Volkswagen Golf jerking problems

Filed May 26, 2026 · Fuel system · TN

Took my car into VW in Johnson City TN because my millage has been dropping drastically. Went from about 420 miles to a tank, down to less than 300. There is hesitation and jerking when I accelerate as well as a gasoline odor in the cab of the vehicle after refueling. Service manager said there was no code thrown and when he took it for a drive her drove “conservatively” and the mpg was normal. They did not physically inspect the fuel pump jet and gaslit me saying it was how I’m driving. Refused to actually look at the problem and then threatened that if I wanted them to look they would charge me for the labor. They did not seem concerned that a safety hazard of smelling fuel in the cab and poor fuel efficiency was an issue.manager said he knew of the active extended recall but hid behind the no code from their scanner instead of listening to the customer who voiced concerns. They didn’t want to do the work if they had to pay for it.

Filed May 26, 2026 · Fuel system · TN

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION OF ODI COMPLAINT NUMBER 11740201. I am submitting critical supplemental information to my active safety complaint regarding a 2018 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen (1.8T engine). My primary safety issues are a severe drop in fuel efficiency (cut completely in half), heavy vehicle hesitation/jerking during acceleration, and a powerful raw gasoline smell inside the cabin immediately after fueling. These symptoms heavily align with the known physical failures covered under Volkswagen's Suction Jet Pump safety campaigns. I took my vehicle to the Volkswagen dealership today for a diagnostic inspection. The service manager initially dismissed my complaints, refused to physically check the EVAP charcoal canister or suction pump, and claimed that my 50% drop in fuel economy was merely due to my 'driving style.' However, upon forcing me to pay a $136 diagnostic fee to retrieve my keys, the official paperwork provided by the dealership directly contradicted the manager. The technician documented finding a physical fuel leak. Alarmingly, this is the exact same 'small fuel leak' that this specific dealership claimed to have fully repaired a few months ago. That previous visit occurred because my steering wheel completely locked up while driving, nearly causing a severe accident—an issue the dealership also dismissed at the time because it 'failed to throw an error code.' The dealership has demonstrated a reckless pattern of ignoring severe mechanical safety hazards—including steering failures and active, recurring fuel leaks—solely because the vehicle's computer does not register a digital fault code. I am trapped driving a vehicle that is actively leaking fuel, smelling of raw gas inside the passenger cabin, and suffering from dangerous acceleration hesitation due to an unresolved fuel-system defect. I request a formal investigation into this ongoing safety hazard and the dealer's failure to remedy it.

Filed Nov 2, 2022 · Transmission · NY

The manual transmission shift knob has separated from the shift lever multiple times while driving. While shifting between gears, the knob lifts up with the boot off of the actual shift lever and I am unable to complete a shift until reconnecting the knob to the lever. The first time this happened, I was shocked and was nearly hit as I was on a highway entrance ramp and suddenly was not in gear and slowing down in a high traffic situation. Luckily I was able to get it sorted and make a shift with the knob loosely in place and then pull off the road. Firmly pressing the knob down onto the lever seemed to get it solidly attached, but unfortunately this has recurred more than once since then. I'm now aware and conscious to be very careful shifting but to any driver who this happens to the first time could easily be put into a situation of lost control of their vehicle speed or accidentally pull on the steering wheel when the shifter in their hand suddenly is not attached and the movement of their arm to shift results in a jerking of their body since. The shifter in the 2022 GTI (as well as Golf R) is a new design and it appears that multiple owners have experienced the plastic attachment cracking, breaking, or otherwise causing the shift knob to detach. Some owners report having a replacement knob installed and a repeat of the same problem. There seems to be either faulty design or manufacturing of the part, and this is a critical component to car control.

Filed Jul 29, 2022 · Fuel system · 66,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started jerking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle at her residence and upon exiting the vehicle, she smelled an abnormally strong gasoline odor. The contact inspected the vehicle and saw a pool of gasoline underneath the passenger’s side rear of the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that the breather valve inside the fuel tank had failed. The dealer determined that the fuel tank, fuel lines and charcoal canister needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

Filed Oct 10, 2021 · Fuel system · TX

Safety: Had a charcoal canister saturated with gasoline resulting in a fuel leak; gasoline was dripping down the rear right side of the car via the charcoal filter and soaking the rear fender. Raw fuel was also being pumped into the air intake of the engine (where air is supposed to go). Fuel tank was bulging due to the high pressure and could have cracked. Other symptoms: Had fuel spillback while refueling, and also could not fill the tank because the handle kept clicking. Car was riding rough and jerking randomly. Failed component: Dealer determined a faulty suction pump was causing liquid fuel to fill the charcoal canister while the car is running. This is the same part that was previously recalled in earlier 2015-2016 Golfs (the federal safety agency Safety Recall Code: 20Y6, published December 2016). My 2017 Golf (16k miles) was manufactured April 2017 and sold to me in October 2017. On the 2017 Golf, the suction pump is now molded inside the fuel tank in an inaccessible location and cannot be serviced; the entire fuel tank must be replaced. Reproduction: The dealer disconnected the vent lines from the fuel tank and proved that liquid fuel was venting out of the fuel tank and into the charcoal canister via the suction pump (see attached invoice). Inspection: The car was not inspected by the manufacturer, only the dealer. Warnings: There were no warnings or lights. When I first noticed my car jerking, I ran my OBD-II scanner and found a code "P0461 Fuel Level Sensor Circuit Range/Performance" but the car did not report this to the driver (see attached image). Rectifications: The fuel tank should be recalled, and Volkswagen should release a software update to make the P0461 code trigger a Check Engine Light.

Filed Dec 26, 2020 · Driver assistance, Suspension · 500 miles · MD

So what happen was ever since I got my 2018 golf gti autobahn dsg, I've experienced issues with the transmission, it jerks when slowing down from 2nd gear to first and sometimes from 4th through 1st. I took in the car to the dealership and they said nothing was wrong I took it to them multiple times and they still said nothing is wrong however I have showed them proof that there is something wrong with the car, I have a scanner tool and it shows that I have multiple codes for transmission and other stuff as well. The car has 7600 miles which is basically brand new considering its 2yrs old. Also when reversing the transmission may disengage repeatedly, this happens mostly when reversing on an incline, however the incline is as little as 1.5-2%.the lane departure keep feature is dangerous, let me explain why. When driving on a road that doesn't have visible lines the system may jerk the steering wheel hard to one side depending on road conditions, if a driver doesn't have a good grip of the steering wheel, there is a high risk of a crash. The suspension in this car is amazing but when it was new, now it feels like the car has no stability and does not absorb bumps in the road.my 2013 toyota corolla le does a better job at absorbing bumps than my 2018 gti with adaptive dampening. My car used to feel like a super expensive mercedes-benz or bmw when it came to suspension comfort but now its just not the same at all.so the other day this crazy driver slammed on his/hers brakes and the automatic braking system engaged which is good cause no accidents happened, however the car had a hard time accelerating after, it felt like the front brakes were still engaged, but after 1 long minute the car started moving again normally until you try to reverse and then it started jerking repeatedly while going in reverse.this car needs to be recalled especially the 6 speed dsg transmission

Filed Mar 2, 2020 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · OH

The vehicle is having problems with the dsg transmission its jerking too much out of nowhere my car got stuck on one gear and the prnd lights keep flashing nothings fixing the problem I really love this car sucks it has to be put down at 160k

Filed Feb 1, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 1,500 miles · FL

Engine hesitate, stumble and jerk from stop to the first 5 gears and make whining noise. Brand new car! Scary do drive and dangerous. Have the car for about 2 weeks, 1,500 miles.

Filed May 6, 2019 · Engine · 175 miles · FL

After driving the car for 30 or so minutes on both city and highway streets, my new gli with 800 miles on the odometer will intermittently stall when coming to a stop. This engine stall happens when the clutch is to the floor and in gear and sometimes with the clutch out and in neutral. It is a very gentle stall - nothing like the lurching that occurs during a typical stall, in fact there have been times when I didn't notice the engine died. After the occurrence of the first stall it usually continues to happen at each subsequent stop for the rest of that particular driving trip. The car returns to normal after sitting for along period of time. This issue has happened on three separate occasions over the first month of ownership.

Filed Feb 28, 2017 · Visibility · 19,500 miles · CA

The panoramic sunroof on my 2015 vw golf se spontaneously exploded while driving approximately 60 MPH on the freeway at approximately 9:15 pm on 2/27/2017 on highway 880 in oakland, about 1/2 mile south of the oracle coliseum. No cars were near me and I was not under a bridge, thus no evidence that the sunroof was struck by an external object. There was also no visible evidence of damage to the glass prior to entering the vehicle, I check every time I buy gas. The glass shattered suddenly in a loud explosion that sounded like a gunshot and shards were scattered throughout the interior of the vehicle and covered myself and my passenger - although most of the shards blew outward and landed on the road. The experience was extremely frightening and could have caused serious injuries. Luckily I was able to maintain calm and slowly drive off the freeway rather than jerking the wheel when the explosion happened. The only injuries are emotional and 12 hours later I am still finding small shards of glass on my person (hair, inside my mouth and nose, on my clothes).