NHTSA lists 67 complaints for the 2008 Volkswagen GTI, 3 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-10.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN GTI.
At a glance
Complaints
67
With crash
3
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
2
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
340,000
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
457
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN
40
59.7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
7
10.4%
ENGINE
4
6.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
6.0%
AIR BAGS
3
4.5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
4.5%
TIRES
3
4.5%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
3.0%
SEAT BELTS
2
3.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
1.5%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
33
POWER TRAIN
DRIVELINE
2
POWER TRAIN
MANUAL TRANSMISSION
2
AIR BAGS
FRONTAL
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
ENGINE
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.
Defect: CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE HAD A REQUIRED CAP INSTALLED WHICH DISABLES THE HEADLIGHT HORIZONTAL AIM AND SOME VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A CAP THAT DISABLES THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW.
Consequence: NONCOMPLIANCE CAN INHIBIT PROPER HEADLAMP AIM ADJUSTMENT FOR ROADWAY ILLUMINATION, IMPROPERLY AIMED HEADLAMPS COULD CAUSE REDUCED ROAD VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE LOW BEAM HORIZONTAL AIMING SCREW AND INSTALL ONE IF MISSING, AND INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW AND IF PRESENT, THE CAP WILL BE REMOVED. THE RECALL WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 0 open.
PE09035
Opened: 2009-07-17. Closed: 2009-11-19.
VEHICLE STALL/LOSS MOTIVE POWER
THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSIONS, WHICH FEATURE A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX WITH TWO WET RUNNING CLUTCHES (DUAL CLUTCH) IN WHICH THE CLUTCH MECHANISM AND GEAR CHANGES ARE ELECTROHYDRAULICALLY OPERATED BY A MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT.THE DSG MECHATRONIC CONTROLLER INCLUDES EXTENSIVE SELF DIAGNOSTIC FUNCTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATION AND PR
Date: 2026-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
10244545
Date: 2023-10-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
VW Engine oil quality standards
10243299
Date: 2023-09-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
VW Engine oil quality standards
10242897
Date: 2023-09-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
Battery Testing and Charging Using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000VAS Charger. Update Tool terminology
10242894
Date: 2023-09-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
Safety Related Inquiry and Reporting
10241177
Date: 2023-08-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
10239654
Date: 2023-07-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Diagnostic assistance for excessive static current draw
10239653
Date: 2023-07-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
10238308
Date: 2023-06-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Battery Testing and Charging using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000 Vas Charger
10239655
Date: 2023-06-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Battery Testing and Charging using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000 Vas Charger
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.