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.
On February 1, 2014 I turned on my car and headed to church at about 1 in the afternoon, everything appeared fine. After church I did the same; however, shortly after I had left the church parking lot the glow plug and battery symbols started flashing and suddenly my engine stopped. Out of nowhere my car stalled in the middle of the road, thank goodness I had managed to steer to the side and that the cars on the road managed to go around me because it could have turned out into a tragedy. I had never had any issues with my engine/battery nor did any of the dashboard warning lights light up prior to this incident. I tried turning my car back on several times but it was unresponsive. The battery and alternator sounded fine but for some reason the car just wouldn't start back up. Could it have been the fuel pump" my car runs on diesel and I have always fueled it with the appropriate fuel without any issues so what now" I had to push my car out of the middle of the road and call a tow service to tow my car home. Over the next week I drove a rental to work and called the Volkswagen dealership and left multiple messages for parts and service and for the person in charge of extended warranty. It's been a week and they have not answered. My car has been out of a warranty now for a while, however I have maintained it and given it the proper care so it does not make sense that a 2011 vehicle would simply stall in the middle of the road without a warning. I am sure that this is a manufacturer's defect and I would like for it to be resolved promptly, I am sure I am not the only one that has had this issue in the past as I have seen multiple complaints online about this and there has even been a few recalls for previous diesel models regarding issues similar to mine.
On November 22,2014, I turned on my car like any other day and headed to go run some errands, everything appeared fine. I headed to my first errand and after finished I turned my car on again but my stereo would not turn on. I turned the car off and then back on thinking that that was going to fix it but nothing, the stereo simply appeared dead. I had never had stereo problems prior to this so I was quite surprised that without a warning my stereo would just die. That same day I called the Volkswagen dealership and they said I could simply stop by and they'd have my stereo looked at but when I showed up they said it would be $140 simply to get it diagnosed and then I'd still have to pay for the repairs! needless to say I walked out. I couldn't believe that they wouldn't even give my stereo a complimentary diagnostic! the same day I took my car to a specialist and had the fuses checked and the fuses were fine but it appears I needed a completely new stereo! my car is relatively new to have stereo problems, this is unheard of! I have always given my car the proper maintenance and I am quite unhappy with this issue. Having looked at multiple other complaints about this particular issue online I hope VW can address this problem very soon.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that there was an intermittent electrical short causing the headlights and the wipers to turn off unexpectedly. Also, the horn and the temperature controls failed to work. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 11V196000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was not available.
I had driven the car earlier that day (about 40 miles) with no problems. I got home at about 7:30pm and parked the car outside our house. At about 2am, I heard a beeping car horn. I looked outside and saw flames coming out of the front drivers side of our beautiful 2011 Jetta sportwagen. I dialed 911, the car continued to burn until the fire dept arrived and put it out. The car is a total loss. I'm only happy it wasn't parked inside a garage where the fire would have destroyed our house as well. No work had been done on the car recently and no aftermarket options were installed. I have only one question - what could cause a completely cold car (not driven in over 6 hours) to suddenly burst into flame?? thank you.
- New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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November 2014 incidents: Two incidents of failing to start. First incident: Car failed to start once and started on second try. Second incident: Car several times failed to start & engine made clanking noise. Had car towed to VW Agency. Car started after unloaded from tow truck and Agency found nothing wrong. December 2014 incident: Car started, but after slowly driving to parking lot exit and before at full stop, at engine quit and would not restart. I put the car in neutral and backed down a slight grade to get car out of traffic; after coming to a stop the car started up.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 50 mph, the headlights and brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact diagnosed that a fuse melted and damaged the fuse box. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V569000 (electrical system, exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
Transmission kicked into neutral while cruising on highway. Had to pull over and come to a complete stop and restart the car before it would allow me to shift back into drive. The fault recurred a few miles later and has recurred several times since then. The car is now too unsafe to drive.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 11V196000 (electrical system). However, the VIN was not included.the vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the wiring for the horn needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
My external light malfunction indicator went on. I stopped and saw that the left running light and the right low beam light were out. I turned the car back on 2 hours later the indicator was off and all the lights were working. Today I got the warning again and it cycled through to show multiple external lights needing replacement. It appears this is the melted fuse box issue. I see there has been a recall on some vws. Is the 2011 Jetta tdi recalled for this?
Issues began with faulty starter. Then progressed to a battery of electrical issues from windows moving in reverse of desired order to horn and keys dying. Each time dealer brushed off issue. When horn and keys died (also with faulty start button) dealer tried to force me to drive unsafe vehicle until they got around to fixing the problem. Most other times the issue was ignored or I was treated as though I was making up the problem. (these problems include radio staying on when car is completely off, and after manually switching it off, it then will turn back on while the car is still off (even though the car will not start and I have to use the long hold lock function to roll windows up). The car also will reopen trunk upon close, flash passenger seat belt warnings when the seat is empty, not display gear when moving, not display mileage/fuel level while simultaneously listing mileage range from selected screen, etc. Problems are worse in extreme weather. I have attempted to have the problems fixed multiple times to no avail. Recently, I have taken the car in several times to have service light diagnosed. Dealer reset light each time without bothering to check the source. Problem progressed to engine not starting, sluggish and jerky acceleration, lurching stops, and, most recently, shutting off while driving. This is absolutely a manufacturer issue, and I am planning to pursue all options available to rectify. Not only has Volkswagen produced an unsafe vehicle, but they are also aware of these problems and make a great effort to avoid dealing with them.
I was driving along when the radio made a popping noise. Now it no longer works and I've lost all abilities to use my handsfree dial or answer features on my phone. Radio now has a black screen and will not power on. The loss of handsfree phone through my radio is a major safety concern and having it was a contributing factor when I made the purchase.
My three year old, bought brand new from the dealership Jetta, and after parking overnight I got in my car to drive to work and my handsfree bluetooth, satellite, radio unit would not turn on. This is a major concern and driving hazard considering I am on call 24 hours a day and receive calls in my vehicle which is the reason why I bought this vehicle with the integrated bluetooth. After checking all the fuses I did some online research and found that this is a recurring problem with this vehicle and there was a class action lawsuit already started due to the inordinate amount of claims being filed. I then brought the vehicle to the dealership where they told me that there was a short in the unit and it would have to be replaced. I then contacted Volkswagen of America where they acknowledged they there was a know short in those units but due to the miles on my vehicle nothing could be done. The unit is 3 years old and with the known electrical defects, potential fire hazards the vehicle needs to be investigated.
Key stuck in ignition multiple times having great difficulty turning on and off car. Problems appears to occur on a more frequent basis, car dealership indicated not a problem while under warranty told jiggle the key will solve the problem. Progressively worse as my wife can't drive the car for fear of being stuck, she experienced this problem July 6, 2014 as she had to walk home. Turning the steering wheel, moving the transmission in and out of gear and moving the key around will eventually allow the key to move into a on/off position.
I bought a 2011 Jetta in February 2011. Today, I am told by the dealer that 'some wires' located under the spark plugs are short-circuiting and need to be replaced at a cost of $830 + tax. Now, why are there 'some wires' under the spark plugs that are not sufficiently insulated" and, why are 'some wires' under the spark plugs anyway" I was going down I-24 at 55 mph and the car 'cut off'! the only thing that saved my life is that it was rush hour and the traffic was bumper to bumper. I was afraid to drive the car to the dealership and had to have it towed. I could have been killed!!! such a design of 'some wires' under the spark plugs is not good craftsmanship or professional design. The vehicle is not even paid for and I have to replace 'some wires' under the spark plugs already. I think this should be a recall item because of the possibility of the vehicle cutting off when driving at full speed, in traffic on a major highway. Everyone with a 2011 Jetta needs to be made aware of the possibility of this same 'instant shut down of engine' happening to them. There was no warning such as the engine light coming on or the car stalling when trying to start the engine. In fact, some one may be disillusioned when car restarts and drives like there is nothing to it!!! it took the dealer 2-days to fine the problem so everyone needs to be made aware of this gross danger!!
The 2011 VW Jetta tdi main source of communication is through the radio (delphi premium 8). I was driving and the radio completely went out after a pop. I have done some research and as a 2011 automobile, this shouldn't be happening 3 years after a new car is purchased. This is a large safety hazard while driving and not having the vehicles main communication accessible. Please look more into this. This is a common occurrence with this radio model.
This complaint is for the 2011 VW Jetta sportwagon tdi. There is a manufacture defect that caused the fuse box under the hood to melt. This caused most of the lights on the exterior to fail, which included the headlights, taillights, brake-lights, ect. There were recalls on similar models, but not this specific car. There needs to be a recall on this car to prevent potential injuries.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oxnard, CA, USA