My wife was taking a short trip to pick me up from work in our 2004 VW Golf, when the clutch failed suddenly at a traffic light. She was able to continue, but the clutch was failing to fully disengage. Fortunately, she was on surface streets and did not have to drive at highway speeds. We limped home and requested to have the vehicle towed to a VW service center. The service center indicated that the clutch failure was due to wear and was not a warranty item. We had no indications of impending failure (slippage, difficulty putting in gear, vibrations, strange noises, etc.) and my wife and I are both experienced users of manual transmissions. The service center made the repairs (total cost over $1900) and we have resumed using the vehicle.

- Olney, MD, USA

The dual-mass flywheel came apart in my Volkswagen Golf tdi (2004) causing difficulty in shifting and need for premature clutch replacement. The problem started nearly a month before I had it diagnosed at the dealer as a bad clutch.

- Lamar, AR, USA