2019 Volkswagen GTI problems
Owners have filed 288 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Volkswagen GTI. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 48% of complaints. Next are drivetrain & axles (22%) and fuel system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 288 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 48% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 440 miles 272 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 | 270 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 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 272 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 0 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 0 miles (135 complaints with mileage).
None of these complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 100% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2019 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Volkswagen GTI with enough data (282 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.
The car will stall when slowing down to a stop in neutral, then will require restarting. Problem is more persistent in warmer temperature and also when the oil temperature is above 220 degrees. However does not cause cel or throw any codes. I am concerned about my safety operating the vehicle in this condition because I constantly have to restart the car which can put me in very dangerous situation.
The first time was a couple weeks ago when the engine stalled out as I was pulling up to a stop sign in 2nd gear with the clutch depressed. I was able to start the engine back up and continue operating afterwards. The second time was just last thursday when the engine stalled as I was pulling into a parking spot, again with the clutch depressed.
I purchased a 2019 gti s on march 30th 2019 and in one week's time I stalled out 7 times. 3 of those 7 times were when I was at a complete stop, in neutral with my foot on the brake only (not on the clutch). The other 4 times were in 2nd gear at low speeds between 8 and 10 MPH when I was either pulling into a driveway or going over a long but low and not aggressive speed bump. The stall would happen when I would depress the clutch, not on the release.
Purchased from riverside VW metro auto group, a new 2019 VW golf gti (with 465 miles) equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission stalls excessively. The vehicle typically needs to warm up (oil temp above 210f) prior to seeing this excessive stalling issue. The stalling is apparent when the engine shuts off without warning as car slows to a stop or when preparing to make a turns at intersections. This transpires with the clutch depressed fully and also when the vehicle is in neutral and clutch out.
Re: NHTSA action number dp19003. I have a 2019 gti se 6mt. At low speeds, coming to a stop, with clutch engaged, the car will stall. No warning lights or noticeable sounds appear, but the engine just turns off. Sometimes you don't know it's off until you try to accelerate. A couple of times the engine would quietly shut off while the car was in motion with clutch engaged and gear in neutral. The frequency of this occurence is higher when im in stop and go traffic.