10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,097 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Volkswagen GTI engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Volkswagen GTI Owner Comments

problem #13

Dec 282015

GTI

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact stopped and refilled the coolant reservoir bottle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed water pump. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure had been persistent, and the water pump had been replaced three times previously. The contact was informed that oil leaked onto the gasket and caused the housing of the water pump to crack, which caused the engine to overheat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Flagler Beach, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 142019

GTI

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Gti. The contact stated that when the engine was started, it rattled inside. The vehicle was taken to demontrond Volkswagen (14101 North fwy, houston, tx 77090, (281) 872-3855) where it was diagnosed that the timing chain and the timing tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where the repair was completed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 190-669-582. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

- Tomball, TX, USA

problem #11

Apr 102018

GTI

  • 68,000 miles
At 68,000 miles on my 2012 VW Gti, I had to have the timing chain and tensioner replaced. However, when I tried to report my repairs for cost reimbursement per the class action lawsuit, I was informed that my VIN wasn't included in the extended warranty for these parts. I would like to have my VIN revisited as clearly, those faulty parts were included within my vehicle as they had to be replaced at 68,000 miles. The need for the repair was determined when my check engine light illuminated and I took my car to the dealership here in greenville, SC. All repairs and maintenance have been done at this dealership since the owner of the vehicle prior to me.

- Taylors, SC, USA

problem #10

Sep 012018

GTI

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car is displaying the same simptoms listed at sevice code 19K5 but VW is refusing to fix the problem. I talked to a representative from VW and she said my car is not included. Please any help or advise 407-790-5101. The water pump is leaking

- Sanford, FL, USA

problem #9

Sep 082018

GTI

  • 84 miles
Engine is misfiring at 84K miles causing the car to need a whole new engine rebuild. I have gotten the vehicle serviced regularly to prevent such issue. Fuel injectors, intake manifold gaskets, and intake manifold were replaced on 2/21/18 and I also had a carbon cleaning this day as well at 79K. All four spark plugs, and ignition coils have also been replaced. With all these preventative repairs I should not be having to replace my engine only 5K miles are all those repairs.

- Herndon, VA, USA

problem #8

Dec 162017

GTI

  • 97,000 miles
The timing chain broke on my VW Gti 2012 even though there is no instruction from VW to replace the chain at 97 K miles. It is estimated to cost me $7000 to fix this car. I see that the timing chain has been an issue for the VW Gti cars and it needs to be addressed with the manufacturer.

- York, PA, USA

problem #7

Nov 292017

GTI

  • 73,530 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On the morning of November 29, 2017 I found that my 2012 Volkswagen Gti would not start. The vehicle has 73,530 miles and has been maintained by a Volkswagen dealer since I purchased it in September of 2013. I drove the vehicle and parked it in my garage the night of November 28 with no issues or indications that anything was wrong. There were no check engine lights. I had the vehicle towed to betten imports in grand rapids, mi for inspection. The technician, kevin, found that the timing chain had jumped time due to a failed tensioner which resulted in damage not only to the timing chain but also the head. The estimated cost of this repair is $3700. I called Volkswagen care and spoke with paul on the afternoon of December 4, 2017. He informed me that since I did not purchase the vehicle from an authorized Volkswagen dealer, Volkswagen would not offer to cover any of the repair expenses even though they are aware of an issue with the timing chain tensioner and have actually issued a technical service bulletin regarding the problem. At no point during my maintenance visits to the dealership did they ever inform me of the issue or possibility of part failure. The vehicle is still at the dealership waiting for a new timing chain which is expected to arrive on December 18, 2018.

- Ada, MI, USA

problem #6

Sep 272017

GTI

  • 92,000 miles
Water pump failed on 3 separate occasions. Had the fuel pump fail, air intake, excess carbon build up on valves, and now total engine failure. The rocker arm for number 3 cylinder broke in half causing total engine failure. Vehicle was in motion during all of the events. VW won't assist in repairs even though the 2.0 tsi engine has a well documented history of engine failure when the timing chain tensioner fails. They won't fix it unless it is under warranty. If you have this model of engine get it checked before you are out an engine.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #5

May 232017

GTI

  • 66,666 miles
P2015 intake manifold runner position sensor/switch circuit range/ performance bank 1.

- Quincy, MA, USA

problem #4

Feb 052017

GTI

  • 43,779 miles
The timing belt tensioner is faulty

- Manassas Park, VA, USA

problem #3

Mar 022015

GTI 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This morning on the way to work, I experienced shaking and hesitation upon accelerating. I turned around and went back home and immediately got the car into the dealer. I was told that the number 2 ignition coil was failing, which was causing the problem. I looked up the problem and found this link: www.vwproblems.com/trends/ignition-coil/ which specifically instructs to contact you to file the complaint. I bought the car on 9/30/2011 brand new. I am not sure the life of the ignition switches, but the car is technically out of warranty, and repairs are being filed under my extended warranty.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #2

Jan 292015

GTI

  • 37,200 miles
Within seconds of starting, the engine stalls (making a sputtering sound) and dies. This seems to happen on warm starts, not hot, not cold. I'm typically able to move the car (only a few feet) before the stall out occurs. The temperature gage seems to be around the 11 O' clock mark when this occurs. Specifically, it's happened after driving the car for 20-40 minutes, then letting the car sit for 1-2 hours. The car starts up again and runs anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour after the incident - closer to the 30 minute mark, pressing the accelerator seems to help the car from stalling. It is difficult to duplicate this behavior, there are no warning lights indicating what the issue may be, and it seems that there is either no fault code generated by the electrical system or it is being erased periodically. This has made it difficult to have the issue diagnosed and repaired by dealer service centers. This is very dangerous, considering it may cause the car to stop in traffic leading to an increased risk of crash. This is not an isolated report, there are other complaints on this site and on several VW forums posted online (these accounts include several videos that confirm this is a consistently experienced problem). Potential issues commonly identified include the fuel pump, fuel filter, or the fuel pump control module. Another VW vehicle - VW tiguan, model year 2007-2014, has been recalled for a similar issue attributed to the electronic control module (ECM) of the vehicle.

- Redwood City, CA, USA

problem #1

Aug 082012

GTI 4-cyl

  • 19,000 miles
Vehicle is a manual 6 speed. Two incidents - first, the car wouldn't engage into reverse from a stop until the vehicle ignition was turned off and on several times. Car operated normally for about 2 weeks. Second incident, car wouldn't engage into any gear while moving 10-15 mph uphill while in first gear. During loss of power train, the engine revved in the 4000-5000 RPM range, smoke was visibly coming out of the engine bay and there was complete loss of brakes, including the emergency brake. The vehicle started to roll backward downhill and was stopped by turning the vehicle into the sidewalk. Towed the vehicle to boardwalk VW in redwood city, ca and the service personnel and tow truck driver witnessed that the vehicle's reverse power train was not engaging properly. After 2 days of diagnostics, the technicians were not able to replicate the issue and concluded that the vehicle was operating within manufacturer specifications. No repair was formally performed.

- San Carlos, CA, USA

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