NHTSA Complaint #10259196 — 2005 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

ON FEBRUARY 16TH WHILE RUNNING ERRANDS I PULLED THROUGH A DRIVE THROUGH FOR LUNCH, CAR WAS RUNNING AND SOUNDED JUST FINE, AFTER PULLING AWAY I HEARD A LOUD "SHRIEKING" NOISE AND THEN A CLUNK, THE CAR LOST POWER AND MADE A GRINDING NOISE, I IMMEDIATELY PULLED INTO THE ADJACENT PARKING LOT AND SHUT THE CAR OFF, I WAITED A FEW MINUTES THEN RESTARTED THE CAR IT STARTED JUST FINE BUT SEEMED TO BE IDLING A LITTLE ROUGH, I SHIFTED CAR INTO DRIVE AND LIGHTLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR THE GRINDING NOISE WAS PRESENT SO I PUT THE CAR BACK IN PARK AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP THEN CALLED ME LATER THAT AFTERNOON AND INFORMED ME THAT THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL HAD SEPARATED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED, THEY QUOTED ME $1800 FOR THE REPAIR. I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY HAD THE PART IN STOCK AND I APPROVED THE REPAIR. THE CAR JUST HAD 64,381 MILES AND I THOUGH IT WAS ODD THAT THIS FAILURE OCCURRED, I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A "KNOWN" FAILURE. SINCE THE WARRANTY "JUST" EXPIRED I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. I CONTACTED VW0FA AND THEY TOOK THE INFORMATION BUT DID STATE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED, I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT IT APPEARS THAT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED NUMEROUS TIMES AND THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED! I HAD JUST EXITED THE INTERSTATE BEFORE THIS HAPPENED, WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE OUTCOME IF I STAYED ON THE FREEWAY AT 60MPH AND THIS COMPONENT FAILED?*TR