2007 Volkswagen GTI Complaints

THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT HAS FAILED TO WORK AND WHILE THERE IS POWER TO THE POWER MODULE THERE IS NO WAY TO ACCESS THE LED BRAKE LIGHT PANEL WITHOUT REMOVING THE REAR SPOILER AND REPLACING IT WITH A NEW ONE WITH A COST OF $500 TO CHANGE THE LIGHT FOR INSPECTION. *TR

I DRIVE A 2007 VW GTI WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND THE "MECHATRONIC" UNIT LOCATED WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD AND WILL COST UPWARDS OF $2000.00 TO HAVE IT REPLACED. THE CAR HAS 122,000 MILES ON IT. NOTHING LAST FOREVER AND I EXPECT CERTAIN FAILURES OVER TIME. HOWEVER, THE NATURE OF THE FAILURE IS A CONCERN WITH THIS UNIT AS, AT LEAST IN MY CASE, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO FIRST GEAR ON ITS OWN WITHOUT WARNING. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN TOWN IN SLOW TRAFFIC AND WAS ABLE TO HANDLE THE SUDDEN DECELERATION. IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE IS NO WARNING OR INDICATION OF AN IMPENDING UNIT FAILURE. THE ONLY INDICATION I HAD SPANNED SEVERAL MONTHS IN A VERY INTERMITTENT MANNER: 1)A SLIGHT "SHUDDERING" WHEN ACCELERATING WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FUEL RELATED. 2) THE "PRNDS" DISPLAY WOULD FLASH REPEATEDLY EVEN THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION WOULD OPERATE JUST FINE. I COULD RESET THE DISPLAY BY TURNING OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTING IT. THIS PHENOMENON WAS VERY INTER...

WHEN THE CAR WAS COLD, UPON PLACING IT INTO DRIVE TO DEPART FOR THE DAY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS VERY INDECISIVE ABOUT RELEASING THE CLUTCH AND CAUSED A SEVERE BUCKING SENSATION AND MADE IT DANGEROUS TO ENTER TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY THERE IS VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC ON MY STREET. A SOFTWARE UPDATE MADE IT BETTER, BUT IT STILL WAS DANGEROUS FROM TIME TO TIME. SOFTWARE UPDATE ALSO REDUCED AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY 2.5 MPG TO WHICH VW WILL NOT ADMIT FAULT. GOT A MECHATRONICS REPLACEMENT UNDER CAMPAIGN AND NEW MECHATRONICS IS LESS LIKELY TO BE BAD WHEN COLD BUT NEW MECHATRONICS BUCKS MUCH WORSE AND IS MUCH WORSE THAN ORIGINAL MECHATRONICS WHEN IT IS BEING BAD. NEW SOFTWARE HAS IMPROVED FUEL ECONOMY 2 MPG FROM THE LOW. NEW MECHATRONICS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN BACKING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE ONTO A MODERATELY BUSY STREET AND THEN TRYING TO PULL AWAY UP A HILL ON THE BUSY STREET. IT IS VERY LIKELY TO BUCK AND BEHAVE UNPREDICTABLY AFTER THE EXTREMELY LONG DELAY FOR THE MECHATRONICS TO DECIDE T...

I WAS MERGING ON TO THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED TO LET CARS GO BY UNTIL IT WAS THERE TURN TO MERGE. THE CAR MERGED IT WAS MY TURN AND I HIT THE GAS AND MY CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND I HAD NO POWER, AND MY CAR HAD DRIFTED ENOUGH TO BE HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THAT MY PRNDL LIGHTS ON THE DASH WERE FLASHING. I THOUGHT THE CAR STALLED SO I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON AGAIN AND HIT THE GAS, I HAD DRIVE POWER AGAIN. I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT AND THE PRNDL LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING AGAIN AND I HAD NO POWER, I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, RESTARTED AND HAD POWER. THIS CONTINUED FOR THE REMAINDER OF MY TRIP. *TR

MY CAR, AN AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION FROM VW, GOT STUCK IN 6TH GEAR ON NORTHBOUND 1-15, ALMOST CAUSING SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED AND A CODE WAS "THROWN," BUT THE EVENT WAS DISMISSED AS A POTENTIAL ISSUE WITH THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR. SINCE THEN, I HAVE EXPERIENCED EXTREMELY HARD SHIFTS AND UNRELIABLE ACCELERATION WITH MY VEHICLE. ESPECIALLY ON HILLS. THE MECHATRONICS UNIT HAS BEEN REPLACED AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME AS "GOOD TO GO." I DROVE THE CAR ONE MILE, THE ISSUE PERSISTED, AND I RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER. THERE IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM WITH THE MECHATRONICS UNIT AND THE CLUTCHES, BUT THE DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE THEM CORRECTLY (UNDER WARRANTY). EACH TIME I AM TOLD MY CAR IS "FIXED," I PICK IT UP, DRIVE IT AND IT STILL HAS THE SHIFTING ISSUES. *TR