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Volkswagen Golf loss of power problems

54 of the 1,387 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Golf describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2011 model year.

owner complaints
54
worst model year
2011
typical mileage
28,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2019
    1
  • 2017
    9
  • 2016
    1
  • 2015
    3
  • 2013
    3
  • 2012
    3
  • 2011
    13
  • 2010
    9
  • 2004
    2
  • 2003
    1
  • 2002
    2
  • 2001
    3
  • 2000
    1
  • 1999
    1
  • 1994
    1
  • 1991
    1

Often reported together

Fuel pump 12Check engine light 10Stalling 9Won't start 4Engine failure 4Hesitation 3Fuel leak 3Won't shift 2

Trouble codes mentioned

P0087 2P32B2 1P1007 1P1004 1P060C 1

What owners say

Filed Aug 23, 2024 · Airbags, Electrical · FL

Failure of wheel speed sensor in front right wheel. This is the THIRD time I have had a wheel speed sensor fail on this car, which has 35,000 miles on it. Failure caused loss of power steering, airbags, abs, etc.

Filed Jun 20, 2024 · Fuel system · FL

***DATE OF OCCURRENCE: 07/03/2023*** SOLUTION REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY: I have been without a working vehicle for nearly 1 full year without recourse. ONE YEAR! Initially the recall for the exact suction jet pump issue did not include 2017 GTI models. I was furious. Repair estimates I received ranged rom $2,000-4,000 to replace the entire fuel system. Being unable to afford this, I was forced to leave it parked and completely unusable. I even had to change my car insurance to "garaged" status to avoid paying premium on a vehicle I couldn't even drive. I am extremely disappointed in the timeline for this recall. I'm glad that the recall for suction jet pump issue now includes my vehicle's year, but a repair solution is needed immediately. INCIDENT DESCRIPTION: Vehicle began losing engine power a day or so before the incident. I was driving home and noticed the intermittent engine power issue. Thankfully, I was not far from home. As I approached my neighborhood gate, I rolled down the window to enter the code. That's when I smelled a strong fuel odor. There were NO indicator lights or warning lamps displayed on my dashboard panel that suggested an issue with my vehicle. I looked around nearby for lawn maintenance trucks, suspecting they were refueling or had potentially spilled fuel from their equipment. As I pulled into my parking space and exited the vehicle, I immediately noticed fuel streaming down from the inside of the wheel well and pooling on the ground below the gas tank door. Honestly, it was a really scary experience. I was afraid for my safety. It looked like my car could explode at any moment. The only good news is that my gas tank was relatively low on fuel so the spill didn't last long. I have not started my vehicle since the incident, nearly 1 year ago. It's a gut punch every day to see it parked, unusable AND have to continue paying for it. Please issue a repair solution for this recall immediately. Thank you.

Filed May 14, 2024 · Fuel system · GA

Related to recall 20UF. VWoA refused to authorize repair under recall in March. My 2017 GTI is diagnosed with all symptoms of the 20UF recall. Random power loss, inability to add fuel, large fuel leak from rear fender (charcoal canister). I have been unable to drive the car since March, but VWoA refuses to pay for the repair. The recall was issued 3 months ago and there is still no repair, or offer from VWoA to give a loaner car or anything.

Filed Oct 6, 2023 · Fuel system · SC

While driving the vehicle I noticed hesitation and lose of power on the interstate. No MIL or check engine light illuminated on the dash. I was able to get the vehicle back to the house, but noticed a strong fuel smell coming from the car. I walked around the vehicle looking for a visible sign of a fuel leak and saw a puddle by the rear passenger tire. After further investigation I discovered that the fuel was coming from the air filter on my charcoal/evap canister. I did some research and see that VW has an extended warranty out for this issue but it is not currently a recall, Fuel Tank Suction Jet Pump Limited Warranty Extension (VWP-22-2). The safety issue is that while driving and stationary you have raw fuel and vapors on the exterior of the vehicle by an exhaust muffler and the inner fender liner absorbs some of the fuel in its fabric, so with the right circumstances could cause a vehicle fire. Thankfully this did not happen to my vehicle but the potential for it to happen is present. I took my vehicle to my local dealer and they diagnosed this issue but because my vehicle has a salvage title they will not cover the cost for the repairs, even though the reason that my vehicle has a salvaged/total title has nothing to do with the fuel/emission/evap system, so I will be doing the repairs myself. The parts that needs to he repaired are the same parts listed in the previous recall of the earlier model of the VW GTI (Safety Recall Code 20Y6)

Filed Sep 26, 2023 · Fuel system · CA

The High-pressure Fuel pump failed during a routine drive at approximately 1500 RPMs. This caused an immediate loss of power while in traffic. Manage to limp the car to the nearest gas station in which the car finally died and would not start. Had to call for a tow truck. This immediate loss of power could have cause myself and my daughter to get into an accident. Luckily, we were not on a major highway doing 65+ MPH, which could have been a lot worse. The vehicle flashed a MIL light or flashing glow plug light at the time of the incident. The car did not show any signs of possible failure beforehand. This same issue has been recalled by Fiat-Chrysler on their Heavy-Duty Ram pickup trucks with 6.7L Cummins due to catastrophic failure of the CP4 fuel pump.

Filed Sep 25, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · AZ

Vehicle EPC light comes on dash. OBD code is "P00AF00 - Turbocharger Boost Control "A" Module". This error causes sudden loss of power and loss of driver assistance (forward collision assist, blind spot assist, cruise control, etc.). Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Upon checking turbo charger, the wastegate actuator arm is seized up, keeping the wastegate from functioning properly, failing to maintain boost pressure and entering limp mode causing sudden loss of power and acceleration. This has happened while on the roadway, attempting to merge into highway traffic, change lanes & pass other vehicles. This caused the vehicle behind me to close the distance very rapidly almost resulting in multiple rear end collisions. The vehicle has not been inspected by others, yet. The only warning that came on was when it first did it. I had a sudden loss of power, a warning beep from the dash and the EPC light illuminated. It fixed itself after a few moments then occured again. It is now stuck with this error and will not operate accordingly.

Filed Jun 2, 2023 · Acceleration, Transmission · PA

Over the last two months, I've had over 30 incidences where the car will either randomly shift extremely hard into a gear or will hesitate, stutter, lose power while accelerating. Some of the shifts have been so hard that they've thrown me forward. Some of the losses of power are extremely dangerous as I'm accelerating at highway speeds. I have a full log of at least 30 of these incidents (and detailed as best I could) and they are attached. I picked May 11th because that was the hardest shift/loss of power which caused me the greatest harm. I've been able to reproduce the errors in drive, sport, and Tiptronic mode. The errors occur in all gears, but are most common in 2nd and 3rd (although the higher gears are involved as well), which leads me to believe it's not the transmission, yet the mechatronics unit or something outside of the transmission and engine itself. The troubling issue here is that the car is recording absolutely zero fault codes for diagnosis; that is, the car is shifting, stuttering, hesitating randomly and erratically and no diagnostics are being provided to resolve the issue. Technicians are able to guess what the issue is, but cannot give a guarantee what the problem is without the fault codes. This is the greatest safety concern, but luckily no crashes so far. I was interested to learn that there was a recall on the same model by the Australian government related to the pressure accumulator and I'd like to see if this could be the issue, since I'm experiencing the same symptoms as those described in the recall: https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/recalls/rec-005369. The contact stated that the loss of power issue still persists. The contact stated the issue is a faulty crank trigger.

Filed May 9, 2023 · Engine · IL

The engine completely failed while driving normally and lost power while on the highway, doing highway speeds. I had no power to safely exit the highway and it became extremely dangerous for surrounding traffic as I had to slow down. The problem has been confirmed by a Volkswagen dealer. Yes the vehicle has been inspected by Volkswagen. No warning lights or check engine lights prior to the failure

Filed Jun 16, 2022 · Engine · NY

EPC light comes on whenever turbo is engages, loss of power (no turbo). EPC light goes off when car is restarted, back on after a few minutes of driving. Error codes indicate turbo issues. Vehicle has 40K odometer mikes. Chat forums have numerous similar reports from other owners. Seems to be a known turbo issue with early MK7 GTIs

Filed Jun 5, 2022 · Fuel system · TX

Unable to fill gas in the tank - pump clicks off after only a couple of seconds. Upon trying again, car began to "belch" up a whole volume of gas - note this without the gas filler inserted. Also, when driving on the highway, car bucks and surges and feels like it is losing power. All of these symptoms are identical to reported 2015 and 2016 MY VW Golf and GTI cars for which a recall was issued for a valve installed inside the fuel tank. I believe my car has the exact same issue but is not covered by the recall - looking at a $4K fix.

Related recalls

Engine and engine cooling: engineReported October 26, 2015 · 91,867 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Risk
If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑822‑8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.

Recall number 15V705000 · Recall details

Engine and engine cooling: cooling system: fanReported September 20, 1995 · 34,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Improper material was used in manufacturing the radiator fan motor shaft causing the shaft to wear and become noisy.
Risk
A worn and noisy fan motor shaft can seize renderingthe fan motor inoperative, eventually causing the engine to overheat and stall. A stalled vehicle in traffic can increase the potential for a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the complete cooling fan assembly on vehicle having the potential shaft material problem. Dealers will install a new fan blade including a new lock nut on vehicle with loose fan blade lock nuts.

Recall number 95V178000 · Recall details

Questions about the Volkswagen Golf loss of power

Which Volkswagen Golf years have sudden loss of power problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2011 (13 complaints), 2010 (9 complaints) and 2017 (9 complaints).

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