- NHTSA is investing the 2009 VW Jetta TDI for engine stalling.
- Seven complaints have been filed.
- More than 35,000 Jettas are subject to investigation.
WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into an estimated 37,889 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedans after receiving seven complaints of engine stalling due to fuel system contamination, it said on its Web site.
"The Office of Defects Investigation has received seven complaints on 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI vehicles alleging that while driving and without warning, the engine limped and then stalled almost immediately," said NHTSA in its defect investigations summary. "A preliminary evaluation has been opened to access the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect."
A preliminary evaluation is sometimes the precursor to a recall.
When contacted by Inside Line on Wednesday, Volkswagen Group of America issued the following statement: "Volkswagen takes these investigations very seriously and intends to fully cooperate with NHTSA's investigation."
Inside Line says: If you own the aforementioned VW Jetta TDI, be aware of this investigation. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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ftg says:
07:40 AM, 07/10/2011
Just bought a 2011 Jetta sportwagen TDI and 1000 miles into the car and I have sputtering. Going in on monday to have them look at it. How do I access the lemon law and complain to the the feds. How can this be with a brand new car. Where should I complain to the goverment.
bigsalad says:
06:37 AM, 03/03/2011
My '09 Jetta TDI just did what every one is describing. I barely made it to the parking lot before it died. It was jerking and the 'engine fault workshop' alert came on as well. Absolutely no warning before this. Now it gets towed to the dealer. I hope they can fix the problem. At what point does the car manufacturer have to issue a recall?
jrhoglund1 says:
04:04 PM, 12/12/2010
I Have An 02 Golf, Love The Car But At About 98000 Miles The Air Bags Deployed Without Cause. This Concerned Me As A Safety Issue So I Contacted V.W.O.A. As Well As The Dealership. They To My Plesent Surprise Handled This Problem Very Well They Replaced All The Air Bag Equipment, And Replaced All Dammaged Interior Pieces At No Charge To Me Even Though The Waranty Had Been Over For Some Time...Thank You VW, My Next Car Will Be A GTI!!!
nglam99 says:
09:42 AM, 12/01/2010
My 2011 Jetta Sportwagen had similar problems. It occurred when I had the brand new car only for 2 weeks and less than 1000 miles. While I was driving on the highway at about 65 mph, the engine limped without warning and the car could only go at about 30 mph. Many warning lights came on and the engine control malfunction warning light stayed on. After I pulled off the highway and shut off the engine, the engine power returned when I restarted the car. The dealership said it was a EGR valve problem. They claimed cleaning it and re-programmed the unit have fixed the problem. However, 2000 miles later, my car jerked while I was driving at around 60 mph on the highway. It felt like the car applied the breaks on its own. It happened multiple times during a 200 miles trip and ultimately the engine limped and I had to pull off the highway. The car was finally towed to a dealership. They claimed this time the problem was a loose connection in the ABS module. This car/model appears to have serious safety problems.
geyedoc says:
04:18 AM, 11/27/2010
I had a 2009 Jetta TDI with no problems at all. Great car, so much so that after getting into an accident, and the insurance totalled it out, I just went out and bought a 2010 model.
Major problems with fuel system on this one. First the high pressure fuel pump disintegrated, in heavy Chicago interstate traffic. I was able to pull off to an exit ramp safely, and get towed (on a saturday night) to the dealer. They had to replace the entire fuel system, tank to injectors. The service at the dealer (where I had bought the car) was awesome. Back on the road on three days.
About 5 weeks later, on a bitter cold morning, the "service engine immediately" light flashed again, and I immediately pulled off and had it towed to the nearest dealer. Problem this time was the high pressure fuel pump regulator.
I love this model, but have to have reliable transportation.
VW needs to figure this out before they get a terrible reputation for this new innovative engine. The TDIs have in the past been super durable and reliable. It would be a shame for this new , clean burning design to fail in its early life.
Next time it happens, I'm invoking the "third strike" rule, and returning the car to the dealer.
oaklandjetta says:
02:21 PM, 10/12/2010
My 09 Jetta died this weekend at 22,000 miles. Same problem. If they replace the entire fuel system, does that solve the problem?
beautychoozer says:
11:37 PM, 09/20/2010
My 09 tdi wagon with 27k miles broke down on a road trip one month ago.
I was going 70 mph on the dangerous california grape vine pass when I lost power and had the "engine fault workshop" come on the dash screen.
I luckily coasted to a rest stop on the busy and dangerous highway.
The car was towed to the nearest dealer and is still in the shop one month later with the part being on back order.
Still under warranty, vw is going to repair the faulty fuel pump that imploded and ruined the fuel system
It is a $ 6000 repair covered under warranty but I am very concerned when the warranty will
expire in 3k miles. Upon further investigation we found on the blogs that this is happening
widely and repeatedly among 09 tdi s when they reach a certain mileage.
Further more they will be replacing the part with the same faulty part.
We will be filing a report with nhtsa.
Nancy Smith So. California representative from VW of America is aware of this problem. You get the sense that VW performing damage control and almost covering up this dangerous defect.
clyjo33 says:
12:42 PM, 09/17/2010
MY 2009 JETTA STALLED LAST WEEK AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE WHAT IS WRONG , I CALLED THEM AND TOLD THEM OF THIS COMENT I FOUND ON HERE, I THINK THEY SHOULD RECALL THE JETTAS AND FIX THEM ALL THIS IS MY 3RD JETTA IV OWNED AND NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE BEFORE. THEY TOLD ME THERE IS 3 FUEL PUMPS ON THIS MODEL
chemeng says:
06:23 AM, 09/02/2010
@sbennies: The "stalling" that the investigation is related to refers to the stalling of the vehicle when the high pressure fuel pump disintegrates and send thousands of small metal particles throughout the vehicle's fuel system which causes the vehicle to "stall". When the vehicle "stalls" when this condition occurs, it cannot be simply restarted. It requires a flatbed to the dealer and complete replacement of the fuel system and any damaged engine components.
sbennies says:
03:17 PM, 09/01/2010
Oddly enough, I happened to just do a Google search on my TDI stalling and this article popped up. It is an issue, my car has stalled 3 times now. It just started about a month ago and I have been slow to address the issue.
The car stalls normally when stopped at a light and you take the foot off the break without immediately hitting the gas pedal.