Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Volkswagen GTI submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED CAUSING ALL REAR BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL. THIS CAUSED EXTREME DANGER AS IT CAN EASILY CAUSE A REAR-END COLLISION. PART SEEMS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS FAILURE-PRONE SINCE OTHER OWNERS ALSO HAVE REPORTED FAILURES. VW JETTA'S WERE RECALLED, GTI'S WERE NOT, EVEN THOUGH CHASSIS AND PART ARE THE SAME. SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AT A COST OF APPROX. $110.00 *JB
I OWN A 2002 JETTA VR6 AND MY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAS GONE OUT. I HAVE READ THE LATEST RECALL NUMBER 06V183000, HOWEVER, VOLKSWAGEN WANTED TO CHARGE ME FOR THE REPAIR STATING MY CAR WAS NOT FOUND TO HAVE ANY RECALLS ON IT. MY BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AND I DID NOT KNOW IT. SOMEONE ALMOST RAN INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR. *NM
DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, MULTIPLE FAILURES (4) IN GTI/GOLF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 06V183000 THE ABOVE RECALL SHOULD INCLUDE THE GOLF/GTI SINCE IT IS THE SAME PART THAT FAILS REPEATEDLY. *NM
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, WHEN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. *JB
I HAVE A 2002 VW GTI SPECIAL EDITION 337, WHICH CAME WITH 18"X7.5" BBS RC WHEELS. WITH IN A FEW MONTHS OF OWNING THE CAR, I AND 200+ OWNERS HAVE NOTICED SOME CORROSION AND PITTING AROUND THE WHEEL. EITHER DUE TO THE CLEAR COATING OR THE BRAKE PADS. WE HAVE CONTACTED VWOA TO HAVE THE WHEELS REPLACED BY WARRANTY, THEY DENIED ANY ISSUES. OFFERED A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO A CERTAIN FEW, NOW A FEW MONTHS BACK THEY DO ADMIT TO THE ISSUES AND ALSO ADMITTED TO REPLACING ALL1750 OWNERS BBS RC WHEELS. WE FILED WITH THE BBB TO EXPEDITE THE ISSUE AND VWOA REQUESTED FOR 30 DAYS TO FINALIZE THE DECISION. IT HAS BEEN WELL OVER 30DAYS AND NOW ARE ASKING FOR 30 MORE DAYS. WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS RESOLVED AND HAVE THE WHEELS AND BRAKE PADS REPLACED.*AK
OVER 200 2002 VW GTI 337 EDITION OWNERS HAVE ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF PITTING, BLACK SPOTS, CORROSION, ROUGHNESS, AND/OR WHITE SPOTS ON THEIR WHEELS AS WELL AND HAVE SUPPLIED PICTURES FOR ALL TO VIEW PUBLICLY ON ONLINE FORUMS TO PROVE THEIR CASE. AS A GROUP WE HAVE APPROACHED VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA (VWOA) ABOUT THE PROBLEM USING MY CAR AS THE TEST CAR. WE ALL OPENED CASE NUMBERS WITH VWOA EXPRESSING OUR CONCERNS AND MY WHEELS WERE SENT TO VWS TESTING CENTER IN WOLFSBURG, GERMANY WHERE THE WHEELS WERE DETERMINED NOT TO BE DEFECTIVE, LEAVING MANY ANGRY AND CONFUSED ENTHUSIASTS OUT TO DRY. INSTEAD OF FIXING THE PROBLEM, VWOA CONTACTED A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WHO HAD OPENED CASE NUMBERS TO OFFER THEM A $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE, GOOD TOWARD VW MERCHANDISE OR SERVICE. THIS ACTION ONLY SERVED TO DOUSE FUEL ON AN ALREADY RAGING FIRE. ONCE VWOA LEARNED OF OUR REACTION TO THIS INSULT, THEY DECIDED TO STOP CALLING, LEAVING THE REST OF US WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER AS PROMISED. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO SEEK LEGAL ACTION IN ORDER TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION. SOME FACTS: - 1,500 GTI 337 EDITIONS WERE MANUFACTURED FOR THE U.S. IN 2002 AS A LIMITED EDITION CAR AND 250 FOR CANADA - ALL CAME EQUIPPED WITH 18 X7.5 CUSTOM BBS RC WHEELS IN A SPECIAL VW-ONLY SHOT PEENED AND CLEAR COATED FINISH DESIGN (BBS DOES NOT NORMALLY CLEAR COAT THEIR WHEELS) - THE SAME WHEELS ARE FOUND ON THE EUROPEAN 337S CALLED THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION - THE BRAKE PADS FOUND ON THE U.S. 337S ARE NOT THE SAME AS FOUND ON THE EUROPEAN 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS - MORE THAN 200 337 OWNERS HAVE COME FORTH TO CLAIM ISSUES WITH THEIR WHEELS FINISH BEING DEGRADED BY THEIR STOCK BRAKE PADS - TO OUR COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE NO EUROPEAN 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION HAS THE SAME ISSUES APPROXIMATE RETAIL REPLACEMENT COSTS:1) VW EDITION 18X7.5 BBS RC W/CENTER CAPS= $605.70. SET OF FOUR = $2,422.80.CONTACT THE BBB FOR MORE INFORMATION.*AK
ROUGHNESS,CORROSION, WHITE SPOTS ON MY CAR'S RIMS.THE BRAKE PADS ARE CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I AM LOOKING TO HAVE THE STOCK RIMS REPLACED. ALONG WITH THE STOCK BRAKE PADS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. I KNOW OF ALL MOST 200 CARS THAT HAVE THESE ISSUES WITH THEIR RIMS. THE PROBLEM IS THE STOCK BRAKE PADS ARE EATING AWAY AT THE SPECIAL FINISH THAT IS ON THE RIM. VWOA DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MORE INFO HERE: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=569321. *AK
BRAKE LIGHTS COMPLETELY FAILED.*AK
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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