2012 Volkswagen JETTA problems and owner complaints

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2012 JETTA TDI AND IT WENT INTO LIMP MODE ON THE HIGHWAY, LOSING NEARLY ALL POWER. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THE PROBLEM HAD GONE AWAY. IT OCCURRED AGAIN THE NEXT DAY AND WE TOOK IT IN AGAIN. THEY ENDED UP REPLACING THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. MY FUEL PUMP DID NOT FAIL CATASTROPHICALLY AS OTHERS HAVE, BUT IT STILL FAILED. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH COMMON RAIL VW DIESELS AND IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY PARTICULAR PUMP DID NOT FAIL…

Owner-reported narrative. 6,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10436842 at NHTSA ↗

2012 JETTA TDI MANUAL, THE FIRST OCCURRENCE HAPPENED AFTER TRAVELING ON A DOWNHILL GRADE WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE STOPLIGHT THE CAR STARTED TO SHUTTER AND ACTED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. THIS EXACT INCIDENT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH FOR NO RHYME OR REASON. THE CAR HAS NOW STARTED TO DO THE SAME THING MORE FREQUENTLY AND WILL NOW STALL OUT. IT USED TO BE ON COLD STARTS AND WOULD HAPPEN WITHIN THE FIRST 10 MILES OF DRIVING. IT NOW DOES IT ANYTIME YOU ARE DRIVING. I TRIED TO START THE CAR AFTER WORK THREE DAYS AGO AND WHEN…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10442730 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP PROPERLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1500.

Owner-reported narrative. 600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10436833 at NHTSA ↗

RECENTLY, I WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 35MPH ON MY WAY HOME. I DEPRESSED MY BRAKE PEDALS TO STOP THE VEHICLE BECAUSE A VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 3-4 CAR LENGTHS FROM ME HAD COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE PROPERLY. THIS RESULTED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT AND THE JETTA SE REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE THAT HAD STOPPED ABRUPTLY. THE DAMAGE WAS TO MY FRONT BUMPER AND THE OTHER VEHICLES BUMPER. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, ABOUT A WEEK AGO, I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND A VEHICLE CUT …

Owner-reported narrative. 9,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10464637 at NHTSA ↗

WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING DOWN A BUSY ROAD. CHECK ENGINE AND GLOW PLUG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. WAS JUST ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. CAR WOULD TURN OVER, BUT ENGINE WOULD NOT START. CAR TOWED TO DEALER. WAS TOLD THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, AND METAL SHARDS WERE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE FUEL SYSTEM. VW REPLACED THE ENTIRE FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM (INCLUDING FUEL TANK) AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. I CAN PROVIDE LIST OF PARTS, IF NEEDED. *JS

Owner-reported narrative. 11,092 miles reported. Look up ODI 10455353 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING AND ALL POWER. WITHOUT POWER STEERING IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND TO THE NEAREST VW DEALERSHIP WHO EVALUATED THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE MAIN FUSE HAD MELTED AND BLOWN OUT THE ENTIRE FUSE BOX AND THE ALTERNATOR CABLE HAD MELTED. THE REPAIR INVOICE INDICATES: "FOUND ALTERNATOR CABLE AT FUSE BOX MELTED, REPLACED FUSE PANEL, ALTERNATOR CABLE AND FUSE ON FRONT …

Owner-reported narrative. 14,364 miles reported. Look up ODI 10492243 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE ON MODERATE TRAFFIC AT ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR STALLED AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES GOT REALLY HARD. I HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR BECAUSE THE BRAKES WOULDN'T WORK. MY JETTA HAS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND IT WAS SET ON "MANUAL WITH NO CLUTCH" WHEN IT HAPPENED. THE THING IS I WASN'T EVEN TOUCHING THAT WHEN THE CAR STALLED. THAT FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AFTER I'D GOTTEN THE CAR FRESH OFF THE DEALERSHIP. I DIDN'T WANT TO ADMIT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WR…

Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10514975 at NHTSA ↗

DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME FROM WORK FRIDAY 1/13, WEATHER WAS BELOW FREEZING CAUSING ICE BUILD UP. PARKED THE VEHICLE IN MY GARAGE ~45 DEGREES. ICE BEGAN MELT, AND WHEN TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON IT TURNED 1/4 TURN AND THE ENGINE STOPPED. MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE ENGINE INHALED WATER CAUSING A HYDRO-LOCK, I CONTINUED TO TRY TO START THE VEHICLE A TOTAL 5 TIMES (IT TURNED OVER ONCE AND RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH AND DIED ONCE). THE LAST TIME TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE I SMELLED SMOKE, I POPPED THE HOOD TO FIND THE STARTER AND WIRI…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10445020 at NHTSA ↗

PICKED UP THE CAR FROM THE DEALER ON 10/03/12 AT 11:00 A.M. IT WAS NEW---HAD 47 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. DROVE IT TO WORK AND THEN ARRIVED HOME AT 6:45 THAT EVENING WITH ODOMETER READING 81 MILES. AS I WAS PARKING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE I PUT IT INTO REVERSE TO BACK IT INTO THE SPOT AND THEN SWITCHED THE GEAR(THIS IS A AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) TO DRIVE TO STRAIGHTEN OUT. THE CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE BACKWARDS IN REVERSE AND IF I HAD NOT HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE I WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO THE CONCRETE WALL OF THE GARAGE. TRIED TO PUT THE CAR BACK I…

Owner-reported narrative. 81 miles reported. Look up ODI 10479427 at NHTSA ↗

ON 9 MARCH 2012, I BOUGHT A VW TDI JETTA SPORTSWAGEN WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. FROM THE TIME I TOOK POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION BUCKED, HESITATED, AND LUNGED. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 26 APRIL TO HAVE IT EXAMINED, BUT THEY SAID THAT IT WAS ?NORMAL? AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. I TOLD THEM THAT IF THAT WAS NORMAL, I WAS SURPRISED THAT ANYONE WOULD WANT TO BUY ONE. AFTER 2 MONTHS OF THIS, I TOOK THE CAR BACK AND EXCHANGED IT FOR ONE WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE THE SO-CALLED AUTOMA…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10459695 at NHTSA ↗