Affected Years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Volkswagen GTI. Our law firm is also investigating the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Volkswagen GTI for the same issues.
These issues seem to arise from defects in the Anti-lock Braking System.
One of the most significant safety improvements for cars since the automobile was invented is the anti-lock brake system, or ABS. Most vehicle owners are shocked to learn that the first identified need for ABS was in aircraft, and that it was first invented in the 1920s. The purpose of ABS has remained the same from the beginning: to prevent tires from skidding when slowing a vehicle to a complete stop as rapidly as possible. The ABS products on our vehicles today have been mandated as standard since 2012, and many people have never operated a vehicle without them.
A major safety hazard that exists today is vehicles on the road with the ABS light on and the vehicle system logging an error code. This, in all likelihood, means that the ABS is not working correctly. Your Volkswagen GTI will still stop, but under certain conditions, it won’t do so without locking the wheels, triggering a slide or skid, and making the vehicle difficult to control. If you have issues with your Volkswagen GTI antilock brake system, and the dealer has been unable to get it successfully repaired after several attempts, it can now be considered a Lemon Law eligible defect, making your VW eligible for remedy under Lemon Law in California. If the manufacturer is unwilling to respond or negotiate with you, then you might need to hire a Volkswagen GTI lemon law attorney. If you believe this is the next step, please call Guardian Lemon Law. We can sue Volkswagen for selling you a defective, lemon Volkswagen GTI.
Filing A Lawsuit To Begin A Lemon Law Claim
It is normally not necessary to file a lawsuit to make a Lemon Law claim, especially if the manufacturer is willing to work with you on your claim and request. The process may not require legal representation in a formal sense. Still, Guardian Lemon Law wants you to understand that a manufacturer like Volkswagen will have lawyers engaged in the process, and you are going to have to sign some paperwork for a settlement if that is your goal. In our experience, you may not get what you are entitled to without advice and representation, even if only in negotiation. Worst case, you might sign something that surrenders your legal right to pursue VW for anything else that might happen. Guardian Lemon Law recommends that, at a minimum, you have an attorney review the legal documents that the manufacturer is asking you to sign when settling a claim. If you need an experienced Volkswagen GTI ABS failure lemon lawyer, please don’t hesitate to contact Guardian Lemon Law.
The History Of Lemon Law In California
In 1970, the California state legislature identified a need for a new law aimed primarily at providing consumers with some protection from manufacturers when it came to honoring warranties. In 1971, a bill titled the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act was signed into law, primarily designed to provide this. It remains the foundation of the California Lemon Law today. The list of goods covered by the Lemon Law isn’t limited to just vehicles. Anything that comes with an express warranty, including items like single-family homes, appliances, and even medical devices and electronics, is covered. To be eligible for Lemon Law protection under California law, there are some conditions that the law requires to be met by the consumer. The biggest of these requirements is that the consumer must give the manufacturer the opportunity to fix the problem that is covered under warranty. If it is time to file a Volkswagen GTI defective anti-lock braking system lemon lawsuit, Guardian Lemon Law is ready to help you, and we bring a Zero-Fee guarantee with the process. The first thing we are going to do is complete a case evaluation.
The Qualifications For Vehicles Being Claimed As Lemon Law Eligible
Lemon Law qualifications for eligibility are generally easy to understand. The most obvious one, but often times overlooked, is that the vehicle repair must be focused on the same general issue without resolution. Consumers make the mistake that the Lemon Law covers them for a total number of repairs across different issues. This is not the case. While it is true that people experiencing multiple problems with the same car call that car a lemon, by law, it is not considered a lemon. The qualifications are:
- The vehicle cannot be misused in a manner that could cause the issue
- The vehicle remains under the manufacturer’s warranty at the time of each repair attempt, from the first report to the last
- The consumer allows repair attempts to be made to repair the issue, referred to as a reasonable effort. This is loosely defined as a minimum of two tries for issues that are safety related, and four efforts for non-safety related things
- The vehicle is in the hands of the dealership repair staff for more than 30 days, cumulative time for the same problem or fault
- The problem reported is directly impacting the safety, use, or value of the vehicle
Guardian Lemon Law will perform an assessment to determine the status of your vehicle and its potential eligibility under lemon law. If the vehicle meets the qualifications, we can immediately provide you with a lawyer experienced in litigating a Volkswagen GTI ABS failure lemon law lawsuit.
What Is The Time Limit To File A Lemon Law Claim?
The Statute of Limitations in the State of California for filing a lemon lawsuit sets the time limit by mandating two different parameters. Your claim or lawsuit must be filed within one year of the expiration of your factory warranty, or within six years from the date of vehicle delivery to you, whichever comes first on the calendar. The Guardian Lemon Law team can provide additional information on this as part of your case evaluation. The goal, of course, is to make sure the suit or claim is filed in time. If you are interested in hiring a lemon lawyer to sue Volkswagen for ABS failure, you can contact Guardian Lemon Law to start the process.
The 2015-2018 VW GTI ABS Issues, Symptoms And Customer Experiences
The primary symptom reported is the shaking and vibration from the brake pedal under normal braking, which is made worse by heavy braking. Another noted symptom was one of a noticeable increase in stopping distance for the GTI. The issues that cause these symptoms to appear are related to either a part failure in the ABS module that controls the brake system or some physical problem with the brake system components. The dash warning light would typically be the first indication of an issue with the vehicle’s ABS module. The causes found most often are listed below.
- Your brake rotors may also be warped and causing the felt vibration through the brake pedal
- The brake pads may be dirty or contaminated with a substance affecting the friction level of the pad to the rotor
- ABS module issues might cause your brake system to activate during regular braking on a non-slippery road, leading to you noticing a light vibration in the pedal, which can also lengthen your braking distance to a greater distance for your speed and surface, potentially causing a collision
- There may be issues with the car’s speed and ABS sensors, which will affect things like the speedometer accuracy and the ABS module’s determination of what is necessary to stop the vehicle safely. This might also cause a vibration in the pedal, and be noticed if the chatter is excessive in the steering wheel
- There was no specific recall from Volkswagen for this issue in the model year range.
The Zero-Fee Guarantee From Guardian Lemon Law For Our Clients
There are no upfront costs to hire Guardian Lemon Law if you hire us for representation or advice. Your initial consultation is free. If you need a second opinion on your existing case with a different law firm, this is also free. If we don’t win your case, our services for litigation will be free. This is the Zero-Fee guarantee, and we hope it illustrates for our clients how confident we are when we take on your case that we will win it. Please contact Guardian Lemon Law when you need a lawyer experienced in Volkswagen GTI ABS failure lemon law cases. When your car manufacturer gives you a lemon, call Guardian Lemon Law.
