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 got the car off of some guy for 1600 dollars and I put a lot of money into and I have lights on the dash still on and the ecs is one and my steering wheel light is on as will.
About 5-6 times my steering locked up as I was mid turn but thankfully only for a second or two but a few of those times I was traveling at a high rate of speed on the highway in the center lane with cars on either side of me. Another time I was turning onto the highway and trying to beat the long line of cars that just got a green light and as I was mid turn my steering locked up and I fishtailed into the center lane almost into oncoming traffic. Had I been a more inexperienced driver neither of those times would have ended well.
this is the third time i've had issues with the power steering briefly failing on this car. The first time, several years ago, it was related to the ABS recall, and it was replaced. It also failed when the alternator was going bad. Now the steering light flashes, it makes a beeping sound and the power steering fails briefly. It's not showing codes. I see from reading the vw TDI forums that this is fairly common problem. It's very frightening and I think there needs to be some kind of backup system on these cars so that the steering doesn't fail, potentially causing a lethal accident, whenever some related sensor goes out. Shouldn't they be completely separate ? Thank you
I was driving at approximately 45 mph when a deer came into the road from the right side. I seen the deer and should have had plenty of time to miss it and come to a stop. I removed the car from 5th gear while using both the clutch and brake pads. Once I applied significant pressure to the brakes the completely locked up, as did the steering wheel. My car collided with the deer and subsequently traveled off the right side of the road in a spin, stopping approximately 40 feet down an embankment. Since then I have had no luck keeping the vehicle running. I have had the alternator, plugs and coil packs, starter, and ignition changed with no remedy. The vehicle will not start.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving, the ABS warning light along with several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle started shaking while shifting gears. Additionally, the brakes failed to work effectively while depressing the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to shift gears correctly. The steering wheel was difficult to turn and was shaking. The contact stated that the RPM was fluctuating. The vehicle was turned off and restarted however, the failure recurred. The check engine, power steering and epc warning lights were also illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle drove normally for a while before the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to hansel Volkswagen (2951 corby ave, santa rosa, ca 95407) and was diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to update the ABS software. The dealer informed the contact that the ABS module was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the ABS module failed internally. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
- Fair Lake, CA, USA
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The wipers stopped working first. Then it got stuck N neutral and went into limp mode and I'm unable to drive it. Had to get a new gear shifter and after all that money spent it still isn't fixed.
The ABS module faulting is a known and common problem for these vehicles. VW has a recall for the ABS software-recall #16V913. If your module doesn't crash when the dealer performs the update, which it likely won't, then they do not replace the module. We feel this is a workaround to cover them to not have to replace them. Ours went out this month while I was driving. This was extremely dangerous as I lost steering control and the vehicle kept downshifting below 30 mph on a highway that I should have been traveling 60 mph on. The epc and ABS lights came on. When we called the dealer, they agreed to look at it to see if it was the ABS module and if it would be eligible for replacement under the recall. It was not covered because they were "unable to perform the software update". this is because of the specific wording on the VW recall. I have read that several other customers have been turned away because of the same thing and left with expensive repairs. They should issue a recall to cover the faulty ABS modules all together and not exclude them due to the "software update." The recall is a play on words to cover them from not being required to replace them. It is strategic and misleading. We called VW and was told it would not be covered also. Here is a web link of other people logging the same experiences. There are others online. People can get killed driving these when they go out. Now we have to pay to a lot of money to get ours replaced by the dealer. Https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/V2/url?U=https-3A__www.carcomplaints.com_volkswagen_jetta_2009_brakes_abs-5fmodule-5ffailure.shtml&D=dwifag&C=jeeqba34pbypuh24nmkpeqmar10xrxvb2bkb2zkzota&R=6dyybkqc3I6oeecbuj9bho9grwogbouqqqo65ae7heevedcofg9ckup5aboy62za&M=L-ph22lrzgljo213rvzvwe4R7P4rdookk5ygsejd82M&S=W3hxti9G3H4xc4hmqb_qsqtgust8ab15ahwhmoydfce&E=
ABS module recall for 2009 Volkswagen models affected needs to be revised, for there are lots of cars that suffer from ABS modules failing while they are driving. Some cars which are illegible are left unfixed by Volkswagen because they do not fit the specific details of the recall. The company shipped cars out with faulty ABS modules and refuse to fix it and those cars are hazardous on the road. My vehicle, for example, has ABS module working intermittently while it should be staying on. During a diagnosis the ECU senses no communication between it and the ABS module, which is a hazard knowing my ABS will not always function when I need it to stop quicker in response to the many obstacles on the road. The faulty ABS sensor messed with my steering and gauges. The gauges do not present real time calculations and the steering assist has completely shut down due to ABS being unresponsive.
I had made an appointment with Volkswagen dealership to have my car looked at because of the recall. My ABS light came on and has been on for weeks. It hasn't turned off. When I took my car in they tried to perform a software update but weren't able to because apparently the module went out before the recall. I haven't had any problems with this until just a few weeks ago so I don't understand how that is possible. Now they are saying its technically my fault and now im stuck paying 1200 on an ABS module and maintenance. My ABS light came on went I went around a corner and slammed on my breaks, ever since then it wont turn off.
My ABS light came on and then my red brake light came on, a few days later my epc light came on. About a week after that that my speedometer stopped working and I noticed that the mileage had stopped counting. I took it to napleton's Volkswagen service department in orlando and (short version) received a quote to do the work of over $1700 to fix the ABS before they could even tell me if there was a problem with the ABS as they could not upload the software for the recall..the problem was directly related to the ABS module..which in my paperwork is described in the recall information. I have told them not to fix my car as I believe this is incorrect (most of the work they quoted I believe is incorrect) and will be taking it to a mechanic I trust. It also opens the door for fraud as if I allowed them to do the work and then "fix" the recall that would seem like they would be charging me and Volkswagen for the work. They also are charging me for diagnostic on the ABS but per their own words they haven't been able to do the diagnostic. My car actually runs fine, however without the speedometer and having the brake lights on it feels very unsafe. The problem started 2 weeks ago July 23, 2018 and I brought it to service dealer yesterday
Started with key being very difficult to turn on or off in ignition and the steering column lock no longer engaged at all when the car was off. Then, twice within 1 mile, the steering column lock did engage while the car was being operated in a turn at approximately 45 miles per hour. After parking the car immediately following, the key would not turn to the off position until the exposed end of the key was tapped with a hammer. Steering column lock then appeared to lock and unlock appropriately, however, key will no longer turn in the ignition to the start position. Car is currently at the local dealership who has diagnosed the problem of an "inoperable steering column lock" and is performing the needed repair.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving various highway speeds, the ABS and ESC warning indicators suddenly illuminated and the steering wheel became harder to turn. In addition, the speed suddenly decreased. The vehicle was taken to lithia Volkswagen in reno, nv where it was diagnosed that the ABS module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V913000 (service brakes, electronic stability control); however, since the diagnostic codes were not obtained from the module, the module would not be replaced per the recall. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failures listed in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while the driving at 25-35 mph, the etc, the ABS, traction control, the fuel gauge, and the brake warning lights all illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed and the brake seized and the steering became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to day Audi located at: 1580 golden mile hwy, monroeville, pa 15146, (724) 327-4900, to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V913000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electronic stability control). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.
Unsatisfactory resolution to NHTSA recall no.: 16V-913 https://static.NHTSA.gov/ODI/rcl/2016/rclrpt-16V913-3524.pdf the proposed resolution to this recall is unsatisfactory. How can is it assured that if a module passes the load test the pcu ground connection will not fail at a future time? the failure reportedly occurs just when the ABS/esp/steering system is needed most to maintain vehicle control. If this was a known manufacturing defect and the ABS control module was replaced by an updated module with proper soldering then all vehicles produced with this manufacturing defect should receive an updated module.
Here's a video I made that shows the effects: youtu.be/ubg3nmsa75M I'll just be driving along and suddenly the car will start beeping and the power steering will quit working and every warning light on the dashboard will come on at the same time and the speedometer will drop to zero no matter what speed I'm driving and sometimes the car will pop out of gear while I'm driving 70 miles an hour on the freeway. It started out intermittently in 2014 and the dealership couldn't diagnose the problem. But then it started happening more and more frequently and the issue could be identified in late 2015. So now 2 different VW dealerships have told me that the issue is a faulty ABS module. It's crazy that an ABS module can shut down so many different systems while the car is in motion. If you look around online you'll find it affects several different VW models, at least the Jetta and the golf, maybe others. My wife and I don't drive the car anymore because we don't want to get in a wreck when the car just pops out of gear for no reason. But I bet other people have been hurt by these faulty ABS modules and all the dangerous effects they have on the car.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving at various speeds, the ABS module malfunctioned and caused the vehicle to shift out of gear. The affected parts included the speedometer and the power steering. The speedometer shifted to zero mph without the assistance of the driver, and the steering wheel stiffened, which caused further difficulties for the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 09/22/16
The ABS module needs to be restore or replace. The lights on the dashboard that comes on includes engine, brakes, steering, ABS, and E.T.C.(electronic throttle control).what actually happens when it comes on is it hard to steer, acceleration goes slow, beeping hearing test noise frequents, gas gauge goes to E, and speedometer stops working. This happens frequently and doesn't matter what road or highway I'm what makes it more dangerous when its hard to steel and the brake lights are constantly flashing.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving in reverse at approximately 2 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. After waiting a few hours, the vehicle resumed normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel control module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Duncansville, PA, USA