Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| V37 12 03 | 01/01/2012 | 10043548 | Whistle or whine noise coming from the transmission when driving. more noticeable at 55 mph to 65 mph. *kb | 04/10/2012 | |
| TB-35-11-01 | 06/06/2011 | 10041250 | Ready | 09/21/2011 | |
| TB-35-11-01 | 06/06/2011 | 10041250 | Volkswagen: the gear box has a momentarily delay while accelerating. *rm | 09/21/2011 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| TB-37-12-02 | 01/12/2012 | 10043535 | Volkswagen: while driving approximately 55 to 65mph, a whinning or whistle noise is heard. the shifter cable may transmit noise, which may come from transmission counter gear, into passenger compartment. *pe | 04/09/2012 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 03/04/2013 | 39543 | ||
| Dangerous and harrowing clutch/flywheel failure (near-new 2011 jetta with 39,000 miles) without warning at 55 mph when i depressed the clutch pedal to downshift from 5th gear while braking, stalling my car in traffic at speed. i managed to get the car to the side of the road. car was towed to vw dealership that today tells me the flywheel and clutch were damaged with repairs estimated at $2,500. an investigation of the ntsb site shows this problem has occurred with other 2011 jetta owners. a search of the internet generally turned up hundreds of identical or near-identical reports of clutch and flywheel failures for 2006 to 2013 jettas. manufacturer's responses have been, according to jetta owners, varied, with some people reporting free repairs and other reporting large out-of-pocket costs. interestingly, clutch and flywheel failures are, according to my research (available to anyone who cares to look for it online) being covered by techical bulletins in the european union but not in the united states. my car has been driven and maintained per manufacturer specifications and recommendations, with dealership where i had the car towed for repairs acknowledging verbally that these components should last much longer. a technical bulletin issued by vw is paying for some flywheel parts under some circumstances but not for additional damage to the clutch that often occurs, per the dealership, when the flywheel fails. labor costs are not covered, and they are estimable. | |||
| 01/02/2012 | 6000 | 1 | |
| Approximately a year ago, my engine began to give a clear sense of the car shuddering or rocking back and forth. while sometimes the feeling would occur even when stopped at a light, the vast majority of the time this occurred while i was driving at consistent low speeds. in almost all cases, i was attempting to maintain a consistent speed around either 13pmh or 30 mph. eventually, i found the rocking motion very easy to reproduce. i'd set the car to 30 mph via cruise control and drive down a straight road with very slight upward and downward slopes. while it happens even on flat ground, i found that a slight decline is most likely to reproduce the feeling. my best guess is that there's something about the way the fuel supply system/transmission is trying to determine whether or not diesel needs to be supplied to the engine. the fuel supply system seems to almost cut out because giving diesel would produce a speed too high, and then it comes back on suddenly, because giving it no diesel would cause the car to slow too much. while sometimes this is simply a nuisance, i have had on many occasions felt that it was a genuine safety hazard since i couldn't predict how the engine would react. this in combination with overly strong engine break when letting off of the accelerator and delayed acceleration when stepping on the peddle that can cause inconsistencies and safety hazards when maneuvering in stop and go traffic on the highway. i've mentioned this problem every single time i've taken my car in for it's regularly scheduled maintenance. the vehicle has a diesel dsg engine, and as i've been told by service technicians and representatives, some of the things like strong engine breaking are associated with this type of engine. however, the car's rocking motion certainly goes beyond anything that could realistically be considered normal and safe. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2012 | 6000 | ||
| Approximately a year ago, my engine began to give a clear sense of the car shuddering or rocking back and forth. while sometimes the feeling would occur even when stopped at a light, the vast majority of the time this occurred while i was driving at consistent low speeds. in almost all cases, i was attempting to maintain a consistent speed around either 13pmh or 30 mph. eventually, i found the rocking motion very easy to reproduce. i'd set the car to 30 mph via cruise control and drive down a straight road with very slight upward and downward slopes. while it happens even on flat ground, i found that a slight decline is most likely to reproduce the feeling. my best guess is that there's something about the way the fuel supply system/transmission is trying to determine whether or not diesel needs to be supplied to the engine. the fuel supply system seems to almost cut out because giving diesel would produce a speed too high, and then it comes back on suddenly, because giving it no diesel would cause the car to slow too much. while sometimes this is simply a nuisance, i have had on many occasions felt that it was a genuine safety hazard since i couldn't predict how the engine would react. this in combination with overly strong engine break when letting off of the accelerator and delayed acceleration when stepping on the peddle that can cause inconsistencies and safety hazards when maneuvering in stop and go traffic on the highway. i've mentioned this problem every single time i've taken my car in for it's regularly scheduled maintenance. the vehicle has a diesel dsg engine, and as i've been told by service technicians and representatives, some of the things like strong engine breaking are associated with this type of engine. however, the car's rocking motion certainly goes beyond anything that could realistically be considered normal and safe. | |||
| 11/26/2012 | 19800 | ||
| On monday, november 26th i was driving my wife in our 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi diesel from our vacation property in salyer, california (trinity county) to our home in arcata, california (humboldt county), a distance of 45 miles along route 299. 299 is a two lane highway that has occasional passing lanes and has a posted speed of 55 mph. approximately 15 miles into the trip, i attempted to pass a slow moving vehicle by means one of these passing lanes. as i pulled into the passing lane, the jetta accelerated smoothly from 45 mph to approximately 60 mph, when it suddenly lost power and began to deaccelerate rapidly, eventually down to approximately 20 mph, although the engine was roaring at a very high level of rpm | |||
| 10/14/2012 | 47000 | 1 | |
| Car engine stopped suddenly while driving. drifted to side of road; car would not restart. had to pay $250 for tow to dealer. service person called to say there was metal in my fuel system/tank, but they didn't know what was wrong. he also accused me of putting the wrong gas in my car. i informed service person that it took 5 seconds on the internet to learn about the nhtsa investigation into the many high pressure fuel system failures that cause engine to stop running. interestingly, he called back 2 hours later and acknowledged that fuel system and powertrain and other stuff need to be replaced. this is an unsafe car. i could have been going 65 on the freeway with a small child or other people in the car, all of whom could have been seriously injured when car suddenly looses all power and momentum. many online complaint reports are for second failures, after repair. i do not trust the service dept. of any volkswagen dealer and have no confidence that the problem is eliminated. i am afraid to drive the car. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2011 | 200 | 1 | |
| This car has an automatic transmission. it's a jetta tdi. if you stop on a sharp incline the car will roll backwards when you take your foot off of the brake and push the gas pedal. i've tried pushing the gas pedal before letting off the brake but it still rolls backward. i took it to the dealer and explained that i am afraid i will roll backward into another vehicle of even a pedestrian. the dealer said rolling backward is normal for this car. i think this is unsafe for me and the people around me. i bought this car new from tom bush regency motors 9850 atlantic blvd. jax., florida 32225. ph (904) 725-0911. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2011 | 200 | ||
| This car has an automatic transmission. it's a jetta tdi. if you stop on a sharp incline the car will roll backwards when you take your foot off of the brake and push the gas pedal. i've tried pushing the gas pedal before letting off the brake but it still rolls backward. i took it to the dealer and explained that i am afraid i will roll backward into another vehicle of even a pedestrian. the dealer said rolling backward is normal for this car. i think this is unsafe for me and the people around me. i bought this car new from tom bush regency motors 9850 atlantic blvd. jax., florida 32225. ph (904) 725-0911. | |||
| 07/05/2012 | 44500 | 1 | |
| 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi - took it in for service on 07/05/2012 and the dealer states that i have a malfunctioning clutch (could be a throw out bearing, pressure plate or multiple clutch components) none of which has been 100% diagnosed until they pull the transmission out and inspect it, to do this the dealer wants $1000.00 + parts. i was also informed that my right front wheel bearing needs replacing ($435.00) for the bearing alone + labor. at this point it seems more of a manufacturer or workmanship defect, i currently have 44,500 miles on the car and use it 90% on the highway at 65-75 mph. dealer states that they may open an investigation with volkswagen but i still have to pay to get my car out. *tr | |||
| 07/05/2012 | 44500 | ||
| 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi - took it in for service on 07/05/2012 and the dealer states that i have a malfunctioning clutch (could be a throw out bearing, pressure plate or muliple clutch components) none of which has been 100% diagnosed until they pull the transmission out and inspect it, to do this the dealer wants $1000.00 + parts. i was also informed that my right front wheel bearing needs replacing ($435.00) for the bearing alone + labor. at this point it seems more of a manufacturer or workmanship defect, i currently have 44,500 miles on the car and use it 90% on the highway at 65-75 mph. dealer states that they may open an investigation with volkswagen but i still have to pay to get my car out. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | 600 | ||
| I have experienced dramatic hesitation while, from slow speed, trying to accelerate quickly onto a main road with heavy traffic. the dsg cannot figure out which gear it needs to be in and either hesitates or goes into what seems to be neutral, the engine high reves. the jetta just comes to a stand still in the middle of ther road as the computer tries to decide what gear it needs to be in.the hesitation is pronounced enough that i fear i wouldn | |||
| 04/12/2012 | 16000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into drive when the push-start button was depressed with to power the vehicle off. the vehicle then rolled backward and into the street where it came to an abrupt stop. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was approximately 16,000. kmj | |||
| 04/12/2012 | 16000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that while parked, the contact used the push start to turn the vehicle completely off, while the gear was still in drive. the vehicle rolled backwards onto the road and then stopped suddenly. there were no injuries. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was approximatley 16,000. nw | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1500 | ||
| At steady throttle angle of accelerator pedal, slow speeds pulling out on to main road with heavy traffic. dsg can not select the proper gear and hesitatess so badly that we were almost t- boned in the drivers side of the jetta by on coming traffic. i guess about .1 tenth of a second no movement for the jetta. this dsg had a daul clutch flywheel and is a computer shifted manual transmision on dual shafts to output drive. i called third differentent dealer and all say this is the way the jetta with dsg performs. dealer gunther volkswagen in buford was helpful, and acknowledged the problem. volkswagen has no software fix. village volkswagen chattanooga, tn advisor shared that all dsg transmissions have the problem. volkswagen designed and make the dsg, why can they not fix the problem? this is a safety problem that will end up getting drivers and passengers hurt. the jetta just stands still in the middle of the lane as the computer decides what gear selction is needed. this has happened to us three different times. my wife is scaried to drive the jetta for fear of a accident. we have contacted volkswagen of america about the problem. after market software company unitronics has a software fix at a cost of $500.00. please contact me! | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1700 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the transmission did not shift properly. as a result, the vehicle hesitated and decelerated almost to a complete stop. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating under normal conditions. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred he contact back to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 1,700 and the current mileage was 8,700. kmj | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1500 | ||
| At steady throttle angle of accelerator pedal, slow speeds pulling out on to main road with heavy traffic. dsg can not select the proper gear and hesitatess so badly that we were almost t- boned in the drivers side of the jetta by on coming traffic. i guess about .1 tenth of a second no movement for the jetta. this dsg had a daul clutch flywheel and is a computer shifted manual transmision on dual shafts to output drive. i called third differentent dealer and all say this is the way the jetta with dsg performs. dealer gunther volkswagen in buford was helpful, and acknowledged the problem. volkswagen has no software fix. village volkswagen chattanooga, tn advisor shared that all dsg transmissions have the problem. volkswagen designed and make the dsg, why can they not fix the problem? this is a safety problem that will end up getting drivers and passengers hurt. the jetta just stands still in the middle of the lane as the computer decides what gear selction is needed. this has happened to us three different times. my wife is scaried to drive the jetta for fear of a accident. we have contacted volkswagen of america about the problem. after market software company unitronics has a software fix at a cost of $500.00. please contact me! | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1700 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the transmission did not shift properly. as a result, the vehicle hesitated and decelerated almost to a complete stop. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating under normal conditions. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred he contact back to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 1,700 and the current mileage was 8,700. kmj | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1500 | ||
| At steady throttle angle of accelerator pedal, slow speeds pulling out on to main road with heavy traffic. dsg can not select the proper gear and hesitatess so badly that we were almost t- boned in the drivers side of the jetta by on coming traffic. i guess about .1 tenth of a second no movement for the jetta. this dsg had a daul clutch flywheel and is a computer shifted manual transmision on dual shafts to output drive. i called third differentent dealer and all say this is the way the jetta with dsg performs. dealer gunther volkswagen in buford was helpful, and acknowledged the problem. volkswagen has no software fix. village volkswagen chattanooga, tn advisor shared that all dsg transmissions have the problem. volkswagen designed and make the dsg, why can they not fix the problem? this is a safety problem that will end up getting drivers and passengers hurt. the jetta just stands still in the middle of the lane as the computer decides what gear selction is needed. this has happened to us three different times. my wife is scaried to drive the jetta for fear of a accident. we have contacted volkswagen of america about the problem. after market software company unitronics has a software fix at a cost of $500.00. please contact me! | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1700 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the transmission did not shift properly. as a result, the vehicle hesitated and decelerated almost to a complete stop. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating under normal conditions. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred he contact back to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 1,700 and the current mileage was 8,700. kmj | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1500 | ||
| At steady throttle angle of accelerator pedal, slow speeds pulling out on to main road with heavy traffic. dsg can not select the proper gear and hesitatess so badly that we were almost t- boned in the drivers side of the jetta by on coming traffic. i guess about .1 tenth of a second no movement for the jetta. this dsg had a daul clutch flywheel and is a computer shifted manual transmision on dual shafts to output drive. i called third differentent dealer and all say this is the way the jetta with dsg performs. dealer gunther volkswagen in buford was helpful, and acknowledged the problem. volkswagen has no software fix. village volkswagen chattanooga, tn advisor shared that all dsg transmissions have the problem. volkswagen designed and make the dsg, why can they not fix the problem? this is a safety problem that will end up getting drivers and passengers hurt. the jetta just stands still in the middle of the lane as the computer decides what gear selction is needed. this has happened to us three different times. my wife is scaried to drive the jetta for fear of a accident. we have contacted volkswagen of america about the problem. after market software company unitronics has a software fix at a cost of $500.00. please contact me! | |||
| 09/13/2011 | 1700 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph the transmission did not shift properly as a result the vehicle hesitated and decrease speed almost to a complete stop. the contact mentioned that the failure occurred a total three times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure and stated that the vehicle was operating under normal conditions. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who referred him back to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 1,700 and the current mileage was 8,700. pm | |||
| 09/21/2011 | 1710 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact started the vehicle and shift gears from park into the reverse position and immediately the vehicle surged forward. there were several attempts before the vehicle responded in reverse. the identical failure occurred on a separate occasion. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. the contact will notify the manufacturer regarding the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 1,710. | |||
| 09/21/2011 | 1710 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact started the vehicle and shift gears from park into the reverse position and immediately the vehicle surged forward. there were several attempts before the vehicle responded in reverse. the identical failure occurred on a separate occasion. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. the contact will notify the manufacturer regarding the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 1,710. rvk | |||
| 09/21/2011 | 1710 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi. the contact started the ignition and shifted from park into the reverse position and immediately the vehicle surged forwardly. there were several attempts before the vehicle responded in the reverse motion. the identical failure occurred on a separate occasion. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. the contact planned to notify the manufacturer regarding the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 1,710. js | |||
| 07/20/2011 | 4900 | ||
| Volkswagen jetta sedan dsg tdi 2011. vehicle as made has a two second hold for keeping the car from rolling backwards on inclines. however the car owners manual requires a slow acceleration which allows the car to roll backwards risking hitting the car or pedestrian behind you especially in driveways with inclines endangering small children because of visibility. the only way to overcome this safety defect is to use the emergency brake to hold vehicle until rpms increase enough to engage the transmission. the front and rear windshields have a blur, the front windshield extends from the bottom to approximately six inches up the glass and the rear glass has distortion throughout. this causes eye strain, watering, and headache when subjected to for an hour or more of travel and is especially bad in bright sunlight causing an unsafe driving condition. dealer admitted distortion but refused to repair along with manufacturer. the car stalls when attempting to move forward from a stop resulting in an extremely unsafe vehicle when trying to cross lanes of traffic. the car will not reach its maximum rpm as indicated it should do by owners manual for passing or merging into traffic resulting in unsafe vehicle operation in multiple instances. the dealer actually made this worse then would not correct. the vehicle also does not have parking lights as required by some state statues and should have never been certified for sale in the usa. | |||
| 01/04/2011 | 950 | ||
| From time to time, when depressing the gas pedal to accelerate (entering highway via on ramp, climbing moderate hill or grade, passing slower vehicle) there is initially no acceleration, then a sudden surge of power causing an uncontrolled acceleration. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 07/15/2011 | 2054 | ||
| Automatic transmission has extream hesitation when accelerating from slow speed such as merging with traffic. dealer says this is normal and finds no fault with the power train. when accelerating the car will vitually stall with zero forward movement, then it will finally engage and lunge the car forward very abrubtly. have had three very close calls and this will result in accidents in the future. | |||
| 05/28/2011 | 4000 | ||
| Tl- the contact rented a 2011 volkswagen jetta. the contact was in a crash. the contact stated that the vehicle gear shifted from park to reverse unexpectedly, without command. the contact was hospitalized. a police report was filed. the contact did not notify the dealer. the manufacturer was waiting for the contact to call them back. the failure was not remedied. the failure and current mileage was 4,000. nw | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 175 | ||
| 2011 volkswagen jetta tdi stalls in traffic. it will start after stall but it will not move in any gear. auto transmission. the car stalled for the first time at only 175 miles. the car was taken to the dealer and fixed? car stalled the second time in traffic at 230 miles. it's now back at the dealer and they do not know what is wrong with it. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/22/2011 | 650 | ||
| Several times since owning the vehicle (2 weeks), it has stalled when taking off. this has happened with every person who has driven the car, even very experienced drivers with manual transmission. latest incident was pulling out from a side street and the car stalled, causing a very dangerous situation. | |||