Engine races when slowing down

Asked by greeneyez62 Jul 02, 2016 at 07:33 PM about the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with Premium and Nav

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2012 Jetta TDI which I purchased from new. I know her well and how
she drives. I have 92,000 miles on her and maintain her only at the VW
dealership. Over the last say...8 months, my engine races when I slow down. I
swear it's like someone is holding their foot on the gas and the engine just
races while I bring my Jetta to a slow stop. I have repeatedly taken my car to
the dealership to find out why she is doing this only to be told, nothing is
wrong with her (no codes and the like). My 100,000 mile warranty runs out
soon and I am afraid of not addressing something that could potentially cost
me some big bucks if not addressed. I would really appreciate any input on my
situation.

5 Answers

45,175

can you provide a bit more info about the car? such as enigne size is it a turbo and such. also when was the last time the glow plugs were done? try getting your car to repeat this problem and record it on your phone or a camcorder. this could be caused from excessive carbon build up in the engine. have the throtle body checked for signs of damage as well. are there any out of the normal sounds during regular operation? such as rattling ticking and the like?

She is a 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbo diesel. The glow plugs were replaced last year. There are no abnormal sounds at all when driving. If I am driving for example 55 mph and I go to slow down...the engine starts to rev like it's racing. I have tried to tell the dealership that this is not something that I have ever experienced since I purchased her however, they tell me everything checks out. I will take her in this week or next if I can and ask them to check the throttle body. If there is excessive carbon build up in the engine, is there something I can do to address it or is that something only the shop can take care of?

45,175

Normally if its left to long its something only a shop can handle as after a certain amount of time it gets so bad that only a chiseled can get it off. This is a automatic right ? there is a possibility the trany fluid is low or there might be a trany issue. its entirely possible the transmission is disengaging or lowering gear when it shouldn't be often cause by low fluid levels. so have them check the fluids while your in. And just so you know vw does and can decarbon the engine but it is costly since they have to tear down the engine to do it. in most cases tho it is good to be done. the 2L shouldnt have a turbo so that wouldnt be the issue which is what i thought might cause the issue. The only other thing i can think of is maybe reseting hte computers for the trany and main ecu. it might correct the issue if its jsut a bug in the system.

Best Answer Mark helpful

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my query. You definitely have given me some things to think about and questions to ask the dealership. I've read some really bad reviews on the VW Jetta's however from my own personal experience, it is one of the best vehicles I have ever owned.

45,175

yea i owned a 98 audi for 7 years before i bought my jetta but i rushed into a car that was subpar at best the dealership already sunk 10k into my car in the last year that i have owned it on warranty repairs. i got a simalur one to you jsut with the gas 2.5L engine. Overall i think its a good car but i just bought a lemon and they refused to take it back and short sticked me with it so i been making them pay for it they already lost what i payed for it so i think i came out ahead :P any wyas keep me posted

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