2006 Volkswagen GTI problems
Owners have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Volkswagen GTI. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. Next are fuel system (18%) and air bags (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 57 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 52,000 miles 53 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 10 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 53 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 52,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Volkswagen GTI with enough data (37 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Vehicle was running rough, pulled over and shut off engine. Restarted and vehicle still idled very rough. While calling VW roadside assistance, I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. When I opened the hood I found a large amount of what looked and smelled like electrical smoke. Within one minute, the engine caught on fire. 911 was called and a fire truck came out to extinguish the fire, which was contained in the engine compartment.
Car information: 2006 volkswagen gti 2.0t, 59,279 miles. Incident: went to start car after eating in a restaurant, ignition coil exploded. Melted the wiring harness, valve cover and damaged other electrical components. This could have resulted in a serious car fire and endangered people's lives. There is currently a recall on these ignition coils for emissions problems, but I think there needs to be more investigating done.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen gti. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds she noticed loud noises coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the vehicle was included in a manufacturer's recall for the cam follower in the fuel system. After having the repairs done they informed the contact that there were metal shavings from the recalled component that got into the motor and as a result it needed to be replaced.
Car lost acceleration at approx 40 MPH on 4 lane road. Dealer diagnostic claims broken cam chain. Dealer did not check warranty extension part cam follower which is known to fail (per cory from vwoa) but has another warranty extension part intake camshaft on repair list. There are several hundreds of these incidents happening with a quick search.