5 NHTSA owner complaints for the 2002 Volkswagen GTI mention the brake pad. Usable reported mileage (n=3) has a median of 2,700 mi.
Owner complaints whose text directly mentions this component.
Same vehicle, mapped category, part not named.
Replacement listings that match this model year.
These figures describe mileage reported in owner complaints submitted to NHTSA. They do not represent the failure rate of all vehicles.
Worn brake pads can increase stopping distance and may be accompanied by noise or a low pedal. Have the brake system inspected if stopping feel changes.
This describes how this component can affect control, stopping, cooling, or fuel containment. It is not a recall, not a statement that this vehicle is unsafe to keep driving, and not a generic list of unrelated automotive hazards.
5 NHTSA owner complaints for this model year mention the brake pad.
No additional related-system complaints were counted for this pair.
Among 3 direct-mention reports with usable odometer data, the median reported mileage is 2,700 mi.
25th percentile 1,000 mi; 75th percentile 18,366 mi. These figures describe mileage reported in owner complaints submitted to NHTSA. They do not represent the failure rate of all vehicles.
Mechanically related parts include brake rotor, brake caliper. Similar symptoms can come from those parts or from the broader system, not only from a failed brake pad.
Use the related-component links on this page when those combinations are published. A system-category NHTSA report is not proof that this specific part failed.
A failing brake pad can be one of several causes of noise or pulsation. That possibility is not a diagnosis of this vehicle.
Also consider brake rotor and other system faults. Verify with testing rather than replacing parts from a list.
If the symptom remains after a brake pad replacement, another cause — including brake rotor — may still be involved, or the replacement may not have addressed the actual fault.
This is a diagnostic branch, not proof that the new part is defective or that the related part has failed.
Direct mentions are NHTSA owner narratives that contain this component or an accepted alias. Related-system counts are complaints in a mapped category that do not name the part. They are never merged. Mileage statistics use odometer values from 1 to 400,000 miles. This is not a failure rate.