list your electrical gremlins

OK, these cars are definitely known for being electronically finicky. I know there's a million threads out there about different issues, but I wanted to make one thread that collects all the common failure points in one place (my apologies if something like this already exists).

My 08 FSI with 47k miles that I just picked up has the following issues:

- driver side door sensor is intermittent
- rear map lights do not work, manually or automatically
- trunk light does not work

I figure these things are pretty minor, but it's my fault I didn't pick up on them when buying the car.

What all issues are you guys currently having?

Can't adjust the driver side mirror electrically..
08 126,000 miles

Well, I just got an airbag light, lol. I think it's from turning the car on without plugging the center airbag light in while I was installing a slim subwoofer yesterday.

I only have a KII USB cable right now, looks like I'll be ordering the can bus earlier than expected.

Driver's door module intermittent
Rear hatch doesn't unlock occasionally
Just those two at the moment, but a dozen or so issues along the way.

Non so far. Touch wood.

Sent from my ZTE T230 using Tapatalk

The factory radio/head unit does the automatic volume increase as I'm just rolling in traffic or down the road. It's very intermittent and the car had 57K on it when I bought it and it's always done this. To return to the original volume all I have to do is switch to a different band (From AM to FM or vice/versa) and back again and it's just another WTF!
It works on a hard acceleration as it's supposed to so it's not really broke, just flakey...

I have learned that VW's in general tend to have a lot of electrical issues. Other owners I run across have the same problems. Here is just a list of the electrical issues I have had in the last few years (plenty more mechanical issues):


04 Jetta

- Auto trans speed sensor goes out about once a year (stops shifting)
- Radio is crap


07 GTI:

- Intermittently the drivers door will not sense open
- Lost a coil pack and had misfires
- Currently has locked in VCDS issue with headlight adjustment motors(L & R)

09 TDI:

- Intake flap motor went bad
- Exhaust flap motor went bad
- 3 of 4 door lock mechanisms went bad
- Radio died

10 TDI:

- Intake flap motor went bad
- Exhaust flap motor went bad
- Radio died