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.
Im thinking electrical problems lights windshield wipers air locks windows locks dont work when you turn the car off lights dont go out! there is 6 recalls on this car i need to find out if they have been fixed. It was bought for my daughter and can not give it to her like this
I was driving 75 miles an hour on a major interstate and the car stopped accelerating while I was driving.(major safety issue) I was able to get to the side of the road and the car died and would not start again. The glow plug warning light started flashing as this was happening. I was able to get it towed to a repair shop or they told me the high-pressure fuel pump failed and that it was a catastrophic failure because there was metal from the pump through the whole fuel line.
I was driving down a busy road when I saw smoke coming out from under my hood of the car. I immediately pulled over onto a side street and popped the hood. The engine was engulfed in flames. I then pulled my panicked 4 year old daughter out of her car seat and took her across the street. We then called 9-11 and the sheriff's department and fire department showed up to put out the fire. I had my car towed to a mechanic where he says the fire was caused by a fuel line. There is a recall for the same year and model for my car but it is not for my VIN# even though it's the same cause as my car's fire!
Vehicle will cut out while driving at highway speeds. This has been happening for over a year. Multiple parts have been replaced over this time. The internet has many cases of this same problem happening to other people. VW must know about this problem. This is a very dangerous problem?
Car will unpredictably stall some times, close the ignition switch and engine will be able to start, ,, will go in limp home mode when the glow plug light will illuminate and check engine light comes on for dtc P00af....
- Cary, NC, USA
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While driving anytime that we would slow down or put the vehicle into reverse the vehicle would go randomly in neutral. It was randomly this would happen and became more frequent. Took it to a dealer and they said we would have to have the transmission replaced soon. Right before this their were about another $3,000 worth of issues we had to fix.
I was driving on the expressway when a car on the shoulder pulled out without seeing me. I went to honk my horn and it didn't work. I luckily swerved into the next lane without hitting the car in the next lane. I found out it's not just my horn but the cock spring needs replacing. Nothing on my steering wheel works now and my airbag warning light stays on.
On June 6th, while rolling up to an intersection, the glow plug sensor light flashed, and then car stalled. It wouldn't start again. It was extremely dangerous as the mph on the road is 50, and the car was not in a good position to be moved to the side of the road. Tons of cars passing very fast at 9:30 pm. We had it towed to the dealership, who found metal in the fuel. They diagnosed it and said the fuel pump had died. Due to the emissions scandal, VW gave us an extended emissions warranty, which thankfully covers the entire fuel system! wow! but then, the dealership said they tested the fuel and said it failed the contamination tests. I have kept a log of my mileage ever since I got the car. In fact, I even saved my last few receipts which show I only put diesel in my vehicle. The dealership does not want to honor the warranty because they are blaming me for misfueling and contaminating my fuel. It's really frustrating when I have owned the car it's entire life and have never put the wrong fuel in. I called VW corporate and they are trying to blame me for misfueling, too. They "talked with the dealership" and think their "fuel contamination test" was accurate. The service manager, actually, couldn't even tell me what the reason for the failing of the fuel was, and even said it could potentially be the metal shards fault. So how can they try to blame me when they don't even know why the test failed, especially when I have my last 3 receipts from the gas station showing diesel fuel going in. 10+ gallons each receipt. I had driven 384 miles on the tank of fuel before the vehicle stalled. With such delicate high pressure fuel pumps and common rail injector, it would hardly take much contamination to cause the hpfp to break. I have even contacted the gas station I last filled up at, and they have had zero complaints about bad fuel.
Engine stalls out as if it is getting no fuel. It happens when it is stationary, in motion and on city streets on occasions and very dangerous. Seems like something wrong with the fuel pump.
Occasionally the car will stall and surge creating a jolt at variable speeds but always while in motion. Usually when accelerating from idle but sometimes during highway driving.
Vehicle stalls while in motion on a state highway but coasting to a stop at a traffic signal. Clutch pedal was fully depressed. Has happened about 5 times between July 1, 2017 and August 29, 2017. This vehicle is a diesel. Fuel pump might be loosing power. Weather was dry. Air and fuel filters are not dirty. They were recently replaced.
Lateral spacing between accelerator and brake pedal too narrow. This situation causes the driver to push the accelerator pedal when requiring braking. On at least one occasion this caused me to impact a stationary vehicle directly in front of me. This is a dangerous condition that is aggrevated when larger footwear is worn, this condition should be investigated, as it an unacceptable presents a safety risk
Driving on interstate highway for greater than 30 minutes, there was onset of strong rain conditions at about 30 minutes of driving time -- the epc light came on and the ability to accelerate was lost. Symptoms of downshifting were noted just prior to onset of issue. Depressing the accelerator resulted in RPM increase with no acceleration in relatively fast traffic (>50mph). Was able to pull off safely and shut vehicle off. Very dangerous situation in high speed/strong rain conditions. Epc light turned off after shutoff and re-start, and I assumed a slip on wet surface. Restarted and attempted to rejoin traffic. Traveled less than 50 feet and epc light re-lit with no slip, followed immediately by lighting of the 'check engine' light. Same lack of acceleration and increased RPM with depressing throttle pedal was noted. Turned off engine on shoulder again and restarted after five minute period in attempt to get home and was able to very carefully/slowly merge back into traffic with check engine light and epc light lit for entirety of trip home (>50 miles). Vehicle drove for additional approximately 50 miles without symptoms onset. Vehicle currently has approximately 50K miles and is driven once every week or two weeks. All service is performed regularly. I researched this symptom set online, only to find hundreds of complaints similar to mine across the spectrum of VW models indicating no precise diagnosis relative to these symptoms coinciding with thousands of dollars of repairs in attempt to reconcile. I do not care to spend thousands of dollars attempting to repair an issue that cannot be identified using a 'trial and error' method on a vehicle that kbb values at less than 5K. Based on my limited research, this very dangerous issue should be some sort of recall. I have researched recalls on my particular vehicle and have noted nothing relative.
Ignition system keeps failing. Car keys get stuck and car won't turn off and having a hard time tuning the key to start the car. Each time the car is parked and the steering lock is disengaged.
While driving to work on a very busy interstate my 2010 VW Jetta tdi had a check engine light come on, immediately followed by my car stuttering and shutting off immediately. After neing towed to the dealer, I was informed the entire fuel system had to be replaced and that this was a major issues with VW diesels (esp. Years 2009 & 2010). The hpfp had become such a problem that the manufacturer extended the warranty for the fuel system to 120K miles or 10 years. My mileage went over the allotted amount by 5K miles but after many calls to VW customer service they refused any help, they would not cover the $5,000 repair, the $3,000 in parts or anything. They refused any type of help even though they most certainly could have assisted me. It is well known that the fuel pump is poor, even the replacement pumps have a huge failure rate yet VW does nothing to assist their customers. They have failed to produce a hpfp that does not break down and then they make it the customers fault by not recalling the part. These fuel systems should have been replaced as a recall before they cause the car to suddenly stop on a busy interstate. I am thankful that I was not injured but I am furious that I am just one of many that have went through this and been offered no help. We are left to pay the price, one that runs anywhere from $5,000-$9,000. That is an unacceptable repair cost to a vehicle with under 125K miles, and it happens as soon as 6K. The engineers at VW should be held accountable for their poor design, inability to correct it and abandonment of their loyal customers. VW has shown a complete disregard for human life by failing to properly address this issue.
Car suddenly unable to accelerate beyond 30 mph. Car gently driven to dealership where car died and was unable to start. Dealership has investigated and found metal shards from fuel filter have migrated throughout the fuel system. Cost of repair $5400. Car is part of VW buyback program. Dealer refused to buy back vehicle without repair stating vehicle must be " able to get to dealership on its own'. I drove vehicle to dealer. Dealer refuses to work with me on buyback. Now forced to pay for expensive repair. Dealer state repair " expected due to high mileage" I have always had high mileage vehicles and have never before had metal in fuel line due to fuel filter failure.
While on a city street at stopped at a stop light my VW Jetta tdi made a funny noise and shook. Then it acted like it wanted to stall, the glow plug light came on. The stop light changed and I was able to pull into a parking lot. When I pulled into a parking spot before I could take the care out of gear, it stalled. I was not able to get the car to start again. I was told by VW of san bernardino that this was a know issue with the high pressure fuel pump. The recall update was preformed back in 2014 to prevent the incorrect fuel from being placed into the vehicle. I am a long time diesel owner and have never placed the incorrect fuel into the car. I believe there is a defect in the design or material related to the high pressure fuel pump.
My car stalled while driving it was towed to the dealership where I was informed that there was an extended warranty on the high pressure fuel pump associated with my car make and model. I was then informed that my car was not covered under the extended warranty because I did not have a misfuel guard installed. I never received actual notice that I was to install a misfuel guard until the day my car stalled and had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership ran a fuel test which revealed that there was no improper fuel in my car, thus, even if the misfuel guard had been installed, my fuel pump would have still failed. I have contacted Volkswagen as well and they also informed me that because I did not have the misfuel guard installed, I was unable to be covered under the warranty, even though there was no improper fuel located in my car. I am extremely frustrated that even though there was no user error, I am being stuck with the bill ($5,000) due to Volkswagen's defective part.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Trenton, OH, USA