2008 Volkswagen Passat Engine Problems

Your timing chain broke while you were driving on the interstate, causing your engine to fail completely at 160,000 miles. This is a serious problem that left you stranded. The repair will likely require replacing the timing chain and potentially other engine components that may have been damaged when the chain broke.

Your engine is suddenly revving and speeding up on its own without you pressing the gas pedal, making the steering harder to control. Your check engine light comes on when this happens, but the problem stops when you turn the car off and restart it—though it may happen again later. The dealer says the engine computer (ECM) needs to be replaced to fix this issue.

During routine service, a mechanic found that your engine's timing chain has significant wear and is likely to fail soon, even though your vehicle only has 75,000 miles. You've discovered that other Volkswagen owners are experiencing the same problem, and Volkswagen has refused to help with repairs. A timing chain failure can cause sudden engine damage and loss of power while driving.

MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT ENGINE CUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING, IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF I WAS ON THE EXPRESS WAY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON A CITY STREET AND WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

I BOUGHT A USED 2008 VW PASSAT KOMFORT WAGON. AFTER BUYING THE VEHICLE WHILE DOING RESEARCH ON THE WEB COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE CAR HAS A BAD CAM FOLLOWER BAD CAM SHAFT AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. VW KNOWINGLY SELLS THIS VEHICLE WITH AN INTERNAL ENGINE ISSUE TO CUSTOMERS WHEN THE ENGINE COULD BLOW UP AT ANY TIME CAUSING SEVERE SAFETY ISSUES.

UNEXPECTED ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO TIMING FAILURE

RECALL FOR THE FOLLOWING: NO PART IS AVAILABLE TO FIX THIS AS OF YET. THE VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD. I WANT TO SELL IT. ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THERE COULD BE AN INTERRUPTION IN ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE. THIS COULD RESULT IN THE FUEL PUMP RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY, RESULTING IN A DRAINED BATTERY AND/OR A NO START CONDITION, OR CAUSE A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH CAUSING INJURY AND/OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. RECALL STATUS RECALL INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE REMEDY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP CONTROL MODULE AND RELOCATE IT WITHIN THE VEHICLE. SAFETY RISK DESCRPITION A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH CAUSING INJURY AND/OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE BEING DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V509000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT WAS GUARANTEED COMPENSATION, BUT ONLY IF THE MECHANIC USED VOLKSWAGEN MANUFACTURED PARTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED CAUSING EXTENSIVE ENGINE DAMAGE RESULTING IN A REPAIR ESTIMATE OF 4500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND ALL POWER WAS LOST. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED BEFORE OR AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING 50MPH, THE INTERNAL TIMING BELT BELT AND TENSIONER BROKE IN THE ENGINE AND I LOST ALL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HAD TO PULL OVER DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE TIMING BELT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE MOTOR ACCORDING TO VW WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY NOT TRUE. SEVERE SAFETY HAZZARD. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO VW DEALERSHIP AND AFTER TAKING THE ENGINE APART THAT IS THE DIAGNOSIS THEY GAVE ME.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT IT FAILED TO REMAIN ON. THE CONTACT WAS CLOSE TO HOME AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE BACK INTO HER DRIVEWAY. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED SINCE IT WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V509000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL A DEALER. THE LOW COUNTRY VOLKSWAGEN DEALER (1001 JOHNNIE DODDS BLVD, MT PLEASANT, SC 29464 (843) 881-8555) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL DECEMBER OR JANUARY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOTICED A LOSS OF POWER WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT ON. WHEN I COMPLETED THE TRIP, I FOUND THAT THE CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER HAD WORN ALL THE WAY THROUGH, LEAVING METAL FRAGMENTS INSIDE THE ENGINE. THE CAMSHAFT HAD WORN AWAY AT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, WITH DAMAGE OCCURRING TO BOTH PARTS. WHAT WAS ADDRESSED IN TECHNICAL BULLETIN 2015153 HAPPENED TO MY CAR AS WELL. THE ISSUE IS THAT VW DENIED TO HELP BECAUSE MY CAR WAS A 2008 MODEL YEAR, WITH A PRODUCTION DATE IN JANUARY OF 2008. THE RECALL AND WARRANTY EXTENSION APPLIED TO MODEL YEAR 2006-2007, BUT BECAUSE THE SAME EXACT FAILURE HAPPENED ON MY CAR IT SHOULD BE COVERED ALSO.

ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO CAM SHAFT, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, OIL PUMP, CAM SHAFT FOLLOWER. LOUD NOISE AND ROUGH SOUNDING ENGINE. CONSTANT WARNING LIGHT OF "STOP! LOW OIL PRESSURE" PROBLEMS SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL TO THE 07 ENGINE THAT WAS RECALLED.

MY VEHICLE (2008 VW PASSAT) STARTED HAVING ACCELERATION ISSUES AND WOULD ONLY GO UP TO 40 MPH AS WELL AS ALSO HAVING A ROUGH START UP WHEN TURNING MY CAR ON. I PROCEEDED TO TAKE IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THIS LOOKED AT AND AT FIRST THEY CLAIMED THAT I NEEDED A NEW HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WHICH WOULD COST ME AROUND $700. LATER IN THE DAY, I RECEIVED A CALL BACK TELLING ME THAT MY INTAKE CAMSHAFT WAS BROKEN AND THAT THEY COULD NOT MAKE THE REPAIR WITHOUT REPLACING THIS AS WELL. NOW MY TOTAL WAS UP TO $2000. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH AND CALLING AROUND TO COMPARE PRICES, I TALKED TO A REPAIRMAN THAT HAD TO REPLACE HIS CAMSHAFT IN THE SAME YEAR VW CAR BECAUSE OF SIMILAR ISSUES. I FOUND THAT MY MODEL 2008 VW PASSAT WAS BUILT WITH A FAULTY INTAKE CAMSHAFT REVISION B WHICH WAS FOUND TO BE ABRASIVE AND CAUSING FRICTION WITH THE FUEL PUMP. SINCE 2008 VW FOUND A SNEAKY WAY TO REPLACE THIS WITH A REVISION A CAMSHAFT AND NOT RECALL THE PREVIOUS PART, WHICH HAS NOW, OVER TIME CAUSED MY $2,000 PROBLEM AND COULD HAVE PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK OF AN ACCIDENT DUE TO ACCELERATION ISSUES. I GUESS THIS REPAIR WOULD HAVE FALLEN UNDER MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, WHICH HAS SINCE EXPIRED, BUT MOST CAR ISSUES TAKE LONGER THAN THE WARRANTY PERIOD ANYWAYS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHICH OCCUR OVER TIME WITH FAULTY PARTS. I HAVE TALKED TO VW AND THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME AND THERE IS NOT AN OPEN RECALL ON THIS PART AND NEVER HAS BEEN. THE ISSUE WAS JUST PUSHED UNDER THE RUG, HOPING TO BE IGNORED FOREVER. UNTIL NOW, I WILL NOT ALLOW OTHER TO SUFFER WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH NOW AND VW HAS A BAD REPUTATION WITH BEING DISHONEST RIGHT NOW SO WHY WOULDN'T THEY HIDE YET ANOTHER ISSUE? PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME AND PROVIDE ME WITH FURTHER STEPS TO TAKE ACTION. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED WHILE DRIVING AND I BROUGHT TO SERVICE STATION WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD FAILED DUE TO THE TENSIONER. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT VW HAS KNOWN ABOUT SINCE THE EARLY 2000'S. *TR

2ND IGNITION.COIL FAILURE IN 1 MONTH PERIOD.

OEM IGNITION COILS (06F905115F) SEEM TO HAVE A DESIGN FLAW. CHANGED ONE AND NOW ANOTHER ONE HAS WENT BAD. CAR LOST SOME OF ITS POWER WHEN ON THE INTERSTATE. THERE WAS RECALL FOR EARLIER YEAR MODELS OF THE SAME VEHICLE. HOWEVER THE 2008 MODEL IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALLS.

SOMETIMES VEHICLE STALLS UPON STARTING AND THEN WILL RESTART. THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES SHAKES AND SPUTTERS AND THEN STALLS WHILE STOPPED. ALSO, MANY TIMES CAR WILL STALL WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING SOMETIMES AT HIGH SPEEDS WITH NO WARNING AND HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO STALLING IN MIDDLE OF ROAD OR HIGHWAY. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING WELL OVER A YEAR.

STARTED THE CAR/ENGINE IN THE MORNING AND MIL CAME ON ROUGH START WITH RATTLING IN ENGINE BAY. BROUGHT TO VW DEALERSHIP. THEY INDICATED THE OIL SCREEN IN FRONT OF THE CHECK VALVE IN THE CAM SHAFT POSITIONER BRIDGE "HAS COME APART LODGING ITSELF BETWEEN THE CAMSHAFT ADJUSTER [VALVE] AND INTAKE CAMSHAFT ADJUSTER." IT APPEARS THIS IS A RECOGNIZED PROBLEM FOR 2009 AUDI A3, A4, TT PER TSB 15-11-21. HOWEVER, THE ISSUE IS NOT RECOGNIZED FOR OTHER (VW) VEHICLES WITH SAME ENGINE GROUP. THOUGH I UNDERSTAND THE OTHER COMPLAINTS BELOW ARE ANECDOTAL WITH REPAIRS RANGING FROM $700 TO $4,000 DEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF INTERNAL DAMAGE, I COULD NOT FIND ANYONE RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE REGARDING CAUSES AND OCCURRENCES THAT MAY ELEVATE THIS PROBLEM TO A RECALL: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?7118356-MISFIRE-AND-CAM-CRANK-CORRELATION-ERROR HTTP://WWW.EXCELERATEPERFORMANCE.COM/NEWS/2-0T-TSI-TIMING-CHAIN-TENSIONER HTTP://FORUMS.ROSS-TECH.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5312-CCTA-TSI-VALVE-ACTUATOR-PROBLEM/PAGE2 HTTP://WWW.GOLFMK6.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=AA587752110817FA3F1148944194E2BC&T=60320&PAGE=2

ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A LOUDER THAN USUAL SOUND. THERE WERE NOT ANY CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE GARAGE AND WAS TOLD THAT MY CAMSHAFT FOLLOWER WAS WORN COMPLETELY THROUGH CAUSING DAMAGE TO CHAIN AND PUMP. NEED TO REPLACE FUEL HIGH PRESSURE PUMP, CAMSHAFT, TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER CAM FOLLOWER AND VACUUM PUMP. LUCKILY I GOT IT TO THE GARAGE BEFORE EVEN MORE DAMAGE OCCURRED AND THE ENGINE JUST STOPPED.

ENGINE WOULD SHUT OFF WITHIN 1-90 SECONDS AFTER STARTING, THEREBY DISABLING ALL ACCESSORIES INCLUDING POWER STEERING & BRAKES, CAUSING LOSS O CONTROL OF VEHICLE, SOMETIMES WHILE AT HIGH SPEED ON HIGHWAY. DIAGNOSED BY LOCAL SHOP AS A FAILURE OF THE CAM FOLLOWER, WHICH WORE THROUGH, IN TURN CAUSING FAILURE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, AS WELL AS SCORING OF THE INTAKE CAMSHAFT, NECESSITATING REPLACEMENT OF ALL THREE COMPONENTS.

WARNED BY OTHER OWNERS OF 2006-08 PASSATS, I INSPECTED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, CAM, AND CAM FOLLOWER FOR ABNORMAL WEAR. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) CAM FOLLOWER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A FLAW REQUIRING WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 120,000 MILES ON THE 2006-2007 MODELS. THIS FAULT CAUSES FAILURE OF THE CAM FOLLOWER AND THE FUEL PUMP SHAFT WEARS INTO THE CAMSHAFT CAUSING LOSS OF FUEL/SPEED, ACCELERATION, OR ENGINE POWER UPON FAILURE. MY VEHICLE EXHIBITS IDENTICAL EARLY WEAR AND FAILURE AS 2006-07 MODELS, THOUGH VW REFUSES TO EXTEND WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR 2008 CARS. FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF 2008 VEHICLES WITH THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY SEVERAL AFFECTED OWNERS IN THIS MATTER AND IS UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS FLAW RECOGNIZED IN 06-07 VEHICLES EXTENDS INTO SOME 2008 VEHICLES AND IS DENYING COVERAGE OF THIS SAFETY/EMISSIONS ISSUE. VW CUSTOMER CARE HAS DENIED ANY FLAW OR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 2008 2.0T OWNERS DESPITE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR PRIOR MODEL YEARS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

THIS "CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED" VEHICLE HAS CONSISTENTLY PERFORMED DANGEROUSLY AND UNRELIABLY SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED. THE CAR WOULD NOT START ON SO MANY OCCASIONS THAT WE LOST COUNT. WHEN THE CAR WOULD START, IT WOULD CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING IT DOWN THE ROAD, COMING OFF OF EXIT RAMPS, AND ON BUSY HIGHWAYS, NOT EVEN GIVING THE DRIVER AN OPPORTUNITY TO PULL OVER. THE ENGINE WOULD REV AT UNEXPECTED TIMES, CAUSING THE CAR TO WANT TO MOVE FORWARD EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE WAS BEING DEPRESSED. THE CAR WOULD WANT TO MOVE FORWARD AT STOP LIGHTS, IN TRAFFIC, AND IN PARKING GARAGES. THE ENGINE WOULD ALSO RUN LOUDLY AND AT A VERY HIGH RPM ANY TIME THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ON. THESE CONCERNS WERE REPORTED TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. WE HAVE EMAILS FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER SAYING THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. IT WOULD CUT OFF AND REQUIRE TOWING THE SAME DAY IT WAS BOTH DROPPED OFF AND PICKED UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS VERY REASON. THE VEHICLE IS NOW PARKED AT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT IS COMPLETELY UNDRIVEABLE. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA. THEIR SOLUTION IS TO ALLOW THE CAR TO GET REPOSSESSED, AND THEY WILL GLADLY SELL US ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS IS OUT OF THE QUESTION. PAYMENTS CONTINUE TO BE MADE ON THE CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 165,000.

SMELLED SMOKE IN CABIN OF CAR STOPPED CAR ON INTERSTATE I-4. SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER HOOD. LIFTED HOLD TO SEE OIL ALL OVER ENGINE AND EXHAUST. HAD TOW TO DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED AS A REAR MAIN SEAL DEFECT DUE TO NOT BEADING THE SEAL AT THE FACTORY. FIRE HAZARD!!!!!!!! *TR

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED AT 42K MILES IN MAY 2010. THE VW DEALERSHIP HAD CHANGED OIL AT THE TIME OF MY PURCHASE. ALMOST EXACTLY 4 WEEKS LATER I CHECKED MY OIL AND NONE REGISTERED ON THE DIPSTICK. IT REQUIRED AN ENTIRE QUART OF OIL TO BRING BACK TO ACCEPTABLE FILL LEVEL. CALLING VW THEY STATED THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH OIL TO EVEN CONSTITUTE AN OIL TEST. THEY STATED THAT THIS FSI MOTOR CAN BURN UP TO 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 1200 MILES AND WILL STILL BE WITHIN THE MFR ACCEPTABLE LIMITS. THIS MEANS IN THIS 2.0T 4 CYL MOTOR IT CAN BURN OVER 6 QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, WHICH IS MORE THAN IT CAN HOLD. A QUART OF FULL SYNTHETIC OIL CASTROL BRAND AS REQUIRED IS OVER $9, THIS IS NOT COST EFFECTIVE AND INFURIATING. I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER VW BECAUSE OF THIS EXPERIENCE AND RECOMMEND ANYONE ELSE NOT TO AS WELL. VW OFFERED NO OPTIONS REPAIRS OR FIXES AND I FOOT THE EXPENSIVE OIL HABIT. WHO BUYS A CAR THAT KNOWINGLY BURNS AND BREAKS DOWN FULL SYNTHETIC OIL? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE OIL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ADDED OIL TO THE VEHICLE BUT THE ENGINE REFUSED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE TIMING BELT AND THE HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

MY TIMING CHAIN JUMPED TIMING AT 74K MILES. THIS CAUSED THE PISTONS TO HIT THE VALVES AND CAUSED $6K WORTH OF DAMAGE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THERE WAS NOTHING PREVENTATIVE I COULD HAVE DONE. THEY ACTUALLY CONTACTED VW TO SEE WHAT THEY WOULD DO TO HELP WITH THIS ISSUE. INITIALLY, THEY OFFERED TO CONTRIBUTE $1,000 TOWARD REPAIRS. I CONTACTED VW BECAUSE I SAW 2 SEPARATE SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS MODEL REGARDING THE TIMING JUMPING. MY TIMING JUMPED DUE TO A FAULTY TENSIONER. WHEN I SPOKE WITH VW, THEY DIDN'T EVEN OFFER THE $1,000 ANYMORE AND SIMPLY GOT THE DEALERSHIP TO REDUCE REPAIRS BY 15%, THIS WAS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE CONSIDERING A) THEIR TENSIONERS ARE FAULTY AND ARE CAUSING CONSUMERS TO SPEND OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON REPAIRS B) THIS IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR-AND-TEAR REPAIR FOR THE AGE AND MILEAGE OF THE CAR, PER THE DEALERSHIP. THE FAILURE OF THE TENSIONER CAUSES A JUMP IN TIMING WHICH IMMOBILIZES THE CAR, WHICH IS DANGEROUS IF THE CAR IS OPERATING AT THE TIME. IT IS COSTLY BECAUSE IT CAUSES SIGNIFICANT ENGINE DAMAGE. SEE SERVICE BULLETIN NO.: TB-15-12-01 SERVICE BULLETIN NO.: TB-15-11-04 . *TR

CAR WAS SERVICED AT THE DEALER AT 90K MILES. WHILE DRIVING LOCALLY ONE MONTH AFTER THE SERVICE, THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO START, IDLED ROUGH, SPUTTERED WHILE TRAVELING, AND BUCKED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SLIPPED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BREAK. THE TIMING CHAIN IS NOT SUGGESTED TO BE REPLACED UNTIL 110,000 MILES. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THERE IS A FAULTY ENGINE COMPONENT (TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER) THAT VW IS AWARE OF, BUT REFUSES TO LET CUSTOMERS KNOW ABOUT. PLEASE GOOGLE TSB 15 12 01, DATED JULY 23, 2012 WHICH IS A SERVICE BULLETIN RELEASED BY VW DETAILING THE FAULTY COMPONENT. THIS FAULTY COMPONENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE A MAJOR ROAD HAZARD DUE TO AN UNCONTROLLABLE VEHICLE. *TR

WHILE PARKED IN THE LOT, THE ENGINE AREA CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED THE FRONT HALF OF THE CAR BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT IT OUT. *TR

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT CAUSES ENGINE TO WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING INSTEAD OF IDLE WHILE FOOT ON BRAKE AND GEAR IN DRIVE. RPMS BETWEEN 8-10K. APPEARS TO HAPPEN IN HOT AFTERNOONS WHEN AIR IS ON FULL BLAST. WHEN BRAKE IS ENGAGED THERE IS ENORMOUS PRESSURE BACK ON THE FOOT AND THE CAR WANTS TO GO. FIRST TAKEN IN TO VW DEALER AND THEY HAD ANOTHER CAR OF SAME YEAR AND MODEL AND COLOR WHICH WAS DOING SAME THING. THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE CABLE. AS I PULLED AWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED BACK AND LET THE SERVICE GUY KNOW THE FIX DIDN'T WORK. ON 8/1 I TOOK IT BACK AND THE PROBLEM WAS HAPPENING WHILE I WAS IN THEIR GARAGE. THE OTHER CAR WAS BACK AGAIN WITH SAME ISSUE. VW HAD A TECH BULLETIN ABOUT A LOOSE GROUND WIRE. THE SERVICE TECH PUT A JUMPER CABLE SOMEWHERE AND TOLD ME TO TRY THAT OUT. WITHIN A MILE I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AGAIN. *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING GARAGE AFTER BEING DRIVEN AT LUNCH AND WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 15-30 MINUTES OF OWNER HAVING TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE THE GARAGE ATTENDANT REPORTED SMELLING SMOKE. ACCORDING TO AN EYEWITNESS, THERE WAS SMOLDERING SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND WITHIN A MINUTE OR SO OF DISCOVERING THE SMOKE AN EXPLOSION TOOK PLACE UNDER THE HOOD AND THE ENTIRE FRONT HOOD COMPARTMENT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE BUT THE VEHICLE IS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

OWNED THE CAR FOR 9 MONTHS, AND HAVE HAD DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS FOR 8 MONTHS INCLUDING A COMPLETE FAILURE THAT REQUIRED TOWING. THE PRIMARY PROBLEMS ARE: 1. STEERING COLUMN WARNING LIGHT ON - THE COMFORT MODULE AND STEERING ELECTRONICS WERE REPLACED 7 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR 2. ONGOING INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS STARTING THE CAR. THE CAR DIED ON 6/15/10, WAS TOWED, AND THE IGNITION COIL WAS REPLACED. CURRENT: CAR DID NOT START ON FIRST ATTEMPT ON 7/4/10, WHICH IS LESS THAN 3 WEEKS LATER! 3. CAR BURNS EXCESSIVE OIL. NEED TO ADD OIL BETWEEN SCHEDULED OIL CHANGES. IN APRIL 2010, OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER ADDED 2 QTS OF OIL AND TANK WAS STILL NOT FULL. STILL HAD 1,000 MILES TO GO BEFORE NEXT SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE. HAVE HAD OIL ADDED ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. 4. CAR IS SLUGGISH, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING UP HILLS. NO RESPONSE OR RESOLUTION FOR THIS, BUT THE CAR HAS A TURBO ENGINE NOTE: THIS CAR HAS ONLY BEEN SERVICED BY VW DEALERSHIPS. *TR

VW PASSAT 2008, LOW OIL LIGHT COME ON BEFORE SCHEDULE OIL CHANGE FREQUENTLY. THE CAR BURNS OIL BECAUSE OF THE TURBO ENGINE. AND THE EMISSION SYSTEM HAS A VALVE FAILURE TOO. *TR

MY '08 PASSAT WITH A 2.0 T ENGINE BURNS THROUGH A GREAT DEAL OF OIL. ABOUT 1/2 LITER PER 1,000 MILES. IT IS A NEW CAR (NOW 28,000 MILES) AND SHOULD NOT BURN OIL! VW STATES THIS OIL CONSUMPTION IS NORMAL, BUT I DISAGREE. I LEASE THE CAR AND HAVE HAD ALL MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE DEALER. I MUST FREQUENTLY ADD OIL TO THE ENGINE AND HAVE BROUGHT IT IN TO BE SERVICED FOR THIS OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE SEVERAL TIMES. FROM RESEARCH DONE ONLINE, THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM UNIQUE TO ME. PLEASE HELP! *TR

1. SLOWING TO STOP AT RED LIGHT. 15 FEET BEHIND ANOTHER CAR THAT WAS STOPPED, AND WITH MY FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE REVVED TO TOP SPEED AND THE BRAKE DID NOT STOP THE CAR. I BUMPED THE STOPPED CAR, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. 2. NO DAMAGE TO EITHER CAR. POLICE WERE CALLED AND CAME OUT UNTIL TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHERE THE CAR (9 MONTHS OLD AND 11000 MILES) WAS PURCHASED. 3. ONE WEEK LATER, THE DEALER SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THEY PAID FOR A RENTAL CAR FOR THE WEEK. I REFUSE TO DRIVE THE CAR SO THEY OFFERED TO TRADE IT IN ON A NEW ONE AND THAT IT HAD DEPRECIATED 50% IN 9 MONTHS. VW CORPORATE OFFERED A $1000 REBATE ON A NEW CAR. 4. I CALLED VW CORPORATE TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT, BUT THEY SAID THAT THE DEALER WAS "EMPOWERED" TO MADE DECISIONS. THEY WOULD DO NOTHING. *TR