2001 Volkswagen Golf Complaint Log

MY REAR PASSENGER WIDOW WILL NOT ROLL DOWN BECAUSE OF A FAULTY WINDOW REGULATOR. VW KNOWS THE PROBLEM EXISTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE FRONT WINDOW REGULATORS THAT HAVE A SIMILAR DESING USING PLASTIC WINDOW CLIPS. *JB I HAVE CHILDREN THAT TRAVEL IN THE CAR FREQUENTLY AND IF WE WERE IN AN ACCIDENT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ROLL THE WINDOW DOWN AND GET OUT OF THE CAR. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. I REALIZE THAT THE GTI VERSION OF MY CAR DOESN'T HAVE WINDOWS THAT ROLL DOWN IN THE BACK BUT I DIDN'T BUY THAT CAR BECAUSE I HAVE KIDS THAT NEED TO RIDE IN THE CAR. THEREFORE I NEED WINDOWS THAT ROLL DOWN TOO. I TOOK THE CAR TO A VW DEALER BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD FIX IT UNDER THE EXTENDED SERVICE THING THAT THE FRONT WINDOW ARE FIXXED UNDER. AFTER THEY TOOK THE CAR, THEY CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT IT DOESN'T COVER THE REAR WINDOWS. SO, I DECLINED GETTING IT FIXXED BY THEM AND WILL REPAIR IT MYSELF. THE PART COSTS $120 FOR THE REAR WINDOWS. THE FRONT WINDOW HAVE A REPAIR KIT THAT SELLS FOR ABOUT $20 (IT JUST REPLACES THE FAULTY PART, NOT THE WHOLE UNIT AS THE REAR WINDOWS DO). AT A MINIMUM THEY SHOULD SELL A REPAIR KIT FOR THE REAR WINDOWS.

DT: BRAKE PADS IN THE REAR WORE OUT. HAD CHANGED BRAKE PADS AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN 4 YEARS. DEALER SAID THIS WAS NORMAL WEAR. SEAMS ON THE DISCS WORE OFF. SINCE OCTOBER UNTIL NOW THE INSIDE OF THE DISCS WORE OUT AT LEAST 1/8 OF INCH.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE WAS LEFT WITH NO INDICATION OF STOPPING, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS DEACTIVATED. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT HE WOULD BE REAR ENDED DUE TO THE FAILURE. *AK THE VEHICLE EPC LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER DETERMINED FROM THE TROUBLE CODES THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED ALONG WITH THE FUEL PUMP RELAY, OXYGEN SENSOR, ECT AND PURGE VALVE. *NM

THE LATCH FOR THE DOOR ON THE CENTER CONSOLE BROKE OFF. *LA

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE SIDE AIRBAG IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I HAD IT REPLACED FOR ABOUT $327.00. *JB

1. NO EVENT APPLICABLE (I.E. NO ACCIDENTS, CRASHES OR IMPACTS) 2. AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON 3. VW CHARGED $90 TO TELL ME THAT IT WOULD TAKE $715 TO REPLACE THE PART; MY VEHICLE IS ONLY A 2001. VW STATED IT SUFFERED MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN; THE PART IS NOT A WEARABLE PART!!!*AK

THE HINGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GLOVE BOX BROKE OFF. *LA

HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKES AROUND 38000 MILES. FRONT BRAKES WERE FINE BUT HAD TO HAVE THE REAR REBUILD. WAS TOLD THAT THE PADS WENT OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND HAD TO BE RE-SHIMMED. I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A DEFECT THAT VW SHOULD COVER.*AK

DRIVER'S DOOR WINDOW "EXPLODED" WHILE PARKED - TOTALLY FRACTURED AND A SECTION "BLOWN OUT" WITH THE GLASS ON THE GROUND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE.*AK

SWITCH USED TO VERIFY BRAKE IS ENGAGED BEFORE VEHICLE IS ABLE TO GO INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE HAS FAILED TWICE. FIRST TIME 10-08-02 AT 13,691 MILES AND 03-02-04 AT 36,695 MILES. DOES NOT ALLOW VEHICLE TO BE DRIVEN, MOVED OR GO INTO OPPOSITE DIRECTION IF NEEDED WHILE DRIVING.*AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. CALLER HAS BEEN TO DEALER THREE TIMES, AND SOON AFTER THEY REPAIRED IT, IT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER REIMBURSED THE CONSUMER FOR FIXING THE PROBLEM. *AK *JB

SEALS TO TURBO CHARGER IN 2001 VW GOLD TDI ARE LEAKING OIL INTO AIR INTAKE AND ONTO GROUND. *AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR FAILURE, PREMATURE REAR BRAKE PAD FAILURE, AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK MALFUNCTION, WATER PUMP FAILURE, THIRD BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATES VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT A PRIVATE MECHANIC. REPAIRS WILL BE MADE AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. *AK

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE CONSUMES ENGINE OIL AT A RATE THAT LEAVES THE RESEVOIR EMPTY BEFORE IT WOULD BE REFILLED DURING AN OIL CHANGE (ALL THE OIL IS CONSUMED WITHIN 5000 MILES, THE RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGE INTERVAL). VOLKSWAGEN MAINTAINS A POLICY THAT USING ONE QUART OF OIL PER 1000 MILES IS NORMAL FOR A 'MODERN ENGINE,' AND REFUSES TO REPAIR VEHICLES WHO DO NOT MEET THE CONSUMPTION REQUIREMENT. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN BY THE COMPANY TO AFFECT A NUMBER OF THE 2.0L ENGINES ON THEIR GOLF AND JETTA MODELS, WITH THE CAUSE BEING ATTRIBUTED TO PISTON RINGS BEING INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN. REINSTALLATION OF THE RINGS IS THE RECOMMENDED SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, DEALERS ARE RELUCTANT TO EVEN PERFORM THE CONSUMPTION TESTS ON SUSPECT VEHICLES, MUCH LESS PERFORM THE REPAIRS. FURTHERMORE, THEY FALSIFY FINDINGS WHEN REPORTING TO THE CUSTOMER, UNDERESTIMATING OIL CONSUMPTION.

AT THE 30,000 MILE DEALER SERVICING, DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL BEARING WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE CREATING A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. *AK

VEHICLE CONSUMES OIL AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGE INTERVAL IS EVERY 3000 MILES, HOWEVER IN THAT TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD CONSUME MORE THAN ITS OIL CAPACITY, RESULTING IN THE CAR RUNNING WITHOUT OIL. VW IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND PERFORMS "OIL CONSUMPTION TESTS" ON VEHICLES, BUT MANY DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE RELUCTANT TO DO SO AND ALWAYS CLAIM THAT 1 QUART OF OIL CONSUMPTION PER 1000 MILES IS "NORMAL" AND REFUSE TO PERFORM ANY SERVICE UNLESS THE CONSUMPTION EXCEEDS THAT AMOUNT.*AK

VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD (BUT BEYOND WARRANTY MILEAGE) WHEN AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER DIAGNOSTICS INDICATED RT SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR, AND AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $770. WITHOUT REPLACEMENT, DEALER SAYS ENTIRE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS INOPERATIVE.*AK

THIS IS A COPY OF MY LETTER TO VOLKSWAGEN, PLS HELP ME. HELLO VW, TO MAY IT MAY CONCERN. RECENTLY I PURCHASED AT VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2001 USED MODEL. IT HAS ABOUT A YEAR WARRANRTTY LEFT WITH 25,000KM ON IT. PRACTIXCALLY BRAND NEW. I WAS IN A MAJOR CAR ACCIDENT REAR ENDING SOMEONE HARSHLY, AND MY AIRBAG S DID NOT GO OFF, MY GIRLFRIEND WAS INJURED FROM THIS INCIDENT. WE WERE ABOUT 50KM PER HOUR WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. BUT FAILED TO PROTECT HER FACE FROPM HITTING THE DASHBARD. PLS EXPLAIN THIS INCEDENT, TO ME.

2001 VW GOLF 2.0L WITH 59K MILES AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO APPARENT REASON AT STARTUP AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. CALLED VW OF AMERICA AND WAS GIVEN A CASE NUMBER. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY REPORTED THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WAITING FOR VW OF AMERICA RESPONSE TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS TO TAKE PLACE. *JB

MY VW GOLF 2001 WITH 2.0L GASOLINE ENGINE HAS A O2 SENSOR PROBLEM. BUT DEAR COULD NOT FOUND ANY RECALL ON MY CAR. SINCE THERE IS A MASSIVE RECALL ON O2 SENSORS AND MY CAR FIT IN THE CATEGORY, AND IT BROKEN DOWN RIGHT AFTER THE WARRENTY EXPIRES, IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. ALSO THE MASSIVE AIR FLOW SENSOR FAILS AFTER THE WARRENTY, WHICH IT IS NOT FIXED UNTIL IT HAS BEEN IN THE DEALER FOR 3 TIMES!*AK

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE ENGINE RUNNING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE OXYGEN SENSOR WOULD LEAK CARBON MONOXIDE THROUGH OUT THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SERVICE DEALER AFTER INSPECTION AND HAD A FAULTY O2 SENSOR REPLACED. *AK *CB

I HAVE A 2001 VW GOLF. I HAD TO HAVE THE REAR BRAKES REPLACED AT AROUND 36,000 MILES. BUT THE FRONT BRAKES LOOK LIKE THEY'RE BRAND NEW. I FEEL THAT VW HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND WON'T ADMIT IT. I DON'T FEEL TO SAFE KNOWING THAT THE CAR IS ONLY STOPPING ON THE REAR BRAKES. *LA

SEAT BELT FAILURE. WHEN PULLING ON FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT TO BUCKLE UP, SEAT BELT "JUST CAME OUT" TO FULL LENGTH. NO TENSION AT ALL, LOOSE. DRIVER REPORTED HEARING A NOISE AS BELT WAS COMING OUT, AND IT CAME OUT TOTALLY SLACK. WON'T GO BACK IN NOW. *AK

MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR FAILURE HAS CAUSED INTERMITTENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHICH MAY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD, AND REPEATED FAILURES ARE OCCURRING WITH MANY DIFFERENT OWNERS. CARS AFFECTED ARE DIESEL ENGINE MODELS.*AK

THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW FAILED TO RESPOND, THE HAZZARD LIGHTS WOULD FLASH WHEN THE DEFROSTER WAS TURNED ON, THE GAS TANK COVER WOULD OPEN WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED, THE REMOTE CONTROL WOULD NOT WORK... A BUNCH OF RANDOM PROBLEMS WERE INTERMITTENT AT FIRST -THEN BECAME PERMANANT. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT BARRY VOLKSWAGON (DARTMOUTH MA) INSISTED THAT IT WAS NOT RELATED TO AN ADVISORY REPORT ON WINDOW CLIPS BUT OFFERED TO FIX IT FOR $1000. TRACY VOLKSWAGON (HYANNIS, MA) TOOK A LOOK AT THE SAME CAR AND FIXED THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY. IT WAS THE WINDOW CLIPS SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 640101. *AK

MARCH 2, '03 WHILE TRAVELING ON A SECONDARY ROAD WITH 5 OCCUPANTS, IN A NON-ACCIDENT EVENT, THE SUBJECT VEHICLE PASSED OVER A LARGE METAL PLATE THAT IS USED TO COVER ROAD WORK FOR THE EVENING OR WEEKEND. WITHOUT WARNING THE DEFECTIVE AIRBAG SYSTEM DEPLOYED THE PSGR SIDE AIRBAGS! NO DAMAGE OR IMPACTS WERE NOTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BODY. HOWEVER, A SMALL SCRATCH WAS NOTED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE BETWEEN THE DOORS (RIGHT SIDE) AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE A THUMB PRINT IN THE UNDERCOATING UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. NEITHER OR BOTH MAY BE RELATED TO THE INCIDENT. VW INDICATED THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT ONE OR BOTH OF THE MARKS, BEING LOCATED VERY NEAR TO THE SENSORS, CAUSED THE DEPLOYMENT. ALTHOUGH UNKNOWN FOR CERTAIN, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A BOLT OR SOME OTHER OBJECT MAY HAVE BEEN LYING ON THE METAL PLATE AND MAY HAVE BEEN PINCHED BY A TIRE - CAUSING IT TO STRIKE THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. IN NO WAY AN INCIDENT THAT SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. VW HAS ADVISED THAT "AN OUTSIDE INFLUENCE" CAUSED THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY AND STATED TO THE VEHICLE OWNER THAT "THE SENSORS CANNOT DETERMINE WHETHER A STONE IS HITTING THE VEHICLE OR IF A TRUCK IS HITTING THE VEHICLE." A STATEMENT THAT ALSO INDICATES A DEFECTIVE SYSTEM . WHILE IT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT SENSORS ARE TO "SENSE" THAT SOMETHING HAS OCCURRED, THE "AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE" SHOULD INTERPRET THE INFORMATION BEING SENT BY THE SENSOR AND BE ABLE TO MAKE A MORE REASONABLE ASSESSMENT. IN ANY EVENT, IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT GENERALLY VEHICLES ARE NOT STRUCK BY OTHER VEHICLES FROM UNDERNEATH. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE AS OF 3/28/'03 - VW OF AMERICA HAS REFUSED TO COVER THIS UNDER WARRANTY - A $3,775 REPAIR!!!!! IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS VERY SERIOUS DEFECT AND ORDER A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED SERIOUSLY OR KILLED. *NLM

2001 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GLS 1.8T ON MONDAY, DEC 2, 2002, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (INDICATING THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN), ENGINE STUTTERING, AND LOSS OF POWER. UPON INSPECTION BY THE DEALER THE CAUSE WAS FOUND TO BE A FAULTY IGNITION COIL. A REPLACEMENT WAS ORDERED BUT DUE TO THE NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF IGNITION COILS FOR VW/AUDI 1.8TS IT WAS NOT KNOWN WHEN THE PART WOULD ARRIVE. THE REPLACEMENT IGNITION COIL WAS RECEIVED AND INSTALLED BY THE VW DEALER ON THURSDAY, DEC 5, 2002. DUE TO THE PARTS SHORTAGE ONLY ONE OF FOUR IGNITION COILS WAS REPLACED. AFTER REPLACEMENT ALL PREVIOUS SYMPTOMS WERE GONE AND THE VEHICLE RAN NORMALLY. ON THURSDAY, DEC 12, 2002, THE SYMPTOMS (FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, STUTTERING ENGINE, AND LOSS OF POWER) RETURNED. AGAIN THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE BY THE SAME VW DEALER. ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS THAT HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS FAULTY. I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THE DEALERS HANDLING OF THE SITUATION. I AM NOT PLEASED WITH VW'S USAGE OF A PART THAT HAS SHOWN TO BE AS FAILURE PRONE AS THESE IGNITION COILS. TS

CAR CONSUMES TOO MUCH OIL. OIL CONSUMPTION TEST IN PROGRESS FROM MANUFACTURER. 3RD TIME WITH TEST. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE MANUFACTURER 3 TIMES AND THEY TELL ME THAT THEY NEED TO DO THE TEST 3 TIMES IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG. THE CAR JUST EATS UP OIL LIKE CRAZY AND IT ONLY HAS 39K MILES. *NLM

VW SAYS WORKING ON IT, KNOWS COILPACKS ARE BAD. WILL ONLY REPLACE BAD ONES. ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THE OTHER'S WILL FAIL. VW WILL NOT REPLACE THE BADLY DESIGNED ONES THAT HAVE NOT GONE BAD YET. RECALL SHOULD BE DONE. SITUATION OF FAILED COIL PACKS CAN POTENTIALLY BE DANGEROUS. DT

I PURCHASED THIS CAR BACK IN THE FALL OF 2001. IT WAS A "DEMO" CAR AND ONLY HAD 7000 MILES ON IT. THE NEXT SUMMER MY BACK DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NO LONGER WORK. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THIS WINDOW TO NOT WORK. IT WAS NOT DAMAGED BY ANYONE. MY WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT SO I DIDN'T BOTHER TO CALL THE DEALER. I'M NOW LEARNING THAT VOLKSWAGEN IS AND HAVE BEEN HAVING SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THEIR WINDOWS. THE DEALER DOESN'T WANT TO FIX IT FOR FREE AND I CALLED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOT-LINE FOR VOLKSWAGEN AND THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE EITHER. THEY BOTH ADMITTED TO ME THAT YES THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDOWS ON MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES.....UPDATED 07/23/15 *BF

SEAT BELT WILL NOT RELEASE FOR MORE ROOM, AND IT WILL CAUSE SEAT BELT TO CUT CONSUMER'S NECK, CAUSING DISCOMFORT FOR CONSUMER WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE IN "PARK" IN TWO OCCASIONS (CAR ACCELERATED AND JUMPED FORWARD WHILE BEING ON "PARK" AND WHILE DRIVER WAS BRAKING) . JAN 2002 LIMITED DAMAGES// JUNE 2002 SIGNIFICANT DAMAGES.*AK

PASSNGER SIDE COLLISION AT 15 MPH, AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. NO INJURIES, DAMAGE TO VEHICLE UNKNOWN.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED ON 4/16/01, AND THREE DAYS LATER DRIVERS SIDE BAGS DEPLOYED ALSO WITHOUT APPARENT REASON. *AK *YH

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE TRAVELING AT 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE IN FRONT SUDDENLY STOPPED AND CONSUMERS VEHICLE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE IN THE REAR BECAUSE BRAKES FELLED TO STOP PROPERLY. CONSUMER FEELS THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE RECALL 02 V 031 000 FOR THE ABS SYSTEM. CONSUMERS VEHICLE ID# WAS NOT INCLUDED.PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH AND WITHOUT COLLISION OCCURRING PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. AFTER INSPECTION OF VEHICLE, BLACK BOX INDICATED A CRASH CODE. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE REASON FOR DEPLOYED BAGS WAS THAT THE LATERAL MOTION LIMIT WERE EXCEEDED. *JG*AK IE04-078*PO

WHILE DRIVING, ONE OF THE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, THERE IS NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER TO THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE, CLAIM 55-S451-201. *SLC

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHILE IN PARK, RESULTING IN LIMITED PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PASSENGER INJURY. *TT

CAR SEAT HANDLE UNSNAPS AND BABY FALLS FORWARD. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK

AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ON SIDE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. NO DAMAGE DONE TO VEHICLE OTHER THAN SLIGHT SCRATCH ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE. IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT THE SCRATCH WAS THERE BEFORE OR AFTER THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. DEALER REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGE, AND THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

THE ENGINE DIED 3 TIMES AND IT WAS FIXED. THEN THE CRUISE WASN'T WORKING AND IT WAS FIXED. ALSO PERIODICALLY THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND BRAKE LIGHT BLINKS WHILE DRIVING, DEALER TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG FOUND. ON 12/31/2001 AFTER STARTING CAR ENGINE LIGHT WAS BLINKING, TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG, I ASKED THEM TO RECHECK IT MAYBE THE DASHBOARD IS DEFECTIVE(SHORT CIRCUIT).

I HAVE A 2001 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF WITH THE TDI ENGINE (ENGINE CODE ALH). LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ECU POWER RELAY ("RELAY 109"). SYMPTOMS ARE SUDDEN STALLING OF THE ENGINE WITH THE INABILITY TO RESTART FOR 3-5 MINUTES. THIS MORNING DURING MY MORNING COMMUTE MY ENGINE STALLED 4 TIMES, 3 OF WHICH WERE ON AN EXTREMELY BUSY FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS IS A KNOWN AND WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH THE TDI ENGINE. THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM (SEE HTTP://FORUMS.TDICLUB.COM AND SEARCH FOR "RELAY 109" FOR EXAMPLES). VOLKSWAGEN HAS RELEASED AN UPDATED RELAY WHICH FIXES THIS FAILURE MODE. LUCKILY I WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SO I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT AND INSTALL IT MYSELF. VW KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE... THE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING AND MAY NOT BE RESTARTED FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. LUCKILY THIS MORNING I WAS ONLY TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THE FIRST STALL HAPPENED. I RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND AFTER I WAS ABLE TO RESTART MY ENGINE AND CONTINUE ON, I GOT INTO THE RIGHT-HAND LANE, ASSUMING THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MPH, AND FORTUNATELY I WAS PREPARED TO STOP THE CAR SAFELY. THIS HAPPENS TO VWS WITH TDI ENGINES UP TO AND INCLUDING THE 2001 MODEL YEAR. THE OLD RELAY PART NUMBER IS 357906381A AND THE NEW REPLACEMENT IS 1J0906381A. THIS SITUATION MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED SERIOUS SINCE THE REPLACEMENT PART IS ONLY ABOUT $25 AND INSTALLATION TAKES LESS THAN 10 MINUTES, BUT I FEEL THAT IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *LA

WHEN CONSUMER GOT INSIDE OF VEHICLE AND TURNED ON ENGINE, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, BRUISING CONSUMER'S ARM, DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. *AK *YH

EXPERIENCE TWO EXHAUST SYSTEM FAILURES ON TWO DIFFERENT 01 TDI VW GOLFS. EXPERIENCED SEPARATION THE OF THE EXHAUST PIPE/DOWN PIPE ASSY AT THE WELD OF THE CAT EXIT. ONE CAR WITH 179800 MILES AND THE OTHER WITH 73000 MILES. AS A RESULT A STRONG EXHAUST SMELL WAS NOTICED IN THE CABIN DURING CITY DRIVING. BOTH CARS EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM WITHIN THE SAME WEEK. *TR

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE HIT A POTHOLE, AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN, CLAIM 28-3091-943. *SLC

DEALER REPORTED THAT TIMING BELT EXPLODED. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

MAIN AIRFLOW SENSOR WENT OUT 4 TIMES. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD COME ON, AND VEHICLE WOULD LOSE ALL POWER. POWER RELAY( RELAY109) WOULD SHUT DOWN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND INFORMED TO BRING IN VEHICLE.*AK