This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving our 2009 VW Jetta tdi at approximately 60mph and the display flashed engine malfunction and displayed a symbol indicating glow plug problem. The engine felt sluggish so I pulled over to the side of the road. I contacted the local VW dealer and asked if I could still drive it and he told me yes and to bring the car to the dealer the following morning. I pulled back onto the highway, got up to 50mph. Then the vehicle stalled, then died completely. I was barely able to pull off side of highway. We had the car towed to dealer. The dealer inspected the car and explained that the high pressure fuel pump had failed and metal shaving and contaminants were throughout the fuel system and that the entire fuel system will need to be replaced. The car is currently at the dealer awaiting a third party inspection from the warranty company. All required vehicle services have been performed at the required intervals. The diesel fuel injection lines had recently been replaced in March 2012 by the dealer secondary to a recall by VW (V5 23J9).
The incident happened on the highway minutes after I left work. Some of the lights came up on the dashboard that made me pull over and stop to check what they mean. I turned the car off and checked the meaning of the icons in the auto manual. Per advise in the manual, I contacted VW dealership where I was told to bring the car immediately in. Unfortunately, the car did not start anymore and I was towed to the dealership where the vehicle was purchased. The cause for this was internal pump failure which mean replacing high pressure pump, fuel tank etc. I posses all the necessary documents with the detail information and correct definitions of exact failure. It has caused great inconvenience since this is the only car in our family. It also cost us $219.92 out of pocket to cover this incident since extended warranty of VW did not pick up the tab in full. Again, all documents are in my possession to prove it. It took 7 days to receive the car back.
2009 Volkswagen Jetta tdi 2.0L. Consumer writes in regards to a faulty fuel pump system the consumer stated when she came upon a stop light, the vehicle stalled. The glow plug light, engine light and a message indicating engine fault workshop all flashed. The consumer managed to re-start the vehicle. As she continued to drive, she noticed the vehicle was becoming less responsive. She applied pressure to the accelerator, only to see the RPM's raise very high and then drop to zero with no fluctuation in speed. The consumer stated the vehicle stalled again. After several attempts, the vehicle started, but was barely running. The vehicle had completely lost it's ability to accelerate. She shifted the gear into drive and managed to get to a local auto parts store. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where they informed the consumer the fuel system would need to be replaced. The dealer informed the consumer VW was covering the cost of the repairs.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times without warning. The vehicle would jerk stall and no warning lights would illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection, but was not repaired. The failure mileage was 14,000 and the current mileage was 15,000. Updated 02/15/12 the dealer stated the stalling problem was due to not letting the glow plug warm-up. Updated 02/22/12 updated evoq 06/26/12
- Chevy Chase , MD, USA
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While driving, our 2009 VW Jetta tdi stalled and stopped in an intersection. When restarted the glow-plug light and check engine light stayed on while the car limped to a stop on the side of the road. We had the car towed to the local VW dealer and was told that the high pressure fuel pump had failed and the total fuel system would have to be replaced do to contamination. I was surprised when the est'd cost of $7,500 to repair my car was presented to us with no offer of help by VW. I was even more surprised when the service writer said that part has been redesigned a number of times to help deal with this issue.
The car is a 2009 VW Jetta tdi clean diesel. While on the New York state thruway at 55 mph, suddenly the car's warning chime sounded, the check engine light came on, the glow plug warning light flashed and the car immediately lost power, and I coasted to a stop on the shoulder. It was towed to the nearest dealer, who replaced the entire fuel system at VW's cost. They said it was the hpfp (high pressure fuel pump) that disintegrated and destroyed the fuel system, from the fuel tank forward.
Vehicle abruptly lost power, no control over acceleration, had to pull off of interstate to shoulder of road. Car restarted fine. Taking to VW dealer for evaluation.
High pressure fuel pump failure in tdi diesel causing catastrophic damage to major engine components including common rail, injectors, fuel tank etc... appears to be manufacturers defect. Merely replacing will not solve problem without assurance that new design has been developed and utilized.
As my wife was driving towards a stop sign at a relatively slow speed, the vehicle check engine light came on and then the car died. As she started to roll backwards, she stopped the car and waited for the other traffic to clear. She was able to restart the car and drive it home as she was less than a mile away. After I returned home, I started the car and noticed the check engine light. At that point the car seemed fine. I went to autozone to see if they could download the error codes that might provide some insight into what component was causing the problem. They could not do that according to ca law. I purchased a obdii code reader and discovered code P0191 and P0087, both relating to the fuel system. P0191 indicated the fuel rail pressure sensor a circuit range / performance. The P0087 indicated the fuel rail / system pressure too low. While researching these codes on the internet I discovered a huge amount of information relating to this issue. I am thankful my wife was not in a huge amount of traffic as she could have been in an accident as a result of the car shutting down without warning. This has been going on with the tdi diesel engine since 2009. Why has there been no recall to fix what I believe is a defective or inferior fuel pump. In the many work orders I have read VW in many cases blamed bad fuel (gas in the diesel tank) as the problem. I have written documentation for every gallon of fuel that has been put in this car since it was new. The car has had all scheduled maintenance completed since the car was new. If this is a known problem why wasn't a recall issued like they did with the dsg transmission. Is this denial on VW's part so they don't get a bunch of bad press?
First time occurred at approximately 42,150 miles. Car driving on highway in 6th gear with cruise control activated. Sudden loss of power and flashing check engine light, "engine fault workshop" displayed. Car can no longer reach highway speeds. Pulled over at next exit. Turned off car, checked under hood, no noticeable issues. Restarted car, no lights or warnings. Drives normal. Called dealer and brought in later the same day with 42,259 miles. They put it on the computer and found a tsb 2020606 for a software update. Drove vehicle out of dealer lot, got on highway approximately 5 miles from dealership in 6th gear around 70 mph and same issue with flashing check engine light and loss of power. Immediately brought the car back to the dealership with the flashing check engine light still on. They brought into the shop and were unable to find any issue. Performed another software reflash. Had to pay $102.60 (one hour of labor, plus tax). This issue had been ongoing for months, through the summer with no resolution. Typically happens at highway speeds, but sometimes in 2nd or 3rd gear on local roads. Finally, in September with approximately 54K miles, car once again had issue on highway. This time, restarted, and a solid check engine light stayed on. Immediately called Volkswagen of America hotline and explained my issue, stated it was a safety issue and I'm concerned. They gave me a case number and told me to call the dealer. Dealer was able to get my car in later that day, and was able to pull codes for fuel system issue. Dealer took a fuel sample, found shavings in fuel canister, and got authorization to perform warranty repairs of entire fuel system from VW. They said my car would be fine to drive for now. One month later at approximately 57K miles bringing car in. Car continues to have issue, and almost caused an accident from power loss. Very concerning problem.
Hpfp failure: Metal filings blown throughout fuel system: The engine malfunction light turned on and the car immediately stalled, a very dangerous situation had I been surrounded by other vehicles. I pulled off the road and re-started...drove approximately 1,000 meters and the car failed again. Would not re-start. Towed to dealer 165 miles away....dealer conducted fuel analysis for gas and water...no contamination.....100% diesel and car always maintained. Problem: Hpfp failure, the pump disintegrated blowing metal filings into fuel injectors/lines, clogging the fuel system. I conducted research on this problem. Turns out both NHTSA and VW are aware of the problem. Tdi forum blog has numerous records of VW Jetta tdi hpfp failure. I think the car should be recalled. Consumers of tdi vehicles expect the auto to range up to 300,000 miles before engine malfunctions occur of this serious nature...they also purchase cars for fuel mileage and reduced emissions. VW is repairing the auto at no cost...I'm more concerned about safety of others...what if this occurs at 75 mph with a tractor trailer barreling on your tail!
Lost power driving on a divided highway. Fast cars slowed to 15 mph behind when I went into limp mode. Would not start at the stop sign. Jammed up traffic. High fuel pressure pump failure fixed by dealer.
Fuel line broke while driving highway speeds. Smoke began pouring out from under hood and filling cabin. Took vehicle straight to dealership, where I was told the #2 injector line broke. Entire engine compartment was soaked with fuel, diesel was dripping from all parts under hood. I was concerned with the diesel deteriorating the rubber hoses and components under hood. VW dealership changed #2 injector line, and recommended changing the rest as well as the engine cover. I opted to not change the rest, only the cracked one. It dumped about a half tank of fuel in a matter of minutes.
My 2009 VW Jetta tdi burst into flames 15-20 minutes after being parked. No one was in or near the car and there were no injuries or extended fire damage. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire. The hotspot is in the front left of the car, with severe damage to all components under the hood and front interior of the car. The car had been in like-new condition with scheduled maintenance performed on-time by a VW dealer; there had never been any maintenance or performance issues that I knew of prior to the incident. I contacted VW on 9/20/2011 about the incident. Their fire inspector studied the remains of the car on 9/22/2011 and deduced it might have been an issue with the exhaust system, and the leak/fire probably started as I was still driving. There was no recourse or further action. At the time, the VIN # of my car had not been a part of any recall. I believe my car might/should have been part of a recent recall announced on 10/5/2011 on tdis due to fire hazard.
This concerns a 2009 VW Jetta tdi (clean diesel version). Car dashboard put out warning message "engine malfunction" then car began to sputter and lose power. Electronic dashboard showed there was plenty of diesel gas in the tank (enough to continue driving 250 miles). (the car had been filled up with diesel gasoline on the day before, Friday, and driven on a short trip that Saturday during the day hours; driver had filled up at that station regularly across the last 2 years since the car was purchased.) electronic dashboard also showed all other systems functioning regarding battery, temperature sensor, etc. Driver was on busy city avenue in fullerton, California traveling at about 40 mph when sputtering began. Car power slowly decreased to about 20 mph, but fortunately driver was able to make it through several green lights to a commercial area. Fortunately Saturday night traffic was not heavy, so a lane change to the right was possible without affecting other drivers who wished to go at a faster speed. Car slowed down to about 5 mph as driver maneuvered car for the last 500 feet into a gasoline station parking lot. Car engine came to a complete stop. This was less than 5 minutes after the first "engine malfunction" warning on the electronic dashboard. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful; a clicking sound in the ignition was heard. Car engine subsequently would not turn over and had to be towed Saturday night.
30 Sept 2011. While sitting at an intersection we noticed a rattling sound coming from our 2009 Jetta tdi. Could also feel a slight vibration through the shift lever and steering wheel. Initial thought was an A/C clutch issue due to a squealing sound that started. Proceeded through the intersection and accelerated to approximately 30 mph when the "engine fault workshop" light came on and the sound became very loud. We immediately pulled into a parking lot to investigate. Loud metallic noises appeared to be internal to the engine not external. Shut the car off and it would not restart. Car was towed to mossy VW (classic Volkswagen) in escondido, ca at closing time and will be troubleshoot in the morning. 50,000 miles on the car. Great dealer so far, service stayed late to assist and ensured we had transportation home. A quick online search revealed hpfp failures for 2009 VW tdi cars are becoming more common and unfortunately the manufacturer is not acknowledging and some dealers are blaming on fuel contamination with unleaded gas. Owners are reporting $10,000 repair bills. We have our diesel fuel receipt from yesterday, 29 Sep 2011, confirming correct fuel was used.
Driving on mountain road at night. Suffered abrupt loss of vehicle drive power. Car stalled and came to stop at side of narrow road (partially blocking roadway). Towed to modesto California and then to VW dealer in modesto ca the next morning. Diagnosed as fuel pump failure. Wife was driving, I was a passenger.
Flashing glow plug warning light and loss of power while going 70 mph on turnpike. Car went into "limp mode" allowing exit from turnpike. Car traveled several blocks then stalled at stop light and would not start. Car was towed to VW dealer and diagnosed with failed high pressure fuel pump and metal particles contaminating diesel fuel. Dealer to replace entire fuel system.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Prather , CA, USA