2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUOUSLY STALL SPORADICALLY WITHOUT WARNING .THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR, BATTERY OR BOTH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE BOTH THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 20,000.

WE OWN A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. ON JUNE THE 15TH, 2010, WE STARTED GETTING AN ALARM INDICATOR SAYING THAT "THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED" AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. WE TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP, WHERE WE WERE TOLD THAT IT IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM, AND THE PARTS TO FIX IT ARE ON "NATIONAL BACKORDER" WITH NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL EITHER LEAVE MY WIFE STRANDED SOMEPLACE UNSAFE, OR, THE PROBLEM WILL OCCUR WHILE SHE IS DRIVING AND AFFECT HER ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOUR AGENCY HAS RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS, AND ARE YOU ABLE TO ASSIST IN EXPEDITING REPAIRS? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

A NICE SUMMER DAY TRANSPORTING MY FAMILY, INCLUDING TWO SMALL CHILDREN TO A BASEBALL GAME. TEMP WAS 80 F, NO WIND, MOSTLY SUNNY. CAME TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED TO GREEN, PUSHED ON ACCELERATOR. VEHICLE HESITATED, THAN ACCELERATED SLOWER THAN EXPECTED IN A HALTING, HERKY-JERKY WAY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW. I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE I CONTACT ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER REPORTED REPLACING THE COIL ON PLUG IGNITION. *TR

THROTTLE NOT RESPONSIVE TO ACCELERATOR PRESSURE. VARIOUS RESPONSES -- SOMETIMES ACCELERATES NORMALLY, OTHER TIMES VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION. OCCURS WHEN ENGINE IS WARM AND AT SPEED ON EXPRESSWAY. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE WHEN I NEED TO, E.G., NEEDING TO ACCELERATE TO SWITCH LANES. IT HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK (MARCH 27-30, 2010). WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE "EPC" AND THE "SLIP CONTROL" SIGNALS ON THE DASHBOARD LIGHT UP, AS WELL AS AN "!" AND AN IMAGE OF A TACHOMETER. IN THE MORNING WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, THE WARNING LIGHTS ARE NOT ON, OR WHEN THE CAR HAS BE TURNED OFF FOR A WHILE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER IMMEDIATELY THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK (MARCH 30). THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM BETWEEN THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE ACCELERATOR. I DROVE THE CAR HOME THAT EVENING AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. I PICKED THE CAR UP THAT EVENING AND PAID $407 DOLLARS FOR THE REPAIR. I INDICATED THAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT VW WOULD COVER THE EXPENSE. THEY SAID IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER CARS BUT THERE WAS NOT RECALL. THE SAME THING OCCURRED THE NEXT DAY (FRIDAY) ON MY WAY TO WORK, BUT NOT ON THE RETURN HOME. THE NEXT MONDAY (MARCH 29), IT OCCURED ON THE WAY HOME. I STOPPED AT THE VW DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEXT DAY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE VW DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY PROGRAMMING WAS NOT WORKING AND THAT THEY WOULD INSTALL A NEW THROTTLE BODY ($400 PART PLUS $120 LABOR -- THE PART WOULD BE FREE SINCE I AM A GOOD CUSTOMER). I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND TO SEE IF THIS WAS OCCURRING WITH OTHER VW VEHICLES. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT I CONTACT VW DIRECTLY. I WILL DO THAT TODAY.

LEAVING MY HOME ON MY WAY TO WORK IN THE AM MY BRAKES FAILED THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN PANIC AND PUMPING THEY RETURNED BEFORE I REACHED THE STOP SIGN, THE 2007 PASSAT WAGON HAS NO EBRAKE JUST A BUTTON FOR THE PARKING BRAKE, WHICH I DID NOT USE. I DROVE THE CAR FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS WITHOUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN, THEN AT THE SAME STOP SIGN (THE FIRST ONE I REACH WHEN I LEAVE MY HOUSE IN THE AM) IT HAPPENED AGAIN, PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, PUMP,PANIC & JUST BEFORE THE INTERSECTION THEY WORK. THE WEATHER ON BOTH OCCASIONS WAS RAINY, AND ABOUT 38 DEGREES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES, THE MECHANIC SAID IF I WAS DESPERATE I COULD PUSH AND HOLD THE PARKING BRAKE BUTTON THIS WOULD LOCK THE CARS BRAKES AND PUT IT INTO A SKID. I AM STILL DRIVING IT WITHOUT ANY MORE FAILURES BUT I FEAR ANOTHER ONE WILL. THE ONLY REASON I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE A CRASH FROM THE FAILURES IS BECAUSE THIS IS RURAL DRIVING. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT AND THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK IS NOW DEFECTIVE AND THE CAR WONT START THE CAR ONLY HAS 53000 MILES AND IT HAS ONLY BEEN OUT OF WARRANTY THREE THOUSAND MILES AND THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR ABOUT TWO THOUSAND QUOTED BY THE DEALER. DEALER ALSO SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY HAD SEEN A FEW CARS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN UNDER 5MPH THE CAR WILL STALL OR IT WILL NOT START. IT SOMETIMES RUNS ME LATE FOR AN EVENT DUE TO IT WILL NOT START. I'M NOT SURE WHY IT DOES IT I'VE NOT NOTICED THE PATTERN YET. THE LCD SCREEN WILL READ DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN. I'VE CALLED VW AND THEY WILL NOT REPLACE AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRES AND THEY WANT NEARLY 3K TO REPLACE THE PRODUCT OF THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AND IMMOBILIZER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHENEVER THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS IT BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND HESITATE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AND THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 38,000.

COIL PACK CRACKED AFTER 45,000 MILES AND CAUGHT FIRE. I CAUGHT IT IN TIME AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT. REPLACED COIL PACK AND ANY DAMAGED WIRES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRE. *TR

I OWN A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAGON WITH A 2.0 LITER TURBO ENGINE. IT WAS PURCHASED IN JULY 2008 AS A CERTIFIED PRE OWNED VEHICLE WITH ROUGHLY 8,000 MILES ON IT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, I NOTICED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED HARD, THE PEDAL WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. VW INSPECTED THIS AND TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DESIGNED TO FUNCTION THIS WAY. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS (AS I DISCOVERED LATER ON) IS THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL ARE VERY CLOSE TOGETHER. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED HARD, IT GOES PAST THE GAS PEDAL. ON TWO OCCASSIONS WHEN BRAKING HARD IN AN EMERGENCY, MY FOOT CAUGHT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND I WAS APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE. THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE VERY DANGEROUS. VOLKSWAGEN CONTINUES TO TELL ME THAT THIS IS HOW THE CAR IS AND THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE FOR ME. *TR