2010 Volkswagen Jetta tdi sedan, automatic transmission. Vehicle stalls from start position, then catches and surges ahead, throwing driver's head back to the head rest. Car jumps ahead and could cause rear end collision to traffic in front.

- Panama City, FL, USA

On a 2 lane road attempting to pass a vehicle there was a sudden jerking and bucking of the car. For a moment there was no power to wheels. The actions threw me forward into the seatbelt. After a few violent seconds it regained power and I was able to pass the other vehicle. There is also harsh downshifting of the gears as I approach a stop. It is as if I have slammed on the brakes. This action also throws myself and passengers forward.

- Ramsey, MN, USA

I received the following priority 1 warning light: "transmission overheated: Stop! owners man, " after stopping in front of my residence to retrieve mail. This is the second time in a month I have received the warning (refer to ODI no. 10283957 for initial incident). I turned vehicle off and then on again several times but the warning light remained on. The vehicle had no acceleration in both drive and reverse while the warning light was active. The vehicle was towed to the nearest VW dealership and is currently undergoing diagnosis. As far as the initial incident on 9/13/2009, VW reported they could not find any problems with the vehicle, that no fault/error codes were found. Their remedy was to reset the basic settings and road test the vehicle - they kept the vehicle for 3 weeks. I had the vehicle back for 2 days before the second incident occurred.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

On Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, while traveling up a hill on an interstate highway at approximately 70-75 mph, my 2010 VW Jetta tdi (auto. Transmission) suddenly and without any warning flashed a "transmission overheat" warning light and I immediately lost power to the accelerator. Fortunately, I was able to get the vehicle to the highway shoulder without causing a major traffic incident. After turning the vehicle engine off and letting it site for a few minutes, I restarted the vehicle and had no additional malfunctions or warning lights. However, I did make an effort to keep the vehicle's speed at or below 70 mph. Based on similar reported incidents I researched on the web, I can positively confirm that my vehicle switched into neutral when I received the warning light. On Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, I brought the vehicle to the service department of the VW dealership where I had purchased it and was informed that the problem would be looked into.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA