10 of the 141 complaints about the 2002 Volkswagen GTI are about the transmission — 7% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 21,464 miles.
10
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FIXED THREE TIMES SINCE NEW. NOW TRANSMISSION DESTROYED AT 33K MILES WITHOUT WARNING.
NHTSA complaint #10187268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
I HAVE A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WITH APPROXIMATELY 42000 AND DISCOVERED MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING IN EVERY GEAR. AFTER BRINGING MY CAR TO LINDSAY VOLKSWAGEN IN STERLING, VA, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS BAD CLUTCH AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY. AFTER SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE DISCOVERED SEVERAL IDENTICAL SITUATIONS OF OTHER OWNERS OF 2002 VOLKS GTI 1.8T MANUAL AND THE COMPANY'S REFUSAL TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY OR INVESTIGATE WHY A CLUTCH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT UNDER 45,000 MILES. ACCORDINGLY, I CAN ATTEST THAT I OPERATE MY VEHICLE IN A SAFE AND LEGAL MANNER AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD CONSIDER COMPETENCE AND CARE.
NHTSA complaint #10145253 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
EARLY CLUTCH FAILURE. THE CLUTCH IN MY VW 2002 GTI FAILED AT 23000 MILES.
NHTSA complaint #10143774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
MY CLUTCH PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR WHILE DRIVING AND NEVER CAME BACK UP. IT WAS FIXED (REPLACED THE MASTER CLUTCH CYLINDER) ONE MONTH AGO FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10088794 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
CLUTCH FAILED, ACCELERATION DIMINISHED, ONLY 63000 MILES WITH REGULAR TUNE UPS, OIL CHANGES. ALSO MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND OXYGEN SENSOR DEFECTIVE; CAR DOESN'T IDLE CORRECTLY, SOMETIMES DOESN'T START. STARTED AT 48000 MILES.
NHTSA complaint #10088224 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:PEDAL/HAND LEVER(MOTORCYCLE)
THE CLUTCH PEDAL SINKED TO THE FLOOR GRADUALLY OVER THE LAST 3 DAYS.
NHTSA complaint #10078485 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
THE VEHICLE FAILED TO GO INTO FIRST GEAR AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE DISASSEMBLED TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GEARS. ALSO THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT. *AK
NHTSA complaint #10011222 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
THE PARK/NEUTRAL SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED , WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO START IN GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH. WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) *JB THE UNIT FAILURE ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO START IN NEUTRAL OR ANY GEAR. SCC
NHTSA complaint #10011844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
PARK/NEUTRAL SWITCH FAILED ON A MANUAL TRANSMISSION.
NHTSA complaint #10010450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
CLUTCH DEFECTIVE AT 19000 MILES. CLUTCH PLATE FOUND WITH EXCESSIVE WEAR, FUSED TO FLYWHEEL.
NHTSA complaint #10000124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.