NHTSA Complaint #10306424 — 2009 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

MY VEHICLE DIDN'T START AFTER 12 DAYS OF SITTING, IT ALSO HAD A ROUGH START (NO START FOLLOWED BY DRIVER ASSISTED START) AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT 9 HOURS. I BELIEVE THE ROUGH START WAS A RELATED TO THE NO START. DATE OF NO START: 12/29/10 LOCATION: PHILADELPHIA OFFSITE AIRPORT LOT MILEAGE: > 20,000 GOT MY 20K SERVICE TWO DAYS PRIOR TO PARKING IT ON DEC. 17. IT SNOWED 22" ON THE 19TH AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE DAYS IT WOULD THAW, FREEZE, RAIN ETC. IT RAINED APPROXIMATELY 3" DURING THAT TIME. GOT BACK DEC. 29TH AT NIGHT. THE ENGINE TRIED TO CRANK ONCE AND THEN DIDN'T DO MUCH AFTERWARD. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER (VW OF LANGHORNE) AND THEY FOUND WATER IN THE CYLINDERS BY REMOVING THE GLOW PLUGS AND MANUALLY CRANKING THE ENGINE. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS MESSING WITH THE DEALER THEY FINALLY DRIED OUT THE ENGINE AND FOUND WATER IN THE INTERCOOLER LINES. RAN FINE UNTIL 2/1/10. DEALER HAD ME PAY FOR THEIR TIME BECAUSE "THE ONLY WAY THIS COULD HAPPEN IS IF I DROVE THROUGH A PUDDLE OR IF IT WAS IN A FLOOD". THEY ARE WRONG. THE PARKING LOT IS NOT VALET (I KEPT MY KEYS) AND THEY HAVE A SNOW REMOVAL SERVICE. SNOW WAS NOT PLOWED INTO OR ON TOP OF MY CAR. NO OTHER WATER DAMAGE WAS SEEN IN OR ON THE VEHICLE ANYWHERE ELSE. DATE OF NO START: 2/01/10 LOCATION: NORTHEAST OF PHILADELPHIA MILEAGE: 21,000 CODES: NONE KNOWN SIGNIFICANT WEATHER BEFORE NO START: COLD, DRY TOOK TO DEALER (WHAT WAS DONE): NO AMBIENT AIR TEMPS: HIGH 36 (F) LOW 21 (F) JETTA STARTED FINE IN THE MORNING 6:30AM. LEFT WORK AT 6:00PM AND DID NOT START. THE SEQUENCE: 1) CRANK BUT DIDN'T TURN OVER 2) GOT IT TO TURN OVER AND START ABOUT 1 MIN LATER, NO MESSAGE ON MFD 3) KEPT FOOT ON ACCELERATOR IN NEUTRAL AT ABOUT 1300 RPM FOR 30-60 SEC. 4) RAN FINE ON 30 MIN DRIVE HOME THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION THAT COULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IF IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO GET A TOW IN THE WINTER. *TR