The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially launched an investigation into a potential safety issue surrounding the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta when equipped with the TDI (diesel) engine.
The investigation partially stems from the seven complaints filed with the safety organization, in addition to several more accounts posted on several online enthusiast forums. The claims suggest that without warning the vehicle can shut off and in many cases will not turn back on. There are varying accounts for what may be the potential cause of the “stalling,” with some members of popular online forums suggesting that it is far more than an engine stalling issue.
One popular forum, TDIClub, has created a running list of its own forum users which have experienced the problem, so far totaling 26. The common issue as determined by the forum users is a high pressure fuel pump, which in most cases is failing by grenading and sending metal shards throughout the engine. When this occurs, repair quotes have typically ranged from $5,000-10,000 – with Volkswagen dealers refusing to cover the costs in many cases.
It is also worth noting that although NHTSA is currently only investigating the 2009 models, there are also many 2010 Jetta TDI owners reporting the same issue, suggesting the study may be expanded at a later date.
References
1.’List of HPFP failures…’ view
