Table 1 shows one common tire related problems of the 2009 Volkswagen GTI.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Tire Sidewall problems |
On 4 Aug 2012 at about 2:15pm my wife experienced a failure of her right (passenger side) rear tire. The tire is a dunlop sp sport 01 as 225/40r18. The car was being driven at about 35 mph on surface streets. My wife heard a "pop" noise and noticed that the tire inflation warning came on. She immediately called me and aaa. They put on the full-sized spare. When I inspected the tire the inside sidewall showed a "split" in one of the seams. I have experienced the same type of failure (inside sidewall showed a "split" in one of the seams) with the same tire type (dunlop sp sport 01 as 225/40r18) on 1 June 2012. That time the car was being driven on a highway at 65 mph. That time the right front (passenger) tire failed. This is definitely a safety issue! both tires failed wit approximately 30,000 miles on them. The dealer indicated that they were safe to install at the start of the summer season. We switch tires twice a year because the dunlops are considered more of a "performance" tire. After the first failure the dealer ordered a pair of tires. He ordered the same ones so the tread would match. Not sure at this point that I will continue with dunlops.