2015 Volkswagen GTI problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen GTI. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 33% of complaints. Next are fuel system (16%) and drivetrain & axles (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 123 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 28 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 70 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 | 13 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 16 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 70 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 50,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 59,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 28 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Volkswagen GTI with enough data (79 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
The trim around the DSG shifter has deteriorated and has left behind several very sharp edges. Cuts on fingers and hands happen frequently when using the shifter normally to change gears. Trim at the base of the shifter has also deteriorated, commonly causing cuts when using the storage compartment just in front of the shifter. This vehicle has limited miles and has predominately been stored in a garage.
The chrome trim frame on the manual gear shift cover cracks and flakes off, causing dangerous sharp edges that have cut the hands of multiple members of my family. Same as the issue causing VW Service Action 34J7/34L9 except for manual transmission vehicles. Dealership looked up my VIN and said no recall or Service Action was available even though they know it's a common issue.
I was driving approximately 45 MPH on the highway in jacksonville, fl when my sunroof suddenly exploded sending glass shards everywhere. The glass broke from the inside out based on the orientation of the remaining shards attached to the sunroof frame. This was at 8:45am while traveling in morning work traffic. The loudness and intensity of the glass breaking nearly caused me lose control of my vehicle.
I encountered a close red light and braked hard enough to activate ABS from 35 MPH in dry road conditions on a suburban highway. When I took my foot off the brake and applied gas after the green light, the car began to travel backwards! I braked again and found that the gear shifter had gone into the reverse position. I believe the braking deceleration caused the gear shifter to travel forward against any mechanical restraint and come to rest in the reverse setting.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 volkswagen gti. The contact stated that there was a drastic loss of engine power, metal was extracted from the exhaust manifold, and there was excessive smoke and oil. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the dealer repair the vehicle. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000.