2006 Volkswagen Jetta

LETTER FROM SENATOR ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT, REGARDING HIS CONCERNS WITH THE 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE 5-SPEED VEHICLES WERE MADE WITH A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH PLATE, BUT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE HAD THE DEFECTIVE PART. THE DEALER STATED IF THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THE DEFECTIVE PART, THE CONSUMER WOULD BE CHARGED $500 IN LABOR FEES FOR REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION. *JB

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI - VW REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY OF A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH/FLYWHEEL ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURANCE APPARENTLY. I LEARNED OF THIS WHEN I WENT ONLINE TO DO SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEM. VOLKSWAGEN IS HONORING THE WARRANTIES IN EUROPE WITH THE SAME ISSUE BUT IGNORING ITS QUALITY / SAFETY ISSUE HERE IN THE US. THE DEFECTIVE CLUTCH / FLYWHEEL ISSUE CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY AND OR DEATH WHEN THE FLYWHEEL DISENTIGRATES. *TR

MY 2006 VW JETTA TDI CLUTCH WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT COME BACK UP. I PULLED IT BACK UP AND IT WOULD NOT GO BACK DOWN. CLUTCH WAS NEVER SPONGY BEFOREHAND AND JUST WENT OUT WITH NO PRIOR INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY (CAR HAS APPROX 40,000 MILES). AFTER DOING RESEARCH AND FINDING OUT OTHERS HAVE SAME PROBLEM I WILL BE COMPLAINING TO DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT COVERED. I AM A STUDENT AND MY HUSBAND IS IN THE ARMY WE DON'T HAVE $2000 TO PAY FOR SUCH A REPAIR, THAT WAS NOT CAUSED BY "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR". *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI 5-SPEED WITH 39,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN MEXICO IN JANUARY OF 2006, AND I PURCHASED IT IN JUNE OF 2006. THIS WEEK, THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING AND IT WARRANTED A VISIT TO THE LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT MANY 2006 VW JETTA TDI 5-SPD VEHICLES WERE MADE WITH A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH PLATE, BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE MY TRANSMISSION TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT MY VEHICLE HAD THE DEFECTIVE PART. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IF MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THE DEFECTIVE PART, THEY WOULD CHARGE ME NEARLY $500 IN LABOR FEES FOR REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION FOR INSPECTION. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT HAS THE DEFECTIVE PART, NOR SHOULD I HAVE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE WHEN THIS CLUTCH HAS BEEN FAILING PREMATURELY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CLUTCH PLATE ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. I ALSO FOUND 88 PAGES ON ONE FORUM ALONE (HTTP://FORUMS.TDICLUB.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=137014) ABOUT THIS PART AND THE CLUTCH/FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY FAILING PREMATURELY. MANY OF THESE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO PAY FOR A NEW CLUTCH AT A COST OF OVER $2000.00. SOME WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS CLUTCH PLATE AND THE CORRESPONDING ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS IN MANY COUNTRIES EXCEPT FOR THE UNITED STATES. I FEAR HAVING MY CLUTCH FAIL WHEN I NEED THE ENGINE TO BE ENGAGED. IF I WERE TO HAVE A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, IT COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND ENDANGER MYSELF AND THE OCCUPANTS OF MY VEHICLE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO BRING THIS PROBLEM TO THE SURFACE, AND PROMPT AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THIS KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE? THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS NEED TO BE RECALLED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. IT SEEMS THAT NHTSA IS IGNORING THIS MATTER AT THE CONSUMER'S EXPENSE, AND THE AUTOMAKERS BENEFIT. *TR

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2006 VW TDI USED, WITH 33K MILES. AFTER ONE DAY OF OWNERSHIP THE CLUTCH PEDAL WENT THE FLOOR. I PULLED THE PEDAL UP WITH MY TOE, AND GOT IT TO ENGAGE ONE MORE TIME, THEN BACK TO THE FLOOR. AFTER THAT, THE CAR WOULDN'T PULL ITSELF IN ANY GEAR. THE CAR NEVER SLIPPED, VIBRATED, ETC., NO SYMPTOMS OF A WORE CLUTCH, JUST INSTANT FAILURE. I CALLED VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, AND VW TOWED IT TO A DEALER 3HOURS AWAY. BEFORE THE DEALER TORE INTO IT THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THAT IF IT IS DUE TO CLUTCH WEAR/ABUSE THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH HERE ON TDICLUB, I FOUND THAT DMF, AND CLUTCH FAILURES WERE VERY COMMON AND GENERALLY WARRANTED. I TOLD THE DEALER TO GO AHEAD AND TEAR INTO THE CAR TO FIND OUT MORE. TODAY I GET A CALL AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE CLUTCH IS WORE OUT, AND THAT IT IS NOT COVERED. THE ADVISOR ON THE PHONE SAID THAT HALF THE CLUTCH ON ONE SIDE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE, AND THE OTHER SIDE IS COMPLETELY GONE. AND IF I COME PICK IT NOW, I WILL ONLY BE OUT $550, OR I CAN HAVE THEM DO THE REPAIR FOR $1800. I TOLD HIM TO NOT DO ANYTHING YET, AND THAT I WOULD CALL HIM BACK TOMORROW WITH AN ANSWER. THE SERVICE ADVISOR WAS VERY NICE, AND AS HELPFUL AS HE COULD BE, BUT COULD NOT WARRANTY THE CLUTCH OR REPAIR. *TR

NO SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO FAILURE. WHILE EXITING FREEWAY, CLUTCH STOPPED OPERATING BETWEEN GEARS, WHILE DOWNSHIFTING. COULD NOT GET CAR BACK INTO GEAR AND HAD TO STOP IN MIDDLE OF MULTI LANE OFFRAMP, POINTING SLIGHTLY UPHILL. CLUTCH PEDAL WOULD COME ONLY HALF WAY UP. CLUTCH COULD NOT BE ENGAGED ENOUGH TO START ENGINE. AAA WAS CALLED AND ARRIVED AFTER 20 MINUTES, DURING WHICH TIME CAR REMAINED IN OFFRAMP. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND LEFT OVER LONG NEW YEAR'S WEEKEND. DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME, ONCE THEY LOOKED AT IT, THAT THE CLUTCH HAD FAILED AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT AS IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AGREED TO THE SERVICE SINCE THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE. I WAS CHARGED $1,863. FOR THE SERVICE, WHICH INCLUDED REPLACEMENT OF THE FLYWHEEL. I COMPLAINED THAT THE FLYWHEEL WAS PART OF THE ENGINE, AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS DIRECTED TO CALL VOLKSWAGEN AND SUBMIT A COMPLAINT. I ASKED TO RETAIN THE PARTS SO THAT I COULD SEE WHAT HAD GONE WRONG. THE NEXT DAY, BEFORE CALLING VOLKSWAGEN, I DISCOVERED FROM AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE THAT VOLKSWAGEN HAS HAD A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN OUT ON THE CLUTCH SINCE NOVEMBER 2007. AFTER VERIFYING FROM THE PARTS THAT I WAS COVERED, I INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE CUTTING ME A CHECK TO REPAY WHAT I SPENT ON THE REPLACEMENT. *TR