Volkswagen Gti 2003

• Recall 31814 [USA]: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.
  On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
  dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the vin number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.
  volkswagen recall no. N4.Customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov.

• Recall 2006122 [Canada]: Lights and instruments
  On certain golf, gti, jetta, jetta wagon, new beetle, new beetle convertible, passat and passat wagon, the brake lamp switch may malfunction. If this happens, the brake lamps could become inoperative; or could come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked. Correction: dealers will replace the brake lamp switch with a newly revised version. This action includes vehicles previously affected by transport canada recall 03-184 and 04-075. The switch installed during this prior repair may not function properly. Note: parts available december 2006.

• Recall 2005012 [Canada]: Seats and restraints
  Certain vehicles equipped with the comfort seats option may have a seat heater element that can malfunction when the ignition switch is in the "on" position and the seat heater switch is also "on". If this happened, the seated occupant may experience excessive heat in this location. The heating mat could damage, or melt a small hole in the seat. If this were to occur, an electrical/melting smell or small amount of smoke would be noticeable. In some cases, the small hole in the seat could damage the seated occupant's clothing. In rare instances, this could lead to a minor or superficial skin injury. Correction: dealers will modify the driver's seat heater by installing an electrical repair kit and will install a new passenger side seat heater switch.

To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

• Inadvertent side-airbag deployment investigation as of 20041216

  The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.This investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).The crash sensing system¿s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash impacts (wheel, tire and undercarriage impacts) as deployable events.The 97 alleged injuries were minor in nature and consist of abrasions, bruises, ear ringing and headaches.There was no alleged loss of control crash as a result of side-airbag deployment.Odi also obtained counts of alleged inadvertent side-airbag deployments from peer manufacturers.The data shows that the subject vehicles are not unique in being subject to such allegations.The complaint rate for non-subject individual model vehicles varies widely.The rate for the subject vehicles is comparable to three peer models, each with compact chassis/wheelbases.Odi has not identified any component failure or manufacturing trend that may relate to a component or manufacturing issue.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
  

  Show Content

Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

• P1250 [2] Alternator Load Input Failed Low
• P1297 [2] Injector High Side Short To GND Or VBATT - Bank 2
• P0234 [1] Engine Turbocharger/Supercharger Overboost Condition
• P0299 [1] Turbocharger/Supercharger "A" Underboost Condition
• P1557 [1] P1557
• P0103 [1] Mass or Volume Air Flow "A" Circuit High Input

I have a 2003 volkswagen gti and it has a electrical issue my lights flicker by themselves and my hazards come on by themselves as well and i want to put in a new radio but with my electrical issues going i can't do that and when i put my heat on it messes with my head lights they turn off idk what is going on but i can't fix it and i was on a town street when this happened so yeah i need this fixed

I have a 2003 volkswagen gti and it has a electrical issue my lights flicker by themselves and my hazards come on by themselves as well and i want to put in a new radio but with my electrical issues going i can't do that and when i put my heat on it messes with my head lights they turn off idk what is going on but i can't fix it and i was on a town street when this happened so yeah i need this fixed

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle slid over ice and crashed into a tree. The contact indicated that none of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed and the driver sustained whiplash. Medical attention was not required. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the damages were repaired, but the failure was not diagnosed. The contact also stated that while driving and approaching a ramp, the curtain air bags deployed for the front passenger seat and the headliner. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin and failure mileage were not available.

2003 vw gti airbag light came on without an accident, collision, bump or crash and stayed on all the time, this condition makes the airbag system inoperative at the time of a real collision, i belong to a vw club ( vwvoertwx.Com) and this seems to be very popular issue among vw gti two door, technically this has to be a manufacturing defect that vw should be obligated to correct. *tr

Hard downshifts from 4th gear to 2nd gear to 1st gear cause vehicle to slow abruptly and without warning. When approaching a red light or stop sign, transmission shifts unexpectedly from fourth to second gear and then to first gear with no warning to vehicle behind (not breaking heavily) causing near collisions. Five speed automatic transmission with tiptronic feature causes sudden deceleration endangering occupants with possible collision with trailing vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. While driving at speeds of 50 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to move the vehicle from the roadway without incident. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised the failure was due to failed ignition coil packs. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. The failure recurred. The failure mileage was 78,000 and current mileage was 83,000.

Complainant owns a 2003 volkswagen gti 1.8t. Driving home three days ago, check engine light comes on and car starts to stagger and putter. Weird clicking noise. Parked car immediately, ran diag got code P0103 which indicates cylinder misfire. Checked internet and came up with many many other complaining of the same problem and stating that it is a know problem with this model of vw. Called mechanic, he confirmed. Car delivered to mechanic who reconfirmed. Paid $500 for repair. If this is a known problem, why does vw not recall? *tr

The airbag light keeps coming on. Vw votex web page (for vw enthuiasts) lists that it is a known problem with a seat belt sensor that triggers and airbag warning light. I have had it reset three times at 60.00 a session...For a known problem. I have been driving some time with the light on. I have some concern that the airbag would not deploy in an accident. I have written vw about it and was given a lame excuse and then ignored.

Driving to school and was about to pull into the school when i was cut off, swerved out of the way and went on to the curb at an angle to where it only hit the front right tire. I quickly came down and my side curtain airbags deployed. I was going about 30 but slowed down to about 10 mph right before impact. I have hit potholes harder and nothing happens. Seems like a clear malfunction my friend was hit by the airbag, but suffered no serious injuries. The only exterior damage was that i got a leak in my right front tire and had to get it replaced. *tr

#1 ignition coil failed. Car repaired by local repair shop, and within 50 miles, the #3 coil failed. Replaced all ignition coils at 77k miles. Seems premature for a 5 year car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for 40,000 mile service. At that time, the contact was informed that there was an oil pan leak. The oil pan was aluminum and the oil pan drain bolt was made of steel, which has become stripped over a period of time. The stripped bolt was the cause of the oil leak. The contact would have to replace the oil pan at her expense. The current and failure mileages were 40,218.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. The contact stated that there is a high resistance in the driver's side seat belt buckle that causes the air bag light to continuously illuminate. The dealer stated that it is a warranty item and they would not cover the repair costs. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Driver side air bags deployed while i was driving 70mph down i 75 n in ohio. I did not hit, clip or graze another vehicle. Clear malfunction, have pictures to prove it. Luckily it was 5:30am monday august 4th, 2008 and there were few cars on the road. *tr

Driving on highway, oil pressure light came on and beeped. Pulled over within five minutes at next exit, had car towed to shop, told it was likely the oil pickup that was clogged. Called dealership told they would not repair under warranty. *tr

2003 volkswagen gti. During a rain storm, my wipers stopped working and were stuck mid way. The next day i discovered the nut slipped off the bolt connecting the wiper assembly to the wiper motor causing the wipers to stop working while the motor still works. *tr

Noticed a smell as i was driving. Glance out window & noticed my back light was on fire. Pulled over , and tried to extinguish it with a shirt. Almost had it out, but couldn't quite extinguish it. Within 10 minutes the car was totally engulfed in flames. I had to stand there and watch my car burn. It took two fire trucks to extinguish it and i ended up with burnt hands( from melting rubber sticking to my skin) , trying to smother it. How could something like this happen from a back light? I have had the car less than 1 year. It was in perfect condition, with only about 45,000 miles on it. I am out a car, with no recourse! I found that there was a recall back in april 2007, prior to my owning this vehicle. Although , their recall makes no mention of the car bursting in flames! This is a serious problem that needs to be looked into! I am lucky that i saw the fire when i did, or i could have been hurt even worse than i was. I am a carpenter and need my car to get to my jobs. I am out a car, lost a day of work, and now am working with bandaged hands, and the worst thing is...I called volkswagen and got sympathy, and an offer to pay my medical bill, but i am still out a car! Are they kidding? This is a serious electrical problem! What if i had my grandchild in the back seat of that car? Once the headliner caught flames, it was all over. Flames were 20 feet in the air! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. The air bag warning indicator light illuminated. The dealer stated that the passenger air bag was defective because the resistance in the igniter was too high. The dealer stated that the air bag needed to be replaced. No repairs were made. The current and failure mileages were 68,000. Updated 01/11/08. *lj updated *jb

(1) car overheated august 2007 (2) originally assumed thermostat was the problem, however both radiator fans were determined faulty (did not operate in low speeds) and replaced (parts covered by corporate, labor by consumer). Problem determined resolved. Next month (september 2007), check engine light comes back on, but car not overheating. Service technical says thermostat shut open and ect temp sensor needs to be replaced at owner's expense ($546). Engine cooling system could overheat in hot weather. Will determine outcome with vw corporate and/or service center. *tr

Entire clutch assembly. *tr

(1) car engine overheated with air conditioning unit on with 35k miles (4 year old car). (2) dealer repair service technician discovered both auxilary fans (290" and 345") failed to spin at low speeds and operate only at high speeds causing engine to overheat when car is between 0 to 30 mph. Dealer directed consumer parts were not covered under powertrain warranty (4 years, 50,000 miles) and considered electrical parts and to repair at consumer's expense ($918). Corporate office eventually covered part and consumer covered labor expenses. Several other electrical issues have occured with the car including bulb replacements on a/c console, brake lights, and battery failure after 4 years pointing to possible electrical design or integration flaw. (3) fans were replaced and problem was resolved. *jb

Routine usage from adjacent seat mechanism caused wire to fail inside driver's side seat belt harness, causing air bag light to illuminate. Was told by dealer that this is a common occurrence for 2-door golfs and gtis. Was told that air bags will not inflate in a crash until the seat belt harness was replaced. It seems to me that there should be a recall for such a safety related problem due to a design flaw of the automobile. *tr

I had a total loss of clutch hydraulic pressure on 6 speed manual transmission. The pedal was stuck to the floor and i had to move it back up with my hand. I then depressed it again with my foot and the same results. I've done some research on vw enthusiast web sites seeing it''s a common problem amongst 6 speed manual transmission .From that conclusion i figured it was either the master cylinder or slave cylinder. I had the car towed to the dealer, and it was discover a bad slave cylinder. Obviously it is a trend and a costly one at that. Since the slave cylinder is located in the bell housing, it leaked hydraulic fluid all over my clutch. So now i have to replace a perfectly good clutch. *ak

Was driving the speed limit down interstate 5 in washington, adhering to the speed limit. When my passenger curtain airbag and side seat air bag deployed for no apparent reason. It is a 2003 volkswagen gti. My friend sitting in the passenger seat was bruised up rather neatly. *nm

Brake light switch faulty. *nm

The clutch failed on my '03 vw gti after only 48,000 miles leading to an $1,800 repair. While the vehicle was still under the manufacturers warranty, the clutch is not covered. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen gti. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle struck a pothole and the air bags deployed. The dealer stated that the failure emulated a crash and are not responsible for the repair. The contact has pictures. The vin and engine size were unavailable. The current mileage is 60,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 06/08/07. *jb

I was making a left turn across a major highway. Pulled into the lane of traffic when an oncoming car moved into my lane. I was traveling around 20 mph, and consequently slowed to approximately 10 mph. In avoiding the car i turned left and the drivers side of the car hit a curb. The car drove up onto the curb and then quickly off of it. It was not a direct impact, the curb was hit at an angle. The curtain and side airbags both fired on the driver side. There was no significant deceleration, and i have hit pothole harder than this impact and the airbags did not deploy. The car is currently begin evaluated by my local dealer. *jb

Just before 8,000 miles, the clutch of my 2003 vw gti slipped and went bad. As it was still under warrenty, the dealership replaced the clutch and flywheel at no cost to me. When asked why the failure of the clutch occured, i was told that it was due to wear. Now at 35,000 miles, the clutch has failed again, unfortunately this time, not under warranty. This is the second time in two years this has happened, and with a $2000 repair bill by vw, i will have paid for the car twice in ten years. I refuse to believe that vw builds a clutch that will fail due to light to moderate wear as they claim. *nm

I have taken my '03 gti vr6 to the dealer 3 times for the same complaint. When it is raining, there is a squealing noise coming from the passenger side of the car. Dealer could not replicate the problem each time i brought the car to them. They said that it could be the belt but it would not be covered under warranty. I replaced the belt myself and i still get the squealing noise, even with belt dressing. I have also noticed a decrease in engine power when the squealing noise is occurring. My most recent problem now is my speedometer and fuel gauge stop working intermittently. The speedo will be reading my current speed and then drop to zero, bounce back up and back down to zero, up a little bit more and then stay at zero until the next time i drive the car. Seems to do this only on trips greater than 20 minutes. *nm

My 2003 vw gti leaks and has now developed serious mold that we haven't been able to get rid of on our own because the car keeps taking on water every time it rains. I refuse to pay thousands for a major design flaw and i can't always park it under cover. Apparently these leaks are not covered under the warranty. I have a serious mold allergy and can not drive the car for long periods of time. *tr

Consumer was driving at 5 mph and struck a pot hole and side door air bags deployed. Also, side window malfunctioned, and seat recliner broke. *ak

Check engine light came on intermittently. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that the fuel injection system needed to be serviced at consumer's cost. Also, consumer experienced the same problem with another vehicle of the same make and model. The check engine light remained on.*ak

The consumer was traveling 40 mph, but when he attempted to apply the brakes, the pedal went to the floor. The consumer was unable to maintain control of the vehicle and rear ended another vehicle. The driver's side air bag did not deploy, but the passenger side did deploy. The driver sustained head injuries. The consumer refused to go to the hospital. The vehicle was towed and totaled t by the insurance company. Please fill in additional information. *jb

Rear brakes lock up while driving. Dealer could find no fault codes or problem. But the problem is there, they just could not replicate it. Vw customer care- doesn't care.*ak

When the 2003 volkswagen gti vr6 was in a front end collision with a suv and as a result was totaled the driver's air bag did not go off. It seems there may be more faulty aig bags out there in the 2003 year model gti's. Nothing has been done to fix this problem. People, you're safety is at risk.*ak

Events leading up to failure was a front end collision, in which my car was in a front impact accident with a suv. My car is a little 2 door vw gti vr6 2003. The suv was a honda pilot. The failure was that my car was considered totaled by my insurance company and by the body shop my car was towed to and the driver's air bag did not go off. The engine block was cracked and the passenger air bag went off, but i was the only person in the vehicle. I had my seat belt on and my air bag did not go off. The consequences are that my neck and back hurt daily. Nothing has been done that i know of to this day to correct the action. I would suggest looking at the engineering of the computer system dealing with the air bag.*ak

Coolant leakage from hose on right hand side of engine compartment. This has happen a least 3 times also my check engine light has come on at least 3 times. Brought vehicle to vw service they reset the engine light and told me it was the temperature sensor which they claim they change but a month later same thing happen agian. I'm schedule agian for oct 11 2004 for coolant leaking from the same hose that i brought to them several times before. After reading a post here i've also notice that my 03 vr6 gti feels fast some days and slow others wondering if i may have a coil problem.*ak

I had a 2002 volkswagen jetta before this with the same problem. The doors make rattle after a couple thousand miles. I took my jetta in 20 times and no fix. Got tired of it and bought an 03 gti and now i have the same problem. Even if i take everything out of the door holder, i still here a noise coming from the door. *la

The clutch slowly started to slip when trying to move forward eventually the engine would rev at very high rpms with very little forward movement in the car. After much reading, this seems to be a very common problem. My car only had 26,000 miles on it. It is a daily commuter driven mostly on the freeway which should mean very little clutch wear. I took it to a shop to replace it with a more "sturdy" clutch made of ceramic since it was out of warranty already. Approximately 8 months after the clutch was replaced the suddenly stuck in first gear and would not shift out. After taking it to the dealer again, they determined it was most likely the transmission, once they pulled it apart they said the clutch was bad again. This leads me to believe the design of the car is causing these problems, not my driving or normal "wear and tear". *nm

While driving vehicle intermittently stalled/lost power, upon entering the freeway and when pressing on the accelerator pedal vehicle did not gain speed. Took vehicle to the dealer. Problem recurred. *ak

During cold weather (below 20 degrees f), the clutch gradually gets closer & closer to the floor & will not pop back up. I am not able to shift when this problem occurs - the one thing i have been able to do is reach down, pull-up the clutch pedal & then it will work.This problem has happened at least 6 & the car is at the dealer right now getting fixed fro the second time. I bought the car new about a month ago & it has only 1100 miles on it. *ak

While driving at 70 mph rpm indicator began to fluctuate, and depressing the clutch felt spongy. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for a check up. By the time the vehicle arrived at the dealership the clutch was not functioning properly. The dealer replaced the clutch. Currently another clutch was needed. *ak

My clutch failed at 14,000 miles. My ignition fails regularily, the ignition coil has been recalled and now i am having problems with my catalytic converter. I have owned vw's all of my life and traded in my last vw that had 170k on an original clutch.*ak

On my 2003 gti the canister purge valve resonates and makes a knocking noise when idelling. Two dealers agree there is a knocking noise but don't offer a solution.

Hit a curb at a low rate of speed ( less than 5mph) and driver side side impact air bag deployed. Only external damage to car was flat tire.*ak

My vw gti 2003 20th anniversary modle has a poping noise coming from the doors every time i hit a bump in the road or go up a drive way. The dealer said that vw knows about the problem but dosent have a fix for it yeat. This noise is driving me crazy!!!!!! There is nothing worse than rattle or poping noise in a brand new car. Any help with this mater would be helpful. *ak

2003 vr6 gti catastrophic clutch failure. Everything was fine and then i completely lost all of the pressure. Almost got myself killed. Ii think it is the slave cylinder as i never had any problem with the clutch and this happened during normal cruising.*ak

Consumer rear ended another vehicle, and the air bags did not deploy. *jb

2003 volkswagen gti. Ignition coil failure. Dealer replaced (1) of (6) coils for this vehicle. Week later, another coil failed. Suggest dealer replaces all coils when problem exists so customer with a (6) cylinder vehicle does not have to come back six time for a repair. *nlm

Vehicle hesitates/stalls due to ignition coil failue. Dealer notified. Ph. *ak