2008 Volkswagen Jetta: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 17, 2016 · Transmission · 10 miles · PA

At a stop, when accelerating, the car may jerk or hesitate. Hard shifting from 2 to 1 can cause the person behind to rear end or the car next to you to hit you when you suddenly stop moving.

Filed Jun 23, 2016 · Transmission · 62,000 miles · TX

Vehicle has started to display some of the characteristic slipping and lurching dsg issues that vw knows about. I took it to the dealership and when the tech took it out for a test drive, he actually experienced the issue himself. Unfortunately, the computers aren't throwing any codes so their only advice was to keep driving it until it gets worse and I can bring it back and they can more easily duplicate the problem. So basically I'm driving a time bomb. Vw knows there's issues with this transmission, the vw dealership tech experienced the actual issue himself, but they won't do anything until it gets worse.

Filed Mar 4, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 100,000 miles · CA

Vehicle jerks harshly when down shifting from 3rd to 2nd & 2nd to 1st gears. Usually right around 20mph to 15mph.

Filed Feb 7, 2011 · Transmission · 26,000 miles · MA

The following relates to a 2008 jetta 2.0l wolfsburg edition sedan. Three times in the last month the vehicle has suddenly lost motive power, with the engine quickly dropping to 0 RPM, with all 3 incidents occurring during busy traffic conditions. After the first incident, the car was able to restart, and was brought to the dealer. A fuel pressure sensor was replaced. Two weeks later, the exact same incident occurred, but the car could not be restarted. Vehicle was towed to dealer, and the fuel pump was replaced. While in the shop, the dealer stated that there was a recall on a part within the transmission, which was order and replaced. Upon receiving the car the 2nd time, the vehicle behaved noticeably different - poor acceleration, unusual shifting, sudden jerking and lurching while idling. Three days after receiving the car, once again a complete loss of motive power during heavy traffic. Now waiting for a second tow, and third visit to the dealer service department. These incidents pose serious safety threats, since the sudden loss of power seems to unrelated to vehicle operation status - ie, speed, incline, etc do not affect the vehicle's sudden loss of power, and thus can occur in any traffic condition.

Filed Dec 31, 2009 · Driver assistance, Transmission · 7,800 miles · FL

2008 volkswagen jetta wolfsburg 2.0t fsi dsg (direct shift gearbox) while pulling out into traffic on numerous occasions from a full standstill there was a very significant delay in the response of the dsg transmission to driver throttle input. There will be a 1-2-3 go, (delay) the car will then jerk forward out into traffic then only creep very slowly forward at this point which commits the car and it's passengers to the maneuver of turning into active traffic pattern. This delay/jerk/then creeping forward has caused a few close calls with having an accident from oncoming traffic. The possibility of traffic colliding into this vehicle is very high as the car does not respond to driver throttle input leaving you dead in the water until the car finally decides to move itself forward. This is a very dangerous situation which could very easily result in significant injury or death. When one purchases and drives a car one would expect the car to properly respond to driver inputs and not be left in oncoming traffic with a car that wont respond to the driver.

Filed Sep 30, 2009 · Transmission · PA

There was no specific event that LED up to the problems. I bought the car brand new and problems began after about 4 months.the car "bucks" or "jerks" when gas pedal depressed to accelerate. Also when pulling out or when car is in reverse (ie for parking,etc). The first time I took the car to the dealership where it was purchased and they simply reset the computer. The problem persisted so I returned to the dealership. The second time we were told the problem was the clutch packs and they were replaced. The problem continued and the third time the mechatronic unit was replaced. The problem is still ongoing and I just dropped it off to the dealership again.

Filed Aug 26, 2009 · Transmission · 1,000 miles · NY

Since I purchased the car it has been exhibiting erratic behavior. For example when I press on the gas there is a delay of a second or two before the transmission engages and provide power to the wheels. Everytime I stop and then start again there is a sudden jerk. It is a safety hazard when merging onto highways.

Filed Aug 26, 2009 · Engine · 200 miles · IL

I purchased my 2008 volkswagen jetta 2.0 in may of 08. Since my purchase the car is jerky all the time while in motion, especially during acceleration. I brought this to the attention of the dealership I purchased it from and they found no issues each time it was serviced. This is not normal for a car to do this however volkswagen states there are no problems.

Filed Aug 25, 2009 · Transmission · 5,729 miles · VA

1. This event occurs constantly under all conditions 2. The transmission will jerk from a start causing discomfort and irritation 3. Nothing has been done to prevent this issue.

Filed Aug 25, 2009 · Transmission · 12,000 miles · NY

08 vw jetta dsg trans. After the trans is warmed up, the car is jerky taking off from a stop, as if the clutch is not engaged properly. On a few occasions, it seemed that no power was being transmitted to the wheels, leaving the vehicle in the middle of an intersection. Once the rpms came down, the trans. Engaged, and the car became mobile again. The "jerkiness" from a stop is almost all the time once the car warms up, the total lack of power transmission has only happened once or twice. The car was tested by the vw dealer service dept. A new mechtronic unit is on order.

Filed Aug 23, 2009 · Transmission · 17,543 miles · PA

I bought the car in may of 2008. It is now august 23, 2008 and it is going into the shop this week for the third time. The mechatronic unit has been replaced once as well as the clutch plates. It is a 2008 jetta wolfsburg edition 2.0t with the dsg transmission. The problem is a jerky, surging feeling when the transmission is warmed up. You take your foot off the brake and it starts to jerk as if you're tapping the gas and letting off. It happens 2 or 3 times a day when I drive a lot. Not sure what else it could be. The car was built in may 2008 as far as I know, meaning its not part of the recall as of today august 21, 2009. I can't believe a car that has 18,000 miles on it is having these many problems.

Filed Aug 21, 2009 · Transmission · 3,000 miles · NY

We purchased a 2008 volkswagen jetta wolfsberg edition. From a dealership on staten island. The car now has approximately 5,000 miles on the odometer. We began to notice that the car would lunge forward from a starting position while in drive or lunge backwards from a starting position while in reverse. The car makes very jerky, jolty movements forward. We have taken it to the dealership open road in brooklyn, ny. The mechanics believe it is a transmission issue. The part is on order, but the dealership has said it is safe to drive until the part comes in from germany. Although they offered us a "rental" car just in case we felt uncomfortable. I read today (august 21st) that vw in conjunction with the federal safety agency is recalling several vw's due to problems with the dct in the transmission. I am concerned that this problem may involve more than the cars listed, as I am sure that our vehicle is affected by this defect.