I have a 2001 jetta vr6 68k. my problem is that my car will lose electrical power and just shut off SOMETIMES. It doesn't hessitate it just stops. I turn the key off and turn it forward to the accessories position I can hear a bunch of clicking and everything is dim as if the battery is dead I wait no more than 30 seconds and it all comes back on with a full charge and starts right up. I can tell it's going to happen because the headlights will kind of flicker along with the dash lights. when I notice the flickering i can cause it to stall by holding all 4 power window switches up with the windows up. this creates enough of a power drain to amplify the problem but even the window thing doesn't always kill the car. It doesn't do this on a regular basis. but it does happen and I am affraid that next time it won't come on. I've noticed that the duration, from when it dies to when it regains it's electrical power, is getting longer and longer. where should I start looking? relays, control modules, ecu?

 

You have a short somewhere. That has to be the weirdest problem I've heard so far. I had a car that did that, was a 93 dodge shadow, and the MAP (Mass Air Pressure) sensor would shut it off while driving. Sounds like yours is more of a voltage problem. I fixed my sensor and it the car never shut off while driving. I guess just start testing wires around your ECU, good place to start. Any Engine codes??

 

I wondered about a ground. why would the car come back to life so quickly though and just start right up as if i had shut it down my self? the battery stays charged as well. is there a control module of some sort that can be on its way out.