NHTSA — Fuel System, Diesel Problems

2011 Volkswagen Jetta (Page 4 of 5)

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CarComplaints.com Notes: Digging through the long list of NHTSA complaints about a sudden loss of engine power and the high pressure fuel pump failing, it's never good to come across the "my car (with a cold engine) set itself on fire in the middle of the night" complaint.

3.5

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,877 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2011 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 4 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #22

Aug 082011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 8,100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The high pressure fuel system is leaking from one of the fuel injectors. There is currently an investigation going on that was brought my attention to see if I had the problem. And it looks as if I do.

- Urbana, IL, USA

problem #21

Aug 082011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 3,600 miles
Fuel leaking out of injectors Volkswagen 2011 Jetta sport wagon tdi

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #20

Aug 012011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 2,947 miles
2011 Volkswagen Jetta sportswagon tdi. Car stalled in traffic and would not restart. Extremely dangerous situation as there were cars following behind as car stopped without warning. Also, during the stall car lost power steering and was difficult to maneuver to site of street. Car would not re-start and had to have it towed. Car was nearly new (just over 2 months and had less than 3,000 miles).

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #19

Aug 082011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 850 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I'd like to add my vehicle to this investigation #: PE11023 - after reading about this story today - I check the engine bay and found pooling liquid above the #1/2 injectors on my '11 Jetta sportwagen tdi with only 850 miles. files.etiviti.com/misc/11jswtdi/img_2010_sm.jpg files.etiviti.com/misc/11jswtdi/img_2016_sm.jpg.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #18

Apr 052011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • miles
Smoke from under the hood while driving - drove directly to dealer. Result was injector leak.

- Gilroy, CA, USA

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problem #17

Apr 122011

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 7,764 miles
Fuel leak on VW Jetta tdi dealer changed line and injector on #2 cylinder.

- Camden , NY, USA

problem #16

Jul 072011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 750 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2011 VW Jetta sportwagen tdi surging at times and sputtering. Only 1000 miles and have had for 2 weeks. The controllability at that surging moment seems off and if it's doing that while I need to avoid something or someone it could be dangerous. Also surging or bucking while you stop. Recipe for a rear end collision. This is a 6spd automatic and it feels like a weird downshift as you come to a stop. Finally window now decides to go down on it's own this could be an issue at the wrong time in a rain or snow storm.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #15

May 302011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 6,422 miles
While on an out of state road trip. We stopped at a fuel station and smelled a really strong diesel smell. Thinking there was just diesel spill at the fuel station we continued on our way on the interstate. Approx. 30 miles later down the interstate our glow plug light started to blink, which indicated a problem with the engine. We went to the nearest exit and stopped the car. When we got out the diesel smell was even stronger. Smoke was coming from the hood and diesel was heavily dripping from the whole underside of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealership in Oregon. The dealership told me it was a #2 fuel injector leak and that Volkswagen wants them (the dealership in Oregon) remove the entire engine and send it to germany for examination on a test stand. Three weeks after the car was towed to the Oregon dealership they called me and informed me I could come get it. I drove back to Oregon to get the car and it still smelled extremely strong of diesel and the exterior was still covered in the diesel that leaked from the engine. I asked the service department to change the fiber engine cover. They told me there was no reason to do that and would have to get that approved. I drove the car back home to California and then called Volkswagen of America to get my car fixed right. They had me bring it to the dealership I bought it from in roseville, ca. Roseville Volkswagen service worker identified the car have a strong diesel smell just walking near the car. They wrote on the service ticket that they found the fiber engine cover "soaked with diesel fuel. Roseville Volkswagen had the car for nine more days to clean and detail the inside and outside of the car.

- Yuba City, CA, USA

problem #14

May 252011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta sportwagen. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that fuel injector line number two exploded and was leaking fuel onto the engine. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed the failed engine would be sent to one of their facilities in germany to be inspected. The failure and current miles were 6,000. Updated 07/20/11 updated 08/01/11

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #13

May 042011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 3,081 miles
We purchased a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta tdi that broke down with only 3081 miles. No warning lights came on; it just stalled out in the middle of the roadway (without warning) and wouldn't start back up. It could have caused a severe accident! we paid an additional three thousand dollars when we purchased the car for the extended warranty (bumper to bumper), but the repair isn't covered (or the tow bill). We unknowingly purchased fuel that had water in it and the Volkswagen dealer will not pay for anything. They have to replace the entire fuel system! the repair will cost over $6,000 and Volkswagen's corporate office is unwilling to help even though Volkswagen failed to put a simple sensor in the fuel filter system to indicate that water was is in the fuel. Every other major diesel engine manufacturer in the world has a light in the dash that indicates water is in the fuel so that you can simply drain the water out before it causes the vehicle to suddenly stop running and excessive damage the engine. Volkswagen chose to use a high pressure common rail diesel fuel system similar to what their competitors have; this fuel system is very sensitive and is easily damaged by water. Volkswagen overlooked the obvious and failed to put any type of water in fuel warning device on their vehicles even though the rest of the world has been using them for years and even decades. Ford, GM, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Mercedes all have water in fuel warning lights (one even has a bell that chimes five times to warn the driver that water is in the fuel. Volkswagen didn't bother putting any type of protection on their extremely sensitive fuel system. Also, Volkswagen says there is no way to keep it from happening again! with a single repair at over 20% of the purchase price of the vehicle, we are playing russian roulette each time we fill up with fuel. Are we supposed to change the fuel filter each time we fuel up? this dangerous flaw has been reported by others, but VW doesn't care!

- Walton, KY, USA

problem #12

May 172011

Jetta

  • 1,445 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2011 VW Jetta tdi with 1445 total miles on the vehicle suddenly lost all power with glow plug light on the dash blinking. Car would not start again, was not drivable and had to be towed into the dealer for repairs. The diagnosis is the fuel pump destroyed itself and sent debris through the fuel pumps, fuel injectors, fuel lines and filter. Vehicle has not been repaired and there is no estimate of when the vehicle will be repaired.

- Lacey, WA, USA

problem #11

May 012011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 6,849 miles
After driving at highway speeds for 1 hour a significant amount of smoke was observed coming from the engine compartment after we stopped. Prior to stopping, the engine was running roughly with some reduced power. There was a strong smell of diesel fuel outside car and inside car. Vehicle was towed to dealer. Leaking solid fuel line to fuel injector #2 diagnosed and replaced. Photo's of defective part are available. Fuel was leaking onto hot engine and exhaust system creating a potential fire risk.

- Apex, NC, USA

problem #10

May 012011

Jetta

  • 1,733 miles
1. was driving at 70mph in 6th gear, lost power, car turned off, lights on dash flashing including glow plug light and "check engine service now!". had been driving on this tank of diesel for over a week with no issue. More than quarter tank left. 2. car would not start for 45 min, finally started and drove home. Dropped off at dealer next day for already scheduled panoramic moon roof getting stuck. 3. dealer said metal shavings destroyed hpfp (fuel pump), lines, and injectors. Fuel not suspected bad or contaminated. They blamed factory defect special to my car. Will be replacing all under warranty as of now. They think it will be a week or so, and promise that this issue will never occur again.

- Greeley, CO, USA

problem #9

Apr 222011

Jetta

  • 4,600 miles
Medium-pitched whine coming from engine - eventually car loses all power, glow plug light flashes, service message appears on display, and check engine light comes on. Car goes into "safe mode" or "limp home" mode (very little power - feels like turbo is shut down). First occurrence at 2300 miles, 2 more occurrences where message and flashing glow plug light resets after restart, 1 more occurrence with high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) identified as bad by VW dealership. Dealer is now ordering parts to commence repair (no definitive answer on warranty coverage).

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #8

Apr 242011

Jetta

  • 4,800 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate before stalling with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the fuel filter had become clogged. The vehicle was in the process of having the fuel pump and filter repaired. The failure and current mileage was 4,800.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #7

Apr 192011

Jetta

  • 2,470 miles
There's a fuel leak coming from the top of the (tdi) engine that I can confirm, but I was unable to see exactly from what part. It's leaking about a third to a half cup of fuel per min. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer. Waiting for results.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #6

Mar 102011

Jetta

  • 3,300 miles
Repeated stalling, rough running and loss of power on 2011 VW Jetta sportwagon tdi w/dsg auto transmission. Most fuel purchased from same bp location. Always confirm diesel before fueling. Problem across multiple fuelings. Receipts for all fuel purchases with mileage recorded.

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #5

Apr 152011

Jetta

  • 1,889 miles
On Friday, April 15th at approx 10:30pm I was driving my 2011 VW Jetta tdi (with less than 1800 miles on it) on the highway approx 2 1/2 hours from home and it stalled. I coasted off to the shoulder and was not able to restart the engine. After nearly 2 hours the tow truck arrived that VW roadside assistance sent and the car was towed to the nearest dealership which was about 60 miles away from the breakdown point. I had to spend the night in a hotel in a strange area. On Monday, April 18th the dealership stated an outstanding electrical recall was the problem. They changed a wire harness and some fuses and the car was ready for pick up. I drove 100 miles to retrieve my car on April 18th. Today on April 19th after sitting in my driveway overnight the car would not start again and was towed to the nearest VW dealership in my home town. Still waiting for waiting for a diagnosis. The dealership states they only have 1 VW technician and he is on vacation through Friday April 22nd.

- Ottawa, IL, USA

problem #4

Mar 312011

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 4,500 miles
I have a 2011 VW Jetta sedan, purchased in January of 2011. I had a fuel injector failure, causing diesel fuel to spray within the engine compartment of my vehicle and fuel to leak onto the roadway as I was driving. There was no vehicle warning lights indicating any failure or leakage other than a fuel smell. When I parked my car in my driveway and turned off the vehicle my husband noticed fuel leaking out of the vehicle. I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle as the vehicle and I could have caught on fire at any time.

- Swansea, MA, USA

problem #3

Mar 072011

Jetta

  • 11,500 miles
Car was heated up to operating temperature during a routine 15 mile drive. Car was then shut off for roughly an hour and then began another 15 mile drive to the grocery store. It sat in the sun at the store for almost an hour before it was started. Upon leaving the parking lot of the store, the car completely stalled while in 2nd gear at approximately 2,400 rpms under light acceleration. The car would have stopped if my wife wouldn't have pushed the clutch in and headed for the shoulder. Upon turning the key all the way and back on to start (several times), the engine would turn over but not start. About the fourth key cycle the motor fired and produced a ton of white smoke. No dash lights came on before, during or after this incident. Car stalled and was almost rearended by a semi truck in a 25 mph zone where there is basically no shoulder. 2011 Jetta sportswagen tdi, 6 spd manual transmission with 11,500 miles on it. Has had two oil changes from the dealership otherwise no other maintenance has been performed on the car except checking the tires and rotating them.

- Or, OR, USA

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