One problem related to clutch has been reported for the 2006 Volkswagen GTI. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While commuting to work, vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure of the clutch system. This immediately immobilized my vehicle while still within heavy traffic. There were no signs of this impending failure; it happened suddenly and without warning. I was fortunately able to maintain control of the vehicle and safely pull to the shoulder. However, I do feel that my personal safety was in jeopardy during this incident. This vehicle is approximately 9 months old with approximately 20,000 miles on the odometer. The clutch plate apparently broke into several pieces while in operation. I believe this to be either a design or manufacturing defect.