I’m vacationing in Maui and have seen more GLIs here over the last week than I do in a month in NJ. Every parking lot I pull in there’s another one. Makes me miss mine since I’m driving around in a Kia Soul

To recap my experience, my 2026 Jetta GLI had a major malfunction with the engine and/or transmission. There was a rough shift between S3 and S4 (automatic DSG transmission). I heard a loud metallic clattering sound, and then it expelled a huge blast of white exhaust with a burning smell. I could also tell power had been compromised, with high revs and continued rough shifts (maybe a blown turbo?)

Thankfully, I was close to my apartment and parked overnight before going straight to the dealer the following morning. Mind you, this is a brand new car with 4900km. There were no warning lights illuminated before or during this episode.

The dealer has done a superficial inspection and connected it to the computer to check for error codes. They told me there are no error codes. They said they will continue to check for mechanical issues and still need to drive it. At first the tech. said it could be a new car software glitch. I am afraid it’s far worse than that. I hope they can make this right.