NHTSA Complaint #10747211 — 2013 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

ON 5 AUG 2015, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00 PM, MY 2013 VW GOLF TDI SUDDENLY DIED WHILE DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE IN LEXINGTON, KY. I NARROWLY ESCAPED BEING HIT BY A TRACTOR TRAILER IN THE REAR END WHEN THE CAR DIED. I HAD PREVIOUSLY PUT $20 WORTH OF DIESEL FUEL IN THE CAR EARLIER THAT MORNING SO THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES AFTER FUELING BEFORE THE CAR SUDDENLY DIED. AFTER THE CAR DIED, IT WOULD NOT RESTART SO I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL VW DEALER IN LEXINGTON, KY. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT MORNING (6 AUG) AND DROPPED OFF THE KEY AND EXPLAINED TO THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER (MERRITT) WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPT BACK AROUND 3:30 LATER THAT DAY TO CHECK ON THE STATUS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) HAD FAILED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE STILL DIAGNOSING THE CAR TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE AND WHAT PARTS WERE GOING TO NEED REPLACED. SINCE THE HPFP IS A KNOWN ISSUE IN THE VW DIESEL MODELS, HE RECOMMENDED THAT I CALL CORPORATE VW OF AMERICA AND OPEN A NEW CASE WHICH I DID AND PROVIDED THE CASE NUMBER BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. YESTERDAY (7 AUG), I GOT WORD FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE ENTIRE FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM HAD METAL SHAVINGS IN IT AND THAT ALL MAJOR PARTS WERE GOING TO NEED REPLACED, FUEL PUMP, INJECTORS, FUEL LINES, ETC AND THAT THE ESTIMATED BILL HAS GOING TO BE BETWEEN 5-7 THOUSAND DOLLARS. VW OF AMERICA ALSO CONTACTED ME YESTERDAY AND LET ME KNOW THAT THEY HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE LEXINGTON DEALERSHIP AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD LET ME KNOW BY MONDAY, 10 AUG IF THEY WOULD COVER THE PARTS AND LABOR PAST THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION DATE SINCE THE HPFP FAILURE IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON THE VOLKSWAGEN TDI MODELS. I WILL UPDATE THIS AS I RECEIVE NEW INFORMATION. I AM RETIRED MILITARY AND A CURRENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE.