Vehicle report
2012 VOLKSWAGEN GTI
This model year
What the record shows
The 2012 Volkswagen Gti is a compact car, and the 28th model year of a nameplate NHTSA records from 1985 to 2026.
The EPA rated two configurations: a single 2-litre four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive only, two transmissions and running on premium gasoline.
Combined fuel economy ranges from 25 to 27 mpg depending on which one you have.
The federal record holds 40 owner complaints, 2 safety recalls and 665 service bulletins for it.
Counts are reports, not rates. A complaint is something an owner chose to file; it is unverified and unadjusted for how many of these cars were sold, so the useful comparison is against other model years of the same car. Recalls and investigations carry more weight because a manufacturer or regulator acted on them.
Reading this report
Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.