NHTSA Complaint #10561203 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG

ON WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22, 2014 I WAS DRIVING WEST ON US ROUTE 9 IN BARRINGTON NH AT APPROXIMATELY 11AM IN MY VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2010 TDI. THERE WAS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CAR BEFORE I FELT A STRANGE LAG AND THEN A WARNING LIGHT STARTED FLASHING TO STOP THE CAR. BEFORE I COULD PULL OFF THE ROAD THE CAR LOST POWER AND DIED. SINCE THE WARNING TO STOP THE CAR CAME UP I DID NOT TRY TO RESTART THE CAR. I SAT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEWILDERED FOR A MOMENT AS I'D ONLY PURCHASED THIS CAR 3 WEEKS BEFORE AND IT WAS ONLY A FEW MILES SHORT OF 30,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. BEING STRANDED PARTIALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WAS TERRIFYING AS I WAS IN A 50MPH ZONE AND PEOPLE WERE FLYING PAST ME UPWARDS OF 60MPH WHILE MY CAR WAS BARELY STRADDLING THE WHITE LINE. ALSO, IT WAS 8 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND THERE WAS NO PLACE FOR ME TO WAIT SAFELY OUTSIDE OF THE CAR DUE TO CONSIDERABLE FROZEN SNOW BANKS FLANKING THE ROADWAY. MY OPTIONS WERE TO PRAY NOT TO GET HIT OR RISK FREEZING WHILE WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. OVERALL THIS WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE TO HAVE IN A NEW CAR WHO'S SUPPOSED TOUGHNESS AND RELIABILITY WAS ONE OF ITS SELLING POINTS. THE DEALER (QUIRK VW IN MANCHESTER, NH) HAS TOLD US THAT THE FUEL WAS CONTAMINATED LEADING TO A HPFP FAILURE WHICH MY HUSBAND SAYS THIS SAME VEHICLE HAS HAD REPLACED LESS THAN 8,000 MILES AGO UNDER THE PREVIOUS OWNER. HE ALSO SAID THAT I SHOULD MENTION THAT THIS IS THE SAME HPFP MADE BY BOSCH AS THE GOLF, JETTA AND A3 WHICH HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED UNDER EA11003 FOR FAILURE. *TR