NHTSA Complaint #10855358 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

ON AN AFTERNOON IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2016, MY 2012 VW JETTA TDI WENT INTO 'LIMP' MODE AFTER STARTING IT AND DRIVING FOR LESS THAN TWO MINUTES OUT OF MY WORKPLACE PARKING LOT. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOP, WHEN IT DIED COMPLETELY AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE GLOW PLUG DASH LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) HAD FAILED, BLOWING ,METAL SHARDS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM. THEY PERFORMED A DIESEL FUEL TEST, WHICH 'PASSED', SO ALL REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAD 53,000 MILES ON IT AT THAT POINT. PARTS ALONE WOULD HAVE COST NEARLY $4000, AND I WAS NOT SHOWN WHAT THE LABOR COSTS WOULD HAVE BEEN! I THEN DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A 'KNOWN' ISSUE BUT NOT UNDER RECALL, ONLY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD. HAVING THE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER THAT LIMP MODE RESULTED IN, AND BEING STRANDED FOR HOURS WAITING FOR A TOW, MADE ME RECONSIDER MY PURCHASE DECISION FOR THIS VEHICLE. I AM VERY GLAD I WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY, AS THE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY IN THAT DRIVING ENVIRONMENT. WITH THE CURRENT DIESEL EMISSIONS SCANDAL ONGOING, I AM 'STUCK' WITH THIS VEHICLE, UNLESS I WANT TO TAKE A DRASTIC HIT ON PRIVATE RESALE VALUE; NO ONE WILL TAKE IT IN TRADE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS BETTER RESOLUTION.