2011 Volkswagen Golf Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Engine › Diesel
  1
• Engine
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1146%
• 25k–50k
  521%
• 50k–75k
  417%
• 75k–100k
  28%
• 100k–150k
  28%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Volkswagen Golf owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Electrical Short caused catastrophic fire in engine compartment, suspected issue is a water leak due to faulty manufacturing. Leak was noted by Volkswagen repair facility and was to be inspected and repaired within 30 days

Driving on interstate at 70 mph with cruise control on when car suddenly slowed and warning lights began flashing. I slowed to 60 mph and within a minute the engine shut off and was almost rear ended by a semi truck before I could get to the shoulder of the highway. Engine would not restart and I was stranded on the highway. Had to have the vehicle towed by AAA back to my home. Used my Ross-Tech VCDS scanning tool to troubleshoot and found codes: P0087 (fuel rail system pressure too low), P020 (cylinders 1-4 injection timing), P1004-P1007 (torque difference cylinders 1-4). Examined fuel filter and fuel metering valve and found metal chips and particles in both places. Based on this evidence, the high pressure fuel pump has likely failed. My safety was put at risk when the failure occurred due to the sudden loss of power and subsequent near collision with a truck. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Golf. While driving 45 MPH, the contact noticed black smoke underneath the hood. The contact pulled over and observed flames. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who repaired the coil pack, harness wiring, and electronic control module. The vehicle caught fire twice after the repair. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Golf. Moments after parking the vehicle, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact indicated that the fire originated in the engine compartment; however, the cause of the fire was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000.

While exiting the off ramp of the highway at 1100 at night the car died and I was lucky enough to make it to the side of the road as traffic behind me was locking up their brakes and swerving to avoid a collision. After an expensive tow and finally getting the vehicle to the dealer I was told the high pressure fuel pump had exploded in the tank sending metal into the whole fuel system. I am told the repair bill will cost around $6500 to fix. This car has 54000 miles and I had received a letter from vw stating my high pressure fuel pump had an extended warranty a month prior however vw will not pay for the repair costs. The vw dealer told me they did a fuel sample test and the fuel did not have enough lubrication in it which caused the fuel pump to fail. …

2011 vw Golf tdi (diesel engine). After driving from rainy weather into freezing and snow conditions, the car was parked for several hours in a 50 deg. Garage. When the car was next started, it would struggle to start and stall out. I have read of several issues with the Volkswagen Golf tdi engines and know about condensation in the intercooler freezing, then thawing, causing water to build up in the intercooler piping. I removed the intercooler to engine intake pipe and drained about a cup of water and intercooler. If this water was drawn into the engine, it could have destroyed the engine. This is a well documented issue on several Volkswagen forums. My vehicle is not under factory warranty and does not qualify for any Volkswagen factory updates without significant cost to me.

My Golf tdi suffered a catastrophic failure of the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) causing my vehicle to stall in the middle of traffic. Luckily every warning light on my dash lit up about 30 seconds prior to complete failure allowing me to begin to merge from the left hand lane and coast with my hazards on to the right lane. From initial symptom to complete vehicle failure was less than 1 minute. Searching online this is a common failure, one that results in upwards of an $8000 repair.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine and the service engine soon warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that the inter-cooler had ice inside the hoses. The dealer repaired the inter-cooler with a new kit; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

Check engine and glow plug light came on, the car eventually would only run at around 50% power. After driving for another 20 miles it eventually shut down. Vw conducted a diagnostic and told me the hpfp was damaged and that debris made its way into the engine. Also the particulate filter and catalytic converter needed replacement. The car has 130K and has never had a gasoline incident. I expected the tdi to make it a lot longer than this.

I was entering an intersection at 10mph and halfway into the intersection, my car stalled and stopped. It slowly bumped the car in my rear. No injury or damage noted. I put the car in park, turned off the car and restarted it and drop it to the nearest parking lot. This is a vw Golf tdi 2011!

Engine complaints in other Golf years