2001 Volkswagen Golf: engine stalls while driving

Filed Jun 15, 2007 · Engine · 73,000 miles · IL

The engine check light went on, I had two hoses replaced, and was told nothing else was wrong with the car. However, a day later, the light went back on. I was told the air filter needed cleaning and all was well. A day after that, the light went on again, and the car was having problems at ignition, it was stalling and just turned off. This time I was told it needed an ignition coil. That was fixed. As I was driving home, the check engine light went on again! The next morning before the dealer opened, I tried turning on the car, and now had a second light the epc (electronic control panel). The car turned on, but gears and the whole system was down, and I couldn't even switch gears. That was hard to get it on a tow truck to drive it back to the dealer. That was replaced, and at that point I was told of a recall that was issued for the car, so it stayed at the dealer to repair the recall. A recall I was never told about, by mail or otherwise, although I have not moved in 2 years, and prior to that I lived with my parents. Anything sent to me to either address, does get to me. After the recall was fixed, the engine light went on again. The car has been in and out of the shop for over 2 weeks and they can't figure out was is wrong with it.

Filed May 9, 2007 · Acceleration, Electrical · 104,000 miles · NY

Check engine light flashed while car urged/stalled/surged/stalled. Check engine light remained on. Brought vehicle to mechanic, coded category non performance. Cat replaced with o2 sensors at $900. Light/ surged/stalled and returned to mechanic immediately. He replaced genuine volkswagen plugs, wires, and ignition coil. No cracks were found, but replaced anyway at $300. Light continued to illuminate, t and remained lit within 40 miles of reset, codes category, bank 1. Ran rough and smelled of raw gas once light went on. Recall did not cover this model although the failure was identical. Only 2.0 aeg motors covered not 2.0 azg to 120000. Quirky operation will result in an accident. Self limiting use of vehicle until problem diagnosed and repaired- o2 sensors at $187 each x 2 in exhaust were next.

Filed Jul 5, 2006 · Lights · 51,232 miles · CA

I own a 2001 vw golf. Since I purchased this car, the brake light switch has failed once per year. Thus, I have had to replace this faulty brake light switch four times in four years. The faulty switch has caused my epc light to come on while I am driving, and to stall the vehicle and prevent it from shifting gears. Vw issued a recall for faulty brake switches in the 1999-2002 jetta and 1998-2002 beetles, so I don't know why a comparable fix has not been made available to 2000-2002 golf owners. This problem is rampant. A search of any vw chat board will reveal numerous owners who have experienced this problem. Vw should recall the brake light switches on the older golfs as it has done with other models, or it may pose a safety hazard to the many golf owners out there (who are not likely to purchase any type of vw again). There are no signs to indicate that the brake light switch will fail before it fails. Each time it fails, the car must be brought to a dealer or service shop for switch replacement. I have records of my brake light switch replacements over the past four years I have owned my golf, and can send you copies if you need them. Thank you.

Filed Oct 21, 2003 · Electrical · 51,000 miles · CA

I have a 2001 volkswagen golf with the tdi engine (engine code alh). Last night and this morning I had problems with the ecu power relay ("relay 109"). Symptoms are sudden stalling of the engine with the inability to restart for 3-5 minutes. This morning during my morning commute my engine stalled 4 times, 3 of which were on an extremely busy freeway during rush hour traffic. This is a known and well documented problem with the tdi engine. There have been a large number of reports of this problem (see http://forums.tdiclub.com and search for "relay 109" for examples). Volkswagen has released an updated relay which fixes this failure mode. Luckily I was aware of this problem so I was able to purchase a replacement and install it myself. Vw knows about this problem and it is a severe safety issue... The engine will stop running without warning and may not be restarted for several minutes. Luckily this morning I was only traveling at approximately 15 MPH when the first stall happened. I recognized the problem and after I was able to restart my engine and continue on, I got into the right-hand lane, assuming that it would happen again. The next time it happened I was traveling at about 55 MPH, and fortunately I was prepared to stop the car safely. This happens to vws with tdi engines up to and including the 2001 model year. The old relay part number is 357906381a and the new replacement is 1j0906381a. This situation may not be considered serious since the replacement part is only about $25 and installation takes less than 10 minutes, but I feel that it is a serious safety issue.

Filed Sep 5, 2002 · Engine · IL

The vehicle would stall while driving at various speeds, while making a turn, slowing down to a stop or during acceleration from a stop position. The vehicle has been to the dealer on eight occasions and the problem still exists. Feel free to provide any further information.