Volkswagen GLI owners have reported 5 electrical system related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common electrical system problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's electrical system (5 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
Abs module failure causing car to randomly lock brakes during cornering/abs activation events. This originally occurred when roads were slippery in winter 2014 (60k on vehicle), continues to grow worse to where it now happens during long slow corners (highway overpasses). Repair from dealership costs $2300 (10% of the price of new msrp), vwoa refuses to assist with repair even though this is a well documented safety issue that occurs on all 2009 vw golf/jetta variants. I have had 3 events with complete loss of traction, and uncounted partial loss events. I had an independent dealership diagnose, and the issue was confirmed as the common failure.
Yet another abs module failure. Clearly a design flaw on the part of vw. The entire dash cluster has malfunctioned. Loud beeps on startup. Abs light. Brake light, stability control light. . . All lit up like a christmas tree. Engine fault - workshop warning. Speedometer doesn't work! fuel gauge wildly fluctuates. Low fuel warning stays lit even with a full tank. Trip computer does not work. Other electrical faults as well probably related to the speedometer malfunction. The car's electronics think it's not moving so all electronic functions tied into the speed of the car are compromised. Trunk release mechanism stopped working. I'm looking at a $2000 repair on a car with only 50,000 miles!! vw needs to own up to this manufacturing defect and provide a fix to its customers.
Abs module failed unexpectedly causing dash lights to come on and totally disabled the abs system. It first started happening while driving, and abs remained disabled until module was fixed and replaced independently. Vwoa would not cover failure of the part.
My 2009 Gli has the same problem the tiguans had in their fuse boxes that lead to them being recalled. The right side lights, main beam, rear light, turn singles do not work after starting the car.
We were driving in a residential neighbor hood at about 25mph and the car suddenly stopped accelerating as if the car was in neutral. Luckily, we were able to pull over and park. The car went into fail safe mode (which I now know). About 5 different error lights were on as well as the gear lights flashing. Put the car in park and shut off the engine, let it rest and then proceeded to restart with the same engine error. The car wouldn't reverse or go over 2nd gear. I can't even imagine if this happened on the freeway it has been serviced regularly at my local vw dealer on time and is now out of warranty. Prior to this specific engine failure, I have had numerous problem with my Gli, from interior, electrical, to the turbo. I started having problems very early on with this car, some were covered by the warranty and some were not. Incredibly disappointed in the quality of my Gli all around.