No event lead up to failure. The car sputters, hiccups, what ever you want to call it. It has stalled in traffic, and had to be pushed out of the intersection, it would not start back up and smelled of fuel. On numerous occasions it will not start. It cuts out around corners, and has done it with the vw service manager in the car.
2008 Volkswagen R32: gas smell in the cabin
6 of the 115 complaints about the 2008 Volkswagen R32 describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 3,510
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
What owners say
My vehicle has stalled twice on me when it had 6647 miles. It occurred twice in a span of two hours. I was driving and the car started to "hiccup". It jumps between shifts, this occurs mostly when it is humid outside. The vehicle also emits a loud ticking sound from the gas tank, and in extremely cold weather the gas needle bounces. Took it to the dealership 4 times and they found no problems, however they did take a joyride two of those times in the car. (found the radio station set and equalizer toyed with) in addition, the car sometimes smells like fuel.
Fuel system on car broke while driving 75mph on the freeway causing the car to jerk and drop in speed in the middle of traffic. Fuel smell out of A/C vents. Vw has acknowledged the problem and has said they've had this on many cars of the same model. Vw is replacing the entire fuel system resulting the car to be in the service shop for 30 plus days.
First minor incidents: my wife and I have been experiencing intermittent hiccups in power for a few weeks. No cels or indication of anything wrong otherwise. First serious incident: at highway speed (70mph) 30 minutes into a commute, the car loses power and throws the driver forward in the seat. Was able to finish the remainder of commute barely limping along with erratic throttle response, stalling, and stuttering. Upon arrival, notice smell of fuel and see fuel puddle behind right rear wheel. Vw roadside assistance would not respond due to report of fuel leak. Told to call fire dept -- fire dept responded. Aaa towed to dealer. After 19 days at the dealer, the car's entire fuel tank was replaced. A defect in the evaporative emissions system was reported as the cause. We were assured the vehicle was safe and the new system was redesigned. Second major incident: repeat of first major incident above only days later. Car currently in shop. Evidence of widespread issue being discussed at vwvortex.com among numerous reports of same issue but no resolution or official acknowledgment of this issue from vwofa as of yet. This is extremely unsafe condition for a car that is brand new.
The engine power of my 2008 vw r32 continued to cut out periodically for a few weeks, the cel never once came on. This problem persisted regardless of the weather or vehicle speed. One day while my wife was driving, she was stopped at a traffic signal and the car died, she restarted it and noticed a fuel odor. Since she was near my work (approx three miles) she restarted the car once she got there and turned off the car, fuel started leaking behind the right rear wheel.
My brand-new 08 vw makes severe hiccups on moderate acceleration when the outside temperature is above about 95 f. (sudden loss of power and come back up in short period of time.)have starting problem after the symptom, sometimes smell of gas from outside rear. The problem does not leave any error codes on computer, therefore dealers cannot fix or replicate problem. (usually takes about 30 min constant drive in the hot weather to have the symptom.) had numerous visit to a vw dealer but no fix. Always end up with my claim comments; "customer states..." and dealer states, "can not replicate the problem". I keep having the same problem since last year, only when outside is really hot (for california), above 95f. Total of 6-7 days I've had the same problem since last year.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen is recalling approximately 5,000 my 2008 r32 (5th generation) vehicles. When certain driving conditions are accompanied by high ambient temperatures, the fuel tank ventilation valve may not remain fully closed. If this happens, liquid fuel may enter the fuel tank venting system and migrate into the evaporative system, saturating the carbon canister. Should this occur while driving, the vehicle may experience performance issues (I.e., vehicle jerking) and the malfunction indicator lamp (mil) in the instrument cluster could illuminate. Fuel could leak from the evaporative system leak detection pump filter.
- Risk
- A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could lead to a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel tank ventilation valve with an improved valve free of charge. The recall began on june 2, 2009. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1‑800‑822‑8987.
Recall number 09V093000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2008 Volkswagen R32 fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2008 Volkswagen R32?
6 of 115 owner complaints about the 2008 Volkswagen R32 (5%) mention gas smell in the cabin.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Volkswagen R32?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2008 Volkswagen R32
Jerking 45Harsh shifting 24Loss of power 16Stalling 15Hesitation 14Check engine light 5
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