2007 Volkswagen GTI
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 2007 Volkswagen GTI. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 2007 Volkswagen GTI. Newest first.
Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." some vehicles may not have had a required cap installed which disables the headlight horizontal aim and some vehicles may contain a cap that disables the vertical aiming screw.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Noncompliance can inhibit proper headlamp aim adjustment for roadway illumination, improperly aimed headlamps could cause reduced road visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the low beam horizontal aiming screw and install one if missing, and inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the vertical aiming screw and if present, the cap will be removed. the recall will begin on october 31, 2007. owners may contact VW at 1-800-822-8987.
Owner complaints
77 complaints4 involved a crash2 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags
I hydroplaned and was t-boned on the passenger side. The only air bags that went off were the side curtains on the passenger side
- Air bags
The front passenger airbag has been verified by a service centre to have some kind of issue, is a safety hazard and they confirmed other of the same type airbags have had faults as well (in their experience).
- Power train
The transmission shifter automatically puts the car in neutral and wont let the car move foward, its an electronic component that tells the transmission what gear the car IS on.
- Air bags
Air bag failure for car, took to dealership and there IS a tsb 69-11-01 for updating the seat occupant module J706 but faults would not clear so recommend replace J706 with seat ocvuonat sensor but volkswagen says the part IS obsolete and they don't make it anymore and there are no after market module available! The airbag system IS faulty and won't work with out this module and now no one can ride in the far!!
- Air bags
TL* the contact's son owned a 2007 volkswagen GTI. While the contact's son was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver was fatally injured. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to a storage lot where an…
TL* the contact's son owned a 2007 volkswagen GTI. While the contact's son was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver was fatally injured. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to a storage lot where an independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and found no failure. A police report was filed. Medical attention was not required. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vin was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
- Power train
The gears on the screen in my car start to flash, then I can't go over 30 mph nor can I go into reverse. I was driving on the road when it first happens.
- Air bags
I've already spoken with VW of america, and the dealership my husband and I purchased this vehicle from. But yesterday 03/17/2016 at approx 420am my husband was driving the GTI to work. It was pouring down rain and made it very difficult to see. A txdot light pole fell on the highway and my husband…
I've already spoken with VW of america, and the dealership my husband and I purchased this vehicle from. But yesterday 03/17/2016 at approx 420am my husband was driving the GTI to work. It was pouring down rain and made it very difficult to see. A txdot light pole fell on the highway and my husband had no time to stop until he was just about to hit it. After hitting the light pole he went air born, landed on all 4 tires and fish tailed. After he tried to regain control of the vehicle, it flipped to the passenger side and rolled to the roof, when the vehicle came to a stop it was on the driver side. He was going about 30-40 mph if that. What blows my mind IS the minute the vehicle flipped and landed on the passenger side which crushed the doors and frame near windshield. The air bags never deployed. Not side, not front. Nothing. He walked away after crawling out the sunroof. But his hands are cut up and he IS extremely sore on the right side. But the air bags never deployed. And mind you the radiator and intercooler fell out after he hit the pole and landed!!!!!!
- Electrical system · Vehicle speed control · Wheels
Passenger side headlight (please see attached photo "headlight.jpg"): this actually happened for the first time the day we bought the car, right after we pulled out of your lot. We pulled right back in after circling the block, but after leore turned the engine off and on again everything was fine…
Passenger side headlight (please see attached photo "headlight.jpg"): this actually happened for the first time the day we bought the car, right after we pulled out of your lot. We pulled right back in after circling the block, but after leore turned the engine off and on again everything was fine then. I have not found a way to duplicate this. It seems to happen randomly, but usually within the first minute or so of driving. There always seems to but be a bright flash from which one of the lights does not recover. dashboard message: this one looks like it may be related to the first issue (again, please see attached photo named "message.jpg"): the message reading "front right dipped beam not working!" usually displays within the first few seconds after starting the engine. I have not been able to find a way to duplicate this at will. It also seems to randomly happen, but a lot more often than the failing headlight under issue #1 does. the passenger door power lock seems to work only on and off. All other locks (i'm not positive about the trunk actually) seem to work fine. alignment: the vehicle pulls to the left on the freeway. I bought a used vehicle from stevens creek volklswagen that was unsafe which was my understanding it was safe. I have attempted to get it resolved through the dealership and manufacturer but majority of the above listed items in first paragraph (i.e., tire pressure sensor, speed, headlight) are still unresolved.
- Power train
While driving my way to work I parked the car and came out to go grab something to eat. The car would not move till I noticed my gears were flashing on and off (p,r,n,d,s). I couldnt get into any gears at all and so I called a tow truck. They came out and I gave them the key to try and move the…
While driving my way to work I parked the car and came out to go grab something to eat. The car would not move till I noticed my gears were flashing on and off (p,r,n,d,s). I couldnt get into any gears at all and so I called a tow truck. They came out and I gave them the key to try and move the car. They were able to get into gears but I told them I didnt feel safe driving it so I had them tow it home. The next day the same thing happened indefinitely. I did not want to pay the dealer 5600 bucks to fix it as other people are having the same issue. Im waiting on VW to either do a recall or some kind of research to fix this problem. I also called VW and they said they replaced the mechatronic unit for my car already. But how would it fail again already? There was no explination therefore I am waiting for a response from VW or get a letter in the mail for a total recall.
- Power train
2007 VW GTI. direct shift gear (dsg) failure at 43,000 miles. transmission failure occurred while shifting into reverse. Transmission locks in either "drive" or "neutral". "park" and "reverse" are locked out of use. car must be left in "neutral" to park and driver must utilize emergency brake…
2007 VW GTI. direct shift gear (dsg) failure at 43,000 miles. transmission failure occurred while shifting into reverse. Transmission locks in either "drive" or "neutral". "park" and "reverse" are locked out of use. car must be left in "neutral" to park and driver must utilize emergency brake since "park" IS inoperative creating dangerous condition to park vehicle. key can only be removed by disconnecting the battery due to transmission interlock. VW excluded my vin range for repair / extended warranty coverage under other recalls or nhtsa actions regarding the dsg transmission. VW dealer estimates repair to cost $5,600. volkswagen of america customer service does not believe this IS a safety issue and will not extend warranty to cover repair cost.
- Power train
I live in ct and was visiting cousins in nj on saturday october 25, 2014. I take the exit of the new jersey turnpike and stop at the first light. I start to go and then see that the car was revving but not changing gears. I see the prnds lights on the dash flash simultaneously non stop. I just…
I live in ct and was visiting cousins in nj on saturday october 25, 2014. I take the exit of the new jersey turnpike and stop at the first light. I start to go and then see that the car was revving but not changing gears. I see the prnds lights on the dash flash simultaneously non stop. I just barely pull off to the nearest parking lot since there was no shoulder on the 50 mph road. I stop the car and put it in park and the car did not shift out of park after that. The nearest dealer had just closed and they said to wait until monday! I called my cousins who still lived an hour away to see if they had aaa and luckily they did. I then towed the car home over 300 miles! apparently the mechatronics unit died (the brains of the transmission) without any error codes or warning. There seem to be quite a few complaints online about these units with some failing while people are driving on the highway!! I guess I should consider myself 'lucky' that it died when it did?! VW dealer charged me over $2400 to replace it. What's even worse IS that they only warrant the new part for 12 months/12,000 miles so I guess I better not take any long trips with this car. *tr
- Power train
I was driving as I do 5 nights a week to work. Traveling about 55mph when suddenly, my GTI equipped with a dsg transmission downshifted to what I believe was 1ST gear. The revs suddenly were very high. The vehicles speed seemed to drastically lower to 20mph. I was almost hit by multiple cars behind…
I was driving as I do 5 nights a week to work. Traveling about 55mph when suddenly, my GTI equipped with a dsg transmission downshifted to what I believe was 1ST gear. The revs suddenly were very high. The vehicles speed seemed to drastically lower to 20mph. I was almost hit by multiple cars behind me. Luckily I was able to leave the middle lane and get on the side of the highway safely. Once I pulled to the side of the highway, my prnds on the dash were flashing. I turned the car over and still flashing. I checked every gear and on drive I was able to make it home slowly. It seemed that the transmission only ran on 1ST gear. Reverse gear IS completely gone. I can't even properly parallel park my car any more. VW seems to be covering some model year dsg cars. I have read some places that 2008-2010 years are covered, and some places where february 2007 - 2010 production years are covered. Mine IS a production year of january 2007. This dsg issue IS well known for all years. It IS knows as the "flash of death" or flashing prnds. Google dsg flash of death and there will be many links linked to this issue. I am a huge VW fan. I own a 2006 gli 6 speed manual and this 2007 GTI with dsg transmission. my father owns a 99 jetta and my brother and sister both own 2007 passats. Vwoa should know this IS a huge safety issue, they should know that this IS a known dsg defect for all years and cover any issues relating to it. I have done the dsg service twice. I called vwoa and they said my car has no recalls relating to the dsg. I have scanned the car and have come up with these codes, p0751= shift solenoid 1 (N88). P1746= trans. Solenoid power relay and p2723 = pressure control solenoid 5. VW how do you explain a failure to your transmission with no warnings? what if I got into an accident and someone or my self was seriously injured because of a manufacturer defect? *js
- Air bags · Engine · Structure › Body
I was traveling at approximately 40 mph when another vehicle ran a stop sign. I t-boned the other vehicle. The front of my car impacted the front passenger fender and door of the other vehicle. I did not have time to apply the brake, only enough to let off of the gas pedal before the collision…
I was traveling at approximately 40 mph when another vehicle ran a stop sign. I t-boned the other vehicle. The front of my car impacted the front passenger fender and door of the other vehicle. I did not have time to apply the brake, only enough to let off of the gas pedal before the collision occurred. I was wearing my seat belt at the time of the accident. My vehicle was not drivable and sustained front end damage and engine compartment damage. My airbags did not deploy even though I was traveling at 40 mph. *Tr
- Electrical system · Power train
While taking an on-ramp onto the highway my car got stuck in 2ND gear and would not upshift. I tried switching to manual mode but that did not work either. the prnds was flashing and I had to pull over and shut the vehicle off. it worked normal after that for a few miles. I filled up at a gas station and when leaving the car went into neutral and the prnds was flashing again. *tr
- Electrical system · Power train
While driving, the vehicle (auto transmission) appeared to have gone into neutral and the gears on display began flashing. only stopping, shifting to park, and then back into gear would allow the car to engage gears again. 2007 VW GTI w/ dsg transmission. *tr
- Power train
After starting from a stop light, car was fine, then went in to second gear, and car jerked as if it was shifted into neutral. Continued driving and this happened again, but each time, in a different gear. The second happening was just as described above, each after driving around for about more than a hour. *tr
- Power train
I own a 2007 VW GTI with mechatronic dsg. I was in an intersection when the transmission slipped acting like it was in neutral but the pnrds was flashing. The car had no acceleration or rpm's. Traffic was dogging me and 15 cars almost hit me due to this faulty transmission incident. I called VW of…
I own a 2007 VW GTI with mechatronic dsg. I was in an intersection when the transmission slipped acting like it was in neutral but the pnrds was flashing. The car had no acceleration or rpm's. Traffic was dogging me and 15 cars almost hit me due to this faulty transmission incident. I called VW of america and they informed me my car IS out of warranty. Also they informed me that my year make and model has no recall or problems with the dsg transmission. VW of america said since my car IS not a certified VW from their dealers it isn't covered for a recall or factory warranty. I feel completely unsafe and un satisfied how the regional manger of safety from VW of america handled this situation. She was not friendly or understanding at all. *Tr
- Power train
Experienced my GTI shifting into neutral going down the highway, no warning lights on the dash. pressing the peddle revved the engine up. pulled over and let the car sit for a half hour and then proceeded as normal. has happened on every long trip over 2 hours. *tr
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 2007 volkswagen GTI. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the air bag was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who offered to cover half of the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 86,000.
- Engine · Unknown or other
While approaching a stop light the vehicle shut off with no advance notice of any problems. the battery light came on as the vehicle was shutting off. the vehicle would not immediately restart. after six tries, in morning rush hour traffic, the vehicle finally restarted. several vehicles had to…
While approaching a stop light the vehicle shut off with no advance notice of any problems. the battery light came on as the vehicle was shutting off. the vehicle would not immediately restart. after six tries, in morning rush hour traffic, the vehicle finally restarted. several vehicles had to swerve around me to keep from running in the rear of the vehicle. at least one othe incident has happened since then with the engine light coming on. *tt
- Exterior lighting
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
- Power train › Automatic transmission
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…
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 intermittent. I could find no info about any of this in the owners manuals (i've had the car since new) or on line. *tr
- Power train
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…
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 to go at all (hit the gas, pray and maybe wait, maybe get whiplash). it was scary and caused a vehicle to slam on brakes to avoid hitting me because my car would not go. it appears that the new mechatronic unit has broken the clutch and VW needs to replace my entire dsg with a completely brand new one with a non-defective mechatronic unit. the original mechatronics appeared to only have one flaw, the component that controlled the release of the 1, 3, and 5 clutch, which caused that clutch to wear out. the new mechatronic unit has other flaws in addition to this one and sounds as if it IS breaking the entire transmission (not safety related however). *Tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission
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…
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
- Power train › Automatic transmission
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…
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
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10253215Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253214Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253213Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10252942Damage to Data Link Connector (DLC) from Aftermarket Devices (Cannot Communicate with Vehicle OBD System)
- 10252220All Vehicles with Bluetooth Phone Kit Installed ? Streaming Audio from Phone to Radio
- 10252210Clock Loses Time
- 10243065VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243052VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243035VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243034VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243017VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243008VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243001VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242996VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242682ODIS Service Update
- 10242400VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242399VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242390VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242381VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242375VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242373VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242372VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242358VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242355VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10241345Electric Coolant Fans Continue to Run after Ignition is Switched OFF
- 10241344Electric Coolant Fans Continue to Run after Ignition is OFF
- 10241342Electric Coolant Fans Continue to Run after Ignition is OFF
- 10241340Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standard VW 502 00/505 00/505 01 and VW 504 00/507 00
- 10241339Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241335Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241333Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241328MIL ON, DTC P0087, P1093 or P2293 Stored in ECM Fault Memory
- 10241320Update Programming to Eliminate DTC P0601 Stored in DTC Memory
- 10241311Gasoline Quality
- 10241310Software Version Management
- 10241285Engine, Misfire Diagnostic Aid
- 10241282Engine, Misfire Diagnostic Aid
- 10241274Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
- 10241266Squeaks, Rattles, Noise, Repair Materials
- 10241265Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
Every Volkswagen GTI model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.