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2009 Volkswagen Gti

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

153 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 94 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

167 reports
13,055 miles · Jan 14, 2010
Power Train

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN 2009. SHE STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE THE GEAR WOULD SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR AS IT SHOULD. SHE HAD REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE TWICE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER, 09V333000, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIO…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN 2009. SHE STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE THE GEAR WOULD SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR AS IT SHOULD. SHE HAD REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE TWICE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER, 09V333000, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MORE THAN THREE TIMES. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO ACTUALLY CORRECT THE FAILURE TO DATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE UNDER 13,055.

NHTSA ODI #10299738

17,000 miles · Nov 23, 2009
Power Train

EXPERIENCING SEVERAL SAFETY ISSUES WITH VW DSG TRANSMISSION IN MY 2009 GTI. FIRST, SHIFTING INTO PARK. WHEN SHIFTING FROM EITHER REVERSE OR DRIVE INTO PARK ON A HILL, VEHICLE ROLLS 3 FEET AND THEN HITS A HARD "STOP". SECOND, VERY HARD DOWNSHIFTING/ENGINE BRAKING IN AUTOMATIC MODE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. THIS HAPPENS AT 20 M…

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EXPERIENCING SEVERAL SAFETY ISSUES WITH VW DSG TRANSMISSION IN MY 2009 GTI. FIRST, SHIFTING INTO PARK. WHEN SHIFTING FROM EITHER REVERSE OR DRIVE INTO PARK ON A HILL, VEHICLE ROLLS 3 FEET AND THEN HITS A HARD "STOP". SECOND, VERY HARD DOWNSHIFTING/ENGINE BRAKING IN AUTOMATIC MODE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. THIS HAPPENS AT 20 MPH AND THEN AGAIN AT 10 MPH. IF YOU ARE APPLYING THE BRAKES WHEN THIS ENGINE BRAKING HAPPENS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP AT A DESIRED POINT. YOU CAN BE SMOOTHLY APPLYING THE BRAKE AND THEN WHEN YOU SLOW TO 20 MPH THE ENGINE BRAKING DRASTICALLY SLOWS THE VEHICLE EVEN MORE. IT'S LIKE SHIFTING INTO A LOWER GEAR AT TOO HIGH A SPEED WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING THE BRAKES. VERY DANGEROUS! THIRD, LURCH/SURGE WHEN STARTING ON A HILL. WHEN BACKING OUT OF A SPOT ON A HILL OR STARTING FORWARD ON A HILL HAVING JUST PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE THE ENGINE REVS FOR 3 SECONDS AS IF IT IS NOT IN GEAR AND THEN LURCHES SUDDENLY FORWARD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10293213

3,000 miles · Nov 6, 2009
Power Train

I PURCHASED THE CAR IN THE BEGINNING OF JULY 2009, NOTICED WEIRD SHIFTING BUT FIGURED IT WAS PART OF CAR BREAK IN PROCESS. NOW I NOTICE IT HAPPEN ALMOST DAILY. THE CAR SHIFTS HARSHLY DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. IT JERKS FORWARD A LOT DURING BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. LATELY THE CAR WILL HESITATE WHEN GOING FROM COMP…

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I PURCHASED THE CAR IN THE BEGINNING OF JULY 2009, NOTICED WEIRD SHIFTING BUT FIGURED IT WAS PART OF CAR BREAK IN PROCESS. NOW I NOTICE IT HAPPEN ALMOST DAILY. THE CAR SHIFTS HARSHLY DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. IT JERKS FORWARD A LOT DURING BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. LATELY THE CAR WILL HESITATE WHEN GOING FROM COMPLETE STOP TO FORWARD THEN "BUCK" FORWARD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291280

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2009
Power Train

THE MECHATRONIC UNIT IN MY DSG TRANSMISSION WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. IT WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO SHUDDER AND JERK BACK AND FORTH WHEN STARTING FROM A DEAD STOP. IT WOULD ALSO DO THE SAME THING WHILE IN REVERSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10281607

180 miles · Aug 22, 2009
Power Train

THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR ~20 MINUTES, THEN SAT FOR ~45 MINUTES, AND THEN WAS DRIVEN FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE EVENT OCCURRED, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION WERE BOTH UP TO NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THE VEHICLE WAS EXITING A RIGHT HAND TURN AND ACCELERATING WHEN THE ENGINE REV'S SHOT…

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THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR ~20 MINUTES, THEN SAT FOR ~45 MINUTES, AND THEN WAS DRIVEN FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE EVENT OCCURRED, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION WERE BOTH UP TO NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THE VEHICLE WAS EXITING A RIGHT HAND TURN AND ACCELERATING WHEN THE ENGINE REV'S SHOT UP TO REDLINE AND THERE WAS NO POWER GOING TO THE WHEELS, ONLY FORWARD MOMENTUM KEPT THE CAR GOING. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR WAS SUDDENLY PUT INTO NEUTRAL. THE INDICATOR ON THE DISPLAY WAS STILL INDICATING THAT THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. THE CAR WAS THEN PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WHILE STILL IN DRIVE, WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED ONLY THE REV'S SHOT UP WITH NO POWER TO THE WHEELS, EXACTLY AS IT WOULD IN NEUTRAL. THE IGNITION WAS SWITCHED OFF AND BACK ON, AND THE CAR THEN OPERATED NORMALLY. THIS WAS A BRAND NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT. IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONE TIME. WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS CONSIDERED A AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL TRANSMISSION, BUT IT WAS A DSG TRANSMISSION. I WILL SUBMIT IT AS AUTOMATIC. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10281409

900 miles · Aug 15, 2009
Power Train

MY CAR WAS PURCHASED APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO. I FIRST NOTICED AN ISSUE DURING THE FIRST WEEK WHEN AROUND 20 MINUTES INTO MY JOURNEY ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE AT 70 MPH WHERE MY GTI'S RPM'S SUDDENLY SWUNG AROUND TO THE TOP FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS, I DID NOT NOTICE A LOSS OF POWER DUE TO THE TIME. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING WEE…

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MY CAR WAS PURCHASED APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO. I FIRST NOTICED AN ISSUE DURING THE FIRST WEEK WHEN AROUND 20 MINUTES INTO MY JOURNEY ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE AT 70 MPH WHERE MY GTI'S RPM'S SUDDENLY SWUNG AROUND TO THE TOP FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS, I DID NOT NOTICE A LOSS OF POWER DUE TO THE TIME. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING WEEK AT EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT! MY HUSBAND WAS THEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE 2 DAYS LATER (THE DATE LISTED AS INCIDENT DATE), WE WERE IN TRAFFIC WITH FOOT ON BRAKE WHEN CAR JUMPED AND DASHBOARD PRNDS LIGHTS ALL FLASHED AROUND 5-6 TIMES. THE FOLLOWING DAY, ABOUT 20 MINUTES INTO JOURNEY AT 40 MPH, THE CAR DISENGAGED GEARS AND RPM COUNTER WENT UP TO TOP AGAIN - PERHAPS 2-3 SECONDS. WE DECIDED TO TAKE CAR TO DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY (MONDAY AUG 10), (THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AGAIN ON THE WAY). WE WERE CALLED THAT DAY TO SAY THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. THE NEXT DAY, WE WERE TOLD THAT AN INQUIRY WAS OPEN WITH VW TECH AND CALLED LATER TO SAY IT WAS A SENSOR ISSUE AND WOULD BE 2-3 DAYS. ON THE THURSDAY EVENING, I WAS CALLED TO SAY IT WAS A MEGATRONIC UNIT AND WOULD BE 30 DAYS - I REQUESTED A NEW CAR AS I HAD ONLY HAD THIS FOR 3 WEEKS AND WAS TOLD A MANAGER WOULD CALL ME ON FRIDAY. THE SAME SERVICE CONSULTANT CALLED ME ON FRIDAY AND SAID THEY HAD WORKED LATE WITH VW TECH AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT MEGATRONIC BUT A TEMPERATURE SENSOR. THE CAR REMAINS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT SHOULD BE READY NEXT FRIDAY. I AM NOT SURE THAT THE DEALERSHIP OR VW TECH ARE SURE THEMSELVES WHAT THIS PROBLEM IS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10280533

488 miles · Aug 6, 2009
Power Train

AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES IN MODERATE TRAFFIC ON A CITY STREET. I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT NB AT A BUSY 5 WAY INTERSECTION ON A CURVE. THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN D. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I APPLIED THE GAS PEDAL LIGHTLY AND THE CAR DID NOT MOVE FORWARD. THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED BUT T…

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AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES IN MODERATE TRAFFIC ON A CITY STREET. I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT NB AT A BUSY 5 WAY INTERSECTION ON A CURVE. THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN D. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I APPLIED THE GAS PEDAL LIGHTLY AND THE CAR DID NOT MOVE FORWARD. THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED BUT THE CAR MADE NO FORWARD PROGRESS. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND BACK INTO DRIVE. ALSO I PUT THE CAR INTO S AND TIPTRONIC MODES AS WELL. NONE OF THESE ACTIONS PRODUCED ANY EFFECT. THE ONLY CHANGE THAT I NOTICED WAS THAT THE LIGHTED GEAR INDICATORS NEXT TO THE SHIFTER FLASHED "PRNDS". BECAUSE I WAS ON A CURVE TRAFFIC APPROACHING FROM THE REAR WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ME. AS A RESULT I ACTIVATED THE HAZARD FLASHERS. CARS WERE HAVING TO DRIVE AROUND ME BUT FORTUNATELY A MAN IN A PICKUP PARKED BEHIND ME AND HELPED ME PUSH MY CAR OUT OF THE LANE OF TRAFFIC. AFTER GETTING THE CAR INTO A SAFE SPOT I TURNED IT OFF AND UPON RESTARTING THE CAR IT FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10279631

1,300 miles · Aug 2, 2009
Power Train

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN DRIVE AT 65 MILES AN HOUR. THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SYMBOLS STARTED TO FLASH AND THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO BE IN NEUTRAL. STEP ON THE GAS AND THE RPM'S GO UP BUT I WAS NOT MOVING. I ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND BY A TRACTOR TRAILER THAT WAS MOVING AT CONSTANT SPEED WHILE I WAS QUICKLY DECELERATING WITHOUT TH…

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DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN DRIVE AT 65 MILES AN HOUR. THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SYMBOLS STARTED TO FLASH AND THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO BE IN NEUTRAL. STEP ON THE GAS AND THE RPM'S GO UP BUT I WAS NOT MOVING. I ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND BY A TRACTOR TRAILER THAT WAS MOVING AT CONSTANT SPEED WHILE I WAS QUICKLY DECELERATING WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN THE VEHICLE OFF FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES, BEFORE I COULD GET THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. EVEN THAN IT RAN ROUGH AND NOT LIKE IT DID BEFORE. THE SAME THING HAPPENED THE NIGHT BEFORE BUT I WAS ON A SIDE ROAD GOING 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY A MONTH OLD AND HAS 1300 MILES. TODAY IS SUNDAY UNABLE TO CONTACT DEALER FOR REPAIRS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10279087

800 miles · Jul 23, 2009
Power Train

MY 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG VERY BRIEFLY LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE REVVED, BUT THE TRANSMISSION FELT AS IF IT WERE NOT IN GEAR. THIS LASTED 2-3 SECONDS, DURING A MERGE. HAD THERE BEEN FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC CLOSER BEHIND, I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED. LIFTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND…

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MY 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG VERY BRIEFLY LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE REVVED, BUT THE TRANSMISSION FELT AS IF IT WERE NOT IN GEAR. THIS LASTED 2-3 SECONDS, DURING A MERGE. HAD THERE BEEN FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC CLOSER BEHIND, I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED. LIFTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND RE-APPLYING SEEMED TO GET THE CAR BACK IN GEAR. THIS WAS THE ONLY OCCURRENCE. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN FOR SERVICE; I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT IN RESPONSE TO THE NHTSA'S INVESTIGATION INTO VW'S DSG. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278113

7,000 miles · Jul 17, 2009
Power Train

PURCHASED 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG TRANSMISSION IN OCTOBER 2008. TRANSMISSION SEEMED FINE UNTIL ABOUT 7000 MILES. DSG STARTED TO HAVE JERKY/HARD SHIFTS IN LOWER GEARS 1/2/3 AND BELOW 10MPH WOULD HAVE SURGING DURING LIGHT ACCELERATION OR COASTING TO STOP. FROM STOPPED POSITION WOULD ALSO JERK FORWARD WITH ONLY A SLIGHT THROTTLE INPUT…

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PURCHASED 2009 VW GTI WITH DSG TRANSMISSION IN OCTOBER 2008. TRANSMISSION SEEMED FINE UNTIL ABOUT 7000 MILES. DSG STARTED TO HAVE JERKY/HARD SHIFTS IN LOWER GEARS 1/2/3 AND BELOW 10MPH WOULD HAVE SURGING DURING LIGHT ACCELERATION OR COASTING TO STOP. FROM STOPPED POSITION WOULD ALSO JERK FORWARD WITH ONLY A SLIGHT THROTTLE INPUT. PROBLEMS SEEMS TO BE ONLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN15-20 MINUTES AND GETS HOT. WHEN THE CAR IS COLD IT DRIVES NORMAL. SYMPTOMS ALSO SEEM WORSE DURING BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC WHEN MORE DEMAND ON LOWER GEARS AND MORE HEAT. THERE IS SOMETIMES A NOTICEABLE CLUNKING SOUND WHEN DSG IS DOWN SHIFTING FROM 2-1 AND SOMETIMES AFTER THE CAR HAS COME TO A STOP AND NEED TO CREEP FORWARD (STILL IN 1ST GEAR) WILL GET THE CLUNKING SOUND AND LIKE THE CAR ALMOST STALLS. ALL THESE SYMPTOMS HAPPEN IN EITHER D/S/M MODE BUT REVERSE GEAR HAS NO PROBLEMS. HAVE ASKED THE VW DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAY THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE THE SYMPTOMS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10277171

Official recalls

2

16V913000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Dec 20, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

09V333000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Aug 20, 2009

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND AUGUST 2009. THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED. 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE09035 · 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