2009 Volkswagen GTI Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other GTI years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 167 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Volkswagen GTI. That ranks 2nd out of 31 GTI model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (94 complaints, 56%), typically at around 80,150 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 2 fires, 1 injury. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 167owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 Volkswagen GTI problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems | 94 | 56% | 80,150 | “abs control module” (31%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 69 | 41% | 81,000 | “abs control” (32%) | — |
| Power Train | 32 | 19% | 31,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 31 | 19% | 84,800 | — | — |
| Steering | 20 | 12% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 15 | 9% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 4% | 63,750 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 3% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 2% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 2% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 2% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 81,400 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 103,500 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 1% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 1,100 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 53,699 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 13 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Volkswagen GTI recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electronic stability control (esc); service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6 vehicles. The Antilock Brake System (ABS) control unit may fail during ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.
Risk: A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 passenger cars manufactured between september 2008 and august 2009. The wiring harness of a temperature sensor in the direct shift gearbox (dsg) may have connector wires that were insufficiently crimped. With insufficiently crimped connector wires, a temperature sensor has the potential to falsely detect a high gearbox oil temperature, causing the transmission to abruptly shift to neutral. If this happens, the selector lever position indicator within the instrument panel will flash. In addition, the "depress brake pedal" indicator light will be illuminated, alerting the driver to apply the brakes.
Risk: The abrupt shift to neutral could lead to a crash without warning.
Fix: Volkswagen will reprogram the transmission control module with updated software free of charge. The recall began on october 20, 2009. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle stall/loss motive power (PE09035) — opened Jul 17, 2009, closed Nov 19, 2009, led to recall 09V333000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the ABS control unit indicator light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a communication loss; however…
The warning light went on engine oil pressure off. Search manual. Then it wouldn't start. But lights where on so we put a new starter. But it wouldn't turn the engine. So We thought it must be the battery needs a jump start. And then wire from battery to starter caught on fire? I Googled the…
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the ABS warning light, traction control warning light, and the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V913000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic…
I recently purchased this used car and discovered that there is a recall on it. I made an appointment for the recall service. Prior to the appointment, the ABS warning light came on while driving the car. I took the car to University Volkswagen. They charged me for a diagnostic on the ABS system…
Abs module has been known to be defective on this model year volkswagen gti. Some vins are not covered under a recall even though it uses the same abs system and abs module that has been known to be defective. All vins that use this abs module should be covered under this recall as this is a safety…
Other Volkswagen GTI years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 GTI | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 GTI | 29 | 2 |
| 2023 GTI | 6 | 5 |
| 2022 GTI | 28 | 6 |
| 2021 GTI | 4 | 1 |
| 2020 GTI | 8 | 3 |
| 2019 GTI | 179 | 4 |
| 2018 GTI | 17 | 3 |
| 2017 GTI | 52 | 2 |
| 2016 GTI | 66 | 4 |
| 2015 GTI | 97 | 6 |
| 2014 GTI | 10 | 1 |
| 2013 GTI | 34 | 2 |
| 2012 GTI | 40 | 2 |
| 2011 GTI | 55 | 2 |
| 2010 GTI | 53 | 1 |
| 2009 | 167 | 2 |
| 2008 GTI | 67 | 1 |
| 2007 GTI | 77 | 1 |
| 2006 GTI | 43 | 2 |
| 2005 GTI | 8 | 1 |
| 2004 GTI | 7 | 1 |
| 2003 GTI | 53 | 1 |
| 2002 GTI | 124 | 2 |
| 2001 GTI | 74 | 2 |
| 2000 GTI | 45 | 3 |
| 1999 GTI | 8 | 2 |
| 1998 GTI | 10 | 0 |
| 1997 GTI | 10 | 0 |
| 1996 GTI | 9 | 1 |
| 1995 GTI | 18 | 2 |
See all Volkswagen GTI problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
Similar Volkswagen models
Embed this 2009 Volkswagen GTI badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Volkswagen GTI?
Owners most often report service brakes, electronic stability control (esc), power train problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 94 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Volkswagen GTI?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 Volkswagen GTI a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other GTI model years, the 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.