2001 Volkswagen Golf Engine Problems

VW DEALER PERFORMED 2ND REQUIRED TIMING BELT/WATER PUMP CHANGE AT 154626 MILES, 5400 EARLIER THAN REQUIRED, AT APPROX 183600 MILES, 30K MILES LATER WATER PUMP FAILED UPON REMOVAL OF WATER PUMP FOUND PLASTIC IMPELLER SLIPPING / NOT ATTACHED TO METAL DRIVE SHAFT. AS A RESULT OF THE FAILED WATER PUMP, THE ENGINE OVER HEATED. DUE TO DEFECT HISTORY DID NOT INSTALL NEW VW MANUFACTURED WATER PUMP, PLASTIC/COMPOSITE IMPELLER,. REQUIRED AN AFTERMARKET OEM BUILT WATER PUMP, WITH METAL IMPELLER ASSEMBLY TO BE INSTALLED ON VEHICLE. THE REMOVED DAMAGE WATER PUMP IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10297722

Incident

Dec 18, 2009

Mileage

183,600 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10287317

Incident

Oct 10, 2001

Mileage

73,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED LOW POWER, ROUGH IDLING, AND HESITATION. THE CHECK ENGINE AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATORS REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE COIL PACK. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES WITH NO RESOLUTIONS. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY IS INOPERABLE AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

10246854

Incident

Jun 4, 2005

Mileage

90,000 mi

THE DEALERSHIP SOLD ME A VEHICLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IT HAS PROBLEMS WITH OIL LEAKS AND OIL CONSUMPTION (AS WELL AS OTHER PROBLEMS) EXPERIENCED WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNER. I RETURNED THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICING 4 DAYS AFTER PURCHASED AND HAVE MADE 8 REPAIR ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WILL BE RETURNED, FOR THE SECOND TIME, TO THE DEALERSHIP AND RESOLD TO ANOTHER UNSUSPECTING PERSON UNLESS IT IS PROPERLY NOTED TO AUTOCHECK AND CARFAX THAT IT IS A LEMON AND HAS BEEN BOUGHT BACK TWICE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239825

Incident

Aug 22, 2007

Mileage

88,001 mi

THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WENT ON, I HAD TWO HOSES REPLACED, AND WAS TOLD NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. HOWEVER, A DAY LATER, THE LIGHT WENT BACK ON. I WAS TOLD THE AIR FILTER NEEDED CLEANING AND ALL WAS WELL. A DAY AFTER THAT, THE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN, AND THE CAR WAS HAVING PROBLEMS AT IGNITION, IT WAS STALLING AND JUST TURNED OFF. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD IT NEEDED AN IGNITION COIL. THAT WAS FIXED. AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN! THE NEXT MORNING BEFORE THE DEALER OPENED, I TRIED TURNING ON THE CAR, AND NOW HAD A SECOND LIGHT THE EPC (ELECTRONIC CONTROL PANEL). THE CAR TURNED ON, BUT GEARS AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM WAS DOWN, AND I COULDN'T EVEN SWITCH GEARS. THAT WAS HARD TO GET IT ON A TOW TRUCK TO DRIVE IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THAT WAS REPLACED, AND AT THAT POINT I WAS TOLD OF A RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED FOR THE CAR, SO IT STAYED AT THE DEALER TO REPAIR THE RECALL. A RECALL I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT, BY MAIL OR OTHERWISE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT MOVED IN 2 YEARS, AND PRIOR TO THAT I LIVED WITH MY PARENTS. ANYTHING SENT TO ME TO EITHER ADDRESS, DOES GET TO ME. AFTER THE RECALL WAS FIXED, THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE SHOP FOR OVER 2 WEEKS AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WAS IS WRONG WITH IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

10193455

Incident

May 22, 2007

Mileage

73,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED WHILE CAR URGED/STALLED/SURGED/STALLED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO MECHANIC, CODED CATEGORY NON PERFORMANCE. CAT REPLACED WITH O2 SENSORS AT $900. LIGHT/ SURGED/STALLED AND RETURNED TO MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY. HE REPLACED GENUINE VOLKSWAGEN PLUGS, WIRES, AND IGNITION COIL. NO CRACKS WERE FOUND, BUT REPLACED ANYWAY AT $300. LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE, T AND REMAINED LIT WITHIN 40 MILES OF RESET, CODES CATEGORY, BANK 1. RAN ROUGH AND SMELLED OF RAW GAS ONCE LIGHT WENT ON. RECALL DID NOT COVER THIS MODEL ALTHOUGH THE FAILURE WAS IDENTICAL. ONLY 2.0 AEG MOTORS COVERED NOT 2.0 AZG TO 120000. QUIRKY OPERATION WILL RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. SELF LIMITING USE OF VEHICLE UNTIL PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED- O2 SENSORS AT $187 EACH X 2 IN EXHAUST WERE NEXT. *AK

NHTSA ID

10190346

Incident

Nov 1, 2006

Mileage

104,000 mi

MULTIPLE ISSUES REGARDING VEHICLE RELIABILITY: REPLACEMENT (TWICE) OF OIL TRANSMISSION LINES, REPAIR TO TURBO SYSTEM, AND NOW REPLACEMENT OF DIESEL "GLOW PLUGS", CABLING AND FAILURE OF STARTER MOTOR. *NM

NHTSA ID

10173821

Incident

Nov 15, 2006

Mileage

79,900 mi

COMPLETE FAILURE OF ENGINE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10151215

Incident

Dec 17, 2005

Mileage

99,500 mi

TURN SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING. THEY DO NOT COME ON AT ALL. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THERE WERE NO RECALLS. *AK THE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO A LEAKING RECIRCULATION VALVE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10106712

Incident

Dec 31, 2004

Mileage

44,642 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10087831

Incident

Aug 9, 2004

Mileage

50,800 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

10073170

Incident

Dec 12, 2003

Mileage

39,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10064091

Incident

Nov 16, 2003

Mileage

38,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10059993

Incident

Jan 2, 2004

Mileage

64,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10052479

Incident

Jan 6, 2004

Mileage

41,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10033102

Incident

Aug 15, 2003

Mileage

32,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10027067

Incident

Jul 25, 2003

Mileage

22,067 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10023186

Incident

Nov 15, 2002

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

NHTSA ID

770553

Incident

Nov 3, 2002

THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHILE MAKING A TURN, SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP OR DURING ACCELERATION FROM A STOP POSITION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON EIGHT OCCASIONS AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB

NHTSA ID

8017919

Incident

Dec 24, 2000

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

NHTSA ID

8001652

Incident

Jun 27, 2001

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).

NHTSA ID

756489

Incident

Nov 10, 2001

DEALER REPORTED THAT TIMING BELT EXPLODED. *AK

NHTSA ID

749559

Incident

Jul 31, 2001

ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *AK

NHTSA ID

745648

Incident

May 20, 2001