10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,613 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #11

Feb 012022

Rabbit

  • miles
ABS control module is malfunctioning and affecting steering and braking as well as the speedometer and acceleration. It was reported to the dealer and will be replaced, however the part is backordered with no ETA. Check engine, steering wheel, brake, EPC, and ABS lights present, first appearing approcimately February 2022.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #10

Mar 032021

Rabbit

  • 115,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the speed odometer went to zero and the vehicle failed to accelerate forward. Several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had not been repaired nor diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 16V913000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electronic stability control) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The mileage was approximately 115,000.

- Orion, MI, USA

problem #9

Jul 302020

Rabbit

  • 146,000 miles
I got problems on ABS system module that's why my rabbit2009 start all the lights on the dashboard and lose the control including the speed meter.cant you help me with that's occured when I'm driving on a highway to my job.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #8

Jul 262020

Rabbit

  • 122,000 miles
The key is stuck in the ignition and will not turn to turn the car off and will not come out. The vehicle was parked and turned off prior to this. When the car was turned on, everything seemed fine until I tried to turn the car off. At this point, the key would not turn down to turn off the ignition, and as a result the car could not be turned off. At the time of this happening, the steering wheel was not locked and the car was in park.

- Glenview, IL, USA

problem #7

May 172017

Rabbit

  • 173,000 miles
The vehicle turned in accessories, beeping occurs and a wrench appears on the instrument panel, ABS, traction control, and E-brake light blinks. Did some research and found out mkv models from VW all have the same issue causing the ABS pump/computer to fail.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #6

Jan 232017

Rabbit

  • 1 miles
2009 VW 2L Rabbit: Driving home in the rain, my car has under 80K. The speed limit is 45, but in the rain, I was doing closer to 40. The street is a fairly trafficked road, double yellow each direction single lane expanding to double lane, concrete islands, and stoplights. Total drive before first shimmy was probably about the 4mile mark. The ABS light comes on, the esp/asr comes on, and the "brake" to the right of that starts flashing in red. The car shimmied when this started, and then the brakes worked but were squishy/sloppy getting to a place to stop. I was informed to get the car towed to the dealership. The dash lights start to flicker. At the dealership they say it is the whole ABS module, and replacing it will cost about as much as the car. They say it is safe to drive: I drive home, because they say the ABS is not connected to vital functions, and electronics. The dash light clears.... drive home. Light comes back on, car wiggles and fishtails, and brakes are squishy and not as responsive. Dash is flickering. I went online and found this is a 2009 known problem. I call the dealership back: Because they are in process of a recall (I found out on this website). I am told I am sol because it is not completed yet, so I can pay for their arm and leg, and perhaps, if the gods are kind, I will get some re-imbursment at a later date. (but don't count on it) all of the fishtailing, and electrical flashing, are done at speeds of under 45mph. The fact that this is intermittent (but probably about to become permanent) is scary! if I had been driving during high traffic times today, it could have been a very ugly accident.

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #5

Oct 082016

Rabbit

  • 59,000 miles
Took my vehicle in as the ABS, brake, esp/asr lights came on and were beeping. Replaced the rotors, brake pads, etc. When I came back to pick up my vehicle, the vag com had multiple faults still showing, come to find out I need the control panel replaced. Vehicle has less than 59K miles, dozens of folks have reported a similar situation in 2009 VW model cars, ABS system malfunctioning w less than 60K miles

- Van Nuys, CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 272016

Rabbit

  • 112,000 miles
Driving into a curve, my ABS brake module failed, turning off my traction control, ABS disabling my power steering. As I was trying to come out of the curve, the steering failed to respond temporarily. I almost T-boned another vehicle, scaring that driver to death...I was able to pull the car out of the turn, over correcting almost putting it in a a ditch... this is a known issue.

- Hephzibah, GA, USA

problem #3

Jun 202016

Rabbit

  • miles
The ABS brake warning light came on....followed by steering light, engine light speedometer failing, gas warning light on, now my car will not start and the key is stuck to the ignition. My power windows not working properly....all started from the ABS brake warning light

- Granada Hills, CA, USA

problem #2

Jan 202016

Rabbit

  • 105,000 miles
While driving around town using the heated seats the passenger seat caught on fire. The cabin filled up with thick smoke and we could not breath. We had to stop the car in the middle of the road. My wife jumped out of the car and we put out the fire. This is a known VW problem that had a full recall in Canada. Astonishingly, there seems to be no mention of this problem on the NHTSA web site. The local VW dealer denied all knowledge of any heated seats catching fire but they instantly gave me a $755 quote to fix the problem with a firm estimate of four hours to replace the electrical elements in the seat. Although the VW dealer had no knowledge of this type of problem they seem to have intimate knowledge of exactly how to repair the seat. Very curious indeed......

- Forked River, NJ, USA

problem #1

Aug 262015

Rabbit

  • 65,744 miles
While driving at a normal speed of 45mph, the car began to shake slightly. All of the instrument panel lights flashed on, and the fuel gauge along with the speedometer began to fail. As a result, the car needed to be pulled over and stopped in order to prevent a serious accident from occurring.

- Oxnard, CA, USA