NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
94 reportsClear category filter52,000 miles · Sep 15, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesCrash
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP. MY BRAKES LOCKED UP AND MY ABS, BRAKE, AND ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. I TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL BUT ENDED UP SPINNING OUT ON THE FREEWAY AND HITTING THE GUARD RAIL. HAD TO FIX TAILLIGHT AND BUMPER IS SCRATCHED. THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE WHEN I WAS BRAKING …
Read full complaint
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP. MY BRAKES LOCKED UP AND MY ABS, BRAKE, AND ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. I TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL BUT ENDED UP SPINNING OUT ON THE FREEWAY AND HITTING THE GUARD RAIL. HAD TO FIX TAILLIGHT AND BUMPER IS SCRATCHED. THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE WHEN I WAS BRAKING I WAS BRAKING UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT MY ABS SYSTEM WAS WORKING CORRECTLY AND I DID NOT PUMP THE BRAKES. I WAS ONLY NOTIFIED THAT MY ABS, ESC, AND BRAKE WERE HAVING ISSUES AFTER I WAS IN THE PANIC BRAKE AND IT WAS TOO LATE TO REACT AND START PUMPING THE BRAKES. THE ABS, ESC, AND BRAKE LIGHTS TURN OFF AFTER THE CAR IS RESTARTED BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. I HAVE TRIED BRAKING HARD ON WET PAVEMENT AFTERWARDS TO TEST THE ISSUE AND THE ABS, ESC, AND BRAKE LIGHTS TURN ON AGAIN WHEN THE ABS IS SUPPOSED TO ENGAGE. I RESTART THE CAR AND THERE IS NO WARNING THAT THE ABS SYSTEM IS HAVING TROUBLE. I BEGAN SEARCHING FOR THE ISSUE RECENTLY AND FOUND ON A COUPLE FORUMS THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I BELIEVE THE ISSUE IS WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND VOLKSWAGEN NEEDS TO RECALL ASAP.
NHTSA ODI #10906994
Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesSteering
VW 2009 GTI 80K MILES. SOLID ABS, SOLID POWER STEERING LIGHT, SOLID CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SOLID TRACTION CONTROL, AND FLASHING "BRAKE" LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OCCASIONALLY UPON TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, ACCOMPANIED BY 3 AUDIBLE BEEPS. THEN, THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, EPC, STEERING, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS BEGAN TO…
Read full complaint
VW 2009 GTI 80K MILES. SOLID ABS, SOLID POWER STEERING LIGHT, SOLID CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SOLID TRACTION CONTROL, AND FLASHING "BRAKE" LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OCCASIONALLY UPON TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, ACCOMPANIED BY 3 AUDIBLE BEEPS. THEN, THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, EPC, STEERING, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS BEGAN TO COME ON WHILE DRIVING. ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL STAY ILLUMINATED, WHILE THE EPC, STEERING, CHECK ENGINE, AND BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY, ACCOMPANIED BY 3 AUDIBLE BEEPS. THE MESSAGE "ENGINE FAULT - WORKSHOP!" ALSO SHOWS UP ON THE MESSAGE DISPLAY CENTER IN THE DASH. STEERING FEELS A BIT STIFF. SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER AND FUEL GAUGE AFFECTED. DEALER HAS INDICATED AN INTERNAL FAULT IN THE ABS CONTROL MODULE REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. VW CORPORATE OFFICES UNWILLING TO PROVIDE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THESE COMMON FAILURES. EXPENSIVE FIX AND VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.
NHTSA ODI #10894138
100,000 miles · Aug 6, 2016
Service Brakes
ABS MODULE FAILURE AFTER 100K MILES. THREE CHIMES, "ENGINE FAULT WORKSHOP" WARNING COMES UP, WARNING LIGHTS FOR ABS, ESP, STEERING, BRAKES, EVERYTHING. HAPPENS RANDOMLY, OFTEN ON TURNS, GOES BACK TO NORMAL AFTER A WHILE EXCEPT FOR ABS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. APPARENTLY THIS IS A STANDARD PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR/MODEL.
NHTSA ODI #10893742
122,000 miles · Aug 3, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes
WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED, "ENGINE WORKSHOP" ERROR CODE FOLLOWED BY ABS, ESC, "BRAKE" TRACTION CONTROL, STEERING WARNING YELOW, STEERING WARNING RED, AND MULTIPLE DINGS AND ALARMS. SPEEDOMETER GOES TO ZERO, CAR IS SLUGGINSH... WHEN STOPPED, THE BRAKES SEEM SOFT UNLESS "PUMPED UP" I AM CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE CONTROLS ARE…
Read full complaint
WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED, "ENGINE WORKSHOP" ERROR CODE FOLLOWED BY ABS, ESC, "BRAKE" TRACTION CONTROL, STEERING WARNING YELOW, STEERING WARNING RED, AND MULTIPLE DINGS AND ALARMS. SPEEDOMETER GOES TO ZERO, CAR IS SLUGGINSH... WHEN STOPPED, THE BRAKES SEEM SOFT UNLESS "PUMPED UP" I AM CONCERNED THAT THE VEHICLE CONTROLS ARE NOT RELAIBLE.
NHTSA ODI #10892974
Mileage unknown · Jul 14, 2016
Service Brakes
ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILURE DEVELOPED AFTER 100,000 MILES.
NHTSA ODI #10884853
108,000 miles · Jul 4, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesSteering
2009 VW GTI. ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, EPC, CEL AND STEERING WHEEL LIGHT COME ON. 3 BEEPS SOUND. SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK. AFTER SEARCHING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. POWER STEERING SEEMS TO TURN OFF AND ON UNEXPECTEDLY AND IS QUITE DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. ABS WON'T WORK AND TRACTION CONT…
Read full complaint
2009 VW GTI. ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, EPC, CEL AND STEERING WHEEL LIGHT COME ON. 3 BEEPS SOUND. SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK. AFTER SEARCHING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. POWER STEERING SEEMS TO TURN OFF AND ON UNEXPECTEDLY AND IS QUITE DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING. ABS WON'T WORK AND TRACTION CONTROL TURNS OFF AND ON UNEXPECTEDLY.
NHTSA ODI #10882394
73,500 miles · Jun 29, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes
BEGINNING AROUND 55K MILES (CAR WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 YEARS OLD) I OCCASIONALLY WOULD EXPERIENCE A CHIME FOLLOWED BY ABS LIGHT FLASHING WHEN TAKING TIGHT TURNS. IT TURNED OFF WHEN CYCLING THE ENGINE OFF/ON. ALSO, SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE THREE CHIMES UPON STARTING THE CAR FOLLOWED BY ABS AND ESC WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING. THIS CO…
Read full complaint
BEGINNING AROUND 55K MILES (CAR WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 YEARS OLD) I OCCASIONALLY WOULD EXPERIENCE A CHIME FOLLOWED BY ABS LIGHT FLASHING WHEN TAKING TIGHT TURNS. IT TURNED OFF WHEN CYCLING THE ENGINE OFF/ON. ALSO, SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE THREE CHIMES UPON STARTING THE CAR FOLLOWED BY ABS AND ESC WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING. THIS COULD NOT BE REMOVED BY CYCLING THE ENGINE OFF/ON. IT WOULD STAY ON WHILE DRIVING AND ONLY GO AWAY RANDOMLY THE NEXT TIME I RESTARTED IT LATER; SOMETIMES IT WOULD STAY ON FOR MANY CONSECUTIVE STOPS/STARTS. THE SYMPTOM OF THE THREE CHIMES UPON STARTUP GOT MORE FREQUENT RECENTLY (70K MILES). IT WOULD APPEAR ALMOST EVERY DAY. I RESEARCHED THIS ON WEB CHAT FORUMS AND THE SYMPTOMS APPEARED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OTHER 2009 VW GTI DRIVERS EXPERIENCING ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. I ALSO CONSULTED MY LOCAL VW MECHANIC AND HE CONCURRED MY SYMPTOMS WERE 'EARLY ONSET' FAILURE AND ANECDOTALLY HE SAID THE 2009 VW GTI CONTROL MODULES HAVE A REPUTATION OF EARLY FAILURE. IT IS WORTH NOTING THE CONDITION RENDERS THE ESC AND ABS NON-FUNCTIONAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AT 73500 MILES AND HE DIAGNOSED ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILURE AND SAID IT WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I ASKED FOR A GOODWILL WARRANTY EXTENSION AND GOT IT; THE UNIT WAS REPLACED WHICH APPEARS TO HAVE FIXED THE ISSUE. LUCKILY, I DID NOT EVER ENCOUNTER A SITUATION THAT TESTED THE DRIVEABILITY OF THE CAR WITH THOSE SYSTEMS DISABLED.
NHTSA ODI #10881398
120,000 miles · Jun 18, 2016
Electrical SystemService Brakes
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 …
Read full complaint
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!
NHTSA ODI #10874975
66,666 miles · Jun 14, 2016
Service Brakes
SOLID LIGHT IN DASHBOARD / ABS IN ORANGE / BRAKE IN RED WITH 3 BEEPS EVERYTIME I TURN ON THE CAR SOMETIMES GETS COMPLICATED EITH EPC LIGHT AND "TAKE TO THE SHOP" ENGINE MSLFUNCTION
NHTSA ODI #10874272
111,500 miles · May 27, 2016
Service Brakes
I HAVE A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI AND MY ABS LIGHTS ARE ON AS WELL AS ENGINE WORKSHOP FAULT, THREE BEEPS, CHECK ENGINE, EPC AND TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKE LIGHT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MAKE AND MODEL AND YEAR OF VEHICLE. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED UPON ASAP. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.
NHTSA ODI #10871123
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
Illustration