2016 Volkswagen GTI problems
Owners have filed 84 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Volkswagen GTI. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 23% of complaints. Next are fuel system (21%) and drivetrain & axles (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 84 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 33,000 miles 61 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 | 15 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 61 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 33,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 53,000 miles (12 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 9 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Volkswagen GTI with enough data (70 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.
Center console trim became unglued and sharp. Chrome surrounding the center storage peeled up and cut me several times before I had the piece replaced out of my wallet.
The chrome trim detail around the gear selector base peeled up slightly right in front of the storage cubby. It is not visible from a normal seated position that it peeled up. When removing an item from the storage cubby the peeled up metal deeply sliced my finger and it bled for hours. The peeled up metal is razor sharp. The VW dealer was familiar with the issue on similar vehicles and replaced the entire assembly. This happened in december 2017.
The silver metal trim that borders the gear shifter has started to peel away from the plastic base trim underneath. This is a design flaw and was done because it is cheaper to make a flat metal plate and just glue it on top of the base plate than it is to make an edge that rolls over and down the side of the base plate it is glued to. So in essence when it separates, it's basically a razor blade edge because it is so thin.
Complete engine failure at 80k miles.oil changed regularly. Service at dealer only. P000a camshaft positioner bank 1 intake - slow response p0016 cmp sensor/engine speed sensor incorrect correlation p0068 map/maf < throttle position correlation p164d oil pressure switch for reduced oil pressure no aftermarket parts, completely stock. Dealer says I need a new engine. $12,000.00
Thermostat housing seal failure has LED to coolant leak. Discovered by technician during unrelated maintenance. Car has 76,000 miles.