2010 Volkswagen Jetta: sudden loss of power

Filed Jul 8, 2017 · Transmission · 104,000 miles · WY

When starting from a stop the transmission slips into neutral and the car rolls unpowered to a stop. If the engine is turned off and transmission is shifted to "park" to restart the engine it is then impossible to shift the transmission out of "park" into neutral or any other gear. Whenever this is happening various warning lights appear illuminated on the warning panel-eg. "low washer fluid" and "traction control warning." in traffic this is very dangerous and to get to an "outside lane" may be impossible. To lose power when starting from a stop sign and having to coast to a stop in the lane one has just entered is very dangerous. Twice when turning left with a left-turn green arrow the transmission failed and I rolled to a stop, shifted to "park" to restart the engine only to have the transmission "lock-up" in "park" with me unable to physically get the selector lever into "drive." this car has been serviced at vw every 10,000 miles since new and at 104,000 miles I am told it may need a new $7,000.00 transmission. On-line I see that the "dsg transmission " has been recalled twice from 2006 to 2016 for "slipping into neutral." however, vw claims there are no recalls for my vehicle and when I do a ntsc VIN search I find no such problem listed. My nearest vw service department is 45 miles away via interstate and city driving and I am afraid to attempt driving there for a diagnosis. Local transmission shops are unable to service or even diagnose or measure the fluid level in the vw proprietary sealed-unit.

Filed Sep 27, 2016 · Engine · 84,000 miles · OH

My wife's 2010 jetta 2.0t tsi experienced an engine stall and complete loss of power while driving at approximately 40 MPH on a straight section of city street. This was a routine trip under clear weather conditions. With no traffic behind her, she safely coasted to the side of the road. After waiting 5-10 minutes she was able to restart the engine and, with no check engine lights appearing, drive approximately four miles home. The following morning, upon starting the engine, multiple cylinder misfires began occurring and the engine was immediately shutoff and the car was towed to the dealership for diagnosis. The dealership discovered that the stall was due to the timing chain tensioner failing, which allowed the timing chain to skip six teeth on the camshaft and the valves to contact the pistons resulting in the engine self-destructing. They recommended a nearly complete engine replacement at a cost of over $8,000. The car was purchased brand new in 2009 and has been maintained impeccably as specified by vw. Speaking with the dealership engine technician, we learned that the timing chain tensioner is a known defective part by vw and that in 2011-2012, was revised several times in an attempt to mitigate the failures. A technical service bulletin was issued by vw to dealerships and service departments explaining the issue but no notices or recalls were sent to customers informing them of this potentially deadly component failure. I have read, but not independently verified, that vw has issued a recall for this specific component in europe. Since the beginning of 2016, and owing to the significant safety hazard, as many as three class-action lawsuits have been filed against volkswagen for this specific component failure. We are thankful no one was seriously injured or killed when the car stalled during operation, but now we are facing over $8,000 in repairs.

Filed May 9, 2016 · Fuel system · 180,000 miles · CA

High pressure fuel pump failed while driving on the freeway 60 MPH car suddenly lost power and luckily I was in the slow lane and was able to pull over to shoulder

Filed Feb 1, 2016 · Engine, Fuel system · 59,450 miles · CA

While excelerating from a red light my car went into "limp mode" and lost most of its power. I could not drive faster than 40 MPH or 2400 RPM. I contacted vw dealer and they instructed me to drive the vehicle in which was only 8 miles from my house. Enroute to dealership my car lost all power and shut off in the middle of the road. I could not start the vehicle and had to get it towed to the dealership. Upon inspection, it was found that my high pressure fuel pump had failed which caused my turbo to also fail. The fuel in the tank was not contaminated, this was just a failure of the system.

Filed Dec 22, 2015 · Fuel system · 123,000 miles · TN

Under normal driving conditions, car lost all power, completely stalled in flowing traffic on a 2 lane highway and would not restart.

Filed Sep 25, 2015 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 113,600 miles · CA

The car lost power while going uphill and would only reach speeds of about 20mph on a 40mph road. The car check engine light had come on about a month before. I was told there was a problem with the high pressure fuel pump and it would need to be replaced but the car would be safe to drive until it stopped powering up to top speed.

Filed Aug 8, 2015 · Fuel system · 131,000 miles · WA

My 16 year old daughter was driving our 2010 vw jetta clean diesel tdi on the interstate at 65 MPH when suddenly the glow plug light came on and there was loss of power; she pushed down on the accelerator but to no avail. As the car slowed down, she was able to take the nearby off ramp and get car to the side of the road. By the time the car was coasting to the side of the road there was a total loss of power - steering, brakes, everything. The car was towed to the local vw dealership where they informed with the high pressure fuel pump had failed and it would cost $8,000 to repair. The volkswagen approved misfueling guard was installed at the local vw dealership soon after we received a letter from vw regarding it. A week prior we had received in the mail from vw their hpfp warranty extension letter. However our car is at 131,000 miles. We contacted the vwoa customer care group and explained our case asking them to cover the cost of the repair. We had purchased the extended warranty from the vw dealership at the time of purchase. We even pointed out that we had been loyal vw customers over the years - having previously purchased a jetta, passat and beetle and my wife's family has a long history of vw purchases. Vw response was there was nothing they could do for us as the warranty only went up to 120,000 miles and we were over it. It appears being a loyal vw customer is not worth anything to vw. We have appealed several times but kept getting the same response - nothing they could do and they have now refused to forward up our case up in the vwoa organization. We have put nothing but diesel into the car and urge the federal safety agency to issue a recall on the hpfp. It seems to me that a part that costs less than $1,000 can cause $8,000 in damages is poor engineering design. One expects better and for a diesel engine to last at least 200,000 miles.

Filed Jul 28, 2015 · Fuel system · 115,679 miles · CA

While driving in middle lane of the freeway my 2010 volkwagen jetta tdi lost power and and engine light came on. Vehicle was almost struck by traffic while making my way to the right side of the road. Car was towed to local repair shop where I learned that the vehicle's high pressure fuel pump had failed. After researching this issue I learned failure this happened frequently 2009 - 2010 tdi clean diesel vehicles and information about this problem is well documented. This issue needs to fixed before a serious injury or death occurs.

Filed Jun 16, 2015 · Fuel system · 74,000 miles · WA

While traveling eastbound on interstate 82 in washington our 2010 jetta experienced a safety-related malfunction; the "glow plug" lamp illuminated, then the "service engine now" lamp illuminated, followed by an immediate complete loss of power and the engine shut off. After coming to a stop, the engine was able to be re-started and the vehicle was "limped" with limited power to within a mile of overturf volkswagen in kennewick, washington. There the engine experienced another total loss of power and was unable to be re-started. The vehicle was towed to overturf volkswagen and we were informed that the "high pressure fuel pump" had experienced a catastrophic failure, resulting in metal shavings from the pump entering the fuel system, clogging the fuel injectors, and starving the engine of fuel. We were informed that this issue is a design flaw and is well known to volkswagen, but were told that our vehicle was not qualified to have this "warranty issue" resolved at volkswagen's expense because of the vehicle's "rebuilt" branded title. It is my understanding that this pump failure is occurring only in vehicles equipped with this particular pump, and volkswagen has been replacing them on vehicles that are past their warranty period, at no cost to the consumer. I see this issue as a safety issue, not a warranty issue, due to the complete loss of engine power that can occur without warning at highway speeds. I see no difference between "clean titled" vehicles and "rebuilt titled" vehicles and the chance of this pump failure occurring without warning. I would like to have this issue resolved at volkswagen's expense, due to the design flaw of the vehicle's high pressure fuel pump. Thank you.

Filed Jun 9, 2015 · Fuel system · 77,000 miles · MA

Highway driving, glow plug light started flashing, started losing power, then stall. Managed to coast off onto an exit ramp. Mechanic towed, found battery/alternator fine, fuel pressure fine, suggested dealer repair. Vw dealer says entire fuel system needs replacing: hpfp, fuel lines, etc. Noted the federal safety agency investigation pending on volkswagen fuel pump problems for similar make, model, year: the federal safety agency action number :ea11003

Filed Feb 14, 2015 · Fuel system · 52,207 miles · UT

Vehicle lost power and went into limp mode, dash said service engine. Car died a few minutes later as I tried to limp it to the dealer and it would not restart. I had to tow the vehicle at my own expense but volkswagen did pay for a completely new fuel system. Cause of the problem was a failure of the diesel high pressure fuel pump. There are thousands of cases of this same problem documented here: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=299854 volkswagen needs to be held accounted for a defect in their common rail diesel cars if there are this many problems.

Filed Dec 3, 2014 · Engine · 58,500 miles · NE

Vehicle lost power in heavy traffic, 50 MPH speed zone. Check engine light illuminated, loss of turbo boost with resultant lack of ability to maintain speed. Internet search suggests a widespread problem involving icing and water ingestion through the intercooler in cold weather operations. Apparently may result in engine destruction. The safety ramifications are obvious and it is my understanding volkswagen has been reluctant to honor powertrain warranty coverage. My dealer quoted $1100 to repair with a retro-fit kit. To protect the owner's investment and to rectify an obvious safety issue, I feel a recall is in order.