Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Volkswagen R32 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My vehicle started to develop a crank no start and intermittent stumble when idling at a light shortly after starting. I chalked it up to a possible fueling issue since I had lean codes. I replaced the fuel pump and filter with OE supplier parts. Within two months the crank no start situation returned. I began to research the concern and buried in a forum someone mentioned checking fuse 43 in the underhood fuse box. I went out to my car, removed the fuse and found that there was arcing on one of the legs and extending upwards into the fuse itself. I researched what the fuse is for on the VW service information page and it supplies power to the ignition coils. When I got home I removed the fuse box, opened it and found that the terminals for that fuse were slightly opened when compared to the rest of the box. …
Raw fuel spewing from leak detection pump (ldp) filter located under passenger side fender well. Charcoal canister, ldp, EVAP lines, & n80 valve all contaminated by raw fuel. Fuel entering EVAP system when high ambient temps are present. P026 recall was already performed (in 2012) but issue has come back. Contacted vwoa they said it's beyond the recall's 1 year 12,000 mile extended warranty and that they would not do anything to fix the issue. This is a fire hazard that could potentially lead to serious injury and/or death. Because vw knows about this issue they should be held accountable. Vehicle was driving in normal city traffic when I smelled raw fuel. Pulled over to see fuel spilling out of rear passenger fender well.
When certain driving conditions are accompanied by high ambient temperatures, the fuel tank ventilation valve May not remain fully closed. If this happens, liquid fuel May enter the fuel tank venting system and migrate into the evaporative system, saturating the carbon canister. Should this occur while driving, the vehicle May experience performance issues (I.e., vehicle jerking) and the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) in the instrument cluster could illuminate. Fuel could leak from the evaporative system leak detection pump filter. Consequence a fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, could lead to a vehicle fire.
I exited from a driveway at a riteaid to get to the light across the street, I have about 3/4 tank of gas and the odometer reads 175 miles, when I get to the my next destination, a drive thru, the fuel marker starts dropping fast and so does my odometer, it goes down to above 1/4 of a tank and my miles read 110 left, in a span of about 10-15 minutes. The vehicle was stationary in the drive thru except when moving
First minor incidents: my wife and I have been experiencing intermittent hiccups in power for a few weeks. No cels or indication of anything wrong otherwise. First serious incident: at highway speed (70mph) 30 minutes into a commute, the car loses power and throws the driver forward in the seat. Was able to finish the remainder of commute barely limping along with erratic throttle response, stalling, and stuttering. Upon arrival, notice smell of fuel and see fuel puddle behind right rear wheel. Vw roadside assistance would not respond due to report of fuel leak. Told to call fire dept -- fire dept responded. Aaa towed to dealer. After 19 days at the dealer, the car's entire fuel tank was replaced. A defect in the evaporative emissions system was reported as the cause. We were assured the vehicle was safe and the new system was redesigned. …
On October 27, 2008 I was traveling on one of the local highways, when I began to experience a loss in power, rapid misfire and hesitation in my 2008 vw R32. Prior to said date, I experienced the same faults several times, which I mentioned to my local service advisor. My local service advisor informed me that Volkswagen of America (vwoa) was aware of the wide-spread problem and was currently working on a solution. Currently, I have been working with my regional case manager from vwoa. However, the last time that I spoke with my regional case manager was on December 11, 2008. When I briefly spoke with my regional case manager from vwoa, he explained to me that the parts needed for repair of my R32 would soon be released. However, I received that same statement in October and November when I asked about the service status of my vehicle. …
2008 vw R32, the car would throw check engine lights all the time, the check gas cap light came on randomly days after last fill up, the car would randomly have lost of power or stall, takes 20 seconds after fill up to start and run properly, some times not start at all. The car first went in to a vw dealer September 3 2008 with 10599miles , the dealer could not find a fault for the check engine light they gave me the car back and they contacted vw technical support . Contacted me a few days later and said parts were ordered and will be in soon. September 12 2008 car taken back in for parts to be put on. The car runs OK but it throws a check engine light and random check gas cap lights again. The car has a hard time starting. January 6 2009 16,032 miles car taken back in for stalling, not starting, loss of power. …
This "hiccup" just started happening to me. I took the R32 on a road trip from miami up to northern florida (500 miles north of miami), and 30 miles into the trip this happened. We had just topped off the tank with 93 (girlfriend assured me she didn't fill it up with 87) so this couldnt have been the issue. I was driving at roughly 3,000 RPM's when the car would hiccup all on its own... ? I didn't even need to give it gas for this to happen. I have 14,000 miles on the car, and it got worse throughout the trip. The car even shut off on me 2 times while sitting at a traffic light. I'm scared that the car will shut off on me while on the highway which is a big threat to my life! Has anyone noticed this get worse when your tank is at full? I haven't had this happen to me again the 1 day I've been back in miami. I read some reply's on this topic and looks like vw has no official fix yet? …
My brand-new 08 vw makes severe hiccups on moderate acceleration when the outside temperature is above about 95 f. (sudden loss of power and come back up in short period of time.)have starting problem after the symptom, sometimes smell of gas from outside rear. The problem does not leave any error codes on computer, therefore dealers cannot fix or replicate problem. (usually takes about 30 min constant drive in the hot weather to have the symptom.) had numerous visit to a vw dealer but no fix. Always end up with my claim comments; "customer states..." and dealer states, "can not replicate the problem". I keep having the same problem since last year, only when outside is really hot (for california), above 95f. Total of 6-7 days I've had the same problem since last year.
1. Car was running fine till about little less than a month. On 10/13/08 put car in reverse and car was experiencing rapid fluctuations in rpms and engine would die when shifting to drive. Had difficulty in re-starting car. Put car in drive and felt jerky non-responsive acceleration with transmission banging and engine died again while driving. 2. Car died 4 times engine would stop while driving totally loss of power. Consequences are major safety concerns and possible accidents can occur from this malfunction 3. Brought into dealer, they could not reproduce problem & said they couldn't do anything. Gave car back & said they hoped it didn't happen again. No parts replaced. Car recently experienced this problem again 1/11/2009 & 1/12/2009.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Volkswagen is recalling approximately 5,000 my 2008 r32 (5th generation) vehicles. When certain driving conditions are accompanied by high ambient temperatures, the fuel tank ventilation valve May not remain fully closed.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank ventilation valve with an improved valve free of charge. The recall began on June 2, 2009. Owners May contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Fuel System complaints in other R32 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2008 Volkswagen R32?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2008 Volkswagen R32, 22% of the model year's 115 complaints. The component named most often is storage › auxillary tank (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Volkswagen R32 fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-093 (tank assembly, Mar 20, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Volkswagen R32 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 8,000 miles, and 88% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.