VW currently under investigation by the NTSB

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Volkswagen Auto Group is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a possible problem relating to their fuel pump and should the government agency find it to be faulty, the German automaker could be variety of popular vehicles.
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This investigation is based around 2009 and 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, Golf and Audi A3 models equipped with the 2.0L TDI diesel engines. The NHTSA has received around 160 complaints of power loss and stalling problems - one of which has resulted in an accident. The biggest problem is that about half of the complaints were based on issues that occurred while traveling at highway speed when the vehicle had a sudden, substantial loss in power or in the worst cases the vehicle would stall and not start back up.

According to the investigation report, the complaints state that the high pressure fuel pump used by the 2.0L TDI failed, causing a loss of fuel and contamination of the fuel system. After receiving 5 complaints directly (and another 100+ from Volkswagen), the NHTSA upgraded their investigation to "an engineering analysis" - which can often lead to a recall of the vehicles under investigation.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LAO8FO0.htm
 
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This issue has been well documented at tdiclub. From what I read over there when researching the latest TDI's, it appears that a part wasn't spec'd correctly for the US market diesel, and is grenading due to among other things, a presumed lack of lubricity in US ULSD.

I also read that some dealers were blaming "mis-fueling" as the root cause, when no evidence of mis-fueling was found and the failure was not typical of a mis-fueling.

That's what I remember from my readings over there when researching the TDI as a possible Buick replacement down the road. Please correct me if I'm in error!
 
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Hope they fix the problems and make the owners whole. I would hate to see US drivers soured on diesel again like they were with the GM 350 diesel.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
is that basically what they call an injector pump?


I think so ya. Sounds like the high pressure pumps on Powerstrokes.
 
Originally Posted By: MrCritical
If the pump failed, what was contaminating the fuel system?

Metal shavings.
 
Recall may be coming, and a black eye for VW. I can't wait to see the results when the NHTSA finds out most of the "mis-fuelings" weren't.
 
oddly, my J was in at 25K and 30K for a strange shuddering at some throttle settings and an outright kill in a best buy parking lot. but it restarted. they told me, that they drove a few more '10s and they behaved similarly? wth?

and there was no misfueling, aside from that the dealer gave me when I got it, only I have ever pumped fuel into it.
 
Its what happens when an automaker denies denies denies warranty claims, regardless if some were or were not legit.

So, I guess if your diesel fuel doesn't have a BIG ASTM STAMP OF APPROVAL, you can't use it. Too funny. VW better list EVERY approved diesel refilling station in the country so we don't make mistakes.
 
This is typical of Volkswagen. Components in the system just seem to be incorrectly specified. Many people jump to the idea that it's because of some North American anomoly but the truth is things on these cars could be changed to resolve issues.

Most pictures I've see of vehicles with failed pumps have shown excessive water in the fuel and rust in the filter housing. Why are these cars the only ones getting wet fuel and not the older models and other brands? My theory is that the heat created by the incredibly high pressure injection system is causing condensation in the tank. This is a vehicle specific issue and not really a diesel fuel issue.

Rust comes from components made of ferrous steel installed on the fuel quantity sender in the tank and also the filter housing is manufactured from ferrous steel which shows rust quite easily. Small amounts of water are producing rust sediment. I'd personally choose a differnt material for the production of these two components to cut down on the rust in the system.

Also, VW didn't bother putting a water separator on the fuel system of these new engines. I think that should be a mandatory item.

Another issue not mentioned here is condensation accumulating in the intercooler from the moisture in the exhaust. The low-pressure EGR routes exhaust fumes back into the intake system which is causing water accumulation in the intercooler. When the air temperature drops below freezing the water in the intercooler freezes and completely blocks the intake charge air. Another hassle for the owners to contend with.

I often wonder if VW even bothers testing their vehicles before putting them on the street. I personally use a lubricity additive at every fill-up on my common-rail TDI and I also add a additive to solubilize any water in the system to get it to pass through without accumulating and puddling at the low points in the system.

The argument about fuel lubrication being the cause of the high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) is a far stretch in my opinion. The basis for this argument is the fact that European fuel generates a wear scare on the high frequency reciprocating rig (HFRR) test equipment the size of 460µm and the fuel sold in North America creates a wear scare of 520µm. These are averages of course and I find it hard to believe that a difference this miniscule could cause the type of damage and expense that is being experienced by clean-diesel equipped Volkswagen cars.

These engines are fantastic.. but they're not without their flaws.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Also, VW didn't bother putting a water separator on the fuel system of these new engines. I think that should be a mandatory item.


huh? you might wanna view under your hood, or in lieu, these pics might help. please note, fuel that heads to the high pressure pump CANNOT return to the tank, but rather the filter housing.
 
I've been in and out of it a dozen times QuadDriver. There is no water separator on the housing.

The fuel does return to the tank after passing through the filter housing. This is why it is so incredibly expensive to repair a vehicle that has had a pump failure. The entire system from the fuel tank to the injectors gets replaced because of particle contamination.

Here's a quote from page 38 in the technical study guide:

"The fuel delivered by the Auxiliary Fuel Pump V393
acts in opposition to the piston and the piston spring
of the overflow valve. With a fuel pressure over
62 psi (4.3 bar), the overflow valve opens and clears
the way to the fuel return. The excess fuel flows
through the fuel return into the fuel tank."
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
I've been in and out of it a dozen times QuadDriver. There is no water separator on the housing.



ok. Ill stop doing the drain procedure each maint interval then. that should save me some time.
 
By drain procedure I am guessing that you have the '09 - '11 model with the filter housing with the top mounted screw?

Just curious but are you using the VCDS to prime the system after filter replacement (or any time you open the system)?

And one other question.. are you using any additive and if so, which one?

Thanks. I am not trying to be argumentative on this topic. I am actually trying to gather enough data to make a presentation to Volkswagen and hopefully get some changes to the system.
 
FowVay said:
By drain procedure I am guessing that you have the '09 - '11 model with the filter housing with the top mounted screw?

Just curious but are you using the VCDS to prime the system after filter replacement (or any time you open the system)?

And one other question.. are you using any additive and if so, which one?
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