10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,736 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.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta fuel system problems

fuel system problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 2 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #175

Jan 202014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 7,000 miles

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

My Jetta lost power from going 60mph to 35-40 and after a min it shut down on highway. I managed to push it on a shoulder and tried to start again but nothing happened. I towed it away to mechanic and found out that my high pressure fuel pump shattered and released bunch of tiny metal peaces in to the fuel filter and engine. Mechanic told me that it happened because of a design flaw with the pump that VW admitted but haven't done anything about that. So I'm wondering what if a semi truck came at the same time and hit me would they do something about it then?

- Mount Prospect, IL, USA

problem #174

Aug 052013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 72,212 miles
Re: NHTSA action number EA11003 in August 2013, we experienced the same fuel pump malfunction noted in NHTSA action number EA11003. Vehicle is a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta tdi. The check engine light came on steady and engine was not running well, then stalled in traffic and would not restart. Vehicle was towed to local Volkswagen dealer. Dealer service department inspected vehicle and found issue was malfunctioning high pressure fuel pump. Total repair cost was $5232.98 to replace fuel pump, water pump, and related parts. Vehicle fuel was always the prescribed ultra low sulfur diesel fuel available in local filling stations: Sunoco, shell, exxon, hess.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #173

Feb 112014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 212,000 miles
High-pressure fuel pump failure (hpfp) while driving on highway at 60mph misfiring and stalling glow plug light is flashing and check engine.

- Altamonte Springs , FL, USA

problem #172

Jan 092014

Jetta

  • 57,690 miles

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

2009 VW Jetta tdi unable to start the vehicle it would crank but will not start. The vehicle was towed to the VW dealer and they said that the fuel pump in the fuel tank failed. The pump in the tank was replaced and still will not start. The dealer then said that the hpfp high pressure fuel pump on the engine was bad. They changed the pump and still will not start. The dealer does not know what is wrong with the vehicle at this time. They called their tech line awaiting an answer. I believe this is a high pressure fuel pump failure issue that is a known issue and well talked about on the VW tdi forums. If this is the issue the pumps and any repairs should be warrantied for the life of the vehicle as long as you own the vehicle since it was purchased new from the dealer.

- Succasunna, NJ, USA

problem #171

Dec 182013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 156,591 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the number 1 diesel fuel injector failed and the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact indicated that while stationary at a red light the vehicle stalled and the glow plug and check engine light illuminated. The failure was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who replaced the number 1 diesel fuel injector. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 156,591. Updated 01/29/14 updated 01/29/14

- Hobe Sound , FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #170

Dec 262013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 83,000 miles
While traveling on interstate the vehicle lost acceleration and lost power while on exit ramp. Vehicle was towed to nearest VW dealer. Informed by dealer that the high pressure fuel pump had disintegrated and sent metal throughout fuel system and that parts and labor for repair would be $6000-$8000. Call to VW for assistance was rewarded with their offering to pay for the needed repairs. There was a long recorded history of dealer servicing and proof of only diesel fuel purchases. NHTSA should insure that all tdi owners be notified of this probability and given the opportunity to have repairs/replacements done by VW.

- Navarre, FL, USA

problem #169

Oct 182013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 55,318 miles

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

When coming to stop at a red light, there was an engine fault workshop warning message and a blinking yellow glow plug warning light. When the light turned green, the car felt sluggish, needing extra throttle than usual to get to 35mph. After stopping at the next red light, the car was stuck in first gear (only 30 seconds after the warning light), and I could only get to 10mph in a 35mph zone. Turning on my hazard blinkers, I was lucky that there was a dedicated left turn lane into a parking lot, otherwise I would not have been able to safely pull over to the right shoulder from the left lane before the engine died.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #168

Jul 172013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 190,260 miles
Check engine light and glow plug indicator light illuminate and engine goes into limp or safe mode. Has happened twice and dealer cannot find problem.

- Clear Spring, MD, USA

problem #167

Oct 032013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 67,000 miles
Traveling at highway speeds when glow plug indicator light started flashing and engine power was immediately lost. Engine failed to hold idle and stalled while car was moving with clutch engaged. Engine was able to restart and mil light illuminated, glow plug indicator light flashed and driver information system indicated engine malfunction. Car had no acceleration and had to be towed to dealership. VW service technician indicated fuel pump failure and showed evidence of metal filings in fuel injection system.

- Myakka City, FL, USA

problem #166

Sep 282013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 122,852 miles
I drove home from work on 9/28/2013 got off the freeway, came to a stop at end of offramp and the first warning lamp came on indicating a glow plug failure. It continued to run and I drove to a nearby parking lot at approx. 50% power, parked, cycled the ignition from on to off and back on again. This cleared the fault temporarily, I drove toward home and within another 2 miles the same glow plug fault returned along with the check engine symbol and a warning indicating workshop was needed. The following day I bought a code reader, read the codes and found several logged, some of which im certain were residual faults from the actual cause of the failure which was indicated by a recurring "low fuel rail pressure" fault. I have called the dealer which instructed me to look at the fuel filter and aided by an online tech info blog I inspected the high pressure fuel pump actuator for metal debris. The fuel filter inspection showed small, trace amounts of metal dust while the fuel pump inspection showed larger and more substantial metal shavings under the actuator. The inspection of the two components are indicative and inline with similar findings that prove high pressure fuel pump failure, it should be noted that no trace of gasoline was found in this system and only clean diesel fuel was present during inspection. Fuel filter was just changed in Aug 20 2013 at same time as timing belt where hpfp drive gear was retorqued. I now have a car that is not functional and I'm not happy. I bought a diesel for longevity and high fuel economy not this.

- Lakewood , CA, USA

problem #165

Sep 142013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 61,000 miles

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

Left the wal-mart parking lot and the car stalled while driving. Lucky no one was behind us. Tried to restart but the car would not start. Had a tow truck take it to our home. My husband read the trouble code "000135 - fuel rail/system pressure P0087 - 000 - too low" looked it up on the internet and found this is caused by the hpfp malfunctioning. NHTSA has a current investigation ongoing on this issue, I hope you can help, this could have been very dangerous, as my daughter was supposed to take the car to college this weekend and this could have happened on the highway or in orlando city traffic. We have had diesel cars since 1998, 2 other tdis and my husbands truck is a diesel, we fuel them at sam's club unless we are on the road, there has not been any accidental fuel mix ups. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

- Panama City, FL, USA

problem #164

Aug 122013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 68,437 miles
After returning from a service at the dealer, my 2009 sportwagen instrument warning lights displayed a flashing glow plug light followed immediately by a message to bring the vehicle to in for service. We were four houses down from our drive, and as we pulled into the driveway, the vehicle shut off and would not restart. It was towed to the dealer who reported metal debris in the fuel filter indicating a high pressure fuel pump failure and a cost for replacement parts (entire fuel system) totaling over $5000. This is a certified pre-owned vehicle, owned for less than one year. I called and filed a claim with VW usa.

- Richmond Hill, GA, USA

problem #163

Aug 012013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 73,400 miles
Vehicle, 2009 VW sportwagen tdi, was traveling between 40-45 mph when it suddenly lost power. Then the glow plug warning light came on along with the message 'engine malfunction, workstation' displayed in the multifunction display on the dash. Luckily narrowly avoided accident as car limped through intersection. Dealer noted that the problem is due to metal shavings in the fuel system due to part failure, presumably the high pressure fuel pump.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #162

Jun 302013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 81,000 miles
Car is a Jetta tdi (diesel engine). Engine warning light appeared while driving, approximately 50 yards later while slowing down the engine failed and would not restart. Car was stopped at intersection on a busy 5 lane road at 5:30 pm with cars coming from behind and around at speeds of 45+ mph. Sheriff came to divert traffic to prevent a wreck and allow tow truck to tow car safely. Dealer states that high pressure fuel pump failed, ruining fuel system, quotes potential repair cost of $8,500. Filled fuel tank 5 miles prior to incident with 11 gallons of diesel fuel (reputable fuel dealer, almost always use this dealer). There was no warning prior to the incident -- no rough engine or stalling or trouble of any kind. Car is driven by only one driver and is well maintained, has never been fueled with anything but diesel from reputable dealers. Car is usually driven on the freeway (dealer recommended it specifically for a long freeway commute). Lucky that it didn't stall at high speed on freeway.

- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

problem #161

Dec 192012

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 140,000 miles
The exhaust flap is sticking in the open position, thus causing warning light on dash to come on.

- Greensburg, IN, USA

problem #160

May 242013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 30,800 miles
2009 Jetta sportwagen tdi hpfp failure and fuel system contamination. Failure of hpfp sends metal particles throughout fuel system via fuel return lines. This is serious and expensive issue to repair. VW did acknowledge issue with hpfp and repaired at their expense.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #159

May 242013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 83,500 miles
We were driving our 2009 Volkswagen Jetta tdi down the highway at 65mph on Friday May 24, 2013 when suddenly the car began to shake and shudder violently. It was very scary and then it seemed that the power was coming in and out. Because of the sudden shaking and loss of power, I had to very quickly pull to the side of the road, to avoid causing an accident on a heavily congested highway on a holiday weekend. The vehicle is always serviced by the dealership (including all oil changes) and is up to date on all pertinent maintenance. The dealership has diagnosed the vehicle with a failed high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) and has accused us of somehow allowing metal into the diesel fuel (they even had some metal "samples" to show me at their service counter, how bizarre). I went back to the fuel station where we last filled up and spoke to the manager, who said there have been no reports of any issues related to contaminants of any kind in their diesel fuel. We are stuck with a $6,000 bill for a dealer-maintained car that has ~83,000 miles on it and is just over 3 years old, in addition to the fright of a violent loss of the vehicle's power, at highway speeds.

- Walpole, MA, USA

problem #158

Apr 132013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled while all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that the diesel fuel injector failed. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Hobe Sound , FL, USA

problem #157

May 032013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 63,600 miles
I had just pulled off a highway to turn around in a business driveway/parking lot. In the middle of the maneuver, the engine cut out. I tried to restart the car numerous times, but was unable to restart it. I had to have the vehicle towed to the VW dealership as I had just purchased the used car two weeks ago and it was a certified vehicle. I just talked to the service department today and they told me that I had put bad fuel in the vehicle. I had filled the tank one week before with ultra low sulfur diesel. When asked what I could have done to prevent this, I was told that I should have gone to a major brand of gas station - he did not even ask which gas station I went to. He described that the bad diesel caused the high pressure fuel pump to explode and send metal shavings through the system. They have had to replace, flush, or clean everything that the fuel touched. He said VW will cover most of the repairs, but I will be responsible for approximately $450 worth (I do not recall what for). The repairs are currently underway. The way the service department handles this amounts to saying that I was at fault for putting bad diesel in the car, whereas I have no way to gauge the quality of fuel I am purchasing.

- Daniel Island, SC, USA

problem #156

Apr 082013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 66,500 miles
Was driving along and car lost power, engine quit and would not restart. Had car towed to dealer where they diagnosed the problem as a high pressure fuel pump failure. All injectors, fuel lines, and associated parts to be replaced. Tank has to be drained and flushed. Dealer said volkswagon would cover all costs releated to repair!

- White Plains, MD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?