2009 Volkswagen Jetta: sudden loss of power

Filed Oct 5, 2021 · Engine · AL

I was driving in Clio alabama on state highway 10, when all of a sudden the EPC light came on my 2009 Volkswagen jetta s 2.5 5cyl..... about 2 miles later down the road; the engine cuts off unexpectedly while I am going 62mph down the highway, with an 18 wheeler directly behind me at the same speed. The car just quits, won't do anything, so I swerved over the side the road so I wouldn't get hit by the 18wheeler and tried to restart the car and it wouldn't do anything. I've had to tow it back to my home and I've had multiple mechanics look at it and try to discover the problem but every time they hook up a diagnostic scanner , and it throws a code, I've purchased the parts that shouldve fixed said dtc code, and rescan the car and that fault code will be gone but there'll be a new one each and every time. . It is costing too much to continue to fix it . It will turn over but it will NOT crank up. I don't know what else to do about it but something is just not right about this issue so I am reporting it as a safety issue because the total loss of power near about caused me to get hit by an 18wheeler at very high speeds and could've been killed. And it's also some type of an electrical issue and I am reporting it to hopefully obtain an answer to the issue, help repairing it or replacing it, or Volkswagen to repurchase the car from me and most importantly I'm reporting this so hopefully it will be able to save someone's life one day . Thanks a lot and have a great day .

Filed Oct 7, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · 100,000 miles · CA

The cars check engine light came on and lost power on the freeway. I took it to get checked and a diagnostic was done . I had just gone to the dealership a week before and had the back brakes and rotors replaced for $500 dollars and the oil changed for another $100. They said everything was fine.

Filed Sep 20, 2017 · Fuel system · 127,000 miles · IL

Doing 70 MPH on the highway our 2009 jetta tdi lost all power. The high injection fuel pump turned out to be the problem. Repairs will cost at least $6,000.00 vw modified this pump 5 different times and never notified the owners about problems with the pump. The federal safety agency had an investigation and concluded people were using the wrong fuel. We have 2 diesel vehicles and know which pump at the service stations are diesel. This is a serious life threatening problem, catastrophic failure and no power in you car yet the federal safety agency closed their investigation. Vw will do nothing to help with repairs and the jetta has become a total lemon. We have received several recall notices through the years, none regarding the fuel pump, and the car was taken to the dealership for the recalls each time. We would like to see something done about this serious problem.

Filed Nov 10, 2016 · Driver assistance · 85,000 miles · PA

During normal driving of the vehicle, it had many dash lights turn on simultaneously, including ABS, traction control, brake (even though emergency brake was not engaged), epc, and power steering. The gas gauge dropped to zero intermittently and the speedometer dropped to 0 while the car was being driven at around 25mph. On the short drive home, the car went into limp mode and lost power steering. The issue has been diagnosed as the ABS module needing replaced for over $2000. The car has approximately 85k miles on it, and this part should last the lifetime of the car. Thankfully, there was no accident involved like some of the other complaints. If this happened on the freeway it could have caused a serious accident. Beyond the complaints with the federal safety agency, there are countless other drivers on vw forums of jetta and other models from 2009 with the same issue.

Filed Sep 23, 2016 · Driver assistance · 79,000 miles · FL

Abs module failure. Result in loss of power steering, antilock braking system functionality, and traction control at the same time

Filed May 6, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 60,000 miles · MD

Check engine light comes on frequently and when I take to dealer it is always a sensor problem I have also had some electrical issues replacing bulbs frequently. Also while driving the shifting lights will all light up prnds, sometimes there is a loss of power. Also one of the overhead light seems to have melted due to a high heat source of some kind.

Filed Dec 5, 2015 · Fuel system · 160,000 miles · CA

Driving of freeway & sudden loss of power. Car died on the offramp & unable to start. Glow plug light & battery light illuminated. Towed to local shop expecting an alternator repair. They diagnosed hpfp failure. $5500 repair!! This is a known issue & should have been a recall! I received a warranty extension (10yr or 120,000mi) letter june 2015. My vehicle is 2009 with 155k miles at that time. My vehicle has depreciated due to the emission system & now this.

Filed Sep 24, 2015 · Fuel system · 60,000 miles · AZ

This problem is caused by fuel pump failure in vw diesel engines. It happens in two ways. Fuel pump fails sending metal shards throughout the fuel system or fuel pump provides inadequate pressure and car enters 'limp mode'. In the first case the car stops running and entire fuel delivery system must be replaced. The second case happens under load (passing, entering freeway or climbing incline). 'limp mode' means loss of power. The car must be pulled over, ignition turned off and then back on to clear error code. This is very dangerous when freeway driving. I've had both cases of failure. Vw has opted not to recall but rather deal case by case. My last failure was with a pump with only 2000 miles on it. Bosch makes the pumps. After a few pump replacements, vw refuses to pay. After the last replacement I was told that it would take an 'act of god' to break the new version of pump. So I guess god broke it. There is much documentation online for 'limp mode'. A good source for documenting the problem is www.tdiclub.com (search limp mode). I don't know if a recall will fix the problem since the pumps will continue to fail. I do believe that vw should replace the pumps at their own expense in perpetuity. I also believe that bosch should be held accountable for providing substandard pumps.

Filed Sep 9, 2015 · Fuel system · 61,500 miles · CA

Upon pulling out of a driveway, vehicle showed flashing "glow plug" indicator and loss of power (limp home mode). Pulled over, turned off vehicle and restarted, indicator cleared and vehicle drove normally. On subsequent trip later in the day, same symptoms appeared. Again, cleared by stop and restart of vehicle. Flashing glow plug indicator returned almost immediately, this time with solid "check engine" indicator as well. Drove to dealership service department where they found metal fragments in the fuel system and likely high pressure fuel pump failure. Currently awaiting results of fuel test to verify failure was not caused by misfueling with gasoline.

Filed Sep 2, 2015 · Fuel system · 191,000 miles · GA

The glow plug light began flashing and the check engine light was on (had been on for the entire duration of my ownership of 1 year for the car). We were on the highway and the car steadily lost power in the span of a quarter mile. We pulled off the side of the road. The engine would crank but not start. The mechanic the next day found metal shavings in the fuel system and suspects a high pressure fuel pump failure. The recommendation was to replace both fuel pumps and fuel lines. We have never misfueled the car - we have only used diesel fuel at top stations like shell and bp.

Filed Jul 22, 2015 · Fuel system · 54,374 miles · CA

Was driving and there was a loss of power, as if the turbo had stopped working, it eventually stalled out.

Filed Mar 20, 2015 · Engine, Fuel system · 102,000 miles · CA

We were driving on down the road and the cars lights started blinking and then car stop running and stopped dead in the road. Could not get it started again. If it had been on the freeway I am sure I would not be typing this we would be in hospital or worse. We had to get out and the steering was not working to get it to side of road. I am elderly and do not have alot of strength. We had to pay extra to aaa to tow it since we were far away from dealer. The dealer called and said there was metal shavings in fuel line and components. I researched online and have seen several of the same things happening to other cars. This is a real safety issue. Please help fix before someone dies http://www.carproblemzoo.com/volkswagen/jetta/2009/car-stall-problems.php car stall problem 2 failure date: 10/25/2012 while driving the dash warning lights illuminated and the car stalled causing complete loss of all power steering almost causing me to lose control and wreck. I was able to steer car to side of road and stop. Once stopped was able to get car to restart but was barely able to drive home (periodically died and had to restart, wouldn't stay running or idle). Had car towed to repair shop. They have diagnosed problem as low rail fuel pressure caused by failed high pressure fuel pump. This failure caused metal shavings to be dispersed throughout entire fuel system. I'm told that the hp fuel pump, low and high pressure fuel regulators, and tank fuel pump all must be replaced along with a complete removal and cleaning of all fuel system components. Estimated cost to repair is between $7,000 and $10,000. This car is a diesel tdi.