2001 Volkswagen Jetta Fuel System Diesel Problems

I OWN A 2001 VW JETTA WITH THE 1.9L TDI DIESEL ENGINE. THIS VEHICLE IS MAINTAINED BY MY LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP. DURING COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS BELOW 30 DEGREES F MY VEHICLE WOULD STOP RUNNING STRANDING ME AT NIGHT IN LOCATIONS WITH LITTLE ROAD TRAFFIC OR CELL PHONE SERVICE. THIS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 6 TIMES REQUIRING THE VEHICLE TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. EACH TIME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS THAWED IN THEIR SHOP AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH "IMPROPERLY TREATED DIESEL FUEL". I METICULOUSLY PUT IN THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF VW ANTI-GEL ADDITIVE TO ALL TANK FULLS OF FUEL. I ALSO CONSISTENTLY PURCHASE MY DIESEL FUEL FROM THE SAME HIGH VOLUME SUPPLIER WHO HAS NUMEROUS FLEET ACCOUNTS. I HAD BEGUN TO TRIPLE DOSE THE DIESEL FUEL ADDITIVE IN ATTEMPTS TO AVOID THIS SITUATION. AFTER NUMEROUS TIMES OF BEING STRANDED IN SINGLE DIGIT CONDITIONS AND HAVING THE SAME SITUATION OCCUR I CHECKED A TDI OWNERS WEBSITE TDICLU.COM IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE FUEL TANK PICK UP WHICH HAS A RESTRICTION THAT ONLY SURFACES WHEN THE FUEL THICKENS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. THE FUEL PICKUP/SENDING UNIT COMES IN A C, D, AND AN H MODEL. MY VEHICLE HAD THE C MODEL. APPARENTLY VW OF CANADA IS AWARE OF THIS SITUATION AND WITHOUT QUESTION OR CHARGE WOULD REPLACE THEIR CUSTOMERS CARS WITH THE H MODEL. I PURCHASED THE H MODEL PICKUP/SENDER AND REPLACED IT MYSELF AND THE PROBLEM HAS DISAPPEARED. TO DATE I HAVE INCURRED MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS IN TOWING AND REPAIR CHARGES FOR THIS PROBLEM THAT IS CLEARLY A VW DESIGN FLAW AND ONE THAT IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY VW OF CANADA. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VW JETTA TDI (DIESEL). I TOOK MY CAR TO THE WEST BROAD VOLKSWAGEN, RICHMOND, VA ON 10/22/04, CONCERNING THE FACT THAT MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND THAT IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS NOT RECEIVING ANY FUEL. ADDITIONALLY, THE CAR IS STEADILY LOOSING ITS ABILITY TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC. NOT ONLY WAS I CHARGED $69.95 FOR A DIAGNOSTIC, BUT I WAS THEN TOLD THE INTAKE WAS FULL OF CARBON AND THAT IT WOULD COST $978.00 TO FIX THE PROBLEM! ADDITIONALLY, THE CAR DIED DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS AS I WAS TRYING TO GET ON TO THE HIGHWAY. AS THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF, I VEERED OFF OF THE ROAD TO KEEP FROM BEING KILLED! WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR, IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WASN'T GETTING FUEL. I WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP, BROWNS VOLKSWAGEN, MIDLOTHIAN VA. THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR 2 DAYS, TOLD ME IT WAS FIXED AND WHEN I GOT THERE THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START. WHILE I WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP LOOSING MY MIND, THEY DID SOMETHING TO MY CAR AND IT MYSTERIOUSLY STARTED. I NEVER RECEIVED AN EXPLANATION FOR WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR, NOR DID I GET A RECEIPT DOCUMENTING WHAT HAPPENED. I DIDNT KNOW IT AT THE TIME, BUT THIS PROBLEM WAS ALREADY IN THE MAKING...THANK GOD FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE!*AK

PURCHASED A 2001 JETTA TDI IN SEPT OF 2003 WITH 52000 KM'S. AT 64,000 KM CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. CAR WAS DUE FOR 64,000 KM SERVICE ANYWAY. GLOW PLUG BUS BAR NEED REPLACEMENT. NOT ENOUGH, OR NO CURRENT GETTING TO GLOW PLUGS TO WARM THEM FOR THE CAR TO START. THREE WEEKS AFTER 64,000KM SERVICE, PULLED OUT OF DRIVEWAY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON, CHECK OIL LIGHT FLASHES, BELL GOES OFF, GLOW PLUG LIGHT FLASHES, VEHICLE FEELS SLUGGISH WITH NO POWER. MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR NEEDED REPLACEMENT (UNDER WARRENTY, $467). REPLACED NEEDLE SENSOR/INJECTOR ASSEMBLY, REPLACED FAULTY BREAK LIGHT SWITCH, TRACED AND REPAIRED WIRIING SENSOR. COST $671. IN THREE WEEKS SPENT $1250 ON SERVICE AND REPAIRS ON A THREE YEAR OLD CAR.*AK

DIESEL FUEL GELLING IN LOW TEMPS. VW ADMITS TO HAVING NO SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM. ONE OF THE MECHANICS DID ADMIT THAT THE FUEL LINE WAS TOO SMALL. WE HAVE BEEN TOWED IN TWICE LATE AT NIGHT IN DANGEROUS TEMPERATURES. FORTUNATELY MY WIFE HAD A CELL PHONE-8 YEAR OLD BOY ON BOARD ALSO. STEPHANIEFP28@YAHOO.COM HAD SAME PROBLEM.*AK

I TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE SERVICED FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A TURBO PROBLEM, WHICH THE DEALER PROMISED TO COVER. IT TURNS OUT THAT MY INTAKE MANIFOLD AND EGR WERE SO CLOGGED WITH CARBON THAT MY TURBO FAILED. DEALER REFUSED TO COVER SINCE IT WAS NOT THE TURBO ITSELF.

CAR STARTS POORLY. UPON INVESTIGATION, FOUND THAT EGR VALVE AND INTAKE MANIFOLD ARE PACKED WITH BLACK, NASTY CARBON BUILD-UP. I REMOVED THE EGR VALVE AND SCRAPED OUT APPROXIMATELY ONE AND ONE-HALF CUPS OF THIS BLACK 'GUNK' FROM THE EGR VALVE AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THE INTAKE PORTS LOOK LIKE IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. *CB

LOSS OF POWER IN JETTA WITH TDI ENGINE. I EXPERIENCED SERIOUS LOSS OF POWER IN MY 2001 VW JETTA TDI .. THE LOSS WAS VERY SUDDEN AND RESULTED MADE IT UNSAFE TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY. *AK I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND NUMEROUS NEWS GROUP POSTINGS ABOUT FAILING MAF SENSORS ON BOTH THE GAS AND DIESIL ENGINES. I VERIFIED THIS BY DISCONNECTING THE MAF AND DRIVING THE CAR. THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE INCREASE IN POWER. I THEN HAD THE DEALER CHECK IT OUT WHEN I HAD THE TIMING BELT REPLACED. AT FIRST THE TECH THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS CLOGGING UP. HE CLEANED IT, BUT THE POWER LOSS WAS STILL PRESENT. HE THEN DETERMINED THE MAF IS THE PROBLEM. I PURCHASED A NEW MAF FOR $250 AND THAT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS PART CAN COST UP TO $400 FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER CLAIMS THE K&N AIR FILTER I HAD INSTALLED CAUSED THE UNIT TO FAIL. HOWEVER, K&N SAYS IT IS DUE TO A POOR MAF DESIGN. I'VE SINCE GONE BACK TO A PAPER AIR FILTER. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW THAT IF THE PROBLEM IS THE MAF DESIGN, THAT VW OFFERS A BETTER MAF REPLACEMENT.

LAST WEEK ON 6-20-03 I PULLED OUT ONTO STATE ROAD 2 IN VALPARAISO AND MY 2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I HAD MY 6-YEAR-OLD SON IN THE CAR AND HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD TO AVOID BEING HIT. THE CAR IS UNDRIVEABLE. A MECHANIC HAS DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY TURBO DIESEL SYSTEM. THIS SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED NEW IN THE 2001 JETTA AND HAD PREVIOUSLY NEVER BEEN INSTALLED IN ANY OTHER VOLKSWAGEN. MY MECHANIC INDICATES THE NEW SYSTEM IS FAULTY AND AS A RESULT, FUEL IS NOT BURNED CLEANLY. THE ENTIRE ENGINE, INTAKE MANIFOLD, AND VALVES ARE CLOGGED WITH CARBON. I HAVE BEEN TOLD I NEED A NEW ENGINE. MY MECHANIC HAS DIAGNOSED THE SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER 2001 JETTAS AND STATES THAT THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO HIM TO BE UNIVERSAL IN THIS YEAR AND MODEL. THIS CAR IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD AND I OWE $15,000 ON IT. IT ONLY HAS 47,000 MILES ON IT. VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A PROBLEM. I FEAR PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE KILLED IN THIS CAR IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT IDENTIFIED AND RECTIFIED. *JB

TWICE, VEHICLE HAS STALLED ALMOST CAUSING COLLISION. PH