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2012 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system problems

80 complaints (16% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 37,000.

owner complaints
80
of this car's complaints
16%
typical mileage
37,000
crashes
0
recalls
1

Which part fails

  • Storage: tank assembly
    1
  • Delivery: fuel pump
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Volkswagen Jetta fuel system problems in other years

19901995200020052010201520202025

Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Fuel pump 43Fuel leak 5

Related recalls

Fuel system, dieselReported October 3, 2011 · 168,275 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen is recalling certain model 2009-2012 jetta and jetta sportwagen vehicles, manufactured from may 2008 through september 2011, model year 2010-2012 volkswagen golf vehicles, manufactured from may 2009 through september 2011, and model year 2010-2012 audi a3 vehicles, manufactured from september 2009 through september 2011, that are equipped with a 2.0l tdi common rail diesel engine/clean diesel engine. The fuel injection pulses could coincide with the natural frequency of the injector line #2, in specific load and RPM conditions. This resonance creates additional stress in the fuel line.
Risk
Due to the resonance condition, injector line number 2 could develop small cracks which could lead to fuel leakage. Leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source, may lead to a fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will install an improved fuel injector line for the number 2 cylinder on certain vehicles and will install vibration dampers on all of the injector lines. Volkswagen and audi will notify owners to have the vehicles repaired free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during november 2011. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1‑800‑822‑8987.

Recall number 11V490000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Diesel Fuel Injector Line LeakageOpened August 2, 2011, closed December 2, 2011

By letter dated October 3, 2011, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall to address a defect in approximately 168,275 model year (MY) 2009-2012 Volkswagen Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Golf, and Audi A3 vehicles equipped with the 2.0L TDI Common Rail Clean Diesel engine (the federal safety agency Recall No. 11V‑490).The recalled Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen vehicles were built from May 2008 through September 2011, the Golf vehicles were built from May 2009 through September 2011, and the Audi A3 vehicles were built from September 2009 through September 2011.According to Volkswagen, in U.S. applications of the above cited TDI vehicles including engine codes CJAA and CBEA, the fuel injection pulses could coincide with the natural frequency of the injector line #2 in specific load and RPM conditions.This resonance creates additional stress on the fuel line which a small number of parts (based on the statistic spread of line strength) cannot withstand over its lifetime.As a contributing factor, VW indicated that a supplier used tube material with scratch marks from a grinding process during certain production periods.Lines manufactured in these periods were installed in vehicles produced in the following 10 months:December 2008, January-February 2009, October 2009, March-April 2010 and September-December 2010.Injector lines using this material exhibit a significantly higher failure rate.Dealers will replace injector line #2 in all vehicles built in these months.In addition, as a precautionary measure, all recalled vehicles will have vibration dampers installed on all four fuel injector lines.Analysis of the federal safety agency complaints, VW complaints, VW field reports and warranty claims found allegations of injector line leakage in 443 subject vehicles.The leaking line was not identified in 62 of the vehicles.For the 381 that did provide information about which injector lines were leaking and/or replaced, 358 (94%) involved an injector line #2 leak/repair.Almost three-quarters of the injector line #2 leak/repair incident vehicles were built in the 10 months identified by VW, which accounted for approximately one-quarter of the recalled vehicles.The failure rate for injector line #2 in vehicles built in the 10 months affected by the supplier line scratching issue is 6.0 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).The failure rate for injector line #2 in other production months of recalled vehicles is 0.8 IPTV.The leak/repair rates for the other injector lines are all well under 1 IPTV.The action taken by Volkswagen is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation. The agency will continue to monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE11023

High-Pressure Fuel Pump FailureOpened February 7, 2011, closed March 27, 2015

The Office of Defects Investgation (ODI) opened EA11-003 on February 7, 2011, based on 160 complaints to ODI and Volkswagen involving high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failures in model year (MY) 2009 through 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and Golf and Audi A3 TDI vehicles and questions regarding fuel sample results provided by Volkswagen as part of its response to PE10-034.During EA11-003, ODI analyzed design information, field experience and test data for MY 2009 through 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, Golf and Touareg and Audi A3 and Q7 vehicles equipped with TDI engines. Volkswagen has not identified any design or manufacturing defects in the subject TDI Clean Diesel pumps and has stated that the subject pumps were designed, tested and approved for use in the United States market, with substantial design margins for fuels that are out of specification.Volkswagen believes that misfueling with gasoline is the primary cause of HPFP drivetrain failures in the field.Only the Q7 vehicles were built with misfuel protection devices.In May 2013 Volkswagen initiated a service campaign to install misfuel protection devices in all MY 2009 through 2012 Jetta, Golf and A3 vehicles.Volkswagen implemented misfuel protection devices in all of the subject models beginning in MY 2013. ODI?s analysis of HPFP drivetrain failure incidents indicates that most failures do not result in engine stall while driving and, when pump drivetrain failure does result in stall while driving, it is usually preceded by numerous warning symptoms (e.g., glow plug warning lamp, chime, limp mode, and driveability symptoms).The failure data for the subject vehicles show relatively low stalling rates (less than one percent at three years in service) for each of the pump designs used in the subject vehicles.There have been no reports of crashes, injuries or fatalities related to the alleged defect. Based on these facts, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted.For additional information, see the closing report in the document file for EA11-003.

EA11003

What 2012 Volkswagen Jetta owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jun 21, 2024 · Electrical, Fuel system · UT

I was driving on the road going up a hill and my fuel was just alittle low about 120 miles my car sputtered and died and didn't start back up stuck on the road with barley any gaurd rail so I'm partially in the lane and I got it looked at and my high pressure fuel pump failed and sent metal scrapes all throughout my fuel system so it's estimated around 10k to replace I got told it's because the pump barley lost fuel and it uses that to lubricate itself so somthing as simple as one of the pumps going out and this problem can occur or a slight short im just reporting because many others have had this issue with the pump and mine shouldn't have even had nothing going on at 120 miles 1/4 of a tank and I did look in my tank and confirmed I had fuel that I filled up at my local gas station in the middle of the city so it's not bad diesel I own a 2012 volkswagen jetta 2.0l tdi cjaa

Filed Feb 22, 2024 · Fuel system · NC

Everytime I fill with gas car will not start.i have to pump accelerator, then it will start.it starts normally on all other occasions. This has been happening for about 6 months or 5 thousand miles.

Filed Jan 17, 2023 · Fuel system · 100,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated he smelled a strong odor of carbon dioxide inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test however, no failure was found. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the vehicle did not have a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Jan 25, 2022 · Brakes, Engine · FL

The car it’s having severals issues such a fuel system injectors fuel ⛽️ gas leak also breaks and battery 🔋 alternador and much more this car was sold to me by a dealership looking for legal assistant that can help also it was on a accident but I don’t know when

Filed Aug 29, 2021 · Fuel system · IL

It first started around May 2021. The first symptom was gas or exhaust fumes in my cabin of the vehicle. Apart believed to be a fact it was the canister purge solenoid so I changed it out myself twice. The symptoms did not seem to go away so I decided to take it to a Firestone; after a week and a half they decided they didn’t know what it was so I was refunded. After that I took it to “Checkered Flag Volkswagen” in Virginia Beach. When I was diagnosed with the charcoal canister needed to be replaced. After that was changed I had to move the very next day to Alton Illinois. So I use the vehicle to move to Alton Illinois vehicle seem to be running fine but after the day the check engine light came back on was the same code. Shortly afterwards I started smelling the fumes again and I developed a cough and I have occasional headaches come from the fumes coming from either gas or exhaust inside the cab another vehicle through the vents. Since I moved I cannot return to the same dealership to further resolve this problem and now I am expected to pay for further service being done and continue to pay for the service already done by the last dealership. This is a safety hazard to me to drive like the and I have to pay for an unfinished job. I would like my money back and have the service taken care of without further costs.

Filed Jul 5, 2020 · Fuel system · 15,000 miles · CA

Gas cap problem waring light on do to gas cap and gas leaking feums when gas tank is full can smell gas while driving

Filed Jan 19, 2020 · Fuel system, Transmission · 80,000 miles · AZ

I was on my way to work at 3 am I jumped on the freeway and my vehicle lost acceleration and started sputtering back and forth I was able to pull aside to get away from the freeway the car then sped up on its own I put my foot on the pedal to see if I could slow it down it then drove normal about a block away from the freeway back toward my home it lost power again while driving very scary I noticed an epc light go on and off 2 times while driving when I finally got it home I turned the car in the on position and noticed the epc light staying on thank you for your time

Filed Aug 21, 2019 · Fuel system · 89,000 miles · AZ

Fuel line leak. This leak is not only occurring in diesel based engines. While driving the check engine light appeared as it appeared there was obvious stress on the vehicle causing the car to stall & the car struggled to maintain momentum prior to the stall. Seemed as if the car was not shifting correctly. Took the vehicle to be checked to discover there is a gas leak detected after a pressure test was performed. The vehicle has 89k miles on it.

Filed Apr 17, 2019 · Fuel system · 159,000 miles · CA

The engine shut off while traveling at 65mph on the highway. The high pressure fuel pump failed, causing the shutdown. Volkswagen of america had already issued an extension on the warranty for the high pressure fuel pump, but I'm beyond the mileage of the extension. I was fortunate to be in a rural area without a lot of traffic, but this could have been a major accident if I had been in traffic or even just in the left lane.

Filed Apr 9, 2019 · Fuel system · 104,000 miles · AL

High pressure fuel pump failure at 104k miles on 2012 vw jetta tdi a fuel line was leaking, which as stated by the service manager at serra vw, appeared to be a manufacturer defect. The engine cover was rubbing the fuel line (grommet possibly) causing a leak. The fuel presumably leaks onto the serpentine belt weakening it, and causing it to fail and shred to pieces. Fuel line was replaced, as well as the serpentine belt. Car was tested and would not crank still. Service technician thought it could be the battery, though it had been replaced roughly a year and a half ago. Still, they discharged the battery, charged the battery, and tested the car, and it still would not crank. At this point it was thought the fuel filter may be an issue. Fuel filter was replaced, the car tested again, and again it would not crank. That is when the high pressure fuel pump was going to be replaced. Serra vw placed a warranty claim, which was declined, with the blame placed on the leak in the fuel line.the fuel pump is covered under the extended emissions system warranty as a result of the emissions recall due to unethical modifications of the company. I opened a customer service case, to investigate. They found no reason why the hpfp warranty would be declined. They relied on the word of the service manager, that stated a manufacturer defect causing the fuel line to leak was the cause for the fuel pump failure. At no point was there ever any indication of stalls, lack of power, or reduced power or 'missing' when the serpentine belt failed, indicating no issues with the hpfp prior to arriving at the dealership for service

Questions about the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system

Does the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta have fuel system problems?

Owners have filed 80 complaints about the fuel system of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, 16% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2012 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 37,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system?

Yes, 1 recall: 11V490000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Volkswagen Jetta have the most fuel system problems?

The Volkswagen Jetta model years with the most fuel system complaints are 2009 (307 complaints), 2010 (303 complaints) and 2011 (166 complaints).

Other 2012 Volkswagen Jetta problems

Electrical 138Engine 91Transmission 46Steering 42Brakes 37Airbags 34Visibility 24Acceleration 14Lights 13Driver assistance 11Suspension 10Wheels 10Seat belts 9Tires 9Body 7Locks 2Seats 2

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