The 1999 Volkswagen GTI has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,032,708 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, WAGON, AND CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH OR WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY.
Consequence
THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2007, AND WILL BE CONDUCTED IN SEVERAL STAGGERED MAILINGS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21, 2007. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT…
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GASOLINE ENGINES AND DOUBLE-LAYER FUEL TANKS, TENSION ON THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE MAY CAUSE THE FUEL PUMP SUPPLY NIPPLE TO CRACK WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LEAK.
Consequence
LEAKING FUEL, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, MAY CAUSE A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL SUPPLY LINE FOR TENSION, AND INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP SUPPLY NIPPLE FOR CRACKING. IF NECESSARY THE FUEL LINE AND THE FUEL PUMP WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 25, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Complaints by component
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
2
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
1
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints11
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Airbag malfunction. This is the 5th time the passenger side, side-air-bag attenuator on my 1999 vw gti (new gti) has needed service. First time was just after car went off warranty. Vw regional agreed to pay. About 18 months later, same problem -- had to call vw regional to mount the case for them…”
“I noticed that my speedometer was not properly functioning so I went to the vw dealership and they told me that I had a coolant leak and coolant migration. The coolant apparently migrated through the wiring harness to short my instrument cluster. The entire wire harness and part of my instrument…”
“I noticed that my speedometer was not properly functioning so I went to the vw dealership and they told me that I had a coolant leak and coolant migration. The coolant apparently migrated through the wiring harness to short my instrument cluster. The entire wire harness and part of my instrument…”
“I noticed that my speedometer was not properly functioning so I went to the vw dealership and they told me that I had a coolant leak and coolant migration. The coolant apparently migrated through the wiring harness to short my instrument cluster. The entire wire harness and part of my instrument…”
“The rear center seat belt of my 1999.5 volkswagen gti trapped a passenger in my car. Upon exiting the vehicle, the rear center seat belt locked up and would no longer retract or extend, which left a passenger stuck in my car recently (it was necessary to unbolt the seat belt to free the…”
“Safety recall uu 1999-2000 model volkswagen golf and gti vehicles equipped with a gasoline engine inspect fuel supply module for leaks and install connector on fuel line; replace fuel supple module if necessary. *mr while driving home the consumer felt a bump and heard a cracking sound. The…”
“This is a know part failure for all 1999.5-2001 volkswagens. No safety defect listed. *ak”
“The window regulators are a known problem and volkswagen of america will not issue a recall.I've had 2 fail on me with in a years time. I now fear the window will not roll back up whenever I roll my windows down.*ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE04079 Opened 2004-11-29 · closed 2005-04-19
FUEL PUMP LEAKS
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON NOVEMBER 29, 2004, BASED ON FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP.BY LETTER OF APRIL 14, 2004, VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA (VOLKSWAGEN) NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF 35,000 GOLF AND GTI VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN WOLFSBURG GERMANY FOR THE…
InvestigationPE04079 Opened 2004-11-29 · closed 2005-04-19
FUEL PUMP LEAKS
THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED ON NOVEMBER 29, 2004, BASED ON FIVE CONSUMER REPORTS ALLEGING FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP.BY LETTER OF APRIL 14, 2004, VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA (VOLKSWAGEN) NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF 35,000 GOLF AND GTI VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN WOLFSBURG GERMANY FOR THE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Volkswagen GTI as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.