CarComplaints.com Notes: Digging through the long list of NHTSA complaints about a sudden loss of engine power and the high pressure fuel pump failing, it's never good to come across the "my car (with a cold engine) set itself on fire in the middle of the night" complaint.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,854 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2011 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #49

Jan 142012

Jetta

  • 93,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the vehicle's horn and radio did not function, there was a burning odor, and the windows functioned independently. In addition, the vehicle felt as if it would lose power, the air bags were not functioning, and the exterior lights were malfunctioning. The epc and catalytic converter malfunction warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- Jacsonville, FL, USA

problem #48

Nov 302015

Jetta

  • 55,000 miles
Ignition switch key lock solenoid (N376) problem. Hello, my wife's 2011 Jetta has a malfunctioning ignition lock cylinder. Perhaps the ignition switch key lock solenoid (N376)? normally the key should be locked in the ignition while the car is in D(drive). However, there appears to be a malfunction in the N376 (or other) which does not engage the locking solenoid. This allows for the key to be pulled out while in D. she was able to turn the car off and pull the keys out of the car while the car was still in D(drive), got out of the car and the car rolled back and hit a Porsche. Thankfully the car did not run over a child or other person. From brief research I see there have been multiple recalls on similar items, here is an article on one though not specifically on the 2011 Jetta.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #47

Nov 012015

Jetta

  • 60,000 miles
Car shakes when driving to the point we have to pull over turn the car off and restart it. The check engine light comes on and goes off as it pleases as does the epc light. Car won't accelerate while shaking.

- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA

problem #46

Nov 112015

Jetta

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving straight on a city highway, the car stalled, and would not restart. This happened in moderate traffic, but we were able to coast out of the road and into a parking lot. The dealer where we bought the car analyzed the fuel system, and ruled that out. He found a bad fuse related to the fuel pump, and claims at this time that it is probably an electrical issue. At this time, the exact cause remains unknown. This is the third time that we've had the same problem, though the previous two times the dealers claimed that it was a fuel system issue.

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #45

Jun 012015

Jetta

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that when the ignition was turned to the on position, the check engine warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the dpf filter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Leesburg, VA, USA

problem #44

Feb 012013

Jetta

  • 38,875 miles
38,875 miles - total collapse of the fuel line due to an internal failure of the tank fuel pump (hpfp). VW dealer inspected and found metal in the fuel system. VW dealer tested the fuel in my tank and it showed clean diesel fuel with no contaminants. VW paid dealer to replaced fuel system components & cleaned tank, unit in tank & hard lines. Adapted injectors, bleed fuel by stem and tested. I've retained records, communication, and sample of gas in tank at time of collapse. One problem after another with vehicle.

- Santa Rosa Beach, FL, USA

problem #43

Aug 142015

Jetta

  • 52,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Manual transmission tdi sportwagen. Driving 30 mph in 4th gear. Flashing glow plug warning light went on. Vehicle lost power and speed. Attempted to downshift. Engine immediately shut off and RPM went immediately to 0. lost power steering and brakes. Did not have enough speed to bring vehicle to curb. Vehicle stopped at intersection and had to be towed. Dealer diagnosed as hpfp failure.

- Centerport, NY, USA

problem #42

Mar 122014

Jetta

  • 12,000 miles
I purchased the Jetta used from carmax in nashville, tn in 2014. It began having safety issues on March 2014. Randomly, my car will just stop while driving down the road, or after accelerating from a stopped position when moving on from a stop sign or stop light. I can be driving anywhere from 15 mph to 50 mph, and all systems shut down. The battery light goes on, the steering locks, and the brakes lock. I always panic, put the car in neutral and have luckily managed to veer off to the side of a road and stop, shut the car off, and turn it back on again. Eurofix tried to manage the problem by replacing the crank sensor and cam shaft. But he problem came back, much worse. The second problem is now I cannot unlock my drivers side door with my magnetic key or by sticking the actual key in the lock. I see that another recall has been announced for the 2011 Jetta that is not pulling up via my VIN number, but I believe it might be my car's issue: Online, ate that in March 29, 2011 (published by NHTSA) in which an issue with "an electrical wiring and fuse layout where the converter box is protected by the same fuse used by the signal horn and the anti-they alarm system. Should that fuse be blown, , the converter will be disconnected from the power supply which in turn will shut off applications such as the engine management system, lighting system, and wipers"......"should this happen while the vehicle is being driven, the engine could stall or the headlights or wipers could turn off unexpectedly, potentially leading to a crash without warning." Please help me!!!!!!! what do I do. What will remedy this situation so I don't get killed or kill others. I't gonna happen....then my family will file a lawsuit. I need guidance and for this car to be fixed/traded out.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #41

Jan 202015

Jetta

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact merged to the right side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the number two and three fuel injectors were faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

- Shillington, PA, USA

problem #40

Jul 092015

Jetta

  • 46,674 miles
I was driving to work, which includes crossing a toll bridge daily. I was on the bridge, which is only a 2 lane bridge, when all of a sudden my diesel engine failure light began to flash. I lost acceleration and was able to pull off to the shoulder safely and turn off the car. I sat there for a few minutes contemplating if I should call aaa to get a tow to the dealer. Seeing as I was only about 5 miles from the VW dealer, I decided to see if my car will make it there. It started back up no problem and I was able to accelerate back into traffic and make it to the dealer with no further issues. I explained the problem to the service rep. And they checked in my car and I waited for them to call me with the issue. Later in the day, I received the call from the service rep., and he informed me that the high pressure fuel pump failed, and they will have to rebuild the fuel system, as there were metal particles found in the gas and gas lines. He said this sometimes happens when a customer may use biodiesel fuel or a lower grade of diesel. He also said that they would have to send the gas samples off to VW lab to review in order for the repairs to be approved since I have the extended warranty. I am shocked that this occured, seeing as my car is only 4 years old and less than 50K miles on it. Thankfully, there was not an accident and no one was hurt.

- Pinole, CA, USA

problem #39

Aug 042014

Jetta

  • 53,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car started shaking violently as I was driving. My check engine light came on along with my epc light. The car felt like it was going to breakdown on the interstate. I pulled over and turned the car off then turned it back on and it was fine. I drove a little ways down the road and the same thing happened, so I took it to a dealership and they stated L had a bad ignition coil with the codes 351,300,301,304,130. They replaced the part and almost exactly a year later 7/6/2015 I'm having the exact same problem.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #38

Mar 182015

Jetta

  • 38,414 miles
The car loses power, stalls then it dies. At times it speeds up, and stalls dies without warning. Loses all power, found recall in reference to this issue. VIN# matches series, matches date, and place where the car was made, except for the last few digits. Recall 11V19600, and VW will not replace harness to electrcial fuse and circuit breaker. I need to help to get this resolved. I have been battling the dealer and VW of America since 03/20/2015 until today 06/26/2015

- Santa Ana, CA, USA

problem #37

Jul 152014

Jetta

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving at 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power and was unable to be driven. The glow plug light illuminated prior to the failure. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times and was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

- Sun Valley, ID, USA

problem #36

Nov 302014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 24,000 miles
Driving down the highway at about 55mph, started switching lanes and stepped on the gas to accelerate. The car sputtered and the engine vibrated. The car felt like I was going to stall driving in the high-speed lane. The yellow check engine light came on and epc light started flashing. Swerving back into the lower speed lane I couldn't even keep the car at 55mph. I had to pull over on the highway to see if I could make sense of it. After turning off the car and then back on, the lights went off and the car was fine. I took it too the mechanic and they said they couldn't find anything wrong after $85 diagnostic. The car ran fine for 2 days until the same exact thing happened while driving on the highway again. This occurred on and off intermittently about every 1-2 days for about 2 weeks. Three trips to the mechanic within those 2 weeks and with each visit there was a computer connected to the car and a full systems diagnostic reported that there was nothing wrong with the car. It became dangerous for me to drive the car and even more so to drive it on the highway. After the second week the lights finally came on and stayed on and the problem was diagnosed as the engine misfiring in 2 of the cylinders. The mechanic changed with the ignition coil on 12/15.2014. The engine ran completely fine without any issues until last week, 3/19/2015. At 3 months and only 28,000 miles on the car the same problem started to reoccur while getting onto the highway and attempting to accelerate from 40-45mph. It started just as it did before intermittently and about 2 weeks later the engine and epc lights were on permanently again. After the mechanic confirmed that it was the same issue with the same component we changed the same part again. I am expecting to be changing it again in 3 more months, if I still have the car.

- Warwick, RI, USA

problem #35

Jan 032011

Jetta

  • 700 miles
My VW has had problems since a week after I bought it. While going 1500 RPM's around 15-25 mph my car chugs and stalls. I have brought it to VW 4 times, and a personal mechanic. Each time VW said there was a either a computer issue and that they have fixed it or said there was no issue. They completely reset my cars computer back to factory settings due to them saying that my car learned my driving style. This didn't help. Years later I am still having this problem. I have almost gotten in a few car accidents because of the stalling/chugging problem. I have an infant and can't have my family car causing such problems.

- Salinas , CA, USA

problem #34

Feb 092015

Jetta

  • 89,000 miles
Traveling along at highway speed. Car sputtered and died. I was able to pull over and be towed to a repair shop. Apparently there is a well-known design flaw in the intercooler intake pipe on all Volkswagen tdi (diesel) engines since 2009 that causes moisture to develop in the intercooler intake pipe during cold weather. If enough moisture collects in this pipe, it will get channeled to the engine and be fed into the cylinders, causing the car to sputter and stall exactly as mine did - or to simply not start on cold days. Other side effects of this, are severe engine damage. VW is well aware of this issue, and has issued a tsb about it. "tsb# 21 11 06 / 2025464 frozen air charge cooler" and there is a repair part they have already designed - # cold weather ic kit 1K0-198-803-B... however, the part is only made available upon request and at owner expense if out of warranty. This is not a warranty issue; this is huge safety hazard and a design flaw that VW needs to correct for all owners. This situation also, apparently does not throw any codes to the vehicle computer, as there are no sensors of any type in this intercooler pipe. The only way to determine that this is the cause, it to put the vehicle up, and remove one end of this hose and see if water or 'sludge' drains out of it, and this pipe would probably be destroyed in any front-end collision, as it's far forward in the engine compartment. There is a ton of information about this all over the internet. Here is a link to just one of the articles I found after this happened to me. forums.thecarlounge.com/showthread.php?5574701-tdi-intercooler-issue-design-flaw.

- Pickerington, OH, USA

problem #33

Jan 152015

Jetta

  • 59,000 miles
I have a 2011 VW Jetta tdi (diesel). After leaving my car parked for about a week, it would not start. The battery was fine, so I had it towed to the dealer, and was told that condensate had build up in my intercooler and air intake lines and frozen. The suggested repair was to replace the intercooler, and associated parts, but I had them thaw and drain the lines and took my car home. I am concerned because if the condensate built up in the lines and got into my engine I can potentially throw a rod causing severe engine damage. I asked the dealer about this and they said while unlikely, it could potentially happen. I'd like to know the prevalence of this in the 2011 Jetta tdi so I can make an informed decision about the future of my car.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #32

Jan 062015

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
Brought to dealer for a dpf light. Dealer diagnosed with a clogged particulate filter replaced under warranty. Picked up car drove about 5 miles and the glow plug light came on turned around and headed back to dealer car went into limp mode (on I93 rush hour traffic) shut car off in VW parking lot and tech could not get it to start again. Received a call next day with the hpfp failure news and the fragment went through the entire system. Dealer tested fuel and confirmed no gas in the 3/4 of a tank that is in the car currently.

- East Bridgewater, MA, USA

problem #31

Jan 062015

Jetta

  • 92,800 miles
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

problem #30

Dec 192014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 96,000 miles
I was driving 40 mph and the car lost power and the glow plug light turn on and off then the car turned off and it didn't turn back on.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

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