Golf IV / Jetta IV :: Engine Sounds Like Its Working Overtime / Car Stalls

I drive a 2003 Golf 2.0 manual. I've had this problem happen to me four times in my year-and-a-half of ownership -- once about three months ago and three times today.

Whether at highway or city speeds (60+ MPH or 30 MPH, respectively), power to the accelerator cuts out without warning. The engine briefly sounds like it's working overtime (but it could just be my foot on the accelerator pedal) and the tachometer needle struggles to stay at the RPMs. In a matter of seconds, the engine stalls and the needle gradually starts to fall. I can't tell you how dangerous of a situation this is to be in: 65 MPH on the highway with vehicles all around you, your car chokes, and you're losing speed.

The first time this happened to me three months ago, I had to hit my emergency lights and pull over to the highway shoulder. Turning the ignition off, then on, and attempting to start the car didn't work. I thought I was in trouble. Then I removed the key and tried it again. It was successful. I got to my destination (my parent's home) and they recommended I go see their regular mechanic for an inspection. He told me that the problem could be low fuel in the tank, as I did at the time. When the car's fuel tank is at a certain angle, the fuel pump doesn't pump fuel properly, messing up the whole combustion, and causing the car to stall. This explanation fit the situation I was in perfectly, as the fuel indicator had just come on when it occurred.

Today, the fuel indicator was just above the last 1/8 -- no fuel warning light -- and the car stalls three times (once on the highway to work, once on the highway home with no shoulders to pull over, and once on city road). I had prior experience about this and drive a manual, so I have attempted each time today to re-start the car while at speed. It was a scary situation the second time today: 9:30pm, dark, modest amount of cars on the road, on a twisty highway with no shoulders (California Highway 110 between Downtown and Pasadena) where each time you turn the ignition off, the headlights go out, the steering wheel goes stiff, and you're decelerating. Fortunately, I dropped only 25 MPH to 40 when I got the car running again when I remembered to remove the key first before re-starting.

Needless to say, rather than wait two days to get cheap gas at Costco (b/c I work tomorrow as well), I went to the 76 near my home and filled her up . Hopefully, this situation will not happen again, as I will be a lot more diligent about keeping gas in my tank.