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Air bagsPart report

2009 Volkswagen GTI Air bags Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
2%of 167 total for the year
Median mileage
69,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the air bags of the 2009 Volkswagen GTI, 2% of the 167 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 69,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Takata recall my Volkswagen has many problems that I believe are factory defects. Starting with the airbag fault warning that comes on as soon as I start the vehicle. Then itstarted loosing coolant to tbe point that k was having to pull over every 30-50 miles to put more. And this only happens when the engin has been running for about 5 mins. Then the check coolant comes on and shortly after it says check oil pressure turn off engine. Ive had to put more work into this car than what its worth. …”

NHTSA complaint #11231751, filed 2019-07, 151,000 miles

“Airbag fault indicator is erroneously present. Now the airbags are not active even with passengers onboard. Dealership us asking me to pay the 55 dollars to get the light reset for the airbags to work.”

NHTSA complaint #10630640, filed 2014-09, 88,000 miles

“While pulling into a gas station after leaving a stop light, the steering wheel mounted buttons and lights (horn, steering wheel, etc) flickered off when turning. At that point, the buttons failed to work unless the wheel was turned almost to full lock clockwise. It took about a day of driving until the airbag light finally came on telling me there was a fault. Further investigation LED to a faulty airbag clockspring. Numerous instances of people reporting similar failures on vw forums with similar model years. …”

NHTSA complaint #10485287, filed 2012-11, 50,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Air bags: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201724%
201657%
201533%
2014110%
2013412%
2012513%
201135%
201024%
200942%
200834%
20071114%
2006716%
2005113%
2004457%
20031834%
20022319%
20011926%
200049%
1999113%
1998220%

Other parts of the 2009 Volkswagen GTI

Brakes
98 complaints
Electronic stability control
69 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
32 complaints
Electrical system
31 complaints
Steering
20 complaints
Engine
15 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Other or unknown
5 complaints
Fuel system
4 complaints
Engine cooling
2 complaints
Exterior lighting
2 complaints
Equipment
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 Volkswagen GTI

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology