2015 Volkswagen E-GOLF

ON AUGUST 28 2016 PRIOR TO CHARGING E-GOLF, CHARGING SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING THE DAMAGE ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND BATTERY. THE CAR WAS PARKED ON THE UCSD THORNTON PARKING LOT. AT THAT TIME CAR ODOMETER SHOWS 8727 MILES. VOLKSWAGEN DIDN'T (FAILED TO) INFORM ME ABOUT THE RECALL FOR THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROL CHARGING SYSTEM AND BATTERY CHARGING. NOT SURE IF THE SOFTWARE FOR THE BATTERY/CHARGING SYSTEM IS THE ONLY PROBLEM SINCE THE VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA STATE THAT BATTERY NEEDS TO BE INSPECTED, TESTED AND IF BROKEN FIXED OR REPLACED. SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN UNABLE TO START OR MOVE. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA TAKE THE CAR TO OXNARD THE ONLY AVAILABLE SERVICE CENTER FOR E-GOLF IN CALIFORNIA. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET SINCE THE AUGUST 29TH WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH THE BATTERY AND ELECTRICAL ISSUES.

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING ~40 MPH ON PUBLIC ROAD. REACHED DOWN TO PRESS "MODE" BUTTON TO LEFT OF SHIFTER TWICE TO SWITCH TO ECO MODE. PRESSED "POWER" BUTTON BY MISTAKE. TWO PRESSES OF POWER BUTTON CAUSES VEHICLE TO SHUT OFF, EVEN WHILE MOVING. VEHICLE SUFFERED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. WAS ABLE TO BRING VEHICLE TO A STOP THANKS TO LIMITED TRAFFIC, ENGAGED PARK, AND PRESSED POWER BUTTON TO RESTART VEHICLE. MODE AND POWER BUTTONS ARE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER, BOTH REQUIRE TWO BUTTON PRESSES TO EITHER ENGAGE ECO MODE (MODE BUTTON), OR ACTIVATE EMERGENCY VEHICLE SHUTOFF (POWER BUTTON). NOT ENOUGH DIFFERENTIATION IN FEEL TO DETERMINE WHICH BUTTON IS BEING PRESSED WITHOUT TAKING EYES OFF ROAD AND LOOKING DOWN AT SHIFTER CONSOLE.

AFTER THE VEHICLE IS DONE CHARGING USING THE J1772 PLUG (L2 OR L1 CHARGING), THE PLUG REMAINS LOCKED TO THE VEHICLE CHARGING INLET. PRESSING THE J1772 PLUG BUTTON DOES NOT RELEASE THE PLUG AS THE CAR MUST BE UNLOCKED USING A KEY TO RELEASE THE PLUG. IN A PUBLIC CHARGING LOCATION, ANOTHER EV DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE THE PLUG FROM MY CAR AND MAY HAVE BROKEN MY CAR IF I HAD NOT INTERVENED. I HAVE READ THAT OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS VEHICLE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE INLET DAMAGED BECAUSE THE PLUG STAYS LOCKED IN THE CAR DURING CHARGING AND AFTER CHARGING IS COMPLETE. ON A SEPARATE NOTE, AN ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE SAME CAR USED A PUBLIC L2 J1772 PLUG WITH A BROKEN LOCKING LATCH. WHEN HE REMOVED THE PLUG WHILE THE CAR WAS CHARGING, THERE WAS A LARGE SPARK WHICH JUMPED BETWEEN THE PLUG AND THE CAR. VW IS NOT FOLLOWING THE J1772 PROTOCOL AND THIS COULD LEAD TO SAFETY PROBLEMS IN THE CASE OF A BROKEN CHARGE PORT AND PERSONAL INJURY DUE TO SPARKING. PLEASE ASK VW TO CORRECTLY IMPLEMENT THE J1772 CHARGING PROTOCOL SO THAT PRESSING THE PLUG BUTTON AND/OR REMOVING THE PLUG STOPS CHARGING. PLUG LOCKING SHOULD ALSO BE DISABLED WHEN CHARGING IS COMPLETE.

I WAS DRIVING THE ALL-ELECTRIC CAR HOME FROM WORK ON A 3/4 CHARGE (~75 MILES REMAINING RANGE) WHEN I NOTICED TWO FAST, SPLIT-SECOND JERKING MOTIONS, ABOUT 30 SECONDS APART. WITHIN ANOTHER MINUTE, THE CAR'S DASH SYSTEM SOUNDED AN ALARM AND AN ERROR POPPED UP ON THE DASH SCREEN, SAYING "ERROR: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. STOP!" THE CAR EFFECTIVELY TURNED OFF, GIVING ME JUST A FEW SECONDS TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION - I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MPH - AND I WAS TRAVELING ON A TWO-LANE ROAD - FORTUNATELY NOT ON THE HIGHWAY - BUT THE CAR WENT FROM FULL DRIVE TO COMPLETE STOP IN JUST A FEW SECONDS. EFFORTS TO RESTART THE CAR (TURNING IT OFF AND ON) WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED BRIEFLY, AND THE ELECTRIC DRIVE TURNED OFF. THE DRIVER AIRBAG WAS DISABLED, IN ADDITION TO STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST, AND OTHER SAFETY FEATURES. THE WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY STATING "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE, STOP!" I ENABLED THE HAZARD LIGHTS, COASTED TO A STOP, AND PLACED THE CAR IN PARK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE ELECTRIC DRIVE WOULD NOT RESTART. VW 24-HOUR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A VW SERVICE CENTER.

I JUST EXPERIENCED THIS ERROR "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: STOP!" ON THE WAY HOME FORM SAN FRANCISCO TO OAKLAND THANKFULLY I WAS ALREADY OVER THE BAY BRIDGE. THE CAR JUST LOST POWER AND STOPPED. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED I PUT ON THE HAZARDS PUT ON THE BREAK AND TURNED THE CAR OFF I HAD TO DO ABOUT 5 ATTEMPTS TO TURN THE CAR OFF, WHILE STILL IN THE CAR I LOCKED THE CAR THEN RE OPENED IT WITH THE KEY FOB AND PUSHED THE START BUTTON THE CAR CAME BACK TO LIFE AND THE DASH READ "READY" IN GREEN. I WAS THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TODAY INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL TOMORROW NO POINT IN WASTING A DAY. THE ERROR "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: STOP!" HAPPENED AGAIN 3 TIMES EACH TIME I WAS ABLE TO TURN OF THE CAR WAIT AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN ALTHOUGH IT DROVE IT DEFINITELY FELT WRONG AND I KEPT IT UNDER 25MPH.

THE E-GOLF WAS IN MOTION ON A PEDESTRIAN ROAD, THE VEHICLE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. THEN, A MESSAGE DISPLAYED STATING SOMETHING LIKE "ERROR: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM." THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND ON AGAIN, YET NOTHING HAPPENED; IT COULD NOT BE RESTARTED, THE WINDOWS WOULDN'T ROLL DOWN, AND THE CAR HAD TO THEN BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN "NEUTRAL" FOR SAFETY. THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM WAS UNKNOWN. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER. THE SERVICE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND THEY CALLED VOLKSWAGEN FOR A SPECIALIST TO COME OUT. A SPECIALIST CAME ABOUT A WEEK LATER AND THE SPECIALIST ALSO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER, A WEEK LATER THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER CONCLUDED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR VIA VOLKSWAGEN (THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER CLAIMS THAT VOLKSWAGEN CALLED THEM AND TOLD THEM THAT).

I WAS DRIVING MY 5-MONTH OLD VW E-GOLF ON A CITY ROAD WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC AND TRAVELING ABOUT 35-40 MPH WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN MY ELECTRIC CAR SHUT OFF AND CAME TO A SHUDDERING STOP. IT FELT ALMOST LIKE ANOTHER CAR HAD HIT ME FROM BEHIND. THE ELECTRIC VW GOLF CAME TO SUCH AN ABRUPT STOP THAT THE CAR BEHIND ME NEARLY HIT ME. BUT, THEY WERE ABLE TO SWERVE AROUND ME. BUT MY CAR REMAINED STUCK IN THE ROAD AND WITH AN ELECTRIC FAILURE MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD. THE CAR WOULD NOT START OR EVEN MOVE. I WAS FRIGHTENED BY THIS INCIDENT. THE VW CAR DEALER WORKED ON THE CAR AND CONSULTED VW. VW STATED THAT IT WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE DRIVER HITTING THE START/STOP BUTTON BY ACCIDENT. BUT, I DID NOT PRESS THE BUTTON. THE VW DEALER WAS ABLE TO RE-SET ALL THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AND GET THE CAR RUNNING AGAIN WITHOUT FURTHER ERROR MESSAGES OR INCIDENTS. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN READING OF SIMILAR ONLINE REPORTS OF THIS ELECTRICAL MOTOR FAILURE HAPPENING WITH OTHER E-GOLF DRIVERS. I DO NOT BELIEVE VW HAS A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THEIR E-GOLF IS SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, AND THIS TYPE OF MID-TRIP FAILURE IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND INJURY/DEATH IF NOT FIXED BY VW. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS I HAVE READ ONLINE, THIS FAILURE WARRANTS A RECALL BY THE US GOVERNMENT. HERE IS A LINK TO THE OTHER REPORTS: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?7108546-DOH!-ERROR-ELECTRICAL-SYSTEM-STOP! HTTP://WWW.MYVWEGOLF.COM/FORUM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=12&T=422