NHTSA Complaint #10662557 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

THE ENGINE SPONTANEOUSLY STOPPED RUNNING WHILE DRIVING. I WAS ENTERING AN INTERSECTION, TURNING LEFT, AND PUT IN THE CLUTCH TO DOWN-SHIFT (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) AND THE ENGINE STOPPED AS SOON AS THE CLUTCH PEDAL WENT DOWN, AS IF I HAD TURNED OFF THE KEY. THE ENGINE STARTER WOULD NOT RE-ENGAGE UNTIL I FIGURED OUT I HAD TO TURN THE IGNITION ALL THE WAY OFF THEN BACK TO THE START POSITION TO ENGAGE THE STARTER. THE ENGINE RE-STARTED NORMALLY AT THAT POINT AND RAN FINE FOR THE REST OF THAT TRIP. THE ENGINE HAS DONE THE SAME THING ABOUT SIX OR EIGHT TIMES SINCE THEN, THE MOST RECENT TIME BEING ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO. THIS CAN MAKE IT QUITE INTERESTING, TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND HAVING TO TAKE A HAND OFF THE STEERING WHEEL TO DO THE COMPLICATED RE-START - IF THE DRIVER WERE TO PANIC A RE-START WOULD NOT HAPPEN. SOMETIMES THE ENGINE ALSO RUNS VERY ROUGH, ESPECIALLY AT IDLE, AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE THE CAR - THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WHEN TURNING ONTO A STREET OR HIGHWAY AND NEEDING TO GET UP TO SPEED TO NOT GET HIT WHILE MERGING WITH TRAFFIC. THE ENGINE ALSO IDLES ROUGH PERIODICALLY BUT THAT HAS NOT BEEN A SAFETY CONCERN ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE OTHER PROBLEMS. THESE PROBLEMS HAPPEN AT ALL ENGINE AND AIR TEMPERATURES - HOT OR COLD, AND EVEN WHEN THE ENGINE IS FULLY WARMED UP. MULTIPLE DEALERS AND THIRD-PARTY REPAIR SHOPS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM; NO ERROR CODES ARE SHOWN BY THE ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER AND IT HAPPENS INFREQUENTLY ENOUGH THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM THEMSELVES. *TR