2012 Volkswagen GTI Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I was driving down the road and was coming to a stop sign. I had the clutch all of the way in and shifted into neutral while slowing down I put it into 1st gear with the clutch all the way in and the clutch engaged, causing the car to jerk violently. It went from 2200 RPM to over 6000 immediately. After getting stopped and in neutral I released the clutch pedal for it to stay slammed to the floor. It would not go into first easily with the clutch all the way in.”

“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 sunk down to the floor with no response. After a few seconds, the transmission did shift into gear and took off too fast. In the meantime, I was almost rear-ended. This happens almost every day that I drive in heavy traffic. …”

“While pulling away from a full stop (light) the engine RPM surged to approximately 4000 and the transmission indicator light flashed (a wrench icon). The engine continued to rev but there was no movement of the car as if the car was in neutral. I turned off the car and restarted it. The car then shifted properly and the wrench icon had disappeared. This occurred while in the middle of an intersection.”

“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 won't assist in repairs even though the 2.0 tsi engine has a well documented history of engine failure when the timing chain tensioner fails. They won't fix it unless it is under warranty. If you have this model of engine get it checked before you are out an engine.”

“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 uphill while in first gear. During loss of power train, the engine revved in the 4000-5000 RPM range, smoke was visibly coming out of the engine bay and there was complete loss of brakes, including the emergency brake. …”