2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN Complaints

RECENTLY MY 2011 JETTA SPORTWAGEN'S EXTERIOR LIGHT DASHBOARD INDICATOR CAME ON. UPON INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR FRONT AND REAR LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. INTERMITTENTLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THEY WOULD WORK AND THEN FAIL AGAIN WITHOUT ANY REASON. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD I HAD ONE BULB OUT AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. AND THAT THEY HAD NEVER EVER HEARD OF THIS ISSUE IN ANY VOLKSWAGEN. THE SAME DAY THE LIGHTS FAILED AGAIN. I INVESTIGATED THIS TIME MYSELF AND FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE F16 FUSE. MY F16 FUSE WAS VISIBLY BURNT AND THE FUSE BOX WAS MELTED AT THE F16 SPOT. A NEW FUSE HAS TEMPORARILY FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT A SAFETY ISSUE IF THIS IS MELTING THE FUSE BOX AND MY LIGHTS COULD FAIL AT A CRITICAL TIME.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY SEVERAL MESSAGES STARTED TO APPEAR IN REFERENCE TO FAILED LIGHTS. I LOST SIGNAL LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS. REPLACING THE LIGHTS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AT THE DEALER THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FUSE BOX WAS BURNED OUT AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON 3/24/2017.

FOR TWO YEARS PRIOR TO AUGUST 2016, I WENT INTO MY VW DEALER ONCE A MONTH BECAUSE THE CHECK TIRE LIGHT CAME ON. EACH TIME THEY JUST PUT AIR IN THE TIRES AND SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, AND EACH TIME I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE RIMS. ONCE OR TWICE THEY INSPECTED AND CLEANED THE RIMS AND SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. IN JUNE 2016 I ASKED THEM TO CHECK AGAIN BECAUSE I PLANNED TO DRIVE FROM CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. THEY ASSURED ME I WOULD NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. BUT DRIVING BACK FROM NEW YORK IN AUGUST 2016, THE CAR WAS NOT HANDLING WELL, SO I CHECKED THE TIRES EVEN THOUGH THE CHECK TIRE LIGHT HAD NOT COME ON. I DIDN'T SPOT A PROBLEM, SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, BUT ON THE EXPRESSWAY JUST OUTSIDE OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY WENT FLAT, AND I BARELY WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WITH THE HELP OF A STATE TROUPER I FINALLY GOT A TOW TRUCK AND HAD THE SPARE PUT ON. THE NEXT MORNING I DROVE TO THE CLOSEST VW DEALER IN YOUNGSTOWN. THEY REPLACED THE TIRE, WHICH WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. THEY SAID THAT THEY FOUND TWO SMALL INDENTATIONS ON THE INSIDE OF THE RIM THAT PROBABLY CAUSED THE TIRE TO LEAK AIR AND GO FLAT. THEY FIXED THE INDENTATIONS. BACK HOME AT THE VW DEALER IN GLENVIEW, IL, THEY AGAIN ASSURED ME THERE WAS NO PROBLEM, AND THEY REIMBURSED ME FOR THE REPAIRS. BUT JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AFTER THAT, MY CAR BEGAN TO HANDLE POORLY. I PUT AIR IN THE TIRES, AND A FEW HOURS LATER ON THE EXPRESSWAY THE CHECK TIRE LIGHT CAME ON. I ASKED VW TO REPLACE ALL THE RIMS AND TIRES FOR BY BACK THE CAR. THEY REFUSED. ONLINE I SEE OTHERS WITH THIS COMPLAINT. I HAVE DECIDED TO SELL THE CAR MYSELF, AT GREAT LOSS, AND BUY A SUBARU. THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT I TOOK TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS AT VW, BUT THEY WOULDN'T LISTEN TO MY CLAIM. *TR

ON THIS VEHICLE, FUSE (F16 PLUG-IN POSITION) OVERHEATED AND DAMAGED THE FUSE BOX, CAUSING A PARTIAL LOSS OF EXTERIOR VEHICLE LIGHTING. THIS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH CAUSING INJURY AND/OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. VW ISSUED 97AM ACTION ALERT FOR EARLIER YEAR SAME MODELS, BUT NOT THIS AND LATER YEAR MODELS.

CAR STALLS INTERMITTENTLY UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS ACCELERATING DE-ACCELERATING WARMED UP, AND COLD FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED ALONG WITH FILTER AND NOW POWER RELAY HAS BEEN REPLACED BUT IT STILL STALLS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY (HIGH & LOW BEAM, TURN SIGNAL, DRL), RIGHT REAR TAILLIGHT, THIRD BRAKE LIGHT, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT AND LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL ALL STOPPED WORKING AT THE SAME TIME. DASH INFORMATION CENTER REPORTED ALL OF THESE LIGHTS NEED TO BE CHECKED. AFTER 1.5 HOURS OF TROUBLESHOOTING WITH A FLUKE MULTI-METER, I FOUND A POST ON TDI FORUMS REFERENCING CAMPAIGN 97AM TO CHECK THE FUSE PANEL UNDER THE HOOD, POSITION F16, 30AMP FUSE FOR MELTING. I CHECKED THIS FUSE AND THE FUSE PANEL AND FUSE IS MELTED. I CONTACTED THE VW DEALERSHIP THAT VERIFIED THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE PERTAINING TO MY VIN. I THEN CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER CARE WHO ALSO SAID THERE IS NO RECALL OR SAFETY ISSUE AND THEY WILL NOT CORRECT IT BASED ON NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ISSUE ON THE 2009 - 2012 JETTA SPORTWAGENS. VW ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE VW DEALERSHIP FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS BUT ADVISED I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHARGES TO FIX THE CAR.

THE CLOCK SPRING GOT DEBRIS IN IT, PUSHING THE RIBBON OFF THE GUIDE WIRES AND CAUSING A KINK. THIS CAUSES A FAULT IN THE AIRBAG CONTROLS AS THERE IS UNRELIABLE CONNECTIVITY WITH THE COMPUTER. THUS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN TURNS ITSELF OFF. VW VOLUNTARILY RECALLED 420,000 CARS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, INCLUDING SOME VEHICLES WITHIN OUR SAME YEAR AND MODEL. FROM VW'S RECALL NOTICE: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING COULD BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH LONG HAIR OR LONG FIBERS WHICH MAY CAUSE A DISPLACEMENT OF THE INTERNAL GUIDE LOOPS. WHEN THE GUIDE LOOPS ARE DRAGGED OUT OF POSITION, THEY MAY APPLY TENSION TO THE INTERNAL FLAT CABLE AND CAUSE IT TO TEAR. SHOULD THE CABLE TEAR, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO THE DRIVER'S FRONT AIRBAG MAY BE LOST, CAUSING THE AIRBAG MONITORING INDICATOR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. IN A CRASH THAT WARRANTS A DRIVER FRONT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY, LEADING TO A RISK OF DRIVER INJURY. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR VEHICLE, VERBATIM. OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE AFFECTED RECALL. I WAS TOLD BY A VW TECH THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL BECAUSE THE PART INCLUDES A COMPUTER MODULE FOR THE HIGHLINE DISPLAY. THIS CONTROLS ALL STEERING COLUMN-MOUNTED BUTTONS (RADIO, ETC), AND MUST BE MANUALLY REPROGRAMMED FOR EACH MODEL IT'S INSTALLED IN. THE PART COST INCREASES FROM $115 TO $375 AND THE LABOR FOR INSTALLATION INCREASES FROM $100 TO OVER $400. SO BY NOT REPLACING THE HIGHLINE MODULES, VW WILL SAVE SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS. MEANWHILE, PEOPLE ARE RIDING AROUND WITHOUT FUNCTIONING AIRBAGS BECAUSE VW CAN'T DESIGN A STEERING COLUMN THAT KEEPS LONG HAIR FROM GETTING TANGLED IN THEIR CLOCK SPRINGS. THE DESIGN FLAW ISN'T IN THE CLOCK SPRING ITSELF BUT IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY THAT CAN'T BLOCK DEBRIS FROM GETTING DOWN INTO THE CLOCK SPRINGS TO BEGIN WITH.

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.

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.