Volkswagen GTI harsh shifting problems

Filed Feb 6, 2020 · Engine · 40,150 miles · IL

2017 vw gti 4 door. Se trim. A couple weeks after reaching 40k miles, after driving several blocks and making it onto a main road, the vehicle stalled out and died while in motion at about 20-25mph. This was after what seemed like a very clunky feeling shifting transmission for a few days leading up to the car breaking down. Car smelled like fuel in the cabin. Car needed to be towed to vewdealership in late hours of the evening. Dealership called the next day to say they were able to turn the car on and drive it. No obvious error codes on vehicle and they would do some deeper diving into what can be wrong. They held onto the car for 4 days and were not able to "duplicate the issue" so they returned the car back to me. They thought "maybe a piece of dirt got into a fuel injector but worked it's way out" after not even a week, the car stalled out and died in the middle of a main road again while moving about 20mph. This time after about 10 minutes I was able to get it to turn on and drove directly back to the same dealership with bo error fault codes appearing on the dash once again. No cabin fuel smell this time but stalled out exactly the same. They have been holding onto my vehicle again with no apparent ideas how to repair it. They are going to open a claim with vw. This was a dangerous situation stalling both times on main roads where I could have been rear ended. Children are driven around in my vehicle which can result in serious injury.

Filed Nov 29, 2017 · Transmission · 47,556 miles · FL

Rough up and down shifts with the dsg transmission. I complained several times over the last 4-5 years to vw dealerships claiming that the transmission was making horrible clunking and clanking sounds in lower gears, and would have rougher than usual shifts normally in reverse to drive, and second gear to first gear, or first gear to neutral. They all but ignored it and blamed it on being the "nature of the car" and to "get used to it". This poses an issue though as the transmission is sometimes slow or hesitant to give power or it'll cut power unexpectedly... So from a stop some power is present, but can cut out for a second or two... Leaving the driver and passengers in a dangerous position. It also lurches forward from a cold start when shifting into drive. If someone did not have their brakes fully applied, they could easily hit someone or someone's property from this trait. Now that the car is well out of the 5 year powertrain warranty, vw techs only now recognize a problem with the dsg mechatronics unit, the same part that has an open recall for 10yr/100k on previous models of the gti (2006-2010), and also reported problems on newer models as well (2014+). Vw refuses to extend any coverage to the mk6 generation, and want a total of $2400 to replace the faulty mechatronics unit. Once again, vw refuses to learn from their mistakes and uses faulty parts on newer cars and when they too begin to show issues, they turn their back on their customers. Vw might as well add mechatronics replacement on dsg equipped vehicles as part of their regular maintenance. I have lost all faith in this car brand.

Filed Jul 15, 2017 · Transmission · 47,346 miles · FL

(dsg automatic) harsh shifting from park to reverse, and from reverse to drive. Hesitation from a stop to go. Car feels like it shudders or jerks from a stop to go, and when braking to a stop. Dealer states it's a faulty mechatronics unit and needs to be replaced. Same issues that plagued the last generation of vehicles, and vw was forced to issue a recall due to safety concerns. Dealer tried to get vw to cover cost of repair, but they refused. Dealer wants $2500 to repair. Vehicle currently has 47,346 miles. Currently discussing legal action with an attorney.

Filed Aug 13, 2013 · Transmission · 52,574 miles · OK

Purchased used 2009 vw gti with dsg transmission on 03 aug 13. On 06 aug 13 upon braking and turning a corner the transmission seemingly dropped out of gear, engine revved freely, the transmission re-engaged with a loud clunk in the driveline. Over the next week the frequency of this same problem happening increased until 12 aug 13. On 12 aug 13 the transmission would take several seconds(upwards of 30) to engage either 1st or reverse and in doing so would again clunk on engagement. Also, while driving on a state highway at 55 MPH the transmission downshifted to an unknown gear, the lights on the shift indicator started to flash, and the transmission would not shift. Had to pull to the shoulder and turn off the engine and restart to continue. Within one mile the same process had to be repeated. This continued for the rest of the 10 mile trip to my home. This car is one that was affected by the recall. The recall has been performed on this car but obviously still has issues. Car will be taken to a dealership on 16 aug 13 to have it diagnosed.

Filed Sep 21, 2010 · Transmission · 40,250 miles · UT

My car, an automatic dsg transmission from vw, got stuck in 6th gear on northbound 1-15, almost causing several accidents. The check engine light appeared and a code was "thrown," but the event was dismissed as a potential issue with the mass airflow sensor. Since then, I have experienced extremely hard shifts and unreliable acceleration with my vehicle. Especially on hills. The mechatronics unit has been replaced and the car was returned to me as "good to go." I drove the car one mile, the issue persisted, and I returned it to the dealer. There is clearly a problem with the mechatronics unit and the clutches, but the dealer will not replace them correctly (under warranty). Each time I am told my car is "fixed," I pick it up, drive it and it still has the shifting issues.

Filed Sep 2, 2010 · Transmission · 300 miles · CA

I have a 2010 volkswagen gti that has a dsg transmission that slips,clunks,and has a power loss. There has been 53000 of these transmissions recalled. I have taken the car to the dealership over three times. They offer no solution. I fear that it will break down and possibly cause an accident. I writing you for help.

Filed Aug 17, 2010 · Tires, Transmission · 11,000 miles · IN

Harsh shifting during acceleration in 2008 volkswagen gti with dsg transmission.

Filed Feb 22, 2010 · Engine · 4,500 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns 2010 volkswagen gti. The contact stated he lost the ability to accelerate at highway speed. As he was driving there was a big clunky sound and the vehicle slows down but did not come to a complete stop. He had taken the vehicle to the dealer at least three times but they were unable to identify the failure. The volkswagen manufacturer was called and a claim was filed. The failure mileage was 4,500.

Filed Oct 30, 2009 · Transmission · 12,000 miles · CA

Normal acceleration from a stop or rolling, the dsg transmission will hesitate and produce a very rough shift to the next gear. This is intermittent but almost daily. Car is now in the vw dealers repair shop.

Filed Jul 27, 2009 · Transmission · 6,000 miles · VA

The car has jerking during low speed driving and has hard shifts sometimes. When backing up the car bucks or when taking off slowly or in traffic the car is extremely jerky.