Major Problems with Volkswagen Rabbit Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Volkswagen Rabbit to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Volkswagen Rabbit

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Volkswagen Rabbit.

Model Year	Complaints
2009 Rabbit	52
2008 Rabbit	21
2007 Rabbit	51
2006 Rabbit	13

Worst 3 Volkswagen Rabbit complaints

2008 Volkswagen Rabbit AIR BAGS Victims: 2 Mileage: 14000 miles

2009 Volkswagen Rabbit AIR BAGS Victims: 1 Mileage: 50000 miles

2007 Volkswagen Rabbit AIR BAGS Victims: 1 Mileage: 30000 miles

Browse Volkswagen Rabbit complaints by category

Problems with SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Volkswagen Rabbit owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
SERVICE BRAKES the abs brake and stability control warning lamps came on during a scary event on the expressway. i hit the...	42 ~ 77183 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM while driving at a normal speed of 45mph the car began to shake slightly. all of the instrument panel lights...	23 ~ 65564 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL the abs brake and stability control warning lamps came on during a scary event on the expressway. i hit the...	23 ~ 97811 miles
STEERING my car has been running fine since purchase and i have had all the necessary maintenance done to prevent issues....	15 ~ 76962 miles
AIR BAGS i had observed twice that the abs and brake system lights illuminated under heavy braking. i read the service manual...	15 ~ 63480 miles
POWER TRAIN after driving at approx. 70- 80 mph on highway for over 1 hour and stopping would feel off after coming...	14 ~ 81076 miles
SEATS while driving around town using the heated seats the passenger seat caught on fire. the cabin filled up with thick...	12 ~ 74004 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL while driving at a normal speed of 45mph the car began to shake slightly. all of the instrument panel lights...	12 ~ 85637 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen rabbit. he stated that the vehicle was equipped with a knock sensor and...	7 ~ 8386 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER intermittantly loose speed on its own for a split second and also speedometer will drop to 0 mph and almost...	6 ~ 54617 miles
ENGINE the car would shake in the highway and would not accelerate at certain moment. also stops randomly i don't know...	6 ~ 97000 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING standard automatic rabbit 2.5 coupe... stalls often during take off after warm up. not completely but powering down from 1500...	5 ~ 29443 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen rabbit. while driving 60 mph the vehicle lost steering ability. in addition the...	4 ~ 43742 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen rabbit. while driving 45 mph the vehicle accelerated at higher speeds. while depressing...	4 ~ 156476 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM the car would shake in the highway and would not accelerate at certain moment. also stops randomly i don't know...	4 ~ 81000 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING i own a 2007 volkswagen rabbit. about 4 months after i got it it started stalling. only when my car...	3 ~ 15833 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING i own a 2008 volkswagen rabbit 2 door model. this vehicle has an auxiliary power plug (12v cigarette lighter type)...	3 ~ 21333 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES last month the passenger side back rear door stopped locking even after pressing the lock button. we took it to...	2 ~ 70900 miles
TIRES my 2008 volkswagen rabbit with only 4130 miles had been parked for four hours (in a shaded area) when the...	2 ~ 19315 miles
PADS > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS i have a 2007 vw rabbit purchased august 13 2007. manufactured 05/2007 my brakes appeared to be squealing under light...	2 ~ 5183 miles
WHEELS the vehicle turned in accessories beeping occurs and a wrench appears on the instrument panel abs traction control and e-brake...	1 ~ 173000 miles
SEAT HEATER/COOLER > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS i had the heated seats on at the lowest setting of 1. i was driving on the main road by...	1 ~ 93000 miles
SUSPENSION takata recall. rabbit is unlisted but contains exact equipment as other models. does this pertain to the vehicle? also. weight...	1
VISIBILITY/WIPER the car would shake in the highway and would not accelerate at certain moment. also stops randomly i don't know...	1
SIDE/WINDOW > AIR BAGS 2009 volkswagen rabbit. consumer writes in regards to side airbags not deploying during crash *tgw the consumer stated her son...	1
DOOR > BODY > STRUCTURE #1: body: noted that driver's side door latch would not lock and trouble with securing. door open alarm would not...	1 ~ 122163 miles
LATCH > DOORS > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES #1: body: noted that driver's side door latch would not lock and trouble with securing. door open alarm would not...	1 ~ 122163 miles
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES i want to inform you that there may be a defect in the first generation tpms valve adapters used in...	1 ~ 11000 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING i own a 2009 vw rabbit. about a year after owning it i started noticing a moldy smell in the...	1
COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING i own a 2009 vw rabbit. about a year after owning it i started noticing a moldy smell in the...	1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR i leased a 07 rabbit and after about 12k miles my rear brakes started making weird scratching sounds. and it...	1 ~ 31000 miles
WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen rabbit. the contact stated while operating the windshield wipers and applying the brakes...	1 ~ 20000 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY i purchased a new 2008 vw rabbit with sunroof sept '08. sunroof repaired 10/'09. jan '10 roof damaged by tree...	1 ~ 68 miles
MARKINGS > TIRES my 2008 volkswagen rabbit with only 4130 miles had been parked for four hours (in a shaded area) when the...	1 ~ 4130 miles
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY > POWER TRAIN my car is a 2009 vw rabbit at the time of the incident it had about 10 000 miles. i...	1 ~ 10000 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN the engine loss power not only when you stop but when running too. it happens in a intermitent time. if...	1 ~ 1000 miles
PARKING BRAKE excessive brake wear at 6k miles on my car due to over tightening of parking brake at factory thus causing	1 ~ 6000 miles
ROTOR > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS i have a 2007 vw rabbit purchased august 13 2007. manufactured 05/2007 my brakes appeared to be squealing under light...	1 ~ 10366 miles
FUEL PUMP > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE after getting off from work in new jersey the car suddenly stopped running. battery light and check engine light was...	1
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM car has been towed to the dealer 3 times in the past 7 months and 4700 miles with the same...	1 ~ 4650 miles
HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE the vehicle was brand new less than a day old from the dealership with only 240 miles on it. the...	1 ~ 245 miles

FAQ

What year Volkswagen Rabbit is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 4 years, Volkswagen Rabbit models of 2006, 2008, 2007 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Volkswagen Rabbit?

Volkswagen Rabbit models of 2009 and 2007 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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