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2012 Volkswagen GTI: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2012 / volkswagen / gti
known issues6 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-10)
complaints40 on file (2012-01-07 → 2024-07-29)
recalls2
investigations3
fars33 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Timing chain tensioner failure causing engine damageENGINE7 complaints2017-02 → 2019-10gti-2012-timing-chain-tensioner-failure
  • 11267382 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, IT RATTLED INSIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEMONTROND VOLKSWAGEN (14101 NORTH FWY, HOUSTON, TX 77090, (281) 872-3855) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN AND THE TIMING
  • 11053440 ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 29, 2017 I FOUND THAT MY 2012 VOLKSWAGEN GTI WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE HAS 73,530 MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY A VOLKSWAGEN DEALER SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2013. I DROVE THE VEHICLE AND PARKED IT IN MY GARAGE THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 28
  • 11031471 WATER PUMP FAILED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. HAD THE FUEL PUMP FAIL, AIR INTAKE, EXCESS CARBON BUILD UP ON VALVES, AND NOW TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. THE ROCKER ARM FOR NUMBER 3 CYLINDER BROKE IN HALF CAUSING TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DURING ALL OF THE EVENTS. VW
Brake vacuum booster and ABS module failureSERVICE BRAKES3 complaints2016-07 → 2024-07gti-2012-brake-vacuum-abs-failure
  • 11605256 ABS Control Module short and failure occurred. Trouble codes generated include 01325 - Tire Pressure Monitoring Control Module No signal/communication and 01130 - ABS Operation Implausible signal static. Upon visiting an Authorized Volkswagen dealer service center was charged
  • 11174233 WHILE CAR WAS STOPPED BUT RUNNING THE VACUUM PUMP 'BROKE' WITH A LOUD GRINDING SOUND AND OIL STARTED LEAKING EVERYWHERE. PUTTING THE CAR IN MOTION WASN'T A PROBLEM DISPITE THE GRINDING SOUND BUT BRAKES WERE *VERY* HARD TO PRESS AND WAS *VERY* DIFFICULT TO STOP THE CAR. DECIDED
  • 10883458 WHILE DRIVING, I PRESSED THE BRAKES ONE TIME AND THEY WORKED, THE NEXT TIME THEY DIDN'T. NO SLOW DEGRADATION, THEY JUST WENT FROM WORKING FINE TO NOT WORKING AT ALL. THE VACUUM BOOSTER FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY SUCH THAT THERE WAS NO ASSIST AND WHEN MORE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED BRAKE
Water pump failure and coolant leakENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2 complaints2018-09 → 2023-12gti-2012-water-pump-coolant-leak
  • 11562435 The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen GTI. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact stopped and refilled the coolant reservoir bottle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with
  • 11130939 MY CAR IS DISPLAYING THE SAME SIMPTOMS LISTED AT SEVICE CODE 19K5 BUT VW IS REFUSING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I TALKED TO A REPRESENTATIVE FROM VW AND SHE SAID MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED. PLEASE ANY HELP OR ADVISE 407-790-5101. THE WATER PUMP IS LEAKING
Clock spring failure triggering airbag warning lightAIR BAGS5 complaints2015-09 → 2022-08gti-2012-clock-spring-airbag-warning
  • 11482092 My Air bag light came on. Plus all the controls on my steering column do not work, including the horn. I called the VW dealer. They knew exactly what it was. The Clock Spring. This happened in early May. I was told the part has been on back order for 6 months. The dealer does
  • 11287820 THE CLOCK SPRING IN MY STEERING WHEEL HAS BROKEN/QUIT WORKING, VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO REPLACE IT UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT FLAGGED DURING THE RECALL, THE AIRBAG LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ARE ALL ON, MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT TO
  • 11160754 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAG MIGHT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO VOLKSWAGEN NORTH SCOTTSDALE (LOCATED AT 7001 E CHAUNCEY LANE, PHOENIX, AZ
Unexpected shift to neutral or gear engagement failurePOWER TRAIN5 complaints2012-01 → 2015-05gti-2012-transmission-neutral-shift
  • 10442762 DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, I HAD TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE CAR NEXT TO ME TO PASS SO I COULD CHANGE LANES WITHOUT HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE CAR SEEMED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND DID NOT RESPOND WHEN I HIT THE ACCELERATOR. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ACTUALLY
  • 10475406 VEHICLE IS A MANUAL 6 SPEED. TWO INCIDENTS - FIRST, THE CAR WOULDN'T ENGAGE INTO REVERSE FROM A STOP UNTIL THE VEHICLE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES. CAR OPERATED NORMALLY FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. SECOND INCIDENT, CAR WOULDN'T ENGAGE INTO ANY GEAR WHILE MOVING 10-15 MPH
  • 10716470 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN GTI. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE
Fuse block melting causing electrical warningsELECTRICAL SYSTEM2 complaints2016-06 → 2018-12gti-2012-fuse-block-melting
  • 11163121 UPON TURNING MY CAR ON TODAY I RECEIVED 9 SEPARATE BULB OUT WARNINGS. AFTER A LITTLE WHILE WENT AND TRIED THE CAR AGAIN AND ALL THE WARNINGS WENT AWAY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I COME TO FIND THAT ONE OF MY FUSES IS NOT BLOWN BUT MELTED AND SO IS THE FUSE BLOCK UNDER THE HOOD
  • 10872104 WAS DRIVING UNDER NORMAL, DRY CONDITIONS WHEN I BEGAN TO GET MDI NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT FAILED LIGHTING. A TOTAL OF 11 NOTIFICATIONS CAME ACROSS. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM. THE 30A FUSE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FUSE BOX HAD MELTED. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

countearliest_datelatest_datecrash_flaggedfire_flaggedtop_components
402012-01-072024-07-2921ENGINE:13; POWER TRAIN:7; SERVICE BRAKES:5; AIR BAGS:5; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM:4

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
18V32900016/05/2018UNKNOWN OR OTHERVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
15V48300004/08/2015AIR BAGS:FRONTALVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

Investigations all years →

action_numberstatussubjectcomponentsopenedclosedrecall_campaignsummary
EA18003openAir Bag Clockspring FailureAIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE2018-04-18··In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen models.Contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to tear resulting in loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag and any steering wheel mounted controls.The loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag will result in illumination of the air bag warning light and will prevent operation of the front driver air bag in a crash of sufficient severity requiring a commanded deployment.In November 2017, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ17-009) after the agency received 90 complaints alleging failure of the clockspring in the subject models.Several of the complaints allege failure of the clockspring after receiving the recall remedy.The majority of the complaints allege the same failure mode without being included in the original recall, 15V-483.In its March 2018 response to ODI's Information Request under the Recall Query, Volkswagen provided approximately 700 consumer complaints and field reports on the recalled vehicles.These reports allege clockspring failure similar to the NHTSA reports described above.To date, NHTSA has received approximately 154 allegations of clockspring failure since the recall has launched.The total of 852 reports shown in the table above eliminates 6 duplicative reports received by ODI and the manufacturer.An Engineering Analysis has been opened to further evaluate the scope and effectiveness of the remedy associated with 15V-483 and perform a thorough review of the design changes implemented by Volkswagen and its suppliers to address this issue.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.NHTSA.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: 11080741, 11079877, 11079805, 11079124, 11076709, 11076645, 11076297, 11076249, 11076133, 11075756, 11075726, 11075358, 11075259, 11075055, 11074920, 11074565, 11073090, 11072745, 11072457, 11072089, 11071933, 11071880, 11071630, 11071592, 11067396, 11067061, 11066738, 11066601, 11066511, 11065909, 11065871, 11065262, 11064701, 11064564, 11064544, 11064531, 11063961, 11063501, 11063095, 11062772, 11062464, 11062353, 11062344, 11061463, 11061310, 11061311, 11060735, 11058154, 11057519, 11057477, 11057341, 11056793, 11056243, 11056063, 11055639, 11054279, 11052812, 11052678, 11052384, 11052228, 11051336, 11051155, 11051074, 11048803, 11047037, 11044226, 11043653, 11039142, 11033893, 11033330, 11032548, 11025475, 11025356, 11024647, 11023423, 11020570, 11020312, 11019415, 11019067, 11015441, 11015431, 11014595, 11014016, 11013709, 11013415, 11012596, 11011753, 11006668, 11006521, 11006307, 11006181, 11005301, 11003865, 11001780, 11001783, 11001334, 10994184, 10993360, 10993524, 10992490, 10985926, 10983678, 10981220, 10980831, 10980941, 10980549, 10979418, 10971152, 10967344, 10967155, 10959968, 10958624, 10957279, 10956488, 10949129, 10947562, 10945122, 10936498, 10936543, 10933950, 10927311, 10925421, 10924034, 10915612, 10915569, 10911171, 10902066, 10898733, 10896537, 10896510, 10895526, 10893938, 10891686, 10864967, 10863742, 10861984, 10851242, 10822505, 10821562, 10818403, 10795068, 10794402, 10788738, 10787804, 10782544, 10780725, 10780145, 10779145, 10776477, 10775448, 10763492, 10763423, 10763289, 10762670, 10760644, 10758777, 10749901, 10748922
PE15010closedAir Bag Clockspring FailureAIR BAGS:FRONTAL2015-03-242015-09-2815V483000The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (SCCM) failures in model year (MY) 2012 Volkswagen Passat and CC models.The SCCM is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system while allowing for the turning of the steering wheel.Complainants alleged that that the clock spring failed while driving and without warning.When the SCCM fails electrically, an air bag war
RQ17009closedAir Bag Clockspring FailureAIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE2017-11-132018-05-04·In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen models.Contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to tear resulting in loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag and any steering wheel

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-202433legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2012 Volkswagen GTI vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/volkswagen/gti
@misc{wrenchpro_2012_volkswagen_gti_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2012 Volkswagen GTI},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/volkswagen/gti}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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