2015 Volkswagen GTI: engine failure

Filed Sep 8, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · FL

Vehicle started to show intermittent coolant gauge fluctuation with simultaneous loss of cruise control function. The coolant gauge would show cold, then hot. After visiting a dealer, a coolant leak was identified from a crack in the Thermostat/Water Pump housing along with corrosion in the coolant bottle. In addition, the trunk latch failed, likely from a faulty windshield washer fluid valve leaking onto the electrical equipment. All parts were replaced. Within another 3 months the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. All parts were repaired at a Volkswagen Dealer. The overheating of the engine and failure of the fuel pump could have caused engine failure and the car to lose immediate power, causing a fire or crash. The faulty rear door latch could have caused the door to open while driving. All of these issues occurred without warning. Check engine light, EPC and disabled cruise control lights came on at the time of the problem. The vehicle also restricted the speed of the car and maximum RPMs allowed.

Filed Oct 16, 2021 · Engine · IL

Hello - I own a MK7 VW GTI with approximately 42,000 miles. The vehicle has consistently had a "check engine" and "Low Coolant" light since approximately 20,000 miles and 3 years. The dealer checked the car but did not see a leak under their test. However, the car was diagnosed with a leaking water pump and thermostat which has been replaced out of pocket by an independent. This is apparently common with MK7 GTIs and can cause engine failure and stalling in the middle of the road.

Filed Jul 27, 2021 · Engine · VA

The engine blew while stopped at a light at an intersection. The car was unable to restart. We were told there was no compression in cylinder 3. This car had received regular maintenance at the dealer. If the car had been in motion, the driver and passengers could have been seriously injured. The engine only had 67,000 miles on it and no known problems beforehand.

Filed Apr 9, 2021 · Engine · 90,000 miles · SC

Paid to have new vw turbo put in car and it lasted 116 miles. Took it back and it was diagnosed that the turbo had failed and the turbine broke and fell into the motor. As a result it blew the motor. Vw warranty refused to warranty the part and take any responsibility for the blown engine. Even the dealer ship agreed it was a faulty turbo and as a result it blew the engine.

Filed Jul 7, 2020 · Engine · 59,234 miles · HI

After having my 2015 vw se 4-dr 2.0t auto pzev into the dealership's service center for A/C issues. Two weeks later the engine light came on and I immediately parked the car. The car was towed to the dealership with this as the problem. Replace engine and turbo! Over $17,000!

Filed Jul 15, 2019 · Engine · 67,500 miles · VT

While driving, the cel came on. We had the car scanned for codes. Researching the codes, we believed the issue to be crank walk. We took the car to a local shop who confirmed that thrust washers had dislodged and begun deteriorating. This is essentially a catastrophic failure as the car cannot be driven without causing significant further damage to the engine. Most cost effective solution is to replace the engine ($3500 + labor). We have spoken with vw and presented them with 17 other cases of the same failure since 1/1/2019, but they are unwilling to work with us since we did not go to a vw dealership. The vw dealership labor rate is ~50% more expensive than our shop which is equally as qualified to identify an issue such as this. Vw executive group advised me that if we took the car to a dealership so they could diagnose the issue, there would be potential for good faith assistance but nothing is guaranteed. That would require us being prepared to take on upwards of $1000 additional expense for the same repair process. This expectation is unreasonable and this type of failure, with the frequency we've been able to see indicates a serious engineering flaw that is costing owners excessive amounts of money for repair almost immediately after the warranty has expired.

Filed Dec 26, 2018 · Engine · 60,673 miles · FL

I am writing about my 2015 vw gti. I am the second owner of this car. Like most gti owners, I thought that it was a great car. I am the 2nd owner of this car, and I purchased the car about 18 months ago when it had about 25,000 miles on it. Over the past year, I have had numerous problems with oil leakage from the car. This past week, the check engine light went on again. The attached records show all the routine care and special care that I had to give this car during the past year. I took the car back to the same dealership and the dealership found pieces of pistons and the piston ring in the oil drip pan. The paper work is attached along with a picture. Who ever heard of pistons falling apart in a car that was well taken care of and with only 60,000 miles? This is preposterous. The technician at the dealership indicated that this was the third car this year on which he worked with the same problem. The car needs a new engine to a cost of at least $10,000. The car is not drivable anymore as it has no acceleration. The car is worthless unless someone wants to put in a new engine. I am sending this note to various government agencies to notify them of this obviously defective car. If I find out that other cars are having this problem suggesting a pattern of defects covered up by the manufacturer, I will hire a lawyer and seek legal redress. In the meantime, as an average worker who works for a living, I am off to buy a new car at a honda dealership which hopefully will be more reliable. This will set me back an enormous amount of money which I cannot afford, especially since I still have payments to make on the 2015 gti which right now is completely worthless.

Filed Feb 7, 2018 · Engine · 18,050 miles · IL · fire

On 12/20/2017, engine failed @ 18050 miles and caused instantaneous loss of power in traffic. Engine failed directly off lakeshore drive in chicago, which has no shoulder. A strong smell of burning plastic and rubber was emanating from the engine compartment after the breakdown. Vehicle was towed into dealership and repair took 40 days, as engineers in germany had to be consulted on the proper repair method. Service advisor informed me he was "surprised they didn't put a new engine into the vehicle". Upon the vehicles return to us, on three separate occasions the vehicle revs dropped suddenly and we experience a severe drop in engine power for 2-3 seconds, once while turning and traffic was heading towards our car. Vehicle was returned to dealer for further repair but no issues were found and we were asked to try to get video recordings of the issue. To date the vehicle has been out of service for 45 days, and the issue almost resulted in causing an accident.