RoadVitals

2009 Volkswagen Rabbit Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Jul 24, 2022
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
18%
of 62 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 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.

Owner reports naming electrical

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Jul 24, 2022

ABS control module is malfunctioning and affecting steering and braking as well as the speedometer and acceleration. It was reported to the dealer and will be replaced, however the part is backordered with no ETA. Check engine, steering wheel , brake, EPC, and ABS lights present, first appearing approcimately February 2022.

NHTSA ID
11475533
Incident
Feb 1, 2022
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical+2 more
Filed Mar 29, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE SPEED ODOMETER WENT TO ZERO AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE FORWARD. SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED NOR DIAGNOSED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 115,000.

NHTSA ID
11405384
Incident
Mar 3, 2021
Mileage
115,000 mi
ElectricalSteeringSuspension
Filed Aug 3, 2020

I GOT PROBLEMS ON ABS SYSTEM MODULE THAT'S WHY MY RABBIT2009 START ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD AND LOSE THE CONTROL INCLUDING THE SPEED METER.CANT YOU HELP ME WITH THAT'S OCCURED WHEN I'M DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY TO MY JOB.

NHTSA ID
11343073
Incident
Jul 30, 2020
Mileage
146,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 26, 2020

THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WILL NOT TURN TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND WILL NOT COME OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF PRIOR TO THIS. WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON, EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE UNTIL I TRIED TO TURN THE CAR OFF. AT THIS POINT, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN DOWN TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION, AND AS A RESULT THE CAR COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF. AT THE TIME OF THIS HAPPENING, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT LOCKED AND THE CAR WAS IN PARK.

NHTSA ID
11341538
Incident
Jul 26, 2020
Mileage
122,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalOther / unspecified
Filed Feb 10, 2018

THE VEHICLE TURNED IN ACCESSORIES, BEEPING OCCURS AND A WRENCH APPEARS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND E-BRAKE LIGHT BLINKS. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT MKV MODELS FROM VW ALL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE CAUSING THE ABS PUMP/COMPUTER TO FAIL.

NHTSA ID
11072035
Incident
May 17, 2017
Mileage
173,000 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed Jan 23, 2017

2009 VW 2L RABBIT: DRIVING HOME IN THE RAIN, MY CAR HAS UNDER 80K. THE SPEED LIMIT IS 45, BUT IN THE RAIN, I WAS DOING CLOSER TO 40. THE STREET IS A FAIRLY TRAFFICKED ROAD, DOUBLE YELLOW EACH DIRECTION SINGLE LANE EXPANDING TO DOUBLE LANE, CONCRETE ISLANDS, AND STOPLIGHTS. TOTAL DRIVE BEFORE FIRST SHIMMY WAS PROBABLY ABOUT THE 4MILE MARK. THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON, THE ESP/ASR COMES ON, AND THE "BRAKE" TO THE RIGHT OF THAT STARTS FLASHING IN RED. THE CAR SHIMMIED WHEN THIS STARTED, AND THEN THE BRAKES WORKED BUT WERE SQUISHY/SLOPPY GETTING TO A PLACE TO STOP. I WAS INFORMED TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DASH LIGHTS START TO FLICKER. AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAY IT IS THE WHOLE ABS MODULE, AND REPLACING IT WILL COST ABOUT AS MUCH AS THE CAR. THEY SAY IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE: I DRIVE HOME, BECAUSE THEY SAY THE ABS IS NOT CONNECTED TO VITAL FUNCTIONS, AND ELECTRONICS. THE DASH LIGHT CLEARS. ... DRIVE HOME. LIGHT COMES BACK ON , CAR WIGGLES AND FISHTAILS, AND BRAKES ARE SQUISHY AND NOT AS RESPONSIVE. DASH IS FLICKERING. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND THIS IS A 2009 KNOWN PROBLEM. I CALL THE DEALERSHIP BACK: BECAUSE THEY ARE IN PROCESS OF A RECALL (I FOUND OUT ON THIS WEBSITE). I AM TOLD I AM SOL BECAUSE IT IS NOT COMPLETED YET, SO I CAN PAY FOR THEIR ARM AND LEG, AND PERHAPS, IF THE GODS ARE KIND, I WILL GET SOME RE-IMBURSMENT AT A LATER DATE. (BUT DON'T COUNT ON IT) ALL OF THE FISHTAILING, AND ELECTRICAL FLASHING, ARE DONE AT SPEEDS OF UNDER 45MPH. THE FACT THAT THIS IS INTERMITTENT (BUT PROBABLY ABOUT TO BECOME PERMANENT) IS SCARY! IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING DURING HIGH TRAFFIC TIMES TODAY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY UGLY ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10947124
Incident
Jan 23, 2017
Mileage
1 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Oct 18, 2016

TOOK MY VEHICLE IN AS THE ABS, BRAKE, ESP/ASR LIGHTS CAME ON AND WERE BEEPING. REPLACED THE ROTORS, BRAKE PADS, ETC. WHEN I CAME BACK TO PICK UP MY VEHICLE, THE VAG COM HAD MULTIPLE FAULTS STILL SHOWING, COME TO FIND OUT I NEED THE CONTROL PANEL REPLACED. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 59K MILES, DOZENS OF FOLKS HAVE REPORTED A SIMILAR SITUATION IN 2009 VW MODEL CARS, ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONING W LESS THAN 60K MILES

NHTSA ID
10917172
Incident
Oct 8, 2016
Mileage
59,000 mi
BrakesElectricalSteering
Filed Aug 29, 2016

DRIVING INTO A CURVE, MY ABS BRAKE MODULE FAILED, TURNING OFF MY TRACTION CONTROL, ABS DISABLING MY POWER STEERING. AS I WAS TRYING TO COME OUT OF THE CURVE, THE STEERING FAILED TO RESPOND TEMPORARILY. I ALMOST T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE, SCARING THAT DRIVER TO DEATH...I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR OUT OF THE TURN, OVER CORRECTING ALMOST PUTTING IT IN A A DITCH... THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE.

NHTSA ID
10899376
Incident
Aug 27, 2016
Mileage
112,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jul 25, 2016

THE ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON....FOLLOWED BY STEERING LIGHT, ENGINE LIGHT SPEEDOMETER FAILING, GAS WARNING LIGHT ON, NOW MY CAR WILL NOT START AND THE KEY IS STUCK TO THE IGNITION. MY POWER WINDOWS NOT WORKING PROPERLY ....ALL STARTED FROM THE ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT

NHTSA ID
10888502
Incident
Jun 20, 2016
ElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Jan 28, 2016
Fire reported

WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN USING THE HEATED SEATS THE PASSENGER SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CABIN FILLED UP WITH THICK SMOKE AND WE COULD NOT BREATH. WE HAD TO STOP THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. MY WIFE JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND WE PUT OUT THE FIRE. THIS IS A KNOWN VW PROBLEM THAT HAD A FULL RECALL IN CANADA. ASTONISHINGLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO MENTION OF THIS PROBLEM ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE. THE LOCAL VW DEALER DENIED ALL KNOWLEDGE OF ANY HEATED SEATS CATCHING FIRE BUT THEY INSTANTLY GAVE ME A $755.00 QUOTE TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITH A FIRM ESTIMATE OF FOUR HOURS TO REPLACE THE ELECTRICAL ELEMENTS IN THE SEAT. ALTHOUGH THE VW DEALER HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM THEY SEEM TO HAVE INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF EXACTLY HOW TO REPAIR THE SEAT. VERY CURIOUS INDEED......

NHTSA ID
10822896
Incident
Jan 20, 2016
Mileage
105,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Sep 3, 2015

WHILE DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED OF 45MPH, THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE SLIGHTLY. ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS FLASHED ON, AND THE FUEL GAUGE ALONG WITH THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO FAIL. AS A RESULT, THE CAR NEEDED TO BE PULLED OVER AND STOPPED IN ORDER TO PREVENT A SERIOUS ACCIDENT FROM OCCURRING.

NHTSA ID
10761330
Incident
Aug 26, 2015
Mileage
65,744 mi

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.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .