NHTSA Complaint #10320785 — 2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

I HAVE MY CAR AT SCHOOL IN SOUTH BEND INDIANA AND IT IS STORED OUTSIDE. EARLY THIS WINTER THE CAR STARTED TO IDLE VERY ROUGH. IF I TRIED TO GO TOO QUICKLY AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON I WOULD GET A FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT READ FOR A RANDOM CYLINDER MISFIRE WHEN THE CODE WAS PULLED. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. SO I HAD TO LET THE ENGINE IDLE FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES SO THAT IT COULD TRY AND WARM UP BEFORE I COULD GO ANYWHERE. IN MID FEBRUARY I TURNED THE CAR ON IN THE AFTERNOON AND I NOTICED IT WAS IDLING VERY ROUGH. SO I CRACKED THE HOOD AND THERE I SAW SPARKS JUMPING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SPARK PLUG WIRES TO THE ENGINE BLOCK. A MECHANIC CONFIRMED WHAT I SUSPECTED, THAT THE COIL PACK WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DID AN ONLINE SEARCH AND FOUND THAT VW HAD ISSUED A RECALL FOR VR6S THAT HAD PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED COIL PACKS. HOWEVER, WHEN I CALLED THEM ABOUT IT I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT ENGINE MODEL BECAUSE THEY CHANGED ENGINE MODELS HALF WAY THROUGH 2001 AND MY CAR WAS THE OLD MODEL. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH A CRACKING COIL PACK IN A CAR OF THE RIGHT MODEL FROM THE SAME YEAR THEY WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING. THESE COIL PACKS HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM FOR MANY VR6 OWNERS AS EVIDENCE FROM THE EXTENSIVE ONLINE FORUMS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MY CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND DOCUMENTED HISTORY AS THE 2003 RECALL ISN'T ALSO COVERED IN THE RECALL. I HAVE NOT HAD THE COIL PACK REPAIRED YET BECAUSE IT COSTS 500 DOLLARS AND I DON'T HAVE THAT TO SPEND RIGHT KNOW. *TR