NHTSA Complaint #10725550 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

WHILE TRAVELING EASTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 82 IN WASHINGTON OUR 2010 JETTA EXPERIENCED A SAFETY-RELATED MALFUNCTION; THE "GLOW PLUG" LAMP ILLUMINATED, THEN THE "SERVICE ENGINE NOW" LAMP ILLUMINATED, FOLLOWED BY AN IMMEDIATE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. AFTER COMING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE WAS ABLE TO BE RE-STARTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS "LIMPED" WITH LIMITED POWER TO WITHIN A MILE OF OVERTURF VOLKSWAGEN IN KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON. THERE THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED ANOTHER TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO BE RE-STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO OVERTURF VOLKSWAGEN AND WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE "HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP" HAD EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, RESULTING IN METAL SHAVINGS FROM THE PUMP ENTERING THE FUEL SYSTEM, CLOGGING THE FUEL INJECTORS, AND STARVING THE ENGINE OF FUEL. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS ISSUE IS A DESIGN FLAW AND IS WELL KNOWN TO VOLKSWAGEN, BUT WERE TOLD THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO HAVE THIS "WARRANTY ISSUE" RESOLVED AT VOLKSWAGEN'S EXPENSE BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLE'S "REBUILT" BRANDED TITLE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS PUMP FAILURE IS OCCURRING ONLY IN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THIS PARTICULAR PUMP, AND VOLKSWAGEN HAS BEEN REPLACING THEM ON VEHICLES THAT ARE PAST THEIR WARRANTY PERIOD, AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. I SEE THIS ISSUE AS A SAFETY ISSUE, NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE, DUE TO THE COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER THAT CAN OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I SEE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "CLEAN TITLED" VEHICLES AND "REBUILT TITLED" VEHICLES AND THE CHANCE OF THIS PUMP FAILURE OCCURRING WITHOUT WARNING. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED AT VOLKSWAGEN'S EXPENSE, DUE TO THE DESIGN FLAW OF THE VEHICLE'S HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THANK YOU.