Volkswagen R32 problems and owner complaints

1. CAR WAS RUNNING FINE TILL ABOUT LITTLE LESS THAN A MONTH. ON 10/13/08 PUT CAR IN REVERSE AND CAR WAS EXPERIENCING RAPID FLUCTUATIONS IN RPMS AND ENGINE WOULD DIE WHEN SHIFTING TO DRIVE. HAD DIFFICULTY IN RE-STARTING CAR. PUT CAR IN DRIVE AND FELT JERKY NON-RESPONSIVE ACCELERATION WITH TRANSMISSION BANGING AND ENGINE DIED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING. 2. CAR DIED 4 TIMES ENGINE WOULD STOP WHILE DRIVING TOTALLY LOSS OF POWER. CONSEQUENCES ARE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERNS AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENTS CAN OCCUR FROM THIS MALFUNCTION 3. BROUGHT INTO DEALER, THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 877 miles reported. Look up ODI 10254800 at NHTSA ↗

VW 2008 R32 WITH DSG TRANSMISSION. MANUAL DOWNSHIFTS FROM 5>4, 4>3, AND 3>2 CAUSE A DANGEROUS POWER OR THROTTLE LAG FROM THE MOTOR. SINCE DOWNSHIFTS ARE OFTEN DONE IN PREPARATION FOR A SAFETY MANEUVER WHILE DRIVING, THIS LAG CAUSES THE MANEUVER TO FAIL LEAVING THE CAR AND DRIVER VULNERABLE AND WITHOUT POWER WHILE MID-MANEUVER. I CAN REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VW SERVICE CENTERS HAVE NOT SEEN TCU FAULT CODES, NOR HAVE THEY DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH I HAVE INSTRUCTED THEM HOW TO DO SO. APPARENTLY THEY ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE PROPER INSTRUCTI…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10276801 at NHTSA ↗

MY BRAND-NEW 08 VW MAKES SEVERE HICCUPS ON MODERATE ACCELERATION WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE ABOUT 95 F. (SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND COME BACK UP IN SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.)HAVE STARTING PROBLEM AFTER THE SYMPTOM, SOMETIMES SMELL OF GAS FROM OUTSIDE REAR. THE PROBLEM DOES NOT LEAVE ANY ERROR CODES ON COMPUTER, THEREFORE DEALERS CANNOT FIX OR REPLICATE PROBLEM. (USUALLY TAKES ABOUT 30 MIN CONSTANT DRIVE IN THE HOT WEATHER TO HAVE THE SYMPTOM.) HAD NUMEROUS VISIT TO A VW DEALER BUT NO FIX. ALWAYS END UP WITH MY CLAIM COMMENTS; "CUSTOMER…

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10231293 at NHTSA ↗

USUALLY DURING HOT WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE FAILURE IS PRESENT. THE FAILURE - CAR HESITATES UNDER ACCELERATION ALMOST AS IF THE FUEL IS BEING CUTOFF. OTHER TIMES IT STALLS DURING IDLE AT STOP LIGHT. OTHER TIMES THE CAR WILL TAKE TWO OR THREE TRIES TO RESTART. WHEN PARKED AFTER A DRIVE THE VEHICLE LEAKS FUEL BEHIND THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL. OCCURS RANDOMLY AND THE DEALER CANNOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. PARTS REPLACED - PURGE VALVE TO FIX THE FUEL LEAK AND HESITATION. THE CAR DOES NOT LEAK FUEL ANYMORE, HOWEVER THE HESITATION ISSUE IS…

Owner-reported narrative. 300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10237962 at NHTSA ↗

THE CENTER HIGH MOUNTED STOPLIGHT (3RD BRAKE LIGHT) HAS CONDENSATION AND AT TIMES APPEARS TO FLICKER. THE FACTORY RESOLUTION IS TO SEND THE CAR TO A BODY SHOP TO REMOVE THE FACTORY SPOILER AND REPLACE THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE FACTORY MANUAL WARNS THAT THIS IS A MULTI-DAY JOB AND MAY RESULT IN A BROKEN SPOILER AND POSSIBLE BODY DAMAGE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A CLEAR VIOLATION OF FMVSS 108 WHICH REQUIRES THAT REPLACING THE BULBS BE SIMPLE AND REQUIRE ONLY COMMON TOOLS. THIS IS ON A 2008 VW R32, BUT THE ISSUE IS ON ALL 2006 - 2009 VW GTI AND R32 CAR…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10246343 at NHTSA ↗

THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT OF MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32 HAS A CONDENSATION BUILDUP. BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE LIGHT IS CONSTRUCTED INTO THE BODY OF THE CAR, OTHER'S HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A MAJOR JOB TO FIX (INCLUDING HOURS OF LABOR AND EXTENSIVE BODY WORK). I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS ALSO IN VIOLATION OF REGULATION FMVSS 108, AND THUS SHOULD FILE A COMPLAINT. THE DEALER THAT I TOOK IT TO SAID THIS WAS A "NORMAL" CONDITION AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO (WHICH CONFLICTS WHAT OTHER'S HAVE SAID). *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10247255 at NHTSA ↗

FIRST MINOR INCIDENTS: MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT HICCUPS IN POWER FOR A FEW WEEKS. NO CELS OR INDICATION OF ANYTHING WRONG OTHERWISE. FIRST SERIOUS INCIDENT: AT HIGHWAY SPEED (70MPH) 30 MINUTES INTO A COMMUTE, THE CAR LOSES POWER AND THROWS THE DRIVER FORWARD IN THE SEAT. WAS ABLE TO FINISH THE REMAINDER OF COMMUTE BARELY LIMPING ALONG WITH ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE, STALLING, AND STUTTERING. UPON ARRIVAL, NOTICE SMELL OF FUEL AND SEE FUEL PUDDLE BEHIND RIGHT REAR WHEEL. VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WOULD NOT RESPOND DUE TO R…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,510 miles reported. Look up ODI 10241168 at NHTSA ↗

ON JULY 13, 2008 WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 VOLKWAGEN R32 I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS DRIVING REALLY ROUGH AFTER I MADE AN EXIT FROM THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN I MADE IT TO A COMPLETE STOP I NOTICED THE SMELL OF ELECTRICAL/PLASTIC FIRE. I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT AND OBSERVED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I OPENED THE HOOD AND SMOKE AND FLAMES WERE COMING FROM THE CENTER OF THE ENGINE AREA I WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES BEFORE IT SPREAD. THE DEVICE THAT WAS CAUSING THE FIRE IS CALLED A COIL PACK. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME…

Owner-reported narrative. 74,364 miles reported. Look up ODI 10234417 at NHTSA ↗

I BOUGHT A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN R32 AROUND NOVEMBER OF 08 AND ALL WAS OKAY, I NOTICED ONE DAY ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER WHEN PUTTING MY SEAT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE BACK TO DRIVING POSITION THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. I DO KNOW OTHERS THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT HAS COME ON DUE TO IMPROPER WIRING LENGTH AS WELL (AROUND 12-15 OTHERS ON THE VW R32 FORUMS. WHEN YOU MOVE THE SEAT FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS ENOUGH THE WIRE WILL BECOME TIGHT AND EVENTUALLY PULL OUT OF THE AIRBAG IGNITER. THIS TOPIC IS ON EVERY VOLKSWAGEN FORUM FROM HERE TO GERMANY. OTHER VW'…

Owner-reported narrative. 28,250 miles reported. Look up ODI 10329310 at NHTSA ↗

WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW IT WAS SMOOTH AND RIDE WAS GREAT SHIFTING WAS PERFECT, AS TIME AND MILES PASS THE CAR GOT REALLY JERKY WITH THE TRANSMISSION, CAR NOW RIDES SMOOTH BUT THE SIFTING IS TERRIBLE, AND TRANNY IS MAKING ALOT OF NOISES WHEN BACKING UP AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL I ALWAYS HEAR A CLUNK, LOUD AND YOU CAN FEEL IT, EVERY TIME I TAKE IT TO MY DEALER IT MAGICALLY GOES AWAY FOR A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS OR SO THEN ITS BACK ITS REALLY FRUSTRATING THAT NO ONE AT THE DEALER SHIP REALLY CARES THEY MAKE IT SEEM LIKE I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG PLE…

Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10291102 at NHTSA ↗

SUSPECT CLOCK SPRING FAILED. AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. LOST ALL FUNCTIONS TO STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED CONTROLS. VW WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIR.

Owner-reported narrative. 36,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11186590 at NHTSA ↗