Power Train Problems of Volkswagen Golf - part 1

The epc light has luminated 3 times in the last several months. The vehicle stutters and will not accelerate past 25 mph. Shutting off the engine and restarting it clears the light and vehicle drives normally. The check engine light does not illuminate and no obdii codes are stored. Manual states to take vehicle to authorized dealership for diagnosis if light stays illuminated.

See all problems of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

The vehicle has a manual transmission and is equipped with a hill start assist feature. This holds the brake on a hill so the clutch and gear may be engaged and keep the car from rolling back. The feature in this vehicle does not release the brake when the vehicle starts moving forward and holds it for a set amount of time based on hill gradient. This had led to stalling of the vehicle, as the clutch and gear engagement process is completed before the brakes are released. This can be dangerous in traffic situations, especially in intersections.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

Over the last two months, I've had over 30 incidences where the car will either randomly shift extremely hard into a gear or will hesitate, stutter, lose power while accelerating. Some of the shifts have been so hard that they've thrown me forward. Some of the losses of power are extremely dangerous as I'm accelerating at highway speeds. I have a full log of at least 30 of these incidents (and detailed as best I could) and they are attached. I picked may 11th because that was the hardest shift/loss of power which caused me the greatest harm. I've been able to reproduce the errors in drive, sport, and tiptronic mode. The errors occur in all gears, but are most common in 2nd and 3rd (although the higher gears are involved as well), which leads me to believe it's not the transmission, yet the mechatronics unit or something outside of the transmission and engine itself. The troubling issue here is that the car is recording absolutely zero fault codes for diagnosis; that is, the car is shifting, stuttering, hesitating randomly and erratically and no diagnostics are being provided to resolve the issue. Technicians are able to guess what the issue is, but cannot give a guarantee what the problem is without the fault codes. This is the greatest safety concern, but luckily no crashes so far. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

When shifting (6 speed manual) the shifter knob has come off the shaft multiple times and must be put back on when driving causing a safety issue. When shifting from 2-3 and 4-5 pressure on the shift knob causes it to sometimes turn counter clockwise and then the know pops of the shifting mechanism. I have to try and match up the knob with the shaft while driving and push it back and turn it clockwise. In the past, shifter knobs where screwed on and torqued tightly to keep them on. This one only requires a slight twist to come on and off the shaft.

See all problems of the 2022 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

The shift knob on the gear selector of my manual transmission vehicle broke off while attempting to merge into traffic while shifting into 2nd gear at roughly 10mph, leaving me unable to select a gear. This put my safety and that of others at risk by temporarily preventing me from moving my vehicle as I was merging with traffic. In addition, this is the second time a factory shift knob has broken in this car. The first one broke and was repaired by a dealer approximately 6 months ago. The shift knob is still in my car, but I will try to replace it soon. This one has not been inspected by a 3rd party yet. There were no warnings or signs of damage prior to the knob breaking off.

The shift knob pulls off the manual transmission shifter shaft under certain driving conditions, such as a fast shift. I believe that the shifter knob retainer clip is loose or broken. This is a safety problem. I first noticed it when I had to make a quick maneuver during a turn. Experiencing the shift knob pull off the shaft while I was downshifting was dangerous and distracting. I reported the issue to the service department at my local vw dealer. They were not aware of others having the same problem and asked me to bring in the car if I knew how to duplicate it. I can’t duplicate it in normal driving. The second time it happened I was braking for a traffic light while downshifting. I was able to push the knob back down without crashing, but it is very unnerving. No warning lights are triggered. I have not taken the car in to the dealer yet for an inspection. I don’t like the idea of trying to duplicate the problem like the dealer suggested. I want them to inspect the assembly and will probably give them an opportunity soon. I’m reporting this because I feel that vw should treat this issue with more urgency.

The shift knob for the manual transmission broke off the shift assembly while accelerating and merging onto the freeway. This is what happened the first time the knob broke off. It has happened 3 times due to the part being physically broken. My safety and the safety of others was at risk. When a car is moving at speed and no longer has the option to shift into a higher gear, you become stuck at a slower speed and this happens very suddenly. If you apply brake then the engine will loose rpm and stall out causing the car to loose control of acceleration suddenly and could result in lose of control. This is stated in the vw owners manual under how to drive a manual transmission. The issue has been confirmed by the local dealership and by vw corporate. The component has been inspected my vw dealership. The vehicle has zero warnings or ways to monitor this.

The gear shifter knob came loose during shifts while driving, detaching from the shaft inside of the leather shifter boot, making it difficult or impossible to select a gear.

This is related to vw recal 37m2. My VIN is not in the recall list, but it has the exact same issue with the shifter assembly. The car does not recognize when the transmission is placed in park. Unable to lock doors.

See all problems of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

Poor quality of the shifter knob component and installation from the factory for the 6-speed manual transmission variant of the 2022 vw gti. The shifter knob can come loose and pop out of the metal shaft while shifting gears in the drive. The poor quality of the knob develops a crack in the corner of the component which can cause the knob to detach from the transmission over time and make the car undrivable. Since taking delivery of the car from the dealership, the shifter knob appears to not be installed properly as the component can feel loose and pop out of the metal shaft and get detached from the transmission. This incident of the shift knob popping out occurred a few times while driving. As changing gears with the shifter knob is a crucial aspect of driving the car, the current component poses a serious quality and safety issue for the car that was overlooked by the manufacturer.

As I was merging onto a highway, the shift lever popped up and disconnected from the linkage as I was changing gears. This left me temporarily unable to accelerate on the on-ramp with vehicle traffic around me. I was able to push back down on the lever and reinstate shifting capabilities but the connection was still loose to the touch and could be pulled up again when I came to a rest after I finished driving. This particular part was eventually replaced under warranty as it had many cosmetic cracks and chips in it. Unknown if this is related to the loose linkage as that is a separate part of the shift boot. This vehicle is the manual transmission version.

Received a low coolant warning and then checked the coolant level. Coolant was low and was topped off. One week later the issue recurred as the coolant level and dropped below minimum levels again. Thermostat housing had a slow leak which was discovered by the dealer. This seems to be a flaw in the design of the thermostat housing as multiple owners are reporting the same issue with the same flaw in the thermostat housing.

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

The manual transmission shift knob has separated from the shift lever multiple times while driving. While shifting between gears, the knob lifts up with the boot off of the actual shift lever and I am unable to complete a shift until reconnecting the knob to the lever. The first time this happened, I was shocked and was nearly hit as I was on a highway entrance ramp and suddenly was not in gear and slowing down in a high traffic situation. Luckily I was able to get it sorted and make a shift with the knob loosely in place and then pull off the road. Firmly pressing the knob down onto the lever seemed to get it solidly attached, but unfortunately this has recurred more than once since then. I'm now aware and conscious to be very careful shifting but to any driver who this happens to the first time could easily be put into a situation of lost control of their vehicle speed or accidentally pull on the steering wheel when the shifter in their hand suddenly is not attached and the movement of their arm to shift results in a jerking of their body since. The shifter in the 2022 gti (as well as Golf r) is a new design and it appears that multiple owners have experienced the plastic attachment cracking, breaking, or otherwise causing the shift knob to detach. Some owners report having a replacement knob installed and a repeat of the same problem. There seems to be either faulty design or manufacturing of the part, and this is a critical component to car control.

During regular operation I shifted the car from 1st to 2nd gear (manual transmission) and the shift knob came off of the metal rod that attaches it to the linkage and transmission. There was no loud crack to indicate something breaking at the time. Thankfully it happened at low speeds and I was able to pull over and reattach the knob and drive it home but the plastic that attaches it to the car is very much broken.

Shift knob cracked off of shaft during routine driving not under "spirited driving" conditions or fast shifting.

During operation, the manual transmission shift knob will become detached from the shift lever and the driver is unable to shift gears. This has occurred while the vehicle was in motion at city and highway speeds.

Shift knob cracked at union with dust boot. Concerned that continued use will cause knob to break off the stem or cause cuts/lacerations of fingers or hands. Issue has been reported on vw gti group pages/forums impacting many owners. Repair of existing oem part under factory warranty does not fix issue as the cracks will occur with the replacement part a second time. Seems the only option is for an aftermarket solution.

The shift knob for the manual transmission cracked at the base, causing it be become dislodged from the transmission during use. I still have the broken knob for later inspection. This was a safety risk as I was unable to put the car in gear while in an intersection. This made me unable to continue my motion out of the intersection until the problem was identified and fixed. The specific incident resulted in no further damage as there were no other vehicles at the intersection at that time. The vehicle has been brought to a certified vw dealership and identified as a problem with the hardware (meaning the technician recognized it was not due to improper use). Neither the vehicle nor the broken shift knob have been inspected by any other official bodies (I. E. Manufacturer, police or insurance representative). There were no warnings of any type prior to the problem occurring, nor have there been any indicators signaling a problem since (no warning lamps or messages).

Radiator/coolant line busting all over engine. Dealership had no clue but deduced it was the incorrect mounting of the radiator. Then came across an article about this scandal. In the shop for a week-dealership was terrible too. Included a photo after problem was fixed, but the dealership neglected to clean the engine. You can see where the coolant dried.

As I was shifting into second gear to merge onto the highway, the shift knob detached from the gear selector resulting in me being temporarily unable to select a gear. I was able to partially reattach it, but it is still very loose and comes off easily. It is available for inspection, but I will be trying to bring it to my local vw dealer ASAP. My safety was put at risk by virtue of being unable to accelerate while merging on the highway. Yes, the problem has been been reproduced by myself - the shift knob is still loose and will come detached if extreme care is not exercised when shifting. I have not had a chance to bring it to my local vw dealer yet, but plan to ASAP. There were no warnings that a malfunction was imminent until the knob came detached.

Shift knob broke off.

Car has manual transmission. The gear shifter knob plastic near base where it attaches to shaft is cracking in two places. Cracks are getting worse and seem like they may fail. Dealer inspected and will replace. Appeared within 2 months of ownership.

The radiator was loose when I inspected it. Seems the radiator clips were not in place causing the radiator to become loose. Which would cause it to fall against the accessory pulley while running causing a hole in the radiator thus creating a over heating problem. Luckely I caught the issue before it became competently dislodged. So far it seems voa doesnt have a recall or a permanent fix for the issue so the diy community has come up with a temporary fix which is not ideal. My car was manufactured in may 2022. If the radiator would come loose driving it could cause an accident on the highway putting other motorist lives in jeopardy.

The gear shift knob for the manual transmission became loose during driving. This made it difficult to shift gears while driving, which makes it difficult to drive the vehicle safely. I was able to pop it back into place when I was stopped, but it has happened 2 times already in 2 weeks so I am concerned that it will eventually become permanently loose.

While shifting the manual transmission, the shift knob and boot came up and off the shifter. Being totally unexpected, I was temporarily shocked, surprised and confused. Luckily, I was on a country road with no other traffic around me and coasted to a stop. I realized what happened and was able to still shift the transmission and get home. Been waiting two months for the part to come in at dealership.

Gear shift knob came off post during shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Component may not be available for inspection, vehicle still at a dealer for repair. Safety was compromised by the distraction caused from shifter suddenly coming loose with no warning and from losing the ability to select a drive gear without re-seating the knob back on the post. As post is covered by shift boot, this must be done blindly by feel. Vehicle is at a dealer service center where it has been determined the vehicle requires a new "gearshift assembly" per phone call and is pending repair at time of writing. . Read more...

The shift knob on my 2022 vw Golf gti cracked and broke off while driving at 500 miles. Was very scary as I couldn’t shift while driving at about 40 mph.

I am resubmitting a previous complaint as I have learned and experienced more problems with the vehicle since my initial complaint. My 2017 vw gti only has 57k miles and I have been taking it to the dealer for proper and timely maintenance. My fuel system is showing signs of failure. Based on research I have been doing online ( I could be wrong) it seems the Volkswagen Golfs have a part inside the gas tank that fails and starts causing a safety hazard. My gas tank builds up pressure and literally expels gas out from somewhere. I started finding a small pool of fuel behind my car when I park at work or at home. I have since parked my vehicle and will be taking it into the dealer for inspection and repair. I read online that the 2015 models have had a recall for a part called a “suction pump” in the gas tank. I think it is safe to assume that my 2017 is having the same issue as the 2015s. Although my year make and model has not had a recall for the unsafe issue. My car is not safe to drive currently. I cannot put gas into the tank, it throttles down and up sporadically and it literally burps and expels gas from somewhere under in the back of the vehicle and the refueling neck. Please look into this issue as I am not the only person who has experienced this. Thank you.

My shift knob would pop out of place easily almost everyday. One day it popped out of place and when I popped it back in it wouldn’t go into any gear at all. I was stuck on the side of the road until it eventually let me go into 1st, 3rd, and 4th but not 2nd. It took longer for it to even let me into 2nd. My car is also having electric issues. Out of nowhere it’ll say that my front sensors aren’t working. My parking brake also has gone out a few times to where I can’t even safely exit my car worried it’ll roll away. The car had a sound coming from the engine and come to find out a sensor was causing an oil leak and oil was getting on one of my belts. My shift knob also has a crack on it and it’s been there since before I hit 1k miles. My car has been at a vw shop for 2 months with no eta on parts.

Radiator not firmly attached to the car. Radiator freely moves back and forth about one inch at the top on passenger side. Radiator, fan and shroud at risk of hitting other engine parts. I investigated this after seeing reports on internet and found that my vehicle has this problem.

After hearing reports that some 2022 vw gtis were suffer total coolant loss due to a loose radiator I checked my own new gti. I found that my gti’s radiator was unsecured at the top on the passenger side and it could freely move back and forth approximately 1. 25 inches. This could allow the radiator, shroud and fan to contact moving parts in the engine bay. Might be duplicate report, I tried earlier and got an error message.

While driving on the freeway the car stopped accelerating and would only rev when gas pedal was pressed. I coasted to the fast lane shoulder and put on hazard lights. Chp had to stop freeway traffic to push me to the side of the freeway. Car eventually restarted and let me put into gear. I drove to auto repair store and they scanned car. Code u0103 came back: no communication with gear shift module.

See all problems of the 2014 Volkswagen Golf 🔎.

Driving 65 mph down highway vehicle shut off with no warning. Fault code shows defective injector #1. Vw tdi (post fix dieselgate). Dealer will not fix because I cleared the code to drive home. Irresponsible for vw to make a car that shuts down completely with no limp mode or short time to clear road.

My car started to loose coolant around 50k. This is a common problem for mk7 Golf which is usually caused by failure of the waterpump housing. Vw is aware of this issue since 2016 but never addressed this problem. I request a formal investigation of this issue and demand vw to recall the vehicles.

Epc light illuminated on dash board. Vehicle was taken to dealer and it was determined that the thermostat housing had failed. Would have caused the vehicle to overheat had it been driven for any length of time with the failure.