NHTSA Complaint #10678415 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, ABOUT 30 MINUTES INTO A 40 MINUTE DRIVE, DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH, IN 16 DEGREE F WEATHER, MY VEHICLE, A DIESEL WITH A 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, GO TO A LOWER GEAR, RELEASE THE CLUTCH AND RE-START THE ENGINE. WITH THE ENGINE BUCKING AND HESITATING, I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I HAD IT TOWED TO A VW REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY FOUND A COMPLETELY BLOCKED INTERCOOLER, FULL OF ICE. DOING SOME RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND THAT VW HAS A TSB TO CORRECT INTERCOOLER ICING, WHICH INVOLVES REPLACING THE ORIGINAL FACTORY UNIT WITH A NEW INTERCOOLER DESIGN. AS I LOOKED ON VW FORUMS, I FOUND THAT MANY DRIVERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR UNPREDICTABLE FAILURE DUE TO INTERCOOLER ICING. WHEN I REQUESTED VW CORRECT THIS DESIGN FLAW AT THEIR EXPENSE, THEY REFUSED, CLAIMING THE VEHICLE IS OFF WARRANTY. I WOULD LIKE NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THIS, AS I FEEL VW NEEDS TO EITHER MAKE A SAFETY RECALL, OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM ON ANY CAR ON WHICH IT OCCURS. THIS PROBLEM STRIKES ME AS SIMILAR TO THE RECENT GM IGNITION KEY FAILURE ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR