Big problems with the brand new Passat. . .anyone have any ideas?

[kraynek]

My mom bought a 2003 Passat GLX V6 this past spring. Lately, it has been jerking violently at highway speeds. Here are all the details:
1) It jerks at about 3.5 mile increments
2) The jerking has been happening at 60 - 70 mph, but mostly because that's the only speed at which it's been driven in the past few days. The jerk feels like being rear-ended
3) At each "Jerk," the RPM's surge, almost as if the car downshifted
4) The auto shift light will flash and click when the car jerks


The details are a little spotty, but that's because i've been getting them over the phone as the trip's been going on. The car has been doing this for a few months, and has just recently gotten a lot worse. It was at the dealer a few weeks ago for the problem, and a transmission computer was replaced, fixing nothing. Another, seemingly irrelevant problem was that the car wouldn't start (cranked but wouldn't turn over) last week.

Let me know if you've seen any problems like this or have any ideas as to what it could be. Feel free to ask any questions to clear up the hole in the description.

Mike

[Fauvay]

Mike, a faulty O2 sensor could be a problem. If the oxygen readings are off, then the engine could get an offset fuel:air ratio. They should have that checked. If a new computer was installed and the sensor is bad, a new compter won't fix the problem.

Post this on ClubB5 as well to ellicit some thought.

Ian