2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

AS I ACCELERATE TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY, I SUDDENLY REALIZED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER TO SPEAK OF, WHICH WAS QUITE ALARMING. THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. I WAS ABLE TO GAIN ENOUGH SPEED TO GET ON THE FREEWAY, BUT I INSTANTLY TURNED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS REALIZING THAT I COULD NOT GAIN ENOUGH SPEED TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, MY GLOW PLUG LIGHT CAME ON, AND I DROVE MY CAR 1 MILE TO THE NEAREST OFF RAMP. WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND I DROVE 1 MILE TO MY SCHEDULED DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. I PARKED MY JETTA WITH PLANS TO ADDRESS THE MATTER AFTER MY APPOINTMENT. WHEN I RETURNED TO MY CAR, IT WOULD NOT START, AND I CALLED AAA TO TOW MY CAR TO THE NEAREST VW DEALERSHIP. AS I MENTIONED, THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE, AND I WAS IN ABSOLUTE SHOCK BECAUSE I LOVE MY CLEAN DIESEL, AND I HAVE ENCOURAGED 4 OTHER FRIENDS TO BUY THE EXACT SAME MODEL!!! AFTER LEAVING THE CAR AT THE VW DEALERSHIP, I BEGAN TO DO SOME RESEARCH ONLINE ABOUT THE ISSUES PEOPLE ARE HAVING WITH THE BOSCH HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS IN THE VW CLEAN DIESELS. HONESTLY, THIS HAS DEEPLY CHANGED HOW I FEEL ABOUT MY CAR, AND WORRIES ME GREATLY! IT IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE A CAR COMPLETELY LOSE POWER! :( FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, VW IS "SUGGESTING" THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE PUT GAS IN THEIR DIESEL ENGINES. MY HUSBAND HAS HAD A JETTA DIESEL WAGON FOR 12 YEARS AND HAS OVER 200, 000 MILES ON IT, SO WE ARE WELL VERSED IN THE USE OF DIESEL. WE HAVE NEVER PUT GASOLINE IN OUR DIESEL CARS!!! WE ARE INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE WAY VW IS HANDLING THIS ISSUE. TO SUGGEST THAT HUNDREDS OF LOYAL, DEVOTED DIESEL FANS THAT HAVE PURCHASED THEIR CARS ARE AT FAULT IS AN ENORMOUS MISTAKE, AS IS SUGGESTING THAT CONSUMERS ARE NOT BUYING "QUALITY DIESEL." TAKE THAT UP WITH THE REFINERIES AND GAS STATIONS, VOLKSWAGEN, NOT YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS. *TR

MY WIFE AND I WERE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN TDI ENGINE STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD ONTO A GRASS EMBANKMENT BEFORE A SEMI TRUCK PASSED WITHIN INCHES OF DRIVER SIDE. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. WE CALLED VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND WERE TOWED TO THE NEAREST VW DEALERSHIP. UPON MECHANIC INSPECTION, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM HAD FAILED, SPECIFICALLY THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THE REPAIR REQUIRED THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM TO BE REPLACED, AS SHARDS OF BROKEN METAL AND DEBRIS CONTAMINATED THE FUEL TANK, PUMPS, LINES, FILTERS, ETC. VW AGREED TO MAKE THE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY (ESTIMATE $6K) BUT NOT WITHOUT ADVISING ME THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE TO MAKE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO "DIESEL FUEL CONTAMINATION". I WAS ADVISED TO PURCHASE FUEL FROM "REPUTABLE" DIESEL FUEL STATIONS WITHOUT BEING ASKED WHERE I BOUGHT GAS (SHELL AND GULF NEAR MY HOME). VW ASKED MECHANIC TO PULL 1 LITER FUEL SAMPLE FOR TESTING AT VW. MECHANIC REPORTS THE SAMPLE PULLED APPEARED TO BE A CLEAN DIESEL FUEL SAMPLE. HE LEFT THE SAMPLE OUT OVERNIGHT TO SETTLE AND LOOK FOR PHASE SEPARATION OF WATER/FUEL. HE SAW NO SEPARATION IN THE MORNING. I HAVE LOVED MY DIESEL CAR, BUT VW HAS NOT YET SATISFIED ME WITH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE. MY SAFETY AND RELIABILITY CONCERNS HAVE BEEN VERY MUCH DISCOUNTED, AND I HAVE BEEN MADE TO FEEL LIKE THIS WAS MY FAULT. *TR

AROUND NOON TIME THIS PAST SATURDAY MY SON WAS RETURNING FROM A NEIGHBORHOOD STORE AND THE CAR STALLED AT THE ROADSIDE ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM HOME. HE CALLED AND REPORTED THE CEL AND "COIL" LIGHT BLINKING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR, CONFIRMING THE SAME LIGHTS WERE BLINKING AND DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. AT HOME I CALLED THE VW SERVICE REP AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT THAT SAME AFTERNOON. WE PROCEEDED TO TAKE THE CAR IN A SHORT WHILE AND IT STALLED AGAIN ENROUTE - WOULD NOT RESTART & HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW. AFTER TELLING THE VW SERVICE MGR WHAT HAD HAPPENED HE IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR A MECHANIC TO BRING SOME TOOL AND PROCEEDED TO TAKE THE TOP OF THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING. AS HE SUSPECTED THERE WERE SMALL FILINGS OF METAL IN THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING. HE THEN TOLD ME THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE SOME HPFP FAILURES AND THEY WOULD BE REPLACING IT WITH ONE FROM ANOTHER MFGR. HE ALSO SAID VW DEALT WITH RESOLVING THIS ISSUE BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM. I AM REPORTING THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I HAVE READ MULTIPLE INSTANCES ON THE INTERNET OF THIS HAPPENING AND VW REPORTING THAT IN MANY CASES OWNERS HAD CONTAMINATED THE FUEL SYSTEM WITH GASOLINE. I FUEL ALL THE CARS FOR OUR FAMILY AND HAVE NEVER PUT GASOLINE IN OUR JETTA'S FUEL SYSTEM. I HAVE ALL OUR FUEL RECEIPTS FROM THIS YEAR, AND UP TILL A FEW MONTHS AGO HAD ALL OUR 2012 RECEIPTS AS WELL. MY WIFE IS THE HIGH-USE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE. I THINK I'M VERY FORTUNATE THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN TO HER ON THE FREEWAY DURING HER COMMUTE TO/FROM WORK. *TR

THE 2012 VW JETTA 2.5 HAS A VEHICLE DEFECT IN WHICH UPON A NEED FOR ACCELERATION, THE CAR STALLS OUT. WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUES TO RUN; THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE. THIS VEHICLE HAS FAILED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS NEARLY CAUSING ACCIDENTS EACH TIME. VW REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT EVEN THOUGH OTHER VW OWNERS HAVE DOCUMENTED THIS DEFECT IN A VARIETY OF WEBSITES REGARDING THE PRODUCT. *TR

2013-07-19 - DRIVING AT 25MPH, ENGINE BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE, ERROR LIGHT COMES ON, ENGINE STOPS COMPLETELY, LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE POWER, WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE STREET. VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. VW SERVICE TEAM MANAGER ASSERTS METAL SHAVINGS IN FUEL INJECTOR INDICATE CONTAMINATION OF FUEL SYSTEM. DOES NOT INDICATE WHAT DRIVER BEHAVIOR COULD PREVENT THIS, NOR DOES HE DISCLOSE PUBLICIZED TDI HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP PROBLEMS. MOST RECENT FUELING 2013-07-17. FUEL RECEIPT READS: 12.99 GALLON DIESEL 2 PUMP #10 WITH TWO DAYS OF UNEVENTFUL DRIVING PRIOR TO FUEL PUMP FAILURE, SUGGESTS MISFUELING NOT RESPONSIBLE. *TR

(THIS CAR IS A JETTA TDI DIESEL, TDI OPTION IS NOT AVAILABLE IN PULL-DOWN LIST ABOVE) AFTER EXITING HIGHWAY, I SMELLED DIESEL FUEL. PARKED AT DESTINATION AND OBSERVED FUEL LEAKING FROM UNDER HOOD AND POOLING ON GROUND. TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED & WAS TOLD TO GET FIRE DEPT THERE TO CLEAN UP SPILL. FIRE DEPT SPREAD MATERIAL ON GROUND AND OPENED CAR HOOD. WE COULD SEE SPRAY MARKS OF FUEL FROM INJECTOR OR LINES, SPRAY MARKS DOWN PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR FROM SPLASHING UP ON HIGHWAY DRIVE I WAS TOLD TO NOT START CAR AND KEEP PERSONS AWAY FROM CAR UNTIL TOW TRUCK CAME. WHEN VEHICLE WAS PUT ON TOW TRUCK BED, MORE FUEL GUSHED OUT FROM UNDERBODY OF CAR. CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED ONLY AT VW DEALER, LAST DATE OF 4/12/13. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS APPROX 50 MILES FROM HOME ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, SO THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A VW DEALER IN THAT TOWN (GRAND RAPIDS, MI). UPON CHECKING FUEL GAUGE IN CAR, IT WAS DOWN 1/8 TO 1/4 OF A TANK FURTHER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 55 IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, (AROUND 9:15AM CT ON JUNE 26, 2013) TOWARDS RIVERSIDE DRIVE (DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS) WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD BOOM/CRASH SOUND ON THE ROOF OF MY VOLKSWAGEN JETTA (2012, WHICH I OWNED FOR 1 WEEK!) AND GLASS SHATTERED AND FELL ALL OVER ME AND THE INSIDE OF MY CAR. I WAS NOT UNDER AN OVERPASS OR BEHIND ANY TRUCKS OR CARS, SO I WAS COMPLETELY TERRIFIED AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS CRYING AND SHAKING AND PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO S PARKWAY AND CALLED 911 TO FILE A REPORT. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE POLICE, A NEARBY WITNESS (WHO HAPPENED TO WORK FOR A CAR DEALER) MY BOSS AND MY BOYFRIEND, EVERYONE AGREED THE SUNROOF HAD SOME SORT OF DEFECT THAT CAUSED IT TO SHATTER/COMBUST/EXPLODE. THE GLASS WAS ALL STICKING STRAIGHT UP AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF AN OBJECT IN OR ON THE CAR. MY BF BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE VW DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE INSPECTING IT AND REPAIRING IT WHILE I AM IN A RENTAL CAR. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IN A CAR WITH A SUNROOF NOW AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE. VW DRIVERS BEWARE. *TR

RECEIVED A LETTER FROM VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA FOR "SERVICE ACTION CAMPAIGN CODE: 20T8 SUBJECT: CERTAIN 2009-2012 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES WITH TDI CLEAN DIESEL ENGINE INSTALL MISFUELING GUARD MAY 21, 2013" TO INSTALL THE MISFUELING GUARD VW PART #5K0 201 400. MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH JIM ELLIS VOLKSWAGEN LOCATED AT 1860 COBB PKWY S MARIETTA, GA 30060 PH: (770) 955-6565 TO INSTALL THE MISFUELING GUARD. AFTER THE FUEL GUARD WAS INSTALLED, DISCOVERED THAT NONE OF THE DIESEL FUEL NOZZLES AT AREA FUELING STATIONS IN ATLANTA, GA AND CHARLESTON, SC FIT THE MISFUELING GUARD BECAUSE THE NOZZLES ARE TOO SMALL TO DEACTIVATE THE LOCK-OUT MECHANISM. CAR CAN ONLY BE REFUELED WITH EXTREME DIFFICULTY BY VERY SLOWING TRICKLING IN DIESEL FUEL TO AVOID TRIGGERING THE FUEL PUMP BACK-PRESSURE AUTO-SHUTOFF SAFETY FEATURE. REQUIRES 10 TO 15 MINS TO PARTIALLY FUEL THE CAR AND DIESEL FUEL WILL FOAM AND RUN OUT OF THE FUEL TANK NECK. CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA AND JIM ELLIS TO REMOVE THE MISFUELING GUARD, WHO AS OF THIS WRITING, ARE REFUSING TO DO SO PER VW AMERICA DIRECTIVES. INSTEAD, THE DEALER PROVIDED A DIESEL FUEL NOZZLE ADAPTER 000-072-709 WITH LATEX GLOVES, WHICH IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THE AVERAGE NON-MECHANICALLY ORIENTED DRIVER AND A HUGE INCONVENIENCE THAT SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHES THE VALUE AND UTILITY OF THE VEHICLE. PART MUST NOT BE LOST AND CAREFULLY WIPED DRY AND KEPT CLEAN AFTER EACH USE. A NEW DRIVER MAY NOT BE AWARE OF OR UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THE NOZZLE ADAPTER. NEITHER VW AMERICA NOR JIM ELLIS ADVISED ME THE MISFUELING GUARD WOULD NOT FIT A GREAT NUMBER OF DIESEL FUEL NOZZLES COMMONLY FOUND AT AREA REFUELING STATIONS PRIOR TO HAVING IT INSTALLED. HAD I KNOWN THIS, I WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED THE MISFUELING GUARD TO BE INSTALLED. *TR

ON 5/31 WE FILLED OUR TDI AFTER GETTING 515 MILES ON OUR PREVIOUS TANK OF FUEL. 5/31 WAS MY LAST DIESEL FILLUP IN MY TDI BEFORE MY ISSUE CAME ABOUT. AT THAT VISIT ON 5/31 WE ADDED 14,207 GALLONS OF FUEL TO OUR 14.5 GALLON TANK. ABOUT 12 DAYS PASSED FROM OUR LAST FILLUP AND AFTER 405 MILES OR 3/4 OF A TANK OF FUEL USAGE SINCE OUR LAST FUEL UP ON 5/31 WE WENT ON SUNDAY 6/9 TO START OUR VEHICLE.IT STARTED AND THEN QUICKLY DIED. WE THEN TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE OVER AGAIN AND IT WOULD TURN OVER BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT IGNITE SEEMED TO BE A FUEL ISSUE TO MY HUSBAND) BUT IN ALL EFFORTS HE TRIED TO JUMP OUR VEHICLE .... NO FIX. ON MONDAY WE CALLED FOR A TOW WE ARRIVED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE DEALERSHIP GOT OUR CAR INTO THE SHOP... DIAGNOSTICS STATED THAT WE HAD GASOLINE IN OUR DIESEL VEHICLE... AT NO TIME DID WE EVER OR HAVE EVER PUT GASOLINE IN OUR CAR WE HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR ALMOST 29K MILES AND ARE OTHER DIESEL PRODUCT OWNERS. WE WERE BLAMED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT WE PUT GASOLINE IN OUR CAR BUT THANKFULLY WE SAVED THE RECEIPT OF OUR LAST FILL UP THAT STATED WE DID PUT DIESEL IN OUR VEHICLE THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY HAD TO DRAIN OUR FUEL TANK AND REPLACE OUR FUEL FILTER.... THIS WOULD BE AT A COST OF ALMOST $300. WE STATED TO THEM WE WANTED A SAMPLE OF THE FUEL DRAINED AND THEY DID GIVE US THIS. OUR ARGUMENT TO THE DEALERSHIP WAS WHY WOULD OUR VEHICLE NOW DECIDED NOT TO START OR RUN AFTER OF A TANK OF FUEL AND ALMOST 420 MILES ON THE TANK OF FUEL. IT SEEMS VERY ODD. THE DEALERSHIP WAS VERY QUICK TO PASS THE BUCK TO THE GAS STATION READING THE REPORTS AND COMPLAINTS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. VOLKSWAGEN OWNERS STATE THAT THERE ARE KNOWN ISSUES OF THE FUEL SYSTEM IN THE DSG TDI AND STILL HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. I FEEL LIKE I MAY ALSO BE ANOTHER VICTIM OF THIS BLINDED KNOWN CORPORATE PROBLEM. SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST DID NOT PROVIDE ANY DEFECT CODES NOR DID THE VEHICLE STALL WHILE THE DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,884. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.