2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

RADIO (INCLUDING BLUETOOTH) SUDDENLY WENT OUT AT 39K MILES. DEALER DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT RADIO FAILED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT, THE DRIVER'S SIDE TAIL LIGHTS, DIRECTIONAL TURNING SIGNAL LIGHTS, AND THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUSE PANEL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS MELTED WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,351.

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE GLOW PLUG INDICATOR LIGHT STARTS FLASHING WITH A LOSE OF POWER. THE VEHICLE STALLS BUT LUCKILY WHILE EXITING FREEWAY. THE JETTA WAS TOWED TO DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED HPFP FAILURE AND THE WHOLE FUEL SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WAS NOT FIXED ($6000) AS IT WAS PAST THE WARRANTY BY 1000 MILES.

IN A ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS STOPPED AND HIT IN THE REAR AND PUSHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. HEAVY FRONT AND REAR DMG AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, JUST SOME SMOKE CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE

VEHICLE CLUTCH PEDAL STUCK TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE WOULD STILL START BUT ONLY IN NEUTRAL. IF I WERE TO TRY AND START VEHICLE IN A GEAR WITH THE CLUTCH PRESSED IN THE CAR JUMPS FORWARD OR REVERSE. THIS COULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO BE CRUSHED IF THEY WERE STANDING IN FRONT OR BEHIND WHEN VEHICLE IS BEING STARTED. ALSO IF THIS FAILURE WERE TO HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING THE CAR WOULD NOT COME OUT OF GEAR AND COULD CAUSE AND ACCIDENT. LUCKILY MINE FAILED IN MY GARAGE OVER NIGHT. BROWSING AROUND ON THE INTERNET IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD FAILURES WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 90,000 MILES. CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS AIR GETTING INTO THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH SYSTEM. THE SLAVE CYLINDER WAS BLEED AND IT WORKED FINE AGAIN. I ENDED UP REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACING THE SLAVE AND MASTER CYLINDER SINCE THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE BAD. NO VISIBLE FLUID COMING FROM EITHER PART THOUGH.

THE RADIO LOUD POPPING WENT DEAD . TURNS ON BY ITSELF SOMETIMES ABOUT 1 TIME EVERY 2 WEEKS OR SO. LOUD POPPING STATLED WHILE DRIVING.

HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP BREAKDOWN LITTERED THE DIESEL INJECTION SYSTEM WITH METAL PARTICLES. AT LEAST THE FOLLOWING WERE DAMAGED, ACCORDING TO VOLKSWAGEN FUEL PUMP HAS METAL IN IT INTAKE FUEL PUMP HIGH PRESSURE PUMP AUXILLARY FUEL PUMP FUEL LINES 4 INJECTORS FUEL RAIL W/SENSORS THIS IS A $6,500 FIX AND THERE IS AN ASTRONOMICAL FAILURE RATE THAT IS GREATER THAN 1%. I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE REVISITED.

MY 3 YEAR OLD SON'S SEATBELT LOCKED AROUND HIM WHEN HE THRUST HIMSELF FORWARD IN HIS CAR SEAT. I ATTEMPTED TO GET HIM OUT, BUT HE HAD APPARENTLY PUT THE TOP PORTION OF THE SEATBELT BEHIND HIS NECK. ANY ATTEMPT I MADE TO GET HIM OUT ONLY RESULTED IN THE SEATBELT TIGHTENING MORE AND MORE. SUBSEQUENTLY, I HAD TO CALL 911 AND MEDICS CAME TO CUT HIM OUT OF THE SEATBELT.

MY LIGHTS BEGAN FAILING WITHOUT WARNING. FRONT HEADLIGHT, REAR TAIL LIGHT, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT, DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS, BACK UP LIGHTS. IN TOTAL, 7 LIGHTS FAILED WITHIN MINUTES. VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON AND MOVING ON A CITY STREET. WARNING LIGHTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE TOLD ME THAT LIGHTS FAILED WHEN I USED THEM (SIGNALS, BRAKES, HEADLIGHTS, ETC). DROVE DIRECTLY TO DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR/REPORT PROBLEM. RESEARCH TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE AND A NHTSA RECALL ON 2009 AND 2010 MODELS. OUR 2011 DID NOT HAVE A RECALL ON IT, BUT ISSUE WAS IDENTICAL. CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER SERVICE. CASE #160222423. THEY AGREED TO PAY 75%.

I PARKED ON A DRIVEWAY WITH A 15 DEGREE PITCH. I FOLLOWED THE SAME PROCEDURE EACH TIME I PARK, WAITING 1 MINUTE IN IDLE, TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL, WITH MY FOOT DEPRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. AFTER SHUTDOWN I ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE AND PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN 1ST GEAR. I EXITED THE VEHICLE FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES PREPARING THE CAR FOR WAXING. I LEFT THE AREA FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND RETURNED TO FIND THE CAR HAD ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, CRASHED THROUGH A FENCE, DOWN A HILL, AND INTO TREES. (THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ENGAGED BUT TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL) I PERFORMED TESTS AND DETERMINED THAT RANDOMLY, GEAR SHIFTER APPEARED TO BE IN 1ST GEAR BUT WHEN I RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE THE SHIFTER RETURNED TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION AND CAR STARTED ROLLING BACK. I CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER SERVICE AND REPORTED THIS. A VW SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME TO REPLICATE CONDITIONS OF INCIDENT. I PARKED THE VEHICLE ON A SLIGHT UPGRADE, ALLOWED ONE MINUTE IN IDLE, SET THE PARKING BRAKE, AND PLACED THE SHIFTER IN 1ST GEAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT MANUAL TRANSMISSION SYNCHRONIZERS CAN RANDOMLY CATCH WHILE STATIONARY PREVENTING PROPER ENGAGEMENT INTO 1ST GEAR. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT I HAD NOT FULLY ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE. HE PULLED THE PARKING BRAKE UP SLOWLY (APPROXIMATELY 6-7 CLICKS). THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED PARKING BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION TESTED OK AND NO REPAIRS REQUIRED. QUESTIONS FOR NTSB: 1 SHOULD ORDER OF OPERATIONS OUTLINED IN VW OWNER'S MANUAL FOR PARKING CAR WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION BE REVISED TO FIRST PLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN 1ST GEAR, RELEASE THE MAIN BRAKE SLOWLY, AND DETERMINE IF CAR REMAINS STATIONARY BEFORE ENGAGING PARKING BRAKE? THIS WOULD PREVENT FULL LOAD ON TRANSMISSION WHILE INSURING THAT THE CAR REMAINS STATIONARY REGARDLESS OF A PARKING BRAKE FAILURE. 2: SHOULD THE VW MANUAL STATE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE NEEDS TO BE FULLY EXTENDED (6-7 CLICKS)?