Eight problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2013 Volkswagen Golf. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Volkswagen Golf based on all problems reported for the 2013 Golf.
I was driving down the freeway on the way to work at 75 mph when all of a sudden my epc went off in my 2013 volkswagon gti my entire car shut down (manual transmission) I lost all steering ability while on the freeway going 75 mph I couldn't get over to the shoulder due to loss of brakes due to entire car shutting down . I was almost smashed by a semi due to inability to steer my vehicle to total loss of power . I got the vehicle towed to a service shop they tell me that my timing chain had stretched and timing chain tensioner has failed, which caused significant damage to my engine . I bought the vehicle used and have taken meticulous car on it since I have owned it 3k oil changes ,proper oil ,proper, premium gas as notated milage based maintenance. The service center then notifies me that there was a class action lawsuit about failing timing chains and tensioners but when I called my local volkswagon dealership they told me it only covers up to125,000 miles but what I don't understand is that this issue almost cost me my life this is a known issue hence a class action lawsuit but to actually take care of the situation they refuse to do so I do enjoy the vehicle but I almost lost my life.
Misfiring after cold starts. After driving the car in freezing temperatures, problem sometimes happens when the car is allowed to sit and water in the intercooler melts. It may start fine, but then starts misfiring when pulling into traffic and creates dangerous merges. Misfire goes away in the first 30 seconds to 2 minutes or so of starting the vehicle. Several dealer complaints but they have so far refused to install their own TSB repair under warranty. The most recent dealer visit had them replace the anti-shudder valve. The problem reoccurred two days later.
Car shut off while driving on the freeway at a high rate of speed. Eps and check engine light came on. Luckily was able to pull over without hurting anyone. Local repair shop said it is the timing chain system.
The epc started coming on, it loses power and sometimes cuts off while I am driving. My speed slows down to 3 miles an hour.
On 5 Aug 2015, at approximately 9:00 pm, my 2013 vw Golf tdi suddenly died while driving down a major thoroughfare in lexington, ky. I narrowly escaped being hit by a tractor trailer in the rear end when the car died. I had previously put $20 worth of diesel fuel in the car earlier that morning so the car had been driven approximately 40 miles after fueling before the car suddenly died. After the car died, it would not restart so I had the car towed to the local vw dealer in lexington, ky. I went back to the dealer the next morning (6 Aug) and dropped off the key and explained to the assistant service manager (merritt) what had happened. I called the service dept back around 3:30 later that day to check on the status and was informed that the high pressure fuel pump (hpfp) had failed. They told me that they were still diagnosing the car to determine the extent of damage and what parts were going to need replaced. Since the hpfp is a known issue in the vw diesel models, he recommended that I call corporate vw of America and open a new case which I did and provided the case number back to the dealership. Yesterday (7 Aug), I got word from the dealership that the entire fuel supply system had metal shavings in it and that all major parts were going to need replaced, fuel pump, injectors, fuel lines, etc and that the estimated bill has going to be between 5-7 thousand dollars. Vw of America also contacted me yesterday and let me know that they had been in contact with the lexington dealership and told me that they would let me know by Monday, 10 Aug if they would cover the parts and labor past the warranty expiration date since the hpfp failure is a known issue on the Volkswagen tdi models. I will update this as I receive new information. I am retired military and a current federal government employee.
Driving in freeway traffic at around 35-40 mph. Prior,to this incident, car has been well maintained and trouble free. Engine died, subsequently power steering stopped working and I needed to steer vehicle to shoulder of road. I consider myself to be an experienced driver and was able to adjust to situation, concerned that a less experienced driver could have had an accident in the same situation.
When I turned the key to start the car , the dash lights flickered and turned dim. It sounded like it does when the car battery was dead but smoke started to come out from under the hood. As I left to get to the phone , flames started to come out of the hood. I got to a phone as soon as I could and called 911. The car was parked down the street from our house because of a snow storm. The fire department came and put out the fire but the car was destroyed.
After exiting the freeway, I was driving in stop and go traffic and the engine cut out without warning. I was unable to change lanes due to lack of power and power steering, so I tried to re-start the engine while coasting in the fast lane. The hud indicated that I had to put the car in park, so I stopped the car in the fast lane in order to do so. The engine started and I was able to drive away. The car was 6 weeks old at the time, and had about 1100 miles on the odometer.