Home · 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Hev · Complaints

What 526 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Hev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (526)Crash / fire / injury (33)Electrical system (144)Engine (88)Fuel system (62)Transmission & drivetrain (50)Steering (43)Brakes (41)Airbags (35)Fuel System, Diesel (25)Visibility & wipers (24)Speed control (14)

62 of 526 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters · page 1 of 3

Sep 15, 2024Fuel system

Cp4 high pressure fuel pump will self-destruct causing little pieces of metal to go throughout the fuel system and causing thousands in repair lots of manufacturers are doing recalls to this pump but nothing for Volkswagen I have contact the dealer no help if you go online thousands of people it's complaining about the CP4 high pressure fuel pump it has a design flaw from factory and needs to be corrected

NHTSA ODI 11614705

Aug 7, 2024Fuel system

I was looking at the GMC Duramax diesel and it has the same problem as the Volkswagen Jetta TDI fuel pump failure due to American Diesel in the pump is designed for foreign diesel which is very expensive to repair can we please have some help with this where they can come out with a replacement pump that can resist American diesel

NHTSA ODI 11607161

Feb 22, 2024Fuel system

Everytime I fill with gas car will not start.i have to pump accelerator, then it will start.it starts normally on all other occasions. This has been happening for about 6 months or 5 thousand miles.

NHTSA ODI 11573337

Jul 6, 2022Fuel system

HPFP fuel system failed while driving at speed causing car to stall on highway.

NHTSA ODI 11472561

Jan 25, 2022BrakesEngineFuel system

The car it’s having severals issues such a fuel system injectors fuel ️ gas leak also breaks and battery alternador and much more this car was sold to me by a dealership looking for legal assistant that can help also it was on a accident but I don’t know when

NHTSA ODI 11448810

Aug 29, 2021Fuel system

It first started around May 2021. The first symptom was gas or exhaust fumes in my cabin of the vehicle. Apart believed to be a fact it was the canister purge solenoid so I changed it out myself twice. The symptoms did not seem to go away so I decided to take it to a Firestone; after a week and a half they decided they didn’t know what it was so I was refunded. After that I took it to “Checkered Flag Volkswagen” in Virginia Beach. When I was diagnosed with the charcoal canister needed to be replaced. After that was changed I had to move the very next day to Alton Illinois. So I use the vehicle to move to Alton Illinois vehicle seem to be running fine but after the day the check engine light came back on was the same code. Shortly afterwards I started smelling the fumes again and I developed a cough and I have occasional headaches come from the fumes coming from either gas or exhaust inside the cab another vehicle through the vents. Since I moved I cannot return to the same dealership to further resolve this problem and now I am expected to pay for further service being done and continue to pay for the service already done by the last dealership. This is a safety hazard to me to drive like the and I have to pay for an unfinished job. I would like my money back and have the service taken care of without further costs.

NHTSA ODI 11430924

Jan 12, 2021Electrical systemEngineFuel system

DPF LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT OFF AND THEN CAME ON

NHTSA ODI 11387673

Jul 5, 2020Fuel system

GAS CAP PROBLEM WARING LIGHT ON DO TO GAS CAP AND GAS LEAKING FEUMS WHEN GAS TANK IS FULL CAN SMELL GAS WHILE DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11337508

Jan 19, 2020Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AT 3 AM I JUMPED ON THE FREEWAY AND MY VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION AND STARTED SPUTTERING BACK AND FORTH I WAS ABLE TO PULL ASIDE TO GET AWAY FROM THE FREEWAY THE CAR THEN SPED UP ON ITS OWN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE PEDAL TO SEE IF I COULD SLOW IT DOWN IT THEN DROVE NORMAL ABOUT A BLOCK AWAY FROM THE FREEWAY BACK TOWARD MY HOME IT LOST POWER AGAIN WHILE DRIVING VERY SCARY I NOTICED AN EPC LIGHT GO ON AND OFF 2 TIMES WHILE DRIVING WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT HOME I TURNED THE CAR IN THE ON POSITION AND NOTICED THE EPC LIGHT STAYING ON THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

NHTSA ODI 11300251

Aug 21, 2019Fuel system

FUEL LINE LEAK. THIS LEAK IS NOT ONLY OCCURRING IN DIESEL BASED ENGINES. WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED AS IT APPEARED THERE WAS OBVIOUS STRESS ON THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL & THE CAR STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM PRIOR TO THE STALL. SEEMED AS IF THE CAR WAS NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BE CHECKED TO DISCOVER THERE IS A GAS LEAK DETECTED AFTER A PRESSURE TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE HAS 89K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI 11245599

Apr 17, 2019Fuel system

THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE TRAVELING AT 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED, CAUSING THE SHUTDOWN. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA HAD ALREADY ISSUED AN EXTENSION ON THE WARRANTY FOR THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, BUT I'M BEYOND THE MILEAGE OF THE EXTENSION. I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE IN A RURAL AREA WITHOUT A LOT OF TRAFFIC, BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT IF I HAD BEEN IN TRAFFIC OR EVEN JUST IN THE LEFT LANE.

NHTSA ODI 11197016

Apr 9, 2019Fuel system

HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILURE AT 104K MILES ON 2012 VW JETTA TDI A FUEL LINE WAS LEAKING, WHICH AS STATED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AT SERRA VW, APPEARED TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE ENGINE COVER WAS RUBBING THE FUEL LINE (GROMMET POSSIBLY) CAUSING A LEAK. THE FUEL PRESUMABLY LEAKS ONTO THE SERPENTINE BELT WEAKENING IT, AND CAUSING IT TO FAIL AND SHRED TO PIECES. FUEL LINE WAS REPLACED, AS WELL AS THE SERPENTINE BELT. CAR WAS TESTED AND WOULD NOT CRANK STILL. SERVICE TECHNICIAN THOUGHT IT COULD BE THE BATTERY, THOUGH IT HAD BEEN REPLACED ROUGHLY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. STILL, THEY DISCHARGED THE BATTERY, CHARGED THE BATTERY, AND TESTED THE CAR, AND IT STILL WOULD NOT CRANK. AT THIS POINT IT WAS THOUGHT THE FUEL FILTER MAY BE AN ISSUE. FUEL FILTER WAS REPLACED, THE CAR TESTED AGAIN, AND AGAIN IT WOULD NOT CRANK. THAT IS WHEN THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS GOING TO BE REPLACED. SERRA VW PLACED A WARRANTY CLAIM, WHICH WAS DECLINED, WITH THE BLAME PLACED ON THE LEAK IN THE FUEL LINE.THE FUEL PUMP IS COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED EMISSIONS SYSTEM WARRANTY AS A RESULT OF THE EMISSIONS RECALL DUE TO UNETHICAL MODIFICATIONS OF THE COMPANY. I OPENED A CUSTOMER SERVICE CASE, TO INVESTIGATE. THEY FOUND NO REASON WHY THE HPFP WARRANTY WOULD BE DECLINED. THEY RELIED ON THE WORD OF THE SERVICE MANAGER, THAT STATED A MANUFACTURER DEFECT CAUSING THE FUEL LINE TO LEAK WAS THE CAUSE FOR THE FUEL PUMP FAILURE. AT NO POINT WAS THERE EVER ANY INDICATION OF STALLS, LACK OF POWER, OR REDUCED POWER OR 'MISSING' WHEN THE SERPENTINE BELT FAILED, INDICATING NO ISSUES WITH THE HPFP PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE

NHTSA ODI 11195293

Feb 18, 2019EngineFuel system

JETTA WOULDN'T START, CALLED DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID GET IT TOWED IN, WE HAVE 12 OTHER JUST LIKE IT, ZERO DEGREE'S OUTSIDE, THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE INNER COOLER TECHNICAL BULLETIN AND THEY'D TAKE OF IT, THEY SAID THEY WOULD DEFROST IT AND LOOK INSIDE THE TURBO, THEY NEVER DID LOOK INSIDE THE TURBO THEY UNHOOKED ONE TUBE AND YEAS MOISTURE LIQUID CAME OUT THEY SAID NOT ENOUGH, THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE GONNA DO, ITS NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT 12 OTHER CARS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, THEY DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF IT AND MADE ME PAY FOR A NEW STARTER, TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE THE 12+ OTHER CARS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. $84 TOWING AND $480 FOR STARTER, THEY NEED TO RECALL THE TURBO'S CAUSING THE PROBLEMS. UNACCEPTABLE

NHTSA ODI 11180833

Feb 8, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel system1 injury

MAP SENSOR - REPEATING FAILURE THE MANIFOLD ABSOLUTE PRESSURE (MAP) SENSOR FAILURE CAUSES EXPONENTIAL SAFETY ISSUES WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS AND/OR HIGHER SPEEDS THAT CAN RESULT IN DEATH. AFTER REPEATED REPLACEMENT AND REPAIRS, CONTINUOUS FAILURE OCCURS. STALLING, POWER AND STEERING ISSUES OCCUR AT HIGH SPEEDS AND/OR ON HIGHWAYS, PUTTING DRIVER AT RISK FOR A FATAL COLLISION. PERSONALLY, I HAVE HAD THE SENSOR REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES, INCLUDING HOSES AND PUMPS ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. SOON THEREAFTER, MAP SENSOR FAILS AND HAS CAUSED ME TO CREATE ALMOST A DOZEN COLLISIONS AT HIGH SPEEDS, PARTICULARLY ON HIGHWAYS.

NHTSA ODI 11175129

Jan 28, 2019Fuel system

HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH MY VW JETTA SPORTWAGEN 2012 WITH ITS HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP HAVING CONTAMINATED THE FUEL SYSTEM IN THE CAR WITH METAL SHARDS CAPTURED ON THE FUEL METERING VALVE. ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THE CAR IS A CERTFIFIED PRE-OWNED AND ONLY 11 MONTHS INTO A 2-YEAR BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP, REGIONAL CASE DISPUTE MANAGER, AND TECHNICAL DISPUTE INQUIRY HAVE ALL COME BACK AND REPORTED THAT IT IS AN EXTERNALLY CREATED ISSUE FROM THE DIESEL FUEL I PUT INTO THE TANK. HOWEVER, THIS IS A WELL-DOCUMENTED ONGOING ISSUE WITH VW DIESEL ENGINES WITH THEIR HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS DATING BACK TO 2009. THE FUEL I PUT INTO THE CAR WAS TESTED AND CAME BACK ENTIRELY FINE. AND BY VIRTUE OF THE METAL SHARDS BEING FOUND ON THE FUEL METERING VALVE THAT IS WHOLLY INDICATIVE OF THE CONTAMINATION BEING CAUSE AFTER THE FUEL HAS GONE THROUGH THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, TO THE ENGINE, AND THE EXCESS IS RETURNING BACK TO THE FUEL TANK VIA THE FUEL METERING VALVE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE METAL SHARDS WERE ONLY FOUND ON THE MESH PIECE/FILTER ON THE FUEL METERING VALVE NOT ON THE FUEL TANK FILTER ITSELF (WHICH YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE METAL SHARDS ON THE FUEL TANK FILTER IF THE DIESEL THAT I PUT INTO THE CAR WAS THE ORIGINAL ISSUE). THE CAR HAS NO ACCELERATION AFTER APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, AND FURTHER DRIVING OF IT WILL JUST FURTHER COMPROMISE THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE PROBLEM OCCURS VERY SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING, AS IT DID IN MY CASE, WHICH DOESN'T ALLOW FOR CORRECTING BEFORE IT'S MUCH TOO LATE. I'M FACING AN ESTIMATED $5500 REPAIR BUT THAT IS ON THE LOW SIDE OF WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHERS THAT HAVE FACED THE SAME SITUATION. MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE 2009 WITH VW DIESEL HIGH FUEL PUMPS, I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD FIX UNDER THE WARRANTY AS THEY KNOW THIS IS AN INTERNAL EQUIPMENT/PARTS FAILURE.

NHTSA ODI 11172550

Sep 10, 2018Fuel system

LEAK IN THE FUEL SYSTEM.

NHTSA ODI 11128395

May 23, 2018Fuel system

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IN PARKING LOT, CAR SOUNDED STRANGE. AS CAR MOVING THROUGH PARKING LOT CAR COMPLETELY STALLED. TURNED HAZARDS ON. TURNED CAR OFF AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART CAR. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT FUNCTION. AFTER A FEW MINUTES A NICE GENTLEMAN OFFERED TO PUSH CAR TO SAFE LOCATION. PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND STEERED AS NICE GENTLEMAN PUSHED CAR. CAR LOST ALL POWER STEERING AT THIS TIME. CONTACTED NEAREST VW DEALERSHIP, VW VALENCIA. VW VALENCIA STATED SHOP AND DEALERSHIP WOULD BE SHUTTING DOWN AND COULD NOT HELP ME, DIRECTED ME TO NEAREST VW 14 MILES AWAY. PREGNANT AND WITH A 2 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR DECIDED IT WOULD NOT BE SAFE TO VENTURE OUT OF MY TOWN. CALLED AAA. AAA TOWED ME TO GERMAN HI TECH INC. GERMAN HI TECH INC DETERMINED FUEL PUMP WAS TO BLAME. RESEARCHED VW FUEL PUMP RECALLS. FOUND RECALLS ON PASSAT AND CC MODELS. CONTACTED VW TO DETERMINE IF RECALL IS EXTENDED TO JETTA TDI. VW EMPLOYEE TOLD ME NOT AT THIS TIME. DETERMINED BEST COURSE OF ACTION TO HAVE WORK COMPLETED IN TOWN IF NO GUARANTEE OF RECALL. DID FILE A COMPLAINT WITH VW.

NHTSA ODI 11097683

May 15, 2018EngineFuel system

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. JIM ELLIS VOLKSWAGEN (5901 PEACHTREE BLVD, ATLANTA, GA 30341) DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE FUEL SENSOR WAS REPLACED AGAIN; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER FOR HARD AND SOFT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11093935

Sep 9, 2017Fuel systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

CAR WOULD NOT START IN THE MORNINGS, THEN IT WOULD AFTER SITTING AWHILE. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, CAR WOULDN'T START. GOT IT TO START AGAIN, BUT DROVE LESS THAN A MILE AND IT STALL ON A BUSY BRIDGE. CAR STARTED UP AGAIN AND THEN DRIVER COULD NOT GET IT INTO 4TH GEAR. COASTED IN THIRD GEAR, BUT WHEN REACHING A STOPLIGHT, THE CAR STALLED YET AGAIN. THIS TIME CAR NEEDED TO BE TOWED. WHILE STARTING THE CAR'S HEADLIGHTS WERE FLICKERING AND HAD PROBLEMS GETTING ENOUGH GAS TO THE NECESSARY COMPONENTS. DEALER ONCE AGAIN COULD NOT COME UP WITH ISSUE...CLAIMING THAT FUEL PUMP PRESSURE WAS IN RANGE. HOWEVER, THE CAR'S PROBLEM CAN EASILY BE BAD PRESSURE SINCE IT OCCURRED EVERY TIME IN THE MORNING WHILE THE CAR SAT FOR MORE THAN 8 HOURS. WHETHER THE DEALER COULD DO THE NECESSARY COMPARISON TEST FOR THIS ISSUE IS QUESTIONABLE SINCE IT MUST HAVE BEEN SITTING IN THE GARAGE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP. WE HAVE NO DOCUMENTATION AT THIS POINT. WILL PROVIDE WHEN AVAILABLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11022434

Oct 20, 2016Fuel system

MY CAR BROKE DOWN, I.E. A WARNING LIGHT EMITTED ON THE DASH. I WAS ABLE TO PULL MY CAR OVER. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND SENT PIECES OF METAL INTO MY ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM, AND THAT EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE FUEL TANK WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A $5400 REPAIR PER THE VW DEALERSHIP MY CAR WAS TOWED TO. VW OF AMERICA ISSUED A VOLUNTARY EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS FUEL PUMP TO 120K MILES. MY CAR BROKE DOWN AT 120,946 MILES. I CALLED VW OF A TO ASK IF THEY WOULD COVER AT LEAST PART OF MY REPAIR AS I WAS NOT FAR OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY WINDOW (946 MILES) - THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO HELP ME. AFTER TALKING TO THE SERVICE GUY AT THE VW DEALERSHIP, HE TOLD ME HE'S HAD THREE OTHER VW TDI'S IN THERE THIS MONTH ALONE FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO TALKED TO ANOTHER LOCAL VW MECHANIC SHOP TO GET ANOTHER QUOTE FOR THE REPAIR - THE OWNER THERE SAID HE "KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE PROBLEM." THUS, IT SEEMS THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILURE I EXPERIENCED IS HAPPENING ON A LARGE SCALE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME CAR/FUEL SYSTEM I HAVE. VW OF AMERICA ALSO KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, HENCE THEIR VOLUNTARY EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT IS MY OPINION THAT VW OF AMERICA SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL FOR A DEFECT, AS OPPOSED TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. BOTH THE VW DEALERSHIP WHERE MY CAR CURRENTLY IS, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL VW MECHANIC SHOP I SPOKE TO, ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, BUT THAT VW OF AMERICA GOT OUT OF THIS COSTLY OPTION BY ISSUING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. ANY HELP OR INSIGHT INTO THIS ISSUE THAT YOU CAN AFFORD IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.

NHTSA ODI 10917602

Jun 7, 2016Fuel system

THE TURBO ON MY 2012 JETTA SPORTWAGON HAS FAILED AT 89,000 MILES AND VW WOULD NOT FIX IT. IT COST ME $3000 TO FIX. THE PARTICULATE FILTER WAS DIRTIED AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE AND VW WILL NOT REPLACE IT. IT WILL COST ME $2000 TO FIX IT. I WANT FULL VALUE FOR THE CAR PLUS MY $3000 BACK TO FIX THE TURBO. THE TURBO FAILED FIVE MONTHS AFTER VW COMPLETED THE MANDATORY "SERVICE SOFTWARE UPDATE" REQUIRED TO GET AN APPROVED SMOG CHECK.

NHTSA ODI 10873016

Apr 17, 2016EngineFuel system

HAD CAR IN FOR NEW TIRES AND AFTER I LEFT THE MILEAGE WENT FROM MID 40S TO MID 30S, NO ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT, NO PARTICAL FILTER LIGHT, RETURNED TO DEALER AND DIDN'T OFFER TO CHECK IT. 24,000 MILES. IS THIS SOMETHING TO DO WITH DIESELGATE?

NHTSA ODI 10859978

Apr 13, 2016Seat beltsFuel system

MY FIRST CONCERN IS THE SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT WILL NOT STOP MAKING AN ALARM NOISE. MY SEAT BELT IS PLUGGED IN, AND THE ALARM WILL NOT STOP AND THE DASHBOARD VIEWS IT AS UN PLUGGED AS WELL. CLEARLY, IT WAS PLUGGED IN. I TRIED TO TAKE IT OUT, INSERTING IT BACK IN SLOW AND FAST. NEITHER WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE SYSTEM. AM I EVEN SAFE??? SECOND, THERE IS SOME SORT OF DELAY WHILE DRIVING. I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR IN DECEMBER 2015. IN MARCH 2016, THE CAR HAS SOME SORT OF DELAY WHILE I'M DRIVING. NOT DURING DECELERATION OR ACCELERATION. BUT IN THE 40 -50 MPH RANGE. I REALIZE, MAYBE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TURBO INJECTION. IT HAS STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN SPORADICALLY A MONTH LATER.... ??? PLEASE HELP WITH CLARITY ON THIS ISSUE. IS THERE FUEL INJECTION ISSUES WITH TDI? OKW

NHTSA ODI 10855223

Apr 13, 2016Fuel system

ON AN AFTERNOON IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2016, MY 2012 VW JETTA TDI WENT INTO 'LIMP' MODE AFTER STARTING IT AND DRIVING FOR LESS THAN TWO MINUTES OUT OF MY WORKPLACE PARKING LOT. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOP, WHEN IT DIED COMPLETELY AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE GLOW PLUG DASH LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) HAD FAILED, BLOWING ,METAL SHARDS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM. THEY PERFORMED A DIESEL FUEL TEST, WHICH 'PASSED', SO ALL REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAD 53,000 MILES ON IT AT THAT POINT. PARTS ALONE WOULD HAVE COST NEARLY $4000, AND I WAS NOT SHOWN WHAT THE LABOR COSTS WOULD HAVE BEEN! I THEN DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A 'KNOWN' ISSUE BUT NOT UNDER RECALL, ONLY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD. HAVING THE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER THAT LIMP MODE RESULTED IN, AND BEING STRANDED FOR HOURS WAITING FOR A TOW, MADE ME RECONSIDER MY PURCHASE DECISION FOR THIS VEHICLE. I AM VERY GLAD I WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY, AS THE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY IN THAT DRIVING ENVIRONMENT. WITH THE CURRENT DIESEL EMISSIONS SCANDAL ONGOING, I AM 'STUCK' WITH THIS VEHICLE, UNLESS I WANT TO TAKE A DRASTIC HIT ON PRIVATE RESALE VALUE; NO ONE WILL TAKE IT IN TRADE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS BETTER RESOLUTION.

NHTSA ODI 10855358

Mar 7, 2016Fuel system

FOR OVER A YEAR, MY CAR WAS HAVING HESITATION ISSUES. I KEPT CALLING MY DEALER AND GOING IN FOR REGULAR SERVICE. AT ONE POINT, MY CAR STARTED BUT THEN TURNED OFF TWO TIMES. I KEPT GETTING DIFFERENT STORIES..."UNABLE TO REPLICATE", "A FAULTY VALVE, CODE P2004." ON MY WAY TO WORK 2/23/16, MY CAR LOST POWER ON ACCELERATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE COIL (TDI) LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED. THEN STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, BEGAN DRIVING, AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I CALLED THE TOW TRUCK. DEALER SERVICE MANAGER (FITZGERALD - ANDREW) GAVE ME THE RUN AROUND -- TELLING ME THAT I PUT CONTAMINATED FUEL IN MY CAR. I CALLED SUNOCO AND MY, GEICO, IMMEDIATELY. THE MOST UPSETTING PART OF ALL OF THIS WAS HOW ANDREW APPROACHED THE PROBLEM, EXAGGERATED MY INVOLVEMENT IN IT AND ARROGANTLY USED HIS POSITION TO SHOW BLAME TO ME -- NEVER EXPLAINING THIS IS AN EXTENDED RECALL AND WHY! I AM NOW GETTING MY FUEL PUMP FIXED UNDER THE WARRANTY. BUT.... THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL NOW. I KNOW THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS ON-GOING FOR ME FOR A WHOLE YEAR, AND I BELIEVE THAT IT HAS DAMAGED MY CAR, AND I CANNOT PROVE THIS. PLEASE SAVE OTHER OWNERS AND RECALL THIS PART.

NHTSA ODI 10840226

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Working with the data? Download all 526 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →