10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,007 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Volkswagen GTI engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Volkswagen GTI Owner Comments

problem #15

Jul 042019

GTI

  • 151,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall my Volkswagen has many problems that I believe are factory defects. Starting with the airbag fault warning that comes on as soon as I start the vehicle. Then itstarted loosing coolant to tbe point that K was having to pull over every 30-50 miles to put more. And this only happens when the engin has been running for about 5 mins. Then the check coolant comes on and shortly after it says check oil pressure turn off engine. Ive had to put more work into this car than what its worth. The headlights turn off randomly the brights dont work or while im driving one will turn off or both at the same time and this happens anywhere if my car is in motion.. the image below that shows the radiator connector that has kb weld on it because my engine got so hot that the top hose broke off causing a domino effect of problems anlong with costly repairs.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

problem #14

Jun 082018

GTI

  • 100,000 miles
Without warning, the ABS module in the car failed, giving warning lights on the dash and making the car undriveable. Recall work was pursued with the a VW dealer and Volkswagen of America, but the recall work was denied, saying this failure was outside the scope of the recall. Car has not been repaired.

- Rockford, IL, USA

problem #13

Feb 212018

GTI

  • 140,455 miles
Vehicle has 140,455 miles on it and was well maintained. At approximately 15 mph heard loud sound and had total engine failure. Car was towed to a Volkswagen specialist and said that the timing chain threw due to the timing chain tensioner, a common problem for the 2.0 tsi engines from 2008-2012. Minimum for repair would be $4,000 due to bent valves; maximum will be engine replacement (~$9,000). Given car's age and value, neither options are worth fixing and I will have to sell car for parts. After researching online, the timing chain tensioner failure is a common issue with 2.0 tsi engines yet Volkswagen did not issue a recall related to the issue.

- El Granada, CA, USA

problem #12

Oct 092017

GTI

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Defective timing chain tensioner went and destroyed the entire engine that has less than 50,000 miles on it. Apparently this is a known issue with VW that I found out about after the fact. Luckily it happened in my driveway.

- Levittown, PA, USA

problem #11

Dec 012016

GTI

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Gti. While driving 35 mph, when the brake pedal was depressed, the check engine, ABS, brake, electronic stability control, and epc indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The dealer estimated that the repair would cost $1,500-$2,000. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred several other times. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V913000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electronic stability control). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer denied the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that since the ABS module control failed to work, the recall repair could not be performed. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Goldsboro, NC, USA

problem #10

Jan 252017

GTI

  • 73,729 miles
For several weeks, I noticed occasional misfires upon startup and acceleration. Then, the vehicle began running loudly and consuming a lot of oil. The vehicle also shuddered while driving. One morning, the car shuddered and bucked while I attempted to start it, and ultimately failed to start after several attempts. The engine light illuminated. This is not a battery issue; the battery is only a few months old and was tested in the past few weeks (holds charge at 100%). I have had the car towed to two mechanics and the problem was diagnosed as a timing chain tensioner failure leading to catastrophic engine failure. According to the first mechanic, the entire engine needs to be replaced for approximately $4500. According to the second mechanic, the timing chain tensioner needs replacing and the top half of the engine needs to be repaired, leading to a quote of $2800 for repair. The mechanic stated to me that he has already performed approximately 8 of these repairs on Volkswagen in the last year and directed me to investigate a pending New Jersey lawsuit against Volkswagen for the same issue. This appears to be a common complaint. If my engine had failed while at speed on a roadway it would have been extremely dangerous.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #9

Feb 022017

GTI

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Timing chain failure 60000 miles; 6 months later engine coils failed.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #8

Nov 102016

GTI

  • 87,000 miles
Premature engine failure while driving due to a known defective timing chain tensioner which VW has sent a tsb about but refuses to do a recall to replace. Instead they expect customers to pay $1500 to have the newly updated tensioner installed. Engines are failing both under and just out of warranty. Sudden loss of power and control of the engine while driving causing the ability to steer and maneuver the vehicle to a safe stop in traffic.

- Point Roberts, WA, USA

problem #7

Jan 032015

GTI

  • 74,317 miles
Secondary air injection hose found taped after VW warranty expired. Had taken car in several times to the woodland hills VW dealership after the upc and check engine light appeared to no avail.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #6

Apr 242015

GTI 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
I purchased my 2009 Gti Feb 2015 and the carfax was great; however, the ABS control module randomly failed about two months later causing lose of steering and control, this occurred while driving in traffic and it was very scary. Loud warning beeps went off and warning lights started flashing. The warning lights continued flashing until I turned it off. When I restarted the engine, the warning lights were no longer lit and drove it home. I tested my car again minutes after arriving home. It seemed fine, but then it happened again after just a minute of driving it. I took it to the VW dealer service center. They diagnosed the issue to be the ABS module. It needs to be replaced and the cost is $2,260. I called VW and they do not cover the repair costs. This needs to be addressed immediately considering the numerous complaints and the danger this malfunction imposes.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #5

Dec 082014

GTI

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving on the highway when I reached a speed of 55 mph when my check engine light came on. I took it to a mechanic where the guy told me that the intake manifold had gone bad. I've read multiple threads online and this seems to be a common factor in 2009 Gti's it also says they may have extended the warranty for 10yr/120K miles.

- Mcallen, TX, USA

problem #4

Dec 112014

GTI 4-cyl

  • 114,000 miles
While traveling at 55 mph in sixth gear on the New York state thruway, I suddenly lost power and the engine abruptly turned off. I consequently quickly decelerated and was almost rearended before being able to turn onto the shoulder. I smelled a burning odor and got out of my car. Eventually, the VW dealership advised me that the #2 coil had failed and caught fire. Consequently, the wiring harness for the ignition coil and plastic cover surrounding the coil had been destroyed by the fire. This is the second incident involving an ignition coil on this vehicle. Approximately 12 months ago, the #4 ignition coil failed leading to rapid deceleration as I was driving. This appears to be a chronic problem with the ignition coils that may result in otherwise avoidable accidents.

- Amherst, NY, USA

problem #3

Aug 012014

GTI

  • 81,000 miles
Faulty ABS control module for 2009 models of the Volkswagen Gti. As a result of the faulty ABS control module, it causes all kinds of other errors in my car, shown in the dashboard. Some are ABS disabled, traction control/esp disabled, check engine light illuminated, emergency brake lights illuminated, hydraulic steering gone, speedometer drops to 0 (can't tell what how fast I'm driving anymore), etc. With all these problems happening as a result of a faulty ABS control module, how is this issue not addressed yet" why hasn't there been a recall for this put out yet" this will definitely result in an accident either for me, or one of the many others who own 2009 VW Gti models in the future, and I hope that it will not have to come to this before VW does a recall on this.

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #2

Oct 012011

GTI

  • 36,600 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Gti. The contact stated that while traveling between 40-60 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted after the failure. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times where the dealer confirmed that the ignition coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 36,600 and the current mileage was 47,000.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

problem #1

Aug 012011

GTI 4-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
I bought this VW Gti 2009 in 01/2009. Since last summer, the engine start to have issues when trying to turn it on. Here is what happens: When the engine temperature is cool, it has no problem to turn it on. But when the engine is already warmed up (e.g., after drive 15 min on the freeway), and you turn it off. Then there is >50% chance it won't get started when you try to turn it on again. If this happens, I might have to try a couple of times then it can get the engine started. I have been to two different VW dealers for several times, neither can identify what's the root cause. In my last visit, I showed them how to reproduce the problem, and I left the car for a couple of days. But they told me that they cannot reproduce the problem.

- San Jose, CA, USA

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