2005 Volkswagen Jetta: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Jun 19, 2014 · Transmission · 78,000 miles · AZ

I brought my car in for an early 65k mile service because I noticed my transmission was not shifting properly & was getting progressively worse. I thought having the 85k service done would take care of that, it didn't & it got worse, so I brought it back to the dealer. The dealer indicated that the valve body was faulty & that it would cost $1000+ to fix. I just paid over $1000 for the k maintenance & other repairs; I can't afford the additional expense. [xxx], in the service department, stated that the issue was ??not that bad, ...that they see much worse, ?won't be a problem to keep driving it...?. I wasn't convinced that a malfunctioning valve body wouldn't cause additional problems, because when I am driving it feels like the transmission is about to drop out of the car & the car hesitates to the point that it is not safe! Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Oct 14, 2013 · Transmission · 93,000 miles · IL

07/22/13 I brought my car in for an early 100k mile service because I noticed my transmission was not shifting properly & was getting progressively worse. I thought having the 100k service done would take care of that, it didn't & it got worse, so I brought it back to the dealer. The dealer indicated that the valve body was faulty & that it would cost $1000+ to fix. I just paid over $1000 for the 100k maintenance & other repairs; I can't afford the additional expense. [xxx], in the service department, stated that the issue was ??not that bad, ...that they see much worse, ?won't be a problem to keep driving it...?. I wasn't convinced that a malfunctioning valve body wouldn't cause additional problems, because when I am driving it feels like the transmission is about to drop out of the car & the car hesitates to the point that it is not safe! I did some research, found that there was an extended warranty on the valve body, however, I never received any notification in anyway regarding this, even when my car had been in for service. I contacted vw headquarters & spoke to [xxx] 8/30/13 who indicated that there was an extended warranty on the valve body, apologized that I didn't received notification, then indicated that vw could not help me. This is a safety issue & should be covered by vw. Please have someone contact me. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Nov 13, 2012 · Electrical, Transmission · 134,273 miles · SC

I purchased this car from a dealership on 10-8-2012 up in the washington, d.c. Area and drove it back home to my house in sc. Everything was fine on the way home. The very next day on my way into work the car hesitated when it was supposed to shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear and then suddenly downshifted all the way back to 1st gear which made the car de-accelerate from 35-40mph to 10mph within 40 feet or so. The engine revved to 6000 plus rpms which scared me but not as much as the big truck that was towing a trailer that had to skid off the road and go around me to avoid an accident. This is now a daily occurrence. I carry my 16 month old daughter around in this car and I'm scared to death that someone is going to smash into the back of us. I've started pulling off the road and letting cars go to avoid accidents. Please help!

Filed Jun 7, 2011 · Lights, Transmission · 71,000 miles · MO

I purchased a 2005 new jetta automatic transmission in july of 2010. It currently has 72,000 miles. 3 issues. One, when the car is first started up, a clanging noise occurs and lasts for approx 30 seconds, then it sounds like a vent closes and the sound goes away. Two, the right front headlight will not turn off sometimes when I pull along side a curb. I have to restart the car, back the car up, then pull the car forward to get it to turn off. The third item occurs intermittently not always and involves shifting of gears. When the car is going approximately 20 to 30 miles per hour, it seems to bounce back and forth between 2nd and 3rd gear a little rough but not jerky and sometimes when coasting through an intersection the car seems to hesitate when I am ready to push on the gas. But then, after a couple seconds, engages into gear with a lunge. I recently took the car to a transmission shop for analysis and the man said he could not produce any codes. I told him I had received the letter about the transmission's valve body warranty extension. He drove the car and said the car definitely lunges and told me to get it to a vw dealership for a check up as he was not an authorized vw tech. I took the car to the nearest dealership which is 2 hours away from my home. They drove the car 3 separate times trying to produce the scenario I described but could not. The tech told me it sounded like I was describing the valve body issue and he would tell the service advisor that he had felt the prob and that my car needed a new valve body. When I picked up my car, the car would not drive above 20 MPH without the engine roaring and the shifting hard into gear everytime. Me and my daughter had pulled out into a very busy 40 MPH traffic. It was scary. At one point the car would not go into any gear! I returned the car to the dealership and told them something was seriously wrong. Next day, they told me my car needs a new transmission at my cost of $5000. What happen?

Filed Apr 7, 2011 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · CA

Jetta 2005.5 sedan (automatic) hard shifted between 2nd & 3th gears, displaying shuddering and hesitation during acceleration in traffic. Since october 2010 hard shifting has continued daily and frequency of shifting hesitation issue has worsened. Hard shifting with hesitation up between 3th and 4th, and also hard shuddering downshift between 3rd and 2nd. Dealer hooked vehicle to computer on feb 14, 2011 and stated transmission has no errors. Dealer would not test drive for longer than 4 miles, dealer stated hard shift did not occur in that 4 mile period, test was not at freeway speeds, owner was not in the vehicle. Dealer states vehicle is not eligible for valve fix. Vehicle shifting failure is hazardous and dangerous highway condition.

Filed Apr 14, 2010 · Transmission · 108,000 miles · MD

2005 volkswagen jetta tdi sedan - engine ran rough and noticed slippage and hesitation during acceleration from full stop. Repeated results from repair shop visits found no problem, was told this was "normal"... The failure occurred while driving at normal hwy speed. A loud bang followed by complete engine failure. Visit to dealer confirmed catastrophic failure of dual mass flywheel, causing collateral damage to engine and transmission. Repair estimate was from $5k to $15k. Vw and the dealer offered no assistance due to vehicle outside of manf warranty period, despite car being well maintained by the book. Research on owners forums and web shows this same issue is prevalent in the 2005-2009 model years. Found over 3000+ instances from owners complaining of the same issue from as little as 15k miles of use....its clear this is a manf defect in the dual mass flywheel and that vw has not recognized this...

Filed Feb 9, 2006 · Transmission · CA

At cold-start, automatic transmission hesitates then lurches into either drive or reverse, which is especially unnerving when driving in areas with in/declines because the vehicle rolls like a manual. Told by the dealer twice that there was no problem because the vehicle's transmission was functioning to mfg specs. This is a problem.

Filed Dec 19, 2005 · Acceleration · 3,000 miles · VA

Dt: the contact stated when accelerating between 25-30 MPH the vehicle hesitated and lurched forward. This problem was intermittent in nature. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer numerous times. However , the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. No repairs have been made.

Filed Jun 28, 2005 · Transmission · NJ

Shifting from park to either reverse or drive while engine is cold, vehicle hesitates and then suddenly jerks into gear.