2009 Volkswagen Gli Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 Volkswagen Gli, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes736.8%
- Driver assistance631.6%
- Electrical421.1%
- Powertrain (other)15.3%
- Steering15.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A CITY STREET AND HAD TO BRAKE HARD TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN I DID MY TIRES LOCKED UP AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. THE "ABS", "TRACTION CONTROL", AND "BRAKE" LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. I REALIZED THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A ABS SYSTEM FAILURE SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THE SYSTEM RESET ITSELF AND I DROVE HOME. ON MONDAY (1/30/17) I TURNED MY CAR ON AND THE SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE LIGHTS WERE ON THE DASH CLUSTER. MY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WAS NO FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD STOP SHIFTING AND DROP BACK INTO FIRST GEAR ONLY. THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGES WERE MOVING ON THE OWN AND NOT INLINE WITH MY CURRENT SPEED OR FUEL LEVEL. *TR
HERE IS ANOTHER DYSFUNCTION OF THE ABS MODULE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED UNEXPECTEDLY ON THE DAY WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK. IT BROKE DOWN THE FIRST TIME AS I CAME TO A STOP, AND ABOUT TO WENT ON THE HIGHWAY. ALL THE DASH LIGHT CAME ON WITH TERRIFYING NONSTOP BEEPING AND THE CAR STALLED WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO MOVE THE CAR TO A SAFER SPOT. WHEN THE FIRST BREAK-DOWN HAPPENED, I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, AND LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AS I TRIED TO MOVE. THE LIGHTS WENT AWAY AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES WHILE I WAS STRUCK ON THE TURNABOUT, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, AFTER ANOTHER 10 MINUTES (2 MILES), ALL THE LIGHTS AND BEEPING CAME BACK WITH A WARNING SIGN. AT THIS MOMENT, I WAS AGAIN, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, AND NEEDED TO MERGE TO OUTSIDE LANE TO PULLOVER. FINALLY, I PULLED-OVER THE CAR, A VERY BAD SPOT WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE MAIN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC IN A RAINY DAY, I WAS STUCK AGAIN, STRANDED BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO STEP OUT OF THE CAR AND GOT RAN OVER BY THE TRAFFIC. I WAS STUCK THERE AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 1-1.5 HOURS, CALLING FOR ROAD-SIDE ASSISTANCE. AFTER CHECKING ONLINE, THIS ABS FAILURE IS VERY COMMON FOR ALL THE GLI/GTI, WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE. CALLED THE VW COMPANY AND REQUESTED THEM TO COVER THE REPAIR FEE ($2500), BUT WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT. VW NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM IN A PROMPTLY TIME MANNERS BEFORE ANYONE GETS HURT OR KILLED ON THE ROAD. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM, AND REQUEST THE COMPANY TO MAKE OFFICIAL RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS ABS MODULE. THE CUSTOMER WHO ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR SHOULD ALSO GET FULL REFUND FROM THE COST. THIS IS LIFE-DEATH ISSUE CAUSED BY THE ABS MODULE FAILURE OF VW, AND TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO GO THROUGH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A CITY STREET AND HAD TO BRAKE HARD TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN I DID MY TIRES LOCKED UP AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. THE "ABS", "TRACTION CONTROL", AND "BRAKE" LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. I REALIZED THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A ABS SYSTEM FAILURE SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THE SYSTEM RESET ITSELF AND I DROVE HOME. ON MONDAY (1/30/17) I TURNED MY CAR ON AND THE SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE LIGHTS WERE ON THE DASH CLUSTER. MY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WAS NO FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD STOP SHIFTING AND DROP BACK INTO FIRST GEAR ONLY. THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGES WERE MOVING ON THE OWN AND NOT INLINE WITH MY CURRENT SPEED OR FUEL LEVEL. *TR
HERE IS ANOTHER DYSFUNCTION OF THE ABS MODULE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED UNEXPECTEDLY ON THE DAY WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK. IT BROKE DOWN THE FIRST TIME AS I CAME TO A STOP, AND ABOUT TO WENT ON THE HIGHWAY. ALL THE DASH LIGHT CAME ON WITH TERRIFYING NONSTOP BEEPING AND THE CAR STALLED WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO MOVE THE CAR TO A SAFER SPOT. WHEN THE FIRST BREAK-DOWN HAPPENED, I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, AND LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AS I TRIED TO MOVE. THE LIGHTS WENT AWAY AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES WHILE I WAS STRUCK ON THE TURNABOUT, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, AFTER ANOTHER 10 MINUTES (2 MILES), ALL THE LIGHTS AND BEEPING CAME BACK WITH A WARNING SIGN. AT THIS MOMENT, I WAS AGAIN, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, AND NEEDED TO MERGE TO OUTSIDE LANE TO PULLOVER. FINALLY, I PULLED-OVER THE CAR, A VERY BAD SPOT WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE MAIN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC IN A RAINY DAY, I WAS STUCK AGAIN, STRANDED BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO STEP OUT OF THE CAR AND GOT RAN OVER BY THE TRAFFIC. I WAS STUCK THERE AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 1-1.5 HOURS, CALLING FOR ROAD-SIDE ASSISTANCE. AFTER CHECKING ONLINE, THIS ABS FAILURE IS VERY COMMON FOR ALL THE GLI/GTI, WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE. CALLED THE VW COMPANY AND REQUESTED THEM TO COVER THE REPAIR FEE ($2500), BUT WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT. VW NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM IN A PROMPTLY TIME MANNERS BEFORE ANYONE GETS HURT OR KILLED ON THE ROAD. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM, AND REQUEST THE COMPANY TO MAKE OFFICIAL RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS ABS MODULE. THE CUSTOMER WHO ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR SHOULD ALSO GET FULL REFUND FROM THE COST. THIS IS LIFE-DEATH ISSUE CAUSED BY THE ABS MODULE FAILURE OF VW, AND TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO GO THROUGH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
ABS MODULE FAILED UNEXPECTEDLY CAUSING DASH LIGHTS TO COME ON AND TOTALLY DISABLED THE ABS SYSTEM. IT FIRST STARTED HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING, AND ABS REMAINED DISABLED UNTIL MODULE WAS FIXED AND REPLACED INDEPENDENTLY. VWOA WOULD NOT COVER FAILURE OF THE PART.
ABS MODULE FAILURE CAUSING CAR TO RANDOMLY LOCK BRAKES DURING CORNERING/ABS ACTIVATION EVENTS. THIS ORIGINALLY OCCURRED WHEN ROADS WERE SLIPPERY IN WINTER 2014 (60K ON VEHICLE), CONTINUES TO GROW WORSE TO WHERE IT NOW HAPPENS DURING LONG SLOW CORNERS (HIGHWAY OVERPASSES). REPAIR FROM DEALERSHIP COSTS $2300 (10% OF THE PRICE OF NEW MSRP), VWOA REFUSES TO ASSIST WITH REPAIR EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED SAFETY ISSUE THAT OCCURS ON ALL 2009 VW GOLF/JETTA VARIANTS. I HAVE HAD 3 EVENTS WITH COMPLETE LOSS OF TRACTION, AND UNCOUNTED PARTIAL LOSS EVENTS. I HAD AN INDEPENDENT DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSE, AND THE ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED AS THE COMMON FAILURE. ...UPDATED 08/30/16 *BF
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON A CITY STREET AND HAD TO BRAKE HARD TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN I DID MY TIRES LOCKED UP AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. THE "ABS", "TRACTION CONTROL", AND "BRAKE" LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. I REALIZED THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A ABS SYSTEM FAILURE SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON. THE SYSTEM RESET ITSELF AND I DROVE HOME. ON MONDAY (1/30/17) I TURNED MY CAR ON AND THE SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE LIGHTS WERE ON THE DASH CLUSTER. MY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WAS NO FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD STOP SHIFTING AND DROP BACK INTO FIRST GEAR ONLY. THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGES WERE MOVING ON THE OWN AND NOT INLINE WITH MY CURRENT SPEED OR FUEL LEVEL. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
I OWN 2009 VW JETTA THAT HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED WHAT I FEEL IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK 11/12/14 MY ABS ACTIVATED WHILE COMING TO A STOP. WITHIN MOMENTS OF THE ABS ACTIVATION THE DASH EMITTED THREE LOUD BEEPS AND THE ABS, TRACTION AND BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED (BRAKE LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING. THE BRAKE SYSTEM LOCKED MOMENTARILY, SENDING THE CAR INTO A SLIDE. I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THE SLIDE, HOWEVER THE TRACTION AND ABS WERE DISABLED. I PULLED INTO THE NEXT AVAILABLE PARKING LOT AND RESTARTED THE CAR AT WHICH POINT THE ISSUE APPEARED TO RESOLVE. LATER IN THE DAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE TO LUNCH THE ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN, NEARLY SENDING ME SLIDING INTO A POLICE CRUISER. AFTER ANOTHER SHUTDOWN THE ISSUE APPEARED TO RESOLVE, BUT THE ISSUE OCCURRED AGAIN WITH DISTURBING REGULARITY. WHENEVER THE ABS WOULD ACTIVATE THE SYSTEM WOULD FAIL AND LOCK THE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS THROWING FAULTS 01130 (ABS OPERATION IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL) AND 16352 (CONTROL MODULE ELECTRICAL ERROR), WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF A FAILED ABS CONTROL MODULE. AFTER PERUSING THE NHTSA SITE AS WELL AS A FEW ENTHUSIAST FORUMS I FOUND THIS ISSUE WAS NOT UNCOMMON AMONG OWNERS OF THE 2009 MY VOLKSWAGENS. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT VW IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, AS THERE ARE MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS OF INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING ASSISTANCE TOWARDS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE AFFECTED MODULE, AND A REVISION OF THE COMPONENT WAS RELEASED THAT CORRECTS THE FAILURE. AN ABS CONTROLLER SHOULD NOT BE A MAINTENANCE ITEM, AND THE FAILURE OF THIS SAFETY COMPONENT PLACED MY LIFE AND THE LIFE OF OTHERS AT RISK MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE COURSE OF MY COMMUTE. I WOULD EXPECT THE BASIC SAFETY SYSTEMS OF WHAT I FEEL IS A WELL DESIGNED AND VALUABLE VEHICLE TO LAST MUCH LONGER THAN 72500 MILES, ESPECIALLY AS I DO NOT DRIVE AGGRESSIVELY OR PARTICIPATE IN TRACK DAYS. (OTHER COMPLAINANTS HAVE STATED THIS OCCURS ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20K-100K MILES. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .