2009 Volkswagen Jetta: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed Dec 26, 2021 · Brakes · PA

As I was coming to an immediate stop, due to a deer jumping out in front of me, the car/ brake pedal shuddered and I had to perform an emergency braking procedure by swerving onto the shoulder of the road. Thankfully no one was injured, including the deer, however, my nerves were frayed, as had this been in the snow or any other adverse conditions, what would have been the outcome then? Immediately after this happened the ABS light and flashing brake light appeared on the dash. I have used a scan tool to diagnose the issue to which the code #01130 (ABS Operation Implausible Signal). Through research online- forums it has come to my attention that this is a very common VW issue to the point that the federal safety agency has requested/ mandated that a recall should be issued- www.automotive-fleet.com (January 7, 2017). When I went to the VW recall site and plugged in my VIN no recalls were listed?? I will be taking my car to the dealer tomorrow, as I am a one car household and need my '09 Sportwagen for daily transportation to and from work, I am hoping that they will honor the replacement of this faulty safety device.

Filed Sep 5, 2015 · Seat belts · 70,001 miles · CA

When getting my daughter out of her booster seat in our sportwagen tdi, the rear seat belt stopped retracting. I played around to get it to retract, but it still wouldn't, so now the belt is totally useless as it is too loose on my daughter and there is no guarantee it will even work in the event of a crash. I took the car to the dealer today, and they confirmed that there is something wrong with the retracting mechanism in the belt and it must be replaced. He also could tell that the defect wasn't caused by a child jamming something into the belt as it is in a part of the mechanism that is completely sealed and can't be accessed without removing body panels. While I'm thankful this happened when parked, I shudder to think what would have happened to my daughter in the event of a crash with a defective belt. I understand that the safety equipment in a car might need to be replaced in the event of a collision, but the seat belt should be the one piece of equipment in any car that should not just randomly break when the car has never been involved in any incident.

Filed May 28, 2013 · Engine, Fuel system · 83,500 miles · MA

We were driving our 2009 volkswagen jetta tdi down the highway at 65mph on friday may 24, 2013 when suddenly the car began to shake and shudder violently. It was very scary and then it seemed that the power was coming in and out. Because of the sudden shaking and loss of power, I had to very quickly pull to the side of the road, to avoid causing an accident on a heavily congested highway on a holiday weekend. The vehicle is always serviced by the dealership (including all oil changes) and is up to date on all pertinent maintenance. The dealership has diagnosed the vehicle with a failed high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) and has accused us of somehow allowing metal into the diesel fuel (they even had some metal "samples" to show me at their service counter, how bizarre). I went back to the fuel station where we last filled up and spoke to the manager, who said there have been no reports of any issues related to contaminants of any kind in their diesel fuel. We are stuck with a $6,000 bill for a dealer-maintained car that has ~83,000 miles on it and is just over 3 years old, in addition to the fright of a violent loss of the vehicle's power, at highway speeds.

Filed Nov 9, 2012 · Fuel system · 63,500 miles · CA

While starting to accelerate after a stop, my 2009 jetta tdi shuddered and died with a "major engine failure" error and would not restart. The car was blocking traffic at a major intersection. Had to have the car pushed out of the traffic lane and then waited for a tow truck to tow it to the local dealer. After one day they said the had no idea what was wrong with it. On the second day the dealer called to say that they found the fuel pump had blown apart and there were metal shards throughout my entire fuel system and it would need to be completely replaced (approx $8-9000 in repairs). They also said that the warranty would not cover it unless I could prove that I only put diesel fuel in so had to provide receipts for my recent fuel purchases as well as fuel samples. Still waiting for the warranty company to decide whether or not they will cover the repair so I am without a vehicle while they haggle. Luckily I was almost stopped when it happened or it could have been a bigger safety issue (although I was in a car in a busy intersection causing a major traffic jam with many potential crashes all around me -- the honking horns and swerving cars attest to that -- as I sat waiting to be pushed out of the way).

Filed Aug 12, 2012 · Engine, Fuel system · 37,002 miles · IL

Felt a shudder in the drive train; a few seconds later the glow plug light began to flash; the multi-function computer flashed that there was an engine fault and to service the engine; the engine shutdown and I pulled over to the side of the road; engine would not restart; dealer analysis revealed the high pressure fuel pump failed apparently sending shards of metal particles downstream of the pump; pump and other hardware downstream of the pump are scheduled for replacement

Filed Feb 13, 2011 · Fuel system · 57,692 miles · MI

On jan. 17 2011 I was on a 2 lane highway with cruise control set at 55 m.p.h. The vehicle shuddered and suffered an immediate loss of power. The vehicle display said something like engine workgroup. There was also warning light for glowplug and service engine. I continued approx. 2 miles to work with less power and called volkswagen who told me to have vehicle towed for service. Vehicle is 2009 vw jetta tdi. Service reports they found a muddy looking substance and replaced the egr valve. The check engine light was back on within days of this service but has not been returned as of this time. This vehicle has never had gasoline in the fuel system.

Filed Oct 28, 2010 · Fuel system · 31,400 miles · CA

Driving a 2009 jetta sportwagen tdi on I-280 when low fuel indicator came on. Stopped and refueled with diesel at a station approximately 3/4 miles from I-280. While returning to the interstate speeds (during or shortly after reaching them) the glow plug light began blinking, the car lost power and went into "limp mode" and was informed by its computer that there was an engine malfunction and to take it to the dealer. While en route to the dealer for repairs (was advised by the dealer service department to continue of the car was still running and no red malfunction lights were illuminated), a marked loss of power was observed (even considering limp mode), and the car began shuddering. While on the offramp, decelerated to a red light at which point the engine died completely and could not be restarted. Proceeded to be stuck in traffic while waiting for the tow truck (it would have been unsafe to attempt to push the vehicle across the intersection or back onto the offramp given traffic conditions). Dealer diagnosed as high pressure fuel system having factory contamination, the entire fuel system is being replaced (tank, low pressure feed pump, high pressure pump, injectors), estimated cost of parts $5300, with 14 hours labor. Although under warranty (~30,000 miles on the odometer), this still left me stranded and it would be a very expensive repair if it happens again at 60,000 miles. There is also the potential for a dangerous accident if it happened to fail at a less opportune location.

Filed Aug 31, 2010 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · CA

Driving a 2009 jetta tdi - there seems to be a transmission issue with the car where the car will constantly jerk forward when stopping at a red light or starting acceleration from the light. At times, acceleration or braking on the freeway causes the car to 'shudder'. Also, 3 times in the last 4 months, the car has stalled when trying to accelerate from a red light, and the clutch does not 'grab' the gear soon enough. Stalling requires me to then place the car in park, turn the ignition completely off, and then restart the engine before I can continue driving. Taking the car to the dealership multiple times has not yielded any findings, with the vw dealership telling me that the problems do not exist and they are not able to duplicate any issues, and that all parts of the car are up to specifications. The car is currently under 25000 miles, and was bought brand new from the dealer. Continuous complaints have not gotten any.