2004 Volkswagen Jetta

I BOUGHT A USED 2004 JETTA TDI AT D'ARCY VOLKSWAGEN OF JOLIET IL. ON FEBRUARY 2005. MY TANDEM PUMP HAS FAILED AND IS SIGNIFICANTLY LEAKING FUEL. I TOOK IT TO LOU BACKRODT VOLKSWAGEN OF ROCKFORD IL, AND I RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE ON THE TOTAL COST. I DID MY OWN RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS MY AUTOMOBILE AND PUMP IS COVERED UNDER A RECALL CAMPAIGN VY (04V-586) WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V586000 AND DOCUMENT NUMBER RCRIT-04V586-7306.PDF. I TALKED TO VW CUSTOMER SERVICE (TICKET NUMBER 60206323) AND THEY REFUSE TO COVER THE COST WHICH CAN BE PROVED WITH YOUR LETTER RCRIT-04V586-7306.PDF. I NEED FOR VW TO COVER THE OVERALL COST OF THIS REPAIR SINCE IT IS A DEFECT THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED BY VW. I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER OF NOTIFICATION SINCE I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE VIN # IS 3VWSR69MX4090734, WHICH IS WITHIN THE RANGES COVERED IN LETTER RCRIT-04V586-7306 PAGE 1 OF 16, VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER RANGES. PLEASE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS SITUATION. *NM

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2004 VW JETTA GLI (VR6), PURCHASED IN FALL '04. THE CAR WAS DELIVERED OFF THE TRUCK AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE (NEVER DRIVEN BY OTHER CUSTOMERS). IT CURRENTLY HAS 37,100 HIGHWAY MILES ON IT. I AM A PREVIOUS OWNER OF A '03 VW JETTA GLI AND TRADED IT IN (47K MI.) FOR MY CURRENT CAR. BOTH VEHICLES HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ON 6/6/06, I EXPERIENCED SERIOUS PROBLEMS SHIFTING GEARS. THE CAR STARTED TO REV, EVEN THOUGH I WAS METHODICALLY LETTING THE CLUTCH OUT, SHIFTING ACCORDINGLY, TO SEE IF I COULD TROUBLESHOOT. UNFORTUNATELY AFTER 4 MI., EACH SUBSEQUENT GEAR STARTED BREAKING-I COULD NO LONGER SHIFT INTO 2ND, THEN 3RD, UP TO 6TH. THEN REVERSE FAILED. SMOKE ALSO CAME UP FROM UNDER THE HOOD WITH A FUEL SMELL. I TOOK MY CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED VW DEALER (STILL UNDER WARRANTY) & THE ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS (WITHOUT REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION) WAS THE CLUTCH HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. IT IS CLEAR THERE IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE WITH THE VW CLUTCHES. THEY SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 37K MI. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IT COULD BE FROM NORMAL WEAR-TEAR OR "USER ERROR". I'M NOT NEW TO DRIVING MANUAL; I HAVE BEEN DRIVING STICK SHIFT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS. TO HAVE A CAR THAT IS DRIVEN PRIMARILY (80% OF TRAVEL) ON THE HIGHWAY HAVE CLUTCH FAILURE IS UNFATHOMABLE. ADDITIONALLY, I HAD THE 30K MAINTENANCE COMPLETED & THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF CLUTCH PROBLEMS. WHILE WAITING FOR FINAL DIAGNOSIS FOR THE FAILURE, I CONDUCTED RESEARCH & FOUND THIS IS NOT AN USUAL PROBLEM WITH VWS OR VW CORPORATION. ACCORDING TO VW OWNERS, THE CLUTCHES ARE FAILING STARTING AT 19K MI., EVEN AFTER NOT DRIVING THE CAR HARD. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE & FOR THE COMPANY TO KNOW THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, COSTING OWNERS THOUSANDS IN REPAIRS & SUBSEQUENT BILLS, ENDANGERING PEOPLE WHO ARE DRIVING DURING FAILURE (WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS FROM THE CAR), TO NOT COVER SUCH ISSUES UNDER WARRANTY, & AUTOMATICALLY DEFAULT THE PROBLEM BEING "USER ERROR" IS UNETHICAL & UNSAFE. *NM

1. COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON (1ST TIME). 2. BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY PRESSURE TESTED THE SYSTEM AND REPORTED NO LEAKS. THEY TOPPED THE SYSTEM AND CHARGED ME $100 3. COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON (2ND TIME). 4. BROUGHT CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP, THEY NOW REPORT THAT PROBLEM AS THE EGR COOLER. THEY SUGGESTED I CONTACT VW OF CANADA TO DISCUSS THIS FAILURE AS IT IS BECOMING VERY COMMON. 5. CALLED VWOC AND THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THIS VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. JB

GAS IDLES LIKE IT IS STUCK WHEN OVER 40 MPH OR LIKE I HAVE A STICK SHIFT AND I AM IN 3RD GEAR DRIVING AND NOT SWITCHING GEARS. TWO MONTHS AGO THE CAR WENT DEAD WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. AFTER ABOUT TWO WEEKS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND OFF AGAIN AND AGAIN, THEN THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE COIL, BUT IT STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

WAS DRIVING ALONG AFTER JUST ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT AND GOT UP TO SPEED (ABOUT 45 MPH). THEN I FELT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE ENGINE FALTER, AND THE MOTOR JUST QUIT, NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. NO ODD SOUNDS EITHER. JUST LIKE I TURNED THE KEY "OFF". I COASTED TO A STOP OFF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO START IT A FEW TIMES. JUST CONTINUOUS CRANKING AND NOT EVEN A "COUGH". NO UNUSUAL NOISES, COMPRESSION SEEMED GOOD. TIMING BELT FAILURE APPEARS TO BE RULED OUT. NO EXTERNAL LEAK IN THE FUEL PUMP (THE ONE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT) EITHER. WHEN THE KEY IS TURNED ON, ALL THE NORMAL DASH LIGHTS LIGHT. YESTERDAY, I DID NOTICE A MORE PRONOUNCED SOUND COMING FROM THE IN-TANK LIFT PUMP WHEN I TURNED THE KEY TO "GLOW". AFTER THE ENGINE FAILURE TONIGHT, I COULD NOT HEAR ANY SOUND FROM THE LIFT PUMP. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE VW DEALER SINCE THE WARRANTY WAS STILL IN EFFECT. TODAY (THREE DAYS LATER) THE DEALER CALLED ME AND SAID THE IN-TANK FUEL PUMP FAILED AND IT WOULD BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND HEARD A NOISE UNDER MY CAR. THE GAS TANK WAS PUNCTURED BY SOMETHING ON THE ROAD DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS WHICH PROMPTED ME TO PULL OVER AND THE GAS WAS GUSHING OUT OF THE TANK. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALER AND WAS LATER INFORMED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY DUE TO "OUTSIDE CONDITIONS" I THEN SPOKE TO THE MANUFACTURER AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THEY DENIED ANY COVERAGE UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING WAS PROPELLED FROM THE FRONT WHEEL INTO THE GAS TANK AND THAT THE POSITION OF THE GAS TANK MAY NOT BE PROPER. I BELIEVE IT IS A POSSIBLE DESIGN FLAW OR THAT THE GAS TANK WAS DEFECTIVE AND THUS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING PUNCTURED. *JB

DAILY COMMUTE IS APPROXIMATELY 125 MILES ROUND TRIP 100+ MILES EXPRESSWAY TRAVEL AT CRUISE SPEED. CLUTCH FAILED AT 20,802 MILES. REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN CAR WAS PICKED UP AFTER REPAIR, NOTIFIED DEALER CLUTCH FELT STRANGE. WAS ADVISED THAT IT NEEDED BREAKING IN, BEING A VETERINARIAN NOT A MECHANIC I ACCEPTED THE STATEMENT AS FACTUAL. AT 44,226 OR 22,324 ADDITIONAL MILES OF SAME TRAVEL CONDITIONS CLUTCH FAILED AGAIN. REPAIRED THIS TIME AT A COST OF $1167.85. MY FATHER ARRANGED TO PICK THE CAR UP AFTER REPAIR AND NOTIFIED SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE CLUTCH WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. HE WAS ADVISED THAT CLUTCH NEEDED "BREAKING IN" HOWEVER HAVING A 2001 JETTA TDI AND BEING EXPERIENCE IN SUCH MATTERS HE QUESTIONED THE EXPLANATION . THE SHOP FOREMAN WAS CALLED AND AGREED THAT IT WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER WAS FAILING INTERNALLY, HAD FLUID ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PISTON. CYLINDER WAS REPLACED AND CLUTCH FUNCTIONS CORRECTLY. I THINK IT LIKELY THAT THE FAILING CYLINDER CONTRIBUTED TO BOTH FAILURES AND THE SECOND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY AS WAS THE FIRST. ADDITIONALLY I BELIEVE VOLKSWAGEN HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ADEQUACY OF THE CURRENT CLUTCH WHEN USED IN THE TDI DIESEL APPLICATION. THIS IS SUPPORTED BY THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER OWNERS AS INDICATED ON THE WEBSITE WWW.FREDSTDIPAGE.COM THANK YOU. *NM