREEN, AND THE INABILITY TO CONTROL THE ACCELERATION…
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LURCHING AND JERKINESS FROM DEAD STOP IN BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE WITH A 2008 VW GTI. THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM PARTICULARLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM AND IN WARMER WEATHER. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE LURCHING, YET, BUT THE INABILITY TO PULL AWAY WHEN A LIGHT TURNS GREEN, AND THE INABILITY TO CONTROL THE ACCELERATION WHEN REVERSING IS LIKELY TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT SOON. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS ONLINE IS THAT THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH SOME 2008 MECHATRONIC UNITS (ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAR'S DSG TRANSMISSION), AND THAT REPLACEMENT SOLVES THE PROBLEM. BUT VW HAS, SO FAR, REFUSED TO REPLACE MY MECHATRONIC UNIT, ISSUE A RECALL, OR IN ANY WAY RECTIFY THE SITUATION. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10275876
10,749 miles · Mar 19, 2009
Power Train
I PURCHASED A NEW 08 VW GTI 10/13/07. AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE MANUAL 6 SPEED CLUTCH MADE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST INTO 2ND GEAR. INITIALLY I TOOK IT IN 3 TIMES, THE TECH SAID THE CONDITION COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. ON 7/5/08, AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, THE CLUTCH ACTION FELL LIMP AND SMOKE BELLOWED FROM THE E…
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I PURCHASED A NEW 08 VW GTI 10/13/07. AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE MANUAL 6 SPEED CLUTCH MADE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST INTO 2ND GEAR. INITIALLY I TOOK IT IN 3 TIMES, THE TECH SAID THE CONDITION COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. ON 7/5/08, AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, THE CLUTCH ACTION FELL LIMP AND SMOKE BELLOWED FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE CAR WAS DOWN FOR A WEEK. THE CLUTCH DISC,PRESSURE PLATE,TRANS SEALS,BOLTS,FLYWHEEL AND RELEASE BEARING WERE REPLACED. HOWEVER, 2 MONTHS LATER THE ISSUE RETURNED BUT WAS WORSE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER ANOTHER 10 TIMES. I EVENTUALLY HAD TO TRADE THE CAR @ A HUGE LOSS. THERE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. I CONTACTED VW HEADQUARTERS 2 MONTHS BEFORE I HAD TO SELL THE CAR, THEY WERE OF NO ASSISTANCE. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10262494
NHTSA investigations
1PE09035 · Vehicle Stall/loss Motive Power
Opened Jul 17, 2009 · Closed Nov 19, 2009
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:manual Transmission
THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSIONS, WHICH FEATURE A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX WITH TWO WET RUNNING CLUTCHES (DUAL CLUTCH) IN WHICH THE CLUTCH MECHANISM AND GEAR CHANGES ARE ELECTROHYDRAULICALLY OPERATED BY A MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT.THE DSG MECHATRONIC CONTROLLER INCLUDES EXTENSIVE SELF DIAGNOSTIC FUNCTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATION AND PREVENT SYSTEM/COMPONENT DAMAGE IN THE EVENT OF COMPONENT FAILURES OR HARSH OPERATING CONDITIONS.THE BASIC HIERARCHY OF FAULT MODES INCLUDES SOME THAT ONLY RESULT IN THE STORAGE OF A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) AND CAUSE NO LOSS OF FUNCTION, SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND REDUCE VEHICLE OPERATION TO A LIMP HOME MODE, AND SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER (I.E., OPEN CLUTCH).THE DRIVER IS ALERTED TO THE LATTER TWO MODES BY THE DASH GEAR POSITION INDICATOR (PRNDS) FLASHING. ONE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT RESULTS IN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER IS EXCESS GEARBOX TEMPERATURE.THE SYSTEM INITIALLY RESPONDS TO INCREASED GEARBOX TEMPERATURE BY RAMPING DOWN ENGINE TORQUE.IF THE TEMPERATURE KEEPS RISING THE MECHATRONIC UNIT RESPONDS BY OPENING THE CLUTCH.IN A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT SUBMITTED TO NHTSA ON AUGUST 20, 2009, VOLKSWAGEN DESCRIBED A POTENTIAL DEFECT IN THE WIRING HARNESSES OF THE DSG GEARBOX TEMPERATURE SENSORS USED IN APPROXIMATELY 16,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2009 AND 2010 VOLKSWAGEN (EOS, JETTA AND GTI) AND AUDI (A3 AND TT/TT ROADSTER) VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSIONS AND BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 2008 THROUGH AUGUST 2009 (NHTSA RECALL NO. 09V-333, VOLKSWAGEN RECALL NO. 37E3/S7 AND AUDI RECALL NO 37E4/J7). VOLKSWAGEN PROVIDED THIS DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFECT, THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DSG MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED BY THE CONNECTOR SUPPLIER DURING A LIMITED PRODUCTION PERIOD.WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL.IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH.IN ADDITION, THE DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.VOLKSWAGEN ESTIMATED THAT LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN THE DEFECT CONDITION. ODI IDENTIFIED 40 COMPLAINTS THAT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR DEFECT CONDITION DESCRIBED BY VOLKSWAGEN.VOLKSWAGEN RECEIVED 139 COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE CONDITION, WITH 7 INVOLVING VEHICLES REPORTED TO ODI, RESULTING A 172 TOTAL COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND VOLKSWAGEN.ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS INVOLVE THE MY 2009 AN 2010 VEHICLES SUBJECT TO RECALL 09V-333. ODI ALSO IDENTIFIED COMPLAINTS OF HARSH/JERKY SHIFTING IN SOME VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES WITH DSG.VOLKSWAGEN ATTRIBUTED THIS CONDITION, WHICH TYPICALLY OCCURS AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, TO EXCESSIVE WEAR IN THE BUSHINGS OF THE TWO SOLENOID VALVES IN THE MECHATRONIC UNIT THAT CONTROL CLUTCH OPERATION.VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE THIS CONDITION IS A SAFETY DEFECT BECAUSE THE CHANGES IN SHIFT QUALITY DEVELOP GRADUALLY OVER TIME, DO NOT CAUSE A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND HAVE NOT RESULTED IN ANY FATALITIES, INJURIES OR SERIOUS CRASHES (THERE WERE THREE REPORTED PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS RESULTING IN MINOR BODY DAMAGE IN VERY LOW SPEED, PARKING MANEUVERS).VOLKSWAGEN ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM IN THE FIELD WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES THE REPLACEMENT OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED MECHATRONIC UNITS AS WELL