2008 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

AFTER GOING GROCERY SHOPPING, AFTER LEAVING THE PARKING LOT, I ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 2500 RPMS AND THEN ENGINE CUT OUT AND STALLED. I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AND EVERY TIME I TRY TO PUT IT INTO GEAR, THE ENGINE CUT OUT AND STALLED. I MANAGED TO GET IT INTO A BANK PARKING LOT NEXT DOOR. FORTUNATELY, ALL THIS HAPPENED SUNDAY NIGHT, WHICH VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH THE FOLLOWING CODES: 001056 - CATALYST SYSTEM; BANK 1: EFFICIENCY BELOW THRESHOLD P0420 - 002 - LOWER LIMIT EXCEEDED - INTERMITTENT 012555 - LOW PRESSURE FUEL REGULATION: FUEL PRESSURE OUTSIDE SPECIFICATION P310B - 008 - IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL - MIL ON 004767 - LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATION: PRESSURE TOO HIGH P129F - 001 - UPPER LIMIT EXCEEDED - MIL ON 000135 - FUEL RAIL/SYSTEM PRESSURE: TOO LOW P0087 - 002 - LOWER LIMIT EXCEEDED - INTERMITTENT 000135 - FUEL RAIL/SYSTEM PRESSURE: TOO LOW P0087 - 008 - IMPLAUSIBLE SIGNAL THIS IS ON A 2008 VW PASSAT 2.0T (WITH THE BPY ENGINE). THE DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) SENSOR. APPARENTLY, THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO THE SENSOR, WHICH MY CAR LACKED. *TR

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON THE 2008 VW PASSAT SELF-ADJUST THEIR SPEED ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT THE DRIVER TOUCHING THEM. ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010, I WAS DRIVING ON I-95 AND DROVE INTO AN AREA UNDER A TORNADO WARNING. IT WAS RAINING IN TORRENTS AND TRAFFIC CAME TO A STOP. MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE ON REGULAR SPEED, AND WHILE STOPPED THEY SUDDENLY CHANGED TO INTERMITTENT WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE CONTROLS. THIS HAPPENED FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES! I WAS TRYING TO WATCH THE SKY FOR SWIRLING CLOUDS AND WATCH THE ROAD FOR FLASH FLOODING AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS KEPT SLOWING TO INTERMITTENT! I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AT 7:30 A.M. MONDAY MORNING AND LEARNED THAT THE WIPERS ARE OPERATING AS DESIGNED. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE ENGINEERS AND LEADERS AT VW COULD POSSIBLY THINK THAT THE CAR HAS A BETTER SENSE OF THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY NEEDS THAN THE DRIVER! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE AND OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD! THE DRIVER KNOWS THE CONDITIONS THEY ARE IN! HOW COULD THE CAR SELF-ADJUST SOMETHING AS CRITICAL AS THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY? PLEASE FORCE VW TO CHANGE THIS "FEATURE" IN THE PASSAT AND ANY OTHER MODELS WHERE IT IS PRESENT. *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

I HAVE A 08 PASSAT AND FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW I HAVE HAD A 'STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE' PROBLEM. I WOULD HAVE WROTE THIS LETTER A LONG TIME AGO BUT WHEN IT STARTED HAPPENING MY WARRANTY WAS ALREADY EXPIRED AND IT WAS NOT AS SEVERE, NOW IT CAN TAKE ME ANYWHERE FROM 5-15 MINUTES JUST TO START MY CAR AND WHEN I DO GET IT STARTED MY CAR SOMETIMES COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING. I STARTED DOING RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF UPSET VW OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IF YOU GOOGLE 'PASSAT STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE PROBLEM' YOU WILL SEE MULTIPLE WEBSITES AND FORUMS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL? *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

I HAVE 2008 VW PASSAT WITH 26K MILES ON IT. THE FOLLOWER CAM AT HPFP GO BAD AND DAMAGED MY ENGINE IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON VW 2.0T FSI ENGINES PLEASE MAKE VW/AUDI TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT OR EXTEND WARRANTY. *TR

2008 VW PASSAT WAGON. THIS CAR WHILE PARKED, RUNNING AND OCCUPIED, IN A GARAGE HAD A FIRE WHOSE POINT OF ORIGIN WAS THE AREA OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE FIRE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE CAUSE TO BE ACCIDENTAL MECHANICAL. THE FIRE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT ABOUT $200,000 ALSO ONE OCCUPANT OF THE HOME HAD TO BE TRANSPORTED BY EMS FOR SMOKE INHALATION. THE DRIVER OF THE CAR STATED SHE TO LEAVE. SHE PLACED THE 5 YEAR OLD IN THE CHILD SEAT OF THE VOLKSWAGEN AND OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR. SHE STARTED THE CAR AND SMELT SMOKE. IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE CAR OFF AND CALLED THE HUSBAND. THE HUSBAND SAID THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE SEAT HEATER, HAD HER TURN OFF THE SEAT HEATER AND RESTART THE CAR. SHE RESTARTED THE CAR SMELT AND OBSERVED SMOKE AGAIN, TURNED OFF THE CAR, GOT OUT AND SAW FLAME UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER'S SEAT. SHE REMOVED THE DAUGHTER FROM THE CAR AND TOOK HER OUT TO THE DRIVEWAY. SHE THEN WENT BACK INTO THE GARAGE AND REMOVED A GAS CAN FROM THE AREA OF THE CAR/SNOWBLOWER. SHE AGAIN RE-ENTERED THE GARAGE AND OPENED THE OTHER GARAGE DOOR (BOTH NOW OPEN) OBSERVED FLAMES SHOOTING OUT OF THE DRIVERS DOOR OF THE CAR. SHE EXITED THE GARAGE THROUGH AN INTERIOR DOOR, CLOSING IT BEHIND HER. SHE THEN WENT UP INTO THE HOUSE REMOVED TWO DOGS TO A CRATE ON THE DECK. IN THE MEANTIME A NEIGHBOR HAD GRABBED THE LITTLE GIRL. WHILE ALL THIS WAS HAPPENING THE MOTHER PLACED THREE FRANTIC 911 CALLS. THE OWNER OF THE CAR STATED HE HAD HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HEATED SEATS IN THE PAST AND THAT THEY HAD BEEN REPAIRED TWICE. THE LAST TIME IN NOVEMBER OF 2009. THE DERRY FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS COMPLETED ITS FIRE INVESTIGATION, AND THE CAR IS BEING TURNED OVER TO THE INSURANCE COMPANIES (STATE FARM AND LIBERTY MUTUAL). *TR

FUEL GAUGE READS INCORRECTLY. PRIOR TO FIRST SERVICE CALL, GAUGE READ NEARLY EMPTY WHEN TANK WAS FULL; AFTER REPLACING "SENDING SENSOR" THE CONDITION REVERSED AND NOW READS FULL WHEN TANK IS NEARLY EMPTY. *TR