2012 Volkswagen GTI recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2012 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 2
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 40
Latest campaign: May 16, 2018

Recall summary by component2

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Unknown or other	1	May 16, 2018	18V329000
Air bags	1	Aug 4, 2015	15V483000

Safety recalls2

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

May 16, 2018Latest campaign


May 16, 201818V329000	Unknown or other If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury. DetailsHide details for campaign 18V329000 What's wrong Volkswagen 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. Risk If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 18V329000 · May 16, 2018
Aug 4, 201515V483000	Air bags: frontal 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. DetailsHide details for campaign 15V483000 What's wrong Volkswagen 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. Risk 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 15V483000 · Aug 4, 2015

May 16, 201818V329000

Unknown or other

If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

DetailsHide details for campaign 18V329000

What's wrong: Volkswagen 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.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Remedy: 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.
Campaign: NHTSA 18V329000 · May 16, 2018

Aug 4, 201515V483000

Air bags: frontal

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.

DetailsHide details for campaign 15V483000

What's wrong: Volkswagen 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.
Risk: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Campaign: NHTSA 15V483000 · Aug 4, 2015

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Volkswagen recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component40

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

40Complaints filed

2Involving a crash

1Involving a fire

0Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%	Crashes	Fires
Engine	13	33	1	1
Power train	7	18	1	1
Service brakes	5	13	2	0
Air bags	5	13	0	0
Fuel/propulsion system	4	10	0	1
Electrical system	4	10	0	0
Vehicle speed control	4	10	1	0
Unknown or other	3	8	0	0
Engine and engine cooling	1	3	0	0
Structure	1	3	0	0
Steering	1	3	0	0
Exterior lighting	1	3	0	0
Visibility/wiper	1	3	0	0
Visibility	1	3	0	0
Tires	1	3	0	0

An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

Service brakes
“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.”
Filed 07/29/2024 · ODI 11605256
Engine
“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.”
Filed 12/28/2023 · ODI 11562435
Air bags
“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.”
Filed 08/30/2022 · ODI 11482092

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2012 Volkswagen GTI recall questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Volkswagen GTI have?

NHTSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2012 Volkswagen GTI. The most recent, 18V329000 (reported May 16, 2018), concerns unknown or other. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What is the most common complaint about the 2012 Volkswagen GTI?

Engine is the most-reported component, named in 13 complaints out of 40 filed with NHTSA (33%). Across all complaints, owners reported 2 crashs and 1 fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2012 Volkswagen GTI?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Volkswagen recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Volkswagen dealer.

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