(I would like to start off that I am a strong Volkswagen supporter and this is the very first time I have ever experienced what I percieve as a partial design flaw.

I was visiting my friend in New Hampshire and we went out to have dinner. As I was driving her home I started to notice the car had a slight throttle lag and momentary sputtering. The car minutes later (1-2 miles) stalled in the roadway. I opened the hood to check lubricant, coolant levels and search for physical malfunctions, No discrepancies. I had 2-3 failed attempts to restart the engine but it eventually started with rough idling.

Scared about this phenomenon, and the long 500 mile home I continued to investigate. Since the outside temperature was -4 F (I was aware when it stalled) I kept the engine running outside of my friends house as she consulted her father (a mechanic). Then, as the car was sitting idling, the engine began to run smooth again. Since the Engine Coolant Operational Temperature was regular (190 F). I found there was no thermostat malfunction. And the car regaining proper functionality such as throttle response, lose of sputter, I ruled out gas freezing.

I reduced the setting for cabin heat and placed the ventilation system into 'recirculate' to reduce the amount of heat lost from the engine. This practice mitigated the problem up to 50 mph. At highways speeds >50, the problem repeated; with the standing system line-up. To cure I restricted air flow through the radiator by stuffing towels (all I had) into the lower grille. This allowed me to operate the vehicle normally at >50 mph @ temperatures reaching -9 F.