NHTSA Complaint #10917602 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

MY CAR BROKE DOWN, I.E. A WARNING LIGHT EMITTED ON THE DASH. I WAS ABLE TO PULL MY CAR OVER. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND SENT PIECES OF METAL INTO MY ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM, AND THAT EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE FUEL TANK WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A $5400 REPAIR PER THE VW DEALERSHIP MY CAR WAS TOWED TO. VW OF AMERICA ISSUED A VOLUNTARY EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS FUEL PUMP TO 120K MILES. MY CAR BROKE DOWN AT 120,946 MILES. I CALLED VW OF A TO ASK IF THEY WOULD COVER AT LEAST PART OF MY REPAIR AS I WAS NOT FAR OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY WINDOW (946 MILES) - THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO HELP ME. AFTER TALKING TO THE SERVICE GUY AT THE VW DEALERSHIP, HE TOLD ME HE'S HAD THREE OTHER VW TDI'S IN THERE THIS MONTH ALONE FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO TALKED TO ANOTHER LOCAL VW MECHANIC SHOP TO GET ANOTHER QUOTE FOR THE REPAIR - THE OWNER THERE SAID HE "KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE PROBLEM." THUS, IT SEEMS THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILURE I EXPERIENCED IS HAPPENING ON A LARGE SCALE TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME CAR/FUEL SYSTEM I HAVE. VW OF AMERICA ALSO KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, HENCE THEIR VOLUNTARY EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT IS MY OPINION THAT VW OF AMERICA SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL FOR A DEFECT, AS OPPOSED TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. BOTH THE VW DEALERSHIP WHERE MY CAR CURRENTLY IS, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL VW MECHANIC SHOP I SPOKE TO, ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, BUT THAT VW OF AMERICA GOT OUT OF THIS COSTLY OPTION BY ISSUING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. ANY HELP OR INSIGHT INTO THIS ISSUE THAT YOU CAN AFFORD IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.