2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT'S FRIEND OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS INDICATOR ILLUMINATES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND DOES NOT DIM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ABS MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IDLING, THE ENGINE MAKES A CHAIN RATTLING NOISE. THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000.

HEAT SHIELD IS HELD BY PLASTIC SCREWS WHICH EASILY BECOME DAMAGED, FALL OFF, OR ARE NOT REPLACED AFTER SERVICE. HEAT SHIELD WHICH PROTECTS THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE ENGINE FROM ROCKS AND OTHER DEBRIS, CAME OFF ON THE INTERSTATE. THE FRONT OF IT WAS SCRAPING THE PAVEMENT. I HAD PART REPLACED FOR $287.82. NOW VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART, BUT ONLY FOR THE GASOLINE VERSION. SINCE I OWN A TDI, I AM OUT OF LUCK. IT IS THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR. *TR

AUGUST 2007 I GOT AN OIL CHANGE FROM THE 10 MINUTE OIL CHANGE PLACE IN NORTH ARLINGTON, NJ. THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER MY ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO SLUDGE. I ALWAYS GET MY OIL CHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS (3,000 MILES) NOT THE SUGGEST 5,000 IN MY CAR MANUAL. THE 10 MINUTE OIL CHANGE PLACE DOES NOT HAVE A COMPUTER SYSTEM TO PRODUCE RECORDS AND UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE ONLY ONE RECEIPT FROM THE AUGUST 2007 OIL CHANGE. SO I WENT THROUGH ALL MY OLD CHARGE CARD RECEIPTS AND DEBIT RECEIPTS FROM MY BANK TO PROVE THAT I DID GET MY OIL CHANGED. HOWEVER GENSINGER VOLKSWAGEN IN CLIFTON, NJ AND VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA THE CORPORATE OFFICE SAID THAT MY RECEIPTS WERE NOT "PROOF ENOUGH" THAT IT WAS MY CAR EVEN THOUGH SOME OF MY RECEIPTS HAD THE OIL CHANGE PLACE TWICE IN ONE MONTH WHICH PROVES THAT I GOT AN OIL CHANGE & MY HUSBAND GOT AN OIL CHANGE. SO SINCE OCTOBER 2007 MY CAR HAS BEEN UNDRIVEABLE AND HAS SAT IN MY DRIVEWAY EVER SINCE. I HAVE CONTINUED PAYING FOR MY LEASE AND MY INSURANCE ON THIS CAR EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS UNDRIVEABLE. THIS 2005 PASSAT HAS ONLY 25,500 MILES ON IT AND THIS ENGINE SHOULD HAVE NEVER SEIZED. VOLKSWAGEN PASSATS ARE KNOWN FOR HEAVY SLUDGE IN THEIR ENGINES AND YET THIS COMPANY DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT! I NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE BEFORE I TURN THIS LEASED CAR BACK. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AWFUL COMPANY. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 VW PASSAT TDI WHICH HAS RUSTING AROUND THE INSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK. MY DEALER PLUS VW REFUSE TO REPLACE AS THEY SAY IT'S NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. I FEEL IT MUST BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. I'M AFRAID THE RUSTY LIQUID WILL HARM MY ENGINE IN TIME. *TR

I HAVE LEASED A 2005 VW PASSAT. I CHANGED MY OIL ON A REGULAR BASIS, MY MECHANIC DID NOT WRITE THE IN MILEAGE OR OUT MILEAGE WHEN HE GAVE ME MY RECEIPT. MY CAR BROKE DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AND VW STATES THAT I NEED A NEW MOTOR DUE TO SLUDGE IN THE MOTOR. THE ARE TELLING ME MY RECEIPTS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND WON'T COVER THE MOTOR. I HAVE SEARCHED THE WEB AND SEE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE PALISADES, NY VW ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH. I'M NOT GETTING A NEW MOTOR! *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOR REPAIRS AT 42K MILES, WHILE UNDER THE WARRANTY IN 2004. THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK AND THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH. THEY STATED THEY REPLACED A FLANGE THAT WAS CRACKED, THE OIL PUMP/BALANCE SHAFT SPROCKET, CHAIN TENSIONER. WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK IT WASN'T RUNNING RIGHT, VERY, VERY ROUGH AND LOUD (IT'S A DIESEL BUT USED TO BE QUIET). IT TURNS OUT THEY DID NOT BALANCE THE BALANCE SHAFT WITH THE ENGINE, THEY ORDERED THE PART/TOOL TO DO THIS. NEARLY 1K MILES LATER, AFTER THEY TOLD ME IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, THEY CALLED ME TO COME IN AND HAVE IT BALANCED, WHICH I DID. AT 65K MILES, ROUGHLY 9-10 MONTHS AFTER THIS INITIAL REPAIR, THE CHAIN SNAPPED FOR THE OIL PUMP. THE SPROCKET ON THE OIL PUMP THAT THEY REPLACED ALONG WITH THE CHAIN TENSIONER WERE DESTROYED. THE SPROCKET HAD OLD AND NEW WEAR, THE CHAIN TENSIONER ENDED UP IN PIECES, AND THE CHAIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED THE INITIAL TIME BUT WAS NOT. THE CHAIN SNAPPED. THE ORIGINAL FLANGE THAT WAS LEAKING WAS ALSO LEAKING AGAIN. THIS CATASTROPHE LED TO THE CRANKSHAFT NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE TURBO WHICH WAS IMMEDIATELY STARVED FOR OIL AND BURNED UP TOO. THE ENGINE WAS REBUILT (BOTTOM END), TURBO REPLACED, NEW CRANK, AND CURRENTLY IT STILL CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REPAIR AND FAILURE. VW OF AMERICA STATED THE PARTS THEY REPLACED DID NOT FAIL, AND IF THEY DID THEY ONLY HAVE A 12MO/12K MILE WARRANTY ON THEM. THE WARRANTY FOR THE CAR WAS UP AT 50K MILES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE FORUMS AND MESSAGE BOARDS IN REGARDS TO THE BALANCE SHAFT AND COMPONENTS (CHAIN, TENSIONER, SHAFT, HEX SHAFT, SPROCKET) BEING FAULTY OR FAILING. MANY ARE HAVING PROBLEMS SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY IS UP. *TR

SEE COMPLAINT # 10195352. DOOR CONTINUES TO POP OPEN, EVEN WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT PRECEEDING FAILURE TO CLOSE OR LATCH PROPERLY. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP NEAREST TO MY HOME, AND THEY TOLD ME, "IT IS PROBABLY THE LOCK BOX. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRING IT IN. WE CAN'T REPLACE IT UNLESS IT IS IN ITS FAILED STATE." *TR

DOOR OPENED UNEXPECTEDLY THREE TIMES WHILE VEHICLE UNDER WAY. WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURE SWINGS. TWICE HAD UNRELATED FAILURE TO LATCH, BUT THOSE CASES WERE OBVIOUS. IN THESE THREE CASES, THE DOOR CLOSED AND LATCHED, BUT WOULD NOT LOCK MANUALLY OR BY ELECTRIC CONTROLS OR BY AUTOMATIC SPEED-RELATED LOCKING PROGRAM. THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING FEATURE WAS ATTEMPTING TO LOCK THE CAR REPEATEDLY. THE DOOR WAS CLOSED SECURELY AND TESTED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE DURING EPISODES TWO AND THREE. DURING TURNS, THE DOOR POPPED OPEN FULLY, WITH FORCE, WITHOUT WARNING. NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. *TR

(1) TURNED ON DRIVERS-SIDE SEAT HEATER WHILE DRIVING (2) SMOKE BEGAN FILLING THE VEHICLE, AND (3) I TURNED OFF THE HEATER, BUT A HOLE WAS BURNED THROUGH THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND THROUGH MY LEFT REAR PANT POCKET AS WELL. *TR