2003 Volkswagen Jetta: sudden loss of power

Filed Dec 1, 2015 · Acceleration, Transmission · 162,000 miles · OH

Transmission sometimes just doesn't want to shift properly I was driving along rt 50 at 60 MPH when the car jerks really hard and loss of power almost got ran over by semi called vw who is aware of valve body defect and they told me that it was indeed my fault for driving it like that it just happened waiting on call from vwoa probably will lead no where I want this fixed asked for help to get parts or ect I know there was open recall on this but my car exceeds year and mileage but a safety recall is just that so please research and see if it was preformed on my vehicle I am sure it was not addressed but they sent letters out for this mystery recall also I can lead to other internal failures of trans or replacement my speedo also jumps 10-15 miles up and down other times it will work you can contact state hwy patrol they can tell you even more about these problems.

Filed Aug 7, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 90,000 miles · CA

Car stalls at highway speeds when at quarter tank or less. Parts replaced, still occurs. There is no known fix for this problem, it always comes back, and is most likely a manufacturers defect with the fuel pump system that is being ignored by vw of america. This is happening to hundreds and most likely thousands of volkswagen jetta, golf, beetle and gti owners. We have been connecting the dots through online vw forums and are frustrated! There have been accidents reported due to sudden power loss and therefore deceleration due to this issue. Just this morning my jetta stalled in front of a semi truck doing 65mph on the highway. This is a very dangerous problem, it's happening to a lot of owners of vw's manufactured between 1999 and 2005, and it needs your attention before someone gets seriously injured. Thank you.

Filed Oct 10, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 94,000 miles · NJ

All warning indicators (ABS, cel, airbag, ecp, battery and other instrument dash panel lights) would flicker repetitively until the car lost all power. After inspection of the engine compartment it was found that the alternator cable that attaches to the fuse box located on top of the battery was melting the fuse box and causing power distribution problems. The volkswagen dealer recommended that they both be replaced as the cable could have become high resistance thereby causing excessive heat at the fuse box. I had the alternator cable replaced with an oem part and the fuse box with an aftermarket part. On 10-9-13 with 104k miles while driving to work at 6am in the morning, the exact same symptoms were experienced again. Luckily I was on a side road and was towed to a dealer which said that all oem parts should be used and that this is common as they had just replaced the alternator cable on another jetta of the same generation. I requested the dealer check the entire electrical system including the alternator because the parts that were installed last year should not go bad in 1 year, the dealer said there was no other issue. I am not the only one experiencing a melting fuse box. At the links below are others who have experienced the same thing, even across other vw models. There seems to be a serious problem of melting of fuse boxes which can occur at any time the vehicle is in operation. (with pictures) http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?4562591 http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4682918-why-s-my-fuse-box-melting http://newbeetle.org/forums/questions-issues-concerns-problems-new-beetle/28982-battery-fuse-box-melting-04-new-beetle.html http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4705261-battery-light-flickering-on-acceleration http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4829541-burnt-black-cable-fuse-box-on-top-of-battery.

Filed Sep 28, 2013 · Engine, Fuel system · 90,000 miles · VA

I started experiencing a hot spot in the driver's heated seat in the fall of 2012. I have to put a cushion between my right leg and the seat or it will nearly burn. I have also been having an issue with either the o2 sensor or catalytic converter whenever it rains and it's cool weather. The car will lose power, sputter and lurch until it has been running for a while then it acts normally. Finally, for the past two months the rear door locks will not open with the keyless entry or by hitting the lock/unlock button on the door. I just reached the 100k mark and keep up regular maintenance on my car so I'm a little upset that things like this are happening so early.

Filed Aug 26, 2008 · Engine · 88,000 miles · AZ

My 2003 vw wolfsburg edition jetta continues to lose power. While I am driving the car will almost stall the power catches and powers back up prior to stalling. The lights interior and exterior go out, the radio turns off, the clock loses power, the engine loses enough power to not accelerate, but still does not stall. The power lose last for a few seconds. The interior lights also flicker. This happens several times every day. So far I have replaced the coolant fans and censor (1st diagnostic from vw dealership), replaced the 2nd coil (2nd diagnostic from vw dealership) replaced the ignition switch (lesueur car co), & replaced the control module (3rd diagnostic lesueur car co) when I picked up my car from lesueur car co I didn't get a mile away when the car lose power again. I bought this 2003 vw jetta from cardinale way of scottsdale last sept. (2007) I asked for a bumper to bumper extended warranty at the time of purchase. My car started losing power and when I took it to a mechanic I found out my warranty is not what I asked for. It's just a power/tran warranty which doesn't cover anything! I have spent almost $1300 in the last 2 months trying to fix the power lose problem and no one can figure out exactly what is wrong with my car?!?! Everytime it gives a diagnostic error, we fix the error, and the car still continues to lose power! It has been in the shop at least 6 times, twice at a vw certified dealership and the 4 or 5 times at lesueur car co which is the largest non-certified dealership in az. I have contacted cardinale way and they are unwilling to help me with this matter. I do not know what to do??? I have 3 more years to pay on a car that no one can fix!! And I can't afford to keep fixing things that aren't the problem either! If there is anything you can do to help it will be very appreciated. Thanks

Filed Aug 13, 2008 · Electrical · 115,000 miles · AL

Lost power, radio stopped working, A/C starting blowing hot air, epc light came on, battery light came on, ABS light came on. Then the car would not crank. I thought the battery was dead so I jumped the car. I made it home then the car would not start the next morning. After examination I found that the fuse box on top of the battery had melted. The wire from the fuse box to the alternator overheated. Was told by two different volkswagen dealerships in birmingham, al that this was a very common problem. If it is a common problem why is there no recall?

Filed Jun 16, 2008 · Engine · 47,423 miles · CA

On march 1, 2004, I purchased and financed a 2003 jetta tdi from the vw dealership in chico, ca. I began to experience problems with my new vehicle in late november 2005, with mileage at 47399. I suffered intermittent loss of power when accelerating onto the freeway and in traveling up hills. During the loss of power, I also noticed that I could not hear the whine of the turbo and assumed that the problem must be related to my turbo. The chico dealer test drove the car for approximately 25 miles with a scan tool but was unable to verify my complaint. Unfortunately, the problem with the turbo persisted. I brought my car back to the chico dealership on january 7, 2006, with mileage at 50856. Once again, the chico dealer was unable to verify my complaint because their scan tool did not pull a code. The chico dealer stated that they would replace the mass air flow sensor in an attempt to resolve my complaint regarding the loss of power. The mass air flow sensor was replaced by the chico dealer on january 7, 2006. Feeling defeated and frustrated, I suffered through the turbo problem for another year. During this time, I was forced to take extra special precaution when entering the freeway in case my turbo failed to respond upon acceleration. In addition, when I experienced a loss power traveling up-hill, I was forced to utilize my hazard signal and move to either the slow lane or the shoulder of the road to allow other vehicles to pass me. When my turbo failed to respond properly, my vehicle would only travel at a maximum of 45-55 MPH when accelerating onto the freeway and 35-45 MPH when traveling up-hill. Needless to say, even large semi-trucks passed me traveling up-hill. The problem with my turbo jeopardized my safety and that of my passengers' as well as those traveling around us. This has gone on too long without the proper attention to my concerns and I feel unsafe while traveling in my vw.

Filed Dec 31, 2007 · Engine · 27,234 miles · CA

A) 1) drove vehicle for about 2 miles on the morning of 05/21/07 when the failure happened. 2) vehicle lost engine power and vehicle started to vibrate a lot. 3) failed ignition coil #3 was replaced under warranty. B) 1) drove vehicle for about 1 miles on the morning of 11/07/07 when the failure happened. 2) vehicle lost engine power and vehicle started to vibrate a lot. 3) failed ignition coil #4 was replaced.

Filed May 10, 2007 · Electrical · 43,000 miles · NJ

Ignition coils on 2003 volkswagen jetta 1.8t continue d to fail every 3-4 months. I have gone through 6 coils in less than one year. Numerous times a coil failed while on a major highway, especially while attempting to merge into traffic flow. I could recall twice where I came very close to being rear ended because of this sudden loss of power. The engine light would briefly flash letting me know that the car was having a misfire. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for this and plenty of other problems in the past. The service manager suggested that I do a tune-up on the vehicle only 5,000 miles after one was performed. He could not pinpoint' the problem or duplicate it either. Apparently, volkswagen was aware of the problem, but had not taken action to my knowledge. This was something very serious that should be more of a priority to volkswagen considering I have found plenty of articles on this particular problem.

Filed Apr 19, 2006 · Electrical · 45,900 miles · UT

As I was pulling out of a grocery store parking lot, my 2003 jetta gli vr6 began to sputter and lose power. Engine light came on and would stay lit or start blinking as I tried to drive home. I contacted vw roadside assistance along with my vw dealership (strong vw, slc ut), and they informed me that I must bring it in. Seeing that I was barely going to make it home I contacted roadside assistance which was provided with my jetta and they informed me that they could tow it to the nearest vw dealership (not where I originally purchased or had my car serviced) to have it looked at. Needless to say it was actually closer for me to drop off the jetta at the nearest dealership rather than take it home, so I did that. I found out the following morning that the ignition coils were bad and needed to be replaced. That was done under warranty and apparently everything was fine. Three days later, each and every time I started my jetta a noxious smell would fill the cabin. I reported this to my original dealership and had it in for service to fix the problem. After 5 days of trying to determine what the problem was they informed that since they couldn't duplicate the problem that there was nothing they could do. Ironically it hasn't happened since. My major complaint is that in the year and a half that I have owned my jetta, I have had it in for non-traditional or non-scheduled service more than 3 times. My major fear is that when the warranty runs out what will happen next. I have been a loyal vw customer for 20+ years and haven't had this many problems with my previous 4 vw vehicles combined. Sadly enough, I possibly may never buy or lease a vw again!

Filed Apr 16, 2006 · Engine · 47,000 miles · WV · fire

2003 volkswagen jetta caught on fire while driving. A vehicle following my sons car on a major interstate (my son was out of state returning home) noticed smoke coming from under the car and blow horn and flickered lights. My son looked in his rear view mirror and saw smoke and immediately pulled off the road. The fire department was called by vehicle following. The jetta never lost power and when he pulled off the road and he had to turn the ignition off. The jetta was smoking and the fire started immediately and with in minutes full flames. There was a loud boom and it came from the front of the jetta. The fire department could not get the fire out and had to break through the hood. The whole front (engine area) was burned. The jetta was still under warranty therefore we personally went to the dealership to report (thinking still under warranty they would provide a rental and want to investigate) all they did was refer us to volkswagen. I contacted volkswagen on march 27, 2005 and to make a long story short I had to report to my insurance. Volkswagen also told me that if it was a manufacturer defect.... They would only pay what insurance would pay??????? My son also talked to the owner of the dealership and all that was said is he (the dealership owner) was sorry and good thing he (my son ) had insurance. The dealership didn't even offer to try and help us get back into a vehicle. There was no indication (no engine warning, no power lose, smell etc.) there was anything wrong. The smoke was going up under the jetta and out under the back. The blessing is the vehicle behind my son.... What if he hadn't caught my sons attention?????????? The auto insurance didn't cover for what was lost in the vehicle, just the jetta. All scheduled maintenance were done as recommended by volkswagen?????

Filed Jun 6, 2005 · Engine · 47,300 miles · MI

Car stared putting out alot of blue smoke from tail pipe on start up and gas milage was dropping 5-6 mpg and I thought that was alot for a diesel engine. Car lost power at freeway speeds and would barely run. Entire intake system to the head was full black sticky carbon choking the engine for clean air. Intake system had to be completly disassembled (maniflod,egr vavle,ccv tube) and cleaned of carbon, which by searching the internet is a very common problem with vw tdi 1.9 engine.