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.
This car stalls out as it slows down. It does not change to a lower gear in time when decelerating and stalls out. It will not stall out every time I slow down. I never know when it will stall. It's very random and I have stalled out in the middle of intersections and any situation slowing down. I brought this car back to the deal twice and they could not find anything wrong with it. I pleaded with them that the car is dangerous but they sent me packing. I am writing this because I do not want them to resell this car to someone, the car stalls out and they get injured. For four year, I have had to drive this car using either the manual shift, or put it into neutral when slowing down. I am returning the car today. Please don't let them resell this car. Also, sometimes the car will not shift into 6th gear. The driver side window will not stay up. I will roll it up and it will automatically room down like something is obstructing it.
This 2011 VW sportwagen tdi (diesel)would easily stall in first gear. Since the first test drive we were told at the dealership, this manual transmission takes getting used to. I have a friend who owns a 2011 golf tdi with a similar issue. However, even though I became more accustomed to driving it, I would still stall in first gear...sometimes in intersections. I mentioned this to the service advisor, during several service visits and I was told it was just the way these cars are. Every time a service advisor would test drive my car they'd stall it. They never looked into it. At 89,000 the dual mass flywheel had to be replaced. At this point the car was out of warranty. I went to and independent mechanic (that I trusted)and asked him to not only replace the dual mass flywheel, but the clutch plate and throw out bearing as well. He said the clutch plate and throw out bearing looked fine. I said since we have this apart I don't want to take any chances. Since replacing the parts with original VW parts it drives like a normal manual transmission car should...I no longer stall this car in 1st gear. One can check on line and see other people are having similar problems. Besides the expense it is also dangerous. I'm surprised there isn't a recall on this issue. On September 19th I spoke to the service manager at flynn VW, and asked his advice about dealing with VW and he reiterated that the manual transmissions on the diesels (tdi) were like that. He stated he still stalls when driving the diesel vws. However he said the gas engines didn't seem to stall like the diesels.
Driving on I-5 southbound in our 2011 VW Jetta tdi; my car dropped horse power and the glow plug light started blinking. The car did not shut off, but the horse power was cut significantly. We stopped at the next interchange 6 miles away and called VW. They said it should be looked at and scheduled an appointment for the next Monday. I turned the car off. It restarted and the glow plug light was not on. Car functioned normally on the drive home (35 miles). I took the car to the dealership on Monday and they ran some tests. The hpfp on the engine was out. It sounds like it is a known issue. It is covered by my 60 power train warranty. But my car only has 34,000 miles. It sounds like there are quite a few issues on this type of tdi with the hpfp. Is this something the ntsb will be investigating?
Glow plug light started blinking, then the engine light came on. Shifting became erratic. Pulled into a service station, and once the vehicle was turned off, it wouldn't restart. After basic checks, the fuel pump was pulled for inspection and metal shavings were found. In researching the repair, the independent station suggested putting things back together, and having it towed to the dealer, as it was suspected to be a known issue with the Bosch high pressure fuel pump. In fact it was, and while the car was two months out of warranty, the dealer went ahead and covered the repair under the unrelated drivetrain warranty. I consider myself incredibly lucky that this wasn't 15 minutes earlier, when I was traveling at highway speeds, on an incredibly full freeway. It could've been a major accident if I had suddenly lost power. Considering there are entire websites devoted to tracking this issue, I can't believe that there hasn't been a recall.
While attempting to accelerate car sputtered, and hesitated while losing power. Regained power briefly then sputtered, lost power and engine cut off completely. Started engine after letting sit for a few minutes drove home ok. Happened again a week later and took it to dealership. Dealer diagnosed it as faulty ignition coil and arcing.
- Berea, OH, USA
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My car has had 3 stalls within 3 months. I took it to the dealer they replaced the throttle assembly. Since then I was pulling out of a parking spot and put the car in drive and the car stalled. I took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle.
The effected car was a diesel model 2011 Volkswagen Jetta tdi sedan with 48,074 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. While traveling at approximately 40 mph in normal driving conditions, the vehicle experienced a sudden reduction in power and displayed a flashing glow plug light and solid check engine warning lights. The vehicle was immediately pulled to the side of the road where the engine was shut off. The engine failed to restart and was towed to a Volkswagen dealership service department. The Volkswagen dealer determined that a catastrophic failure of the vehicle's high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) had occurred. The dealer found that extensive damage to the entire fuel system had resulted from the failure, causing internal metal debris contamination that required substantial repairs. The total cost of repairs were reported by the dealership to equal $6,500.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle jerked and decelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to dealer where unknown repairs were performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 15,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle jerked and decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
While driving down the highway at 70 mph the engine lost power and coasted to a stop on the side of the highway with several lights on the dash flashing and it appears from research on the internet this is a common problem that the hpfp quits and the car will not accelerate. The motor is a diesel tdi.
Dangerous and harrowing clutch/flywheel failure (near-new 2011 Jetta with 39,000 miles) without warning at 55 mph when I depressed the clutch pedal to downshift from 5th gear while braking, stalling my car in traffic at speed. I managed to get the car to the side of the road. Car was towed to VW dealership that today tells me the flywheel and clutch were damaged with repairs estimated at $2,500. An investigation of the ntsb site shows this problem has occurred with other 2011 Jetta owners. A search of the internet generally turned up hundreds of identical or near-identical reports of clutch and flywheel failures for 2006 to 2013 Jettas. Manufacturer's responses have been, according to Jetta owners, varied, with some people reporting free repairs and other reporting large out-of-pocket costs. Interestingly, clutch and flywheel failures are, according to my research (available to anyone who cares to look for it online) being covered by technical bulletins in the european union but not in the United States. My car has been driven and maintained per manufacturer specifications and recommendations, with dealership where I had the car towed for repairs acknowledging verbally that these components should last much longer. A technical bulletin issued by VW is paying for some flywheel parts under some circumstances but not for additional damage to the clutch that often occurs, per the dealership, when the flywheel fails. Labor costs are not covered, and they are estimable.
Approximately a year ago, my engine began to give a clear sense of the car shuddering or rocking back and forth. While sometimes the feeling would occur even when stopped at a light, the vast majority of the time this occurred while I was driving at consistent low speeds. In almost all cases, I was attempting to maintain a consistent speed around either 13pmh or 30 mph. Eventually, I found the rocking motion very easy to reproduce. I'd set the car to 30 mph via cruise control and drive down a straight road with very slight upward and downward slopes. While it happens even on flat ground, I found that a slight decline is most likely to reproduce the feeling. My best guess is that there's something about the way the fuel supply system/transmission is trying to determine whether or not diesel needs to be supplied to the engine. The fuel supply system seems to almost cut out because giving diesel would produce a speed too high, and then it comes back on suddenly, because giving it no diesel would cause the car to slow too much. While sometimes this is simply a nuisance, I have had on many occasions felt that it was a genuine safety hazard since I couldn't predict how the engine would react. This in combination with overly strong engine break when letting off of the accelerator and delayed acceleration when stepping on the peddle that can cause inconsistencies and safety hazards when maneuvering in stop and go traffic on the highway. I've mentioned this problem every single time I've taken my car in for it's regularly scheduled maintenance. The vehicle has a diesel dsg engine, and as I've been told by service technicians and representatives, some of the things like strong engine breaking are associated with this type of engine. However, the car's rocking motion certainly goes beyond anything that could realistically be considered normal and safe.
On Monday, November 26th I was driving my wife in our 2011 Volkswagen Jetta tdi diesel from our vacation property in salyer, California (trinity county) to our home in arcata, California (humboldt county), a distance of 45 miles along route 299. 299 is a two lane highway that has occasional passing lanes and has a posted speed of 55 mph. Approximately 15 miles into the trip, I attempted to pass a slow moving vehicle by means one of these passing lanes. As I pulled into the passing lane, the Jetta accelerated smoothly from 45 mph to approximately 60 mph, when it suddenly lost power and began to decelerate rapidly, eventually down to approximately 20 mph, although the engine was roaring at a very high level of RPM?S as this deceleration occurred. This event created an extremely dangerous situation: The passing lane is of limited length and the passing maneuver needed to be completed before it ended because there was oncoming traffic. Immediately behind the Jetta was a pickup truck that had also pulled into the passing lane. As the deceleration occurred, the pickup truck came within inches of colliding with the rear of the Jetta. Fortunately, I was able to get the car to safety at the shoulder of the road. Thereafter the car could only be driven in 1st gear and at only at a very slow speed. I called Volkswagen of american and they made arrangements to tow the Jetta to the nearest dealer, redding Volkswagen, located in redding California. This is the second time an event like this has occurred since I purchased the Jetta on July 10, 2011. In April 2012, as I pulled onto the main street in susanville California and began accelerating from a stop to approximately 35 mph, the Jetta suddenly and rapidly decelerated. On both occasions the rapid deceleration occurred without any warning lights.
Car engine stopped suddenly while driving. Drifted to side of road; car would not restart. Had to pay $250 for tow to dealer. Service person called to say there was metal in my fuel system/tank, but they didn't know what was wrong. He also accused me of putting the wrong gas in my car. I informed service person that it took 5 seconds on the internet to learn about the NHTSA investigation into the many high pressure fuel system failures that cause engine to stop running. Interestingly, he called back 2 hours later and acknowledged that fuel system and powertrain and other stuff need to be replaced. This is an unsafe car. I could have been going 65 on the freeway with a small child or other people in the car, all of whom could have been seriously injured when car suddenly looses all power and momentum. Many online complaint reports are for second failures, after repair. I do not trust the service dept. Of any Volkswagen dealer and have no confidence that the problem is eliminated. I am afraid to drive the car.
This car has an automatic transmission. It's a Jetta tdi. If you stop on a sharp incline the car will roll backwards when you take your foot off of the brake and push the gas pedal. I've tried pushing the gas pedal before letting off the brake but it still rolls backward. I took it to the dealer and explained that I am afraid I will roll backward into another vehicle of even a pedestrian. The dealer said rolling backward is normal for this car. I think this is unsafe for me and the people around me. I bought this car new from tom bush regency motors 9850 atlantic blvd. Jax., Florida 32225. Ph (904) 725-0911.
2011 Volkswagen Jetta tdi - took it in for service on 07/05/2012 and the dealer states that I have a malfunctioning clutch (could be a throw out bearing, pressure plate or multiple clutch components) none of which has been 100% diagnosed until they pull the transmission out and inspect it, to do this the dealer wants $1000 + parts. I was also informed that my right front wheel bearing needs replacing ($435) for the bearing alone + labor. At this point it seems more of a manufacturer or workmanship defect, I currently have 44,500 miles on the car and use it 90% on the highway at 65-75 mph. Dealer states that they may open an investigation with Volkswagen but I still have to pay to get my car out.
I am having what I believe to be a serious, but intermittent, safety problem with my 2011 Jetta sportwagon tdi. There is also what may be a related issue with the automatic transmission shifting at low speed. Occasionally when I attempt to accelerate away from a stop sign/traffic light, the engine does not respond to throttle movement. When I take my foot off the brake and press on the gas pedal the car moves ahead under what I believe is idle power but as I try to accelerate, it is like the gas pedal is not connected to the engine. The engine is running but won't rev and move the car. I usually end up about a third of the way into the intersection with a car that is seemingly stalled (engine still running however). The car behind me then has to brake and if I happened to be trying to cut into moving traffic, I am now a target for the cross traffic. I reported this to selling dealer service department early in my ownership experience of this car and was told don't worry about it, that is normal, it's a transmission thing. Perhaps there is a link to the transmission and as I mentioned earlier, this is a problem area as well. When driving slowly, around 20-25 miles per hour, the transmission can't seem to decide what gear it should be in. It keeps bouncing back and forth between gears causing a very uncomfortable surging. The surging part I can work around by shifting to sport mode. This mode might also help the acceleration problem but I don't have good experience yet to confirm.
I have experienced dramatic hesitation while, from slow speed, trying to accelerate quickly onto a main road with heavy traffic. The dsg cannot figure out which gear it needs to be in and either hesitates or goes into what seems to be neutral, the engine high reves. The Jetta just comes to a stand still in the middle of the road as the computer tries to decide what gear it needs to be in.the hesitation is pronounced enough that I fear I wouldn't be able to get out of someone?S way if I had to. This is most definitely a safety concern. I work in the boston area and you need to be able to get into fast moving traffic quickly. This happens on a daily basis and has been happening since I purchased the car in January of 11. I have reported this to the dealer numerous times and they said they are aware of the problem. One of the service advisor's stated that this is a known problem.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact pulled in the his garage, he pushed the start/stop ignition button to turn off the car, and then pushed the remote button for his garage door to close. He opened his house door and soon became distracted and inadvertently exited the vehicle without putting it in park. Moments later, the vehicle rolled out of the garage, before if fully closed. The failure and the current mileage was approximately 16,000. Updated 6/12/12
At steady throttle angle of accelerator pedal, slow speeds pulling out on to main road with heavy traffic. Dsg can not select the proper gear and hesitates so badly that we were almost T- boned in the drivers side of the Jetta by on coming traffic. I guess about.1 tenth of a second no movement for the Jetta. This dsg had a daul clutch flywheel and is a computer shifted manual transmission on dual shafts to output drive. I called third different dealer and all say this is the way the Jetta with dsg performs. Dealer gunther Volkswagen in buford was helpful, and acknowledged the problem. Volkswagen has no software fix. Village Volkswagen chattanooga, tn advisor shared that all dsg transmissions have the problem. Volkswagen designed and make the dsg, why can they not fix the problem? this is a safety problem that will end up getting drivers and passengers hurt. The Jetta just stands still in the middle of the lane as the computer decides what gear selection is needed. This has happened to us three different times. My wife is scared to drive the Jetta for fear of a accident. We have contacted Volkswagen of America about the problem. After market software company unitronics has a software fix at a cost of $500. Please contact me!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Las Vegas , NV, USA