Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
As per NHTSA 16v-913 my Volkswagen Rabbit has been presenting the symptoms stated in the safety recall. The abs light, electronic stability control, and brake light have come on numerous times and hard braking, and in not so hard braking in the snow. He problem has progressively worsened to the point that these lights no longer go out after and ignition cycle. I am essentially driving without abs or stability control, one of the main reasons I purchased this car. The code for u0121 lost communication with anti-lock brake system (abs) control module no longer clear with a hand held code reader or a laptop running ross-tech's vcds software. I took my broken Volkswagen to danbury vw in danbury CT to perform the safety recall (16v-913). Because of not being able to communicate with the abs control module to upload the new software, they have denied the recall and say I must foot the bill to replace the module so they can then upload the new software to see if they get the code for faulty solder joint. Volkswagen is trying to side step this issue. I believe my car would have been able to upload the software when this issue first started happening, but now the abs control module has completely failed, probably due to the bad solder compound. Now they are denying claims, I am not the only one. The nthsa needs to look deeper into this problem.
Intermittantly loose speed on its own for a split second and also speedometer will drop to 0 mph and almost instantly come back to correct speed. This intermittant issue can cause some to rear end my car, this is a safety issue on hi-way or free way driving.
2009 vw 2l Rabbit: driving home in the rain, my car has under 80k. The speed limit is 45, but in the rain, I was doing closer to 40. The street is a fairly trafficked road, double yellow each direction single lane expanding to double lane, concrete islands, and stoplights. Total drive before first shimmy was probably about the 4mile mark. The abs light comes on, the esp/asr comes on, and the "brake" to the right of that starts flashing in red. The car shimmied when this started, and then the brakes worked but were squishy/sloppy getting to a place to stop. I was informed to get the car towed to the dealership. The dash lights start to flicker. At the dealership they say it is the whole abs module, and replacing it will cost about as much as the car. They say it is safe to drive: I drive home, because they say the abs is not connected to vital functions, and electronics. The dash light clears. . . . Drive home. Light comes back on on, car wiggles and fishtails, and brakes are squishy and not as responsive. Dash is flickering. I went online and found this is a 2009 known problem. I call the dealership back: because they are in process of a recall (I found out on this website). I am told I am sol because it is not completed yet, so I can pay for their arm and leg, and perhaps, if the gods are kind, I will get some re-imbursment at a later date. (but don't count on it) all of the fishtailing, and electrical flashing, are done at speeds of under 45mph. The fact that this is intermittent (but probably about to become permanent) is scary! if I had been driving during high traffic times today, it could have been a very ugly accident.
I believe the faulty abs was the reason I got in a car accident on Dec 20, 2016 and again on March 14, 2017. On Dec 20, I was driving on the highway in chicago, after recent snow, so roads were a little wet. 2 other cars hit each other in front of me, so I pressed the brake pedal with more than enough distance between me and them to stop in time in most correctly functioning cars. When I put brakes on, I realized I wasn't slowing down quick enough, and ended up hitting the car in front of me. I originally attributed it to conditions, but now I believe bad abs allowed this accident to happen. On March 14, I was also driving on the highway after recent snow, and a little snow fell on the lane in front of me (I think from 18-wheel truck in right lane), I applied brakes, started fishtailing, and ended up loosing control and ended up doing 180 before another car hit me. Both times driving speed was slow, nobody got hurt in accidents. Again, I've driven in rain, sleet, snow, and ice alot of the years and never had problems, so I believe the bad abs allowed this accident to happen.
Last month the passenger side back rear door stopped locking, even after pressing the lock button. We took it to the shop and paid $400+ to have it fixed. A month later, the driver side rear door decides to stop locking. One door is understandable, but the fact that both doors stopped locking within two months of each other is pretty suspicious. Sounds like a solid case of negligence on Volkswagens part.