Glow plug light came on and engine lost power. Engine would not restart. Tow to dealer and they replaced the high pressure fuel pump and other parts. Cost of warranty repair was about $7000.00.
2012 Volkswagen Golf: fuel pump failure
11 of the 48 complaints about the 2012 Volkswagen Golf describe fuel pump failure.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 23%
- typical mileage
- 27,525
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Fuel pump failure by model year
What owners say
While coming to a stop at a red light, heard a slight ringing sound as the engine slowed down and stalled right as we stopped. The engine would not restart and the "coils" warning light was illuminated in the dash board. Several attempts were made to restart the vehicle as we waited for a tow truck. The problem was with a failure of the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp). The vehicle was towed to the dealership. We were without a vehicle for over a week as the fuel was being tested for contamination (which there was none) and waiting approval from volkswagen for approval under warranty coverage. This is the second problem with the fuel system on this car. There was a previous problem with a leaking fuel rail (leaving a puddle of diesel fuel in a parking lot) which was covered with a warranty repair while on a vacation.
I was driving on I-55 at approx. 60mph and the glow plug indicator light began flashing and the vehicle went into limp mode. Pulled off at the next exit and shut the vehicle down, and waited a few minutes. After turning the vehicle back on, the 'check engine' light was illuminated, however I was able to drive home (aprox. 3 miles). Had vehicle towed to dealership the following morning, where the dealer indicated the high pressure fuel pump for the direct-rail fuel injection system had failed and contaminated the entire fuel system. This will require a replacement of the high pressure fuel pump, and the entire fuel system, which is being covered by the manufacturer under the drivetrain warranty.
2012 vw golf tdi (diesel) vehicle began losing power on acceleration from a stoplight and began clicking. Check engine and glow plug lights flashed. Power was reduced to 15% and limped to shoulder. Shut off engine and attempted restart. Engine turned over but no ignition. Towed to dealer who confirmed that high pressure fuel pump had failed. Dealer replaced high pressure fuel pump, tank pump, high pressure fuel lines, fuel rail with both sensors, all injectors, fuel return lines, fuel filter, and aux fuel pump. Tank and fuel lines were flushed and cleaned. All repairs done under vw 60k powertrain warranty.
Driving in stop and go traffic on highway when glow plug icon on dash started to blink, lost significant engine power. Pulled over and restarted with nothing on dash. Quickly, glow plug icon started blinking again, along with a solid motor icon on dash. Drove to dealership with 40mph max power, and after turning car off, technician could not turn car back on. High pressure fuel pump failed and sent metal shards into fuel system, destroying the entire fuel system. Tech says he's seen 6 tdi with same issue recently. Vw is covering 100% of cost.
Vehicle stalled on street at stop sign. Was unable to restart the car after multiple attempts. Vehicle was repaired; high pressure fuel pump failed. Metal shards contaminated fuel rail, fuel tank, and other systems.
Glow plug and check engine indicator appeared while driving approximately 45 MPH in vicinity of the m-10 freeway in detroit, mi. Vehicle power unexpectedly cut out, forcing me to maneuver off of the road at a speed lower than surrounding traffic. I picked up the vehicle on 19 aug from the dealer and experienced an identical problem in vicinity of 9 mile road and middlebelt in farmington hills, mi. Vw later informed me that the problem was associated with a failure of the high pressure fuel pump.
Fuel pump failure at 7200 miles (despite using diesel fuel) resulting in shards of metal in the fuel system and inability to drive car, had to be towed to dealer looking at the web, this is not the first time this has happened in a newer tdi engine.
The car is a 2012 vw golf tdi, purchased around april of 2012. It had approximately 7500 miles at the time of the incident. I was on a short drive to the store and back (5 miles round trip from home). On the way back, I heard a metal grinding sound coming from the engine compartment and noticed a lack of power. I turned off the radio to confirm that the sound was coming from my new car and it was. At the next stop light, the car died and could not be restarted. I confirmed that I still had diesel fuel, and sure enough, I still had 1/4 tank. So I was not out of fuel. The engine would crank, but not start. Thankfully this happened at a stop light instead of on the hilly interstate I take to work 20 miles each day. Aside from hearing the metal grinding sound for approximately 30 seconds, I had no warning. The car had to be towed back to the dealer. The dealer took a few days to diagnose the problem as a faulty fuel pump. Apparently, the fuel pump malfunctioned and shot metal shards through my entire fuel system. It took the dealer well over a week to replace every component and the cost of labor and parts was over $10,000. Thankfully, vw covered the repair as being under warranty. A quick google search confirmed that hundreds of other vw diesel engines have had the same problem. Unfortunately, the dealer did not replace the fuel tank. Based on reports I have seen online, I can expect another failure any day. Please investigate this further and force vw to issue a recall. I have owned 5 volkswagens in the past (own 2 right now) and love them, but I will never buy another one after this incident.
Fuel pump failure, random power cut out due to fault mode. System flashes a glow plug light instead of a check engine light not signaling a obvious failure.
At 6,519 miles, while about to enter the on-ramp of a local highway, the check engine light and glow plug indicator light began to flash. I was able to veer off the entrance ramp and continue down the down to the nearest safe parking lot area; as I pulled into the parking lot area, the vehicle shuddered and suddenly shut off. It would not re-start, and we had to arrange for a tow to a family members house through our insurance company. In the morning we had a tow to our dealer set up through volkswagen roadside service, who would not cover the entire cost of the tow to our preferred dealer, so we paid the difference out of our own pocket. I was notified by the dealer that the fuel pump (commonly referred to as hpfp) basically imploded and sent metal throughout the entire fuel system, which now needs to be replaced. We own two volkswagen diesel (tdi) vehicles; this one, a 2012 golf tdi, and a 2010 jetta tdi. They are both filled up at the exact same pump from the exact same station about 99% of the time. At the time this incident occurred, the golf had 281 miles on the current tank of diesel which was filled up on 08/03/2012. I filled up my jetta tdi at the same pump on 08/06/2012, currently have over 230 miles on that tank of diesel, and have not experienced any problems. We keep meticulous documentation of our diesel usage, cost, etc. With receipts and other logs, and can safely state that this was not due to a mistake on our part. Rather, this is a design failure and/or oversight on the part of both volkswagen and bosch, the hpfp manufacturer. I am a veteran member of the tdiclub vw diesel online community, and there is extensive information and documentation there of these repeated failures. Please visit the following threads for information; http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286380, http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=299854.
Related recalls
Fuel system, diesel
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen is recalling certain model 2009-2012 jetta and jetta sportwagen vehicles, manufactured from may 2008 through september 2011, model year 2010-2012 volkswagen golf vehicles, manufactured from may 2009 through september 2011, and model year 2010-2012 audi a3 vehicles, manufactured from september 2009 through september 2011, that are equipped with a 2.0l tdi common rail diesel engine/clean diesel engine. The fuel injection pulses could coincide with the natural frequency of the injector line #2, in specific load and RPM conditions. This resonance creates additional stress in the fuel line.
- Risk
- Due to the resonance condition, injector line number 2 could develop small cracks which could lead to fuel leakage. Leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source, may lead to a fire.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will install an improved fuel injector line for the number 2 cylinder on certain vehicles and will install vibration dampers on all of the injector lines. Volkswagen and audi will notify owners to have the vehicles repaired free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during november 2011. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1‑800‑822‑8987.
Recall number 11V490000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Volkswagen Golf fuel pump
Is fuel pump failure a common problem on the 2012 Volkswagen Golf?
11 of 48 owner complaints about the 2012 Volkswagen Golf (23%) mention fuel pump failure. The model year with the most reports is 2011.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Volkswagen Golf?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Volkswagen Golf
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