2010 Volkswagen Jetta: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Oct 5, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · SC

the vehicle ABS module failed back in Nov2020 and was brought to local VW Dealer and diagnosed as bad module. fast forward to Aug 2021 and ABS module failed again and bad wiring was found which is why the first module failed to begin with in my belief. both times when the module failed was after my wife slammed on brakes hard activating the ABS system which in turn caused the warning lights to come on and car go into limp mode. I tried limping the car to the dealership for repair and was almost hit by a large truck coming from behind as I had no response from the accelerator pedal. I am not sure why this particular VIN was never added to the recall list as it fits the criteria as all other vehicles experiencing this issue. we paid $2600 the first time for the repair and are now out more money to have this known problem fixed again !

Filed Jan 4, 2020 · Transmission · 198,000 miles · FL

All symptons of vw recall no. 37e3/s7 or the federal safety agency 09v333000" transmission abruptly shift to neutral. The selector lever position indicator within the instrument panel will flash. The depress brake pedal indicator light will be illuminated, also the transmission gets stuck in a gear and it won't shift. In both cases, once you stop the vehicle, turn if off and crank it back on, the problem will solved.

Filed Jul 2, 2018 · Transmission · 244,100 miles · WA

I have the 2010 jetta tdi. The mechatronics unit has failed and vw will not sell parts for this transmission because it is faulty. Their words but they also won't recall the transmission either. Transmission shops have not been able to buy parts for this transmission for over 4 months so vw is very aware. The issue is the transmission will not allow the car to accelerate safely at all times. I was leaving a business driveway into a 5 lane road and the transmission got stuck in 1st or 2nd gear. It would not allow the car to go more than 32 MPH w/RPM's over 3.5. Shifting into neutral or park and back into drive at the stoplight did not work. I had to use the hazard lights and pull into the next parking lot safely. Turning off the car and turning it back on allowed the transmission to work again but I do not trust driving it on the freeway or merging into high speed traffic. This issue is very similar to the 2007-2009 recall and I purchased my car in november 2009 with a 2010 model. I did not have any issues w/my transmission until after the epa fix. I reported to them twice it had issues shifting in lower gears between 28-32 MPH. They said without a check engine light they could not help me and now 6 months later my transmission mechatronics unit has failed. Vw says they would cover it under the epa fix but only of the check engine light is on. Vw needs to recall the transmission since they are aware it is 'faulty'.

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 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 Sep 8, 2014 · Electrical · 39,500 miles · PA

Another jetta to add to the list with a faulty radio. The radio just died in the middle of a normal commute. I found in a forum that I'm just one of many so I'm lodging a complaint in hopes vw will listen. Also, the remote entry doesn't work sometimes and sometimes the car will not go into reverse without stopping the engine and restarting it.

Filed Jul 23, 2014 · Engine, Fuel system · 76,126 miles · NY

2010 jetta tdi. Driving on road at about 35 MPH when car suddenly stalled. Glow plug light flashes, "service engine now" on display. Traffic was light and speed was enough to coast to safe location. Car would not restart. Towed to dealer. Dealer replaced some relay part but.... The very next day same thing. Car died while driving. Same symptoms as above. Again no warning prior to stalling. Towed to dealer. Dealer had car for a few days but could not find or reproduce problem. Checked ground connections as advised from vwoa technical assistance. Returned car to me with a 'let's wait and see' attitude. Third time, about 1500 miles later, same thing. This time on highway traveling at about 45 MPH in heavy traffic. Car towed to different dealer. At the moment they can't diagnose or reproduce problem. My opinion is some fault is telling computer to kill engine. As a safety issue, I would think engine should remain running so that I can safely drive off the road and out of traffic and harms way. If this assumption is correct, then there has to be a limited number of reasons why engine should stall, instead of going into 'limp mode.' my research found reference to pe10034, but can't find article. Three times car stalls without warning. All 3 times on road. This is a safety concern, and local dealers seem hesitant to request help from vwoa ta. Dealer 1 did contact vwoa ta for support and guided fault finding didn't find anything. Dealer 2 still has no clue. No mandates on local vw dealers, by vwoa, to keep and share service records beyond warranty period, on national database, so other dealers have no idea what first dealer did. Keeping all dealer service records on national db will help spot issues sooner. Dealer 2 will hopefully ask vwoa ta for support beyond what dealer 1 did. Is there an escalation for this? What are my options?

Filed Jun 21, 2014 · Transmission · 105,780 miles · TN

I have a 2010 jetta tdi with the dsg transmission. When I was driving yesterday, I noticed the "d" flashing as I lost power to the wheels. It was acting as if it was in neutral. I tried to shift it to "n" and back to "d" with no success. I pulled off the road, turned the switch off, waited for it to completely power down and restarted it. It went a couple of minutes down the road and the "d" started flashing again, the transmission disengaged again (false neutral). This cycle went on several times before I was able to get it home. When it was flashing, it would flash in any gear selected (prnds) and it was continuous until I turned the key off. There were times that I didn't have a safe place to pull off the road. This is a big safety issue, it can cause people to be put in a very dangerous situation. This issue can happen at any time and cause a fatal wreck. During the failure, there was no power to the wheels at all, it failed to go into a limp mode to safely move the vehicle.

Filed Apr 16, 2014 · Transmission · 78,883 miles · FL

There have been several times in the past where my jetta didn't go into gear. Both times happened on a cold start and driving throughout the day while parked. I put the car in r and it just revs like it's in neutral. I shifted it to d or s all the same outcome; revs like it's in neutral. I have to shut the car off and turn it back on to get it to engage into gear. Check engine light then lights up. Also other issues with the transmission when I come to a stop, transmission shift rough and loud from 3-2-1 gears. Seems like the tranny is trying to figure out to shift to 1st gear for launch. Car on 04/16/2014 is at gunther vw in ft. Lauderder getting inspected for issues.

Filed Sep 27, 2013 · Engine, Fuel system · 91,000 miles · WA

Owned my 2010 vw jetta sport wagon tdi 6sp man since new. It has always had an interment cough & sputter that would happen at any speed or condition, but was very infrequent an non-repeatable. Now however, starting at around 85,000 miles, the cough and stall has become more frequent, causes the glow plug indicator light to flash and the vehicle loses power (goes into limp mode?). This used to all reset when turning off the key. The last time I brought it to the dealer, parr imports in bremerton wa, at 89,802 miles it had p0322 & p0651 fault codes. They suspected an intermittent crank sensor fault and wanted me to monitor. It has progressively gotten much worse, I have now lost power in heavy traffic and stalled in the parking lot pulling onto the road and have had to switch vehicles when it would not reset leaving the house. I was compelled to buy the torque application for my android phone to view and reset fault codes. I have not reset the ecu faults at least 4 maybe 6 times and now, at around 92,000 miles, it shows 5 codes and won't reset: p0322: ignition/distributor engine speed input circuit no signal, p2127: throttle/pedal position sensor/switch e circuit low input, p0193: fuel rail pressure sensor circuit high input, p0651: unknown code - more information may be available on the web, p0300: random/multiple cylinder misfire detected. My internet research suggest the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) may be an issue with vw blaming it on gasoline contamination, however I have records and receipts confirming I always fuel with diesel from a major distributor.

Filed May 17, 2013 · Acceleration · 91,000 miles · FL

Driving at 40 miles per hour, as I accelerated to pass on the left, the car went into limp mode and accelerated in slow motion, it took about 1/2 mile to get up to 45 MPH. Then I noticed the dashboard light came on while I was still driving, now attempting to get on to the interstate. Accelerating at abnormally slow speeds, it took about a mile to get up to 60. I then determined from the manual that the light was a "glow plug" light. I called the dealer and they informed me I could continue driving the car, but I should bring it to them right away. The car drove for approximately 6 miles, at which time the red battery light came on, and the car completely died. I had to cross two lanes of travel in order to get to the shoulder of the road. By the time the tow truck came, my local dealer was closed, and I was forced to call a local repair shop owner that works on nothing but vws and audi's. (this shop is trusted, and has worked on my vehicles for 8+ years). He diagnosed it as fuel pump problem, and confirmed that it was only diesel in the tank. I contacted vw USA, who wanted to take no action and stated that there was no restitution, nor would they take any action unless inspected and diagnosed by a dealer. Sadly, vw obviously is aware they have a recurring problem, and this pump seems to be either on back-order or hoarded by the dealers, thus made unavailable. At the current time, my local repair shop is working diligently to find a pump somewhere in north america.

Filed Apr 20, 2013 · Fuel system · 67,769 miles · FL

2010 vw jetta tdi's check engine and glow plug lights went on. Vehicle error code read p0087. Vehicle entered "limp mode" and turbo stopped functioning. Towed vehicle to vw dealership for diagnosis suspecting imminent hpfp failure at my cost. Paid the dealership $100 to diagnose the vehicle. Dealer determined it was a secondary fuel pump issue, repaired the pump, and cleared the code, which cost me approximately $760. Within 2 hours of picking up my vehicle, the check engine and glow plug lights went back on, vehicle entered "limp mode" and then completed stalled. The vehicle would not re-start. Vehicle was towed back to vw dealership, this time at their cost. Dealer provided me with a rental car, at their cost. One day later, dealer diagnosed issue as a catastrophic high pressure fuel pump failure (hpfp). Due to the disintegration of the hpfp, shards of metal entered the engine and fuel system. The dealer informed me that a large portion of the vehicle's fuel system would need to be replaced as a result of this hpfp failure. While the vehicle is not under warranty any longer, vw chose to cover the repair (perhaps it is due to fact that I brought the vehicle in and made them aware of my suspicions, yet they chose to slough off my diagnosis). From the number of complaints that I have read about this same issue occurring to countless others, vw is clearly aware of the issue, and should most certainly recall this vehicle for this issue.