2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

I HAVE A VW PASSAT 3.6 AND AM ALWAYS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE PARKING BRAKE. CURRENTLY I AM UNABLE TO GET THE PARKING BRAKE TO RELEASE AND DON'T KNOW WHY. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND THE ONLY PLACE I GO TO GET IT SERVICED IS VOLKSWAGEN. ON ABOUT 5 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE NOR DISENGAGE. *TR

FUEL PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE FUEL PUMP CUT OFF COMPLETELY CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. ALSO CUT OUT WHILE PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF A VEHICLE NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *TR

LIKE MANY OTHERS, THE OIL BOLT IN MY TRANSMISSION SHEARED-OFF. APPARENTLY VW IS AWARE OF THE DESIGN FLAW AND HAS MANUFACTURED A REPLACEMENT BOLT, BUT VW STILL EXPECTS UNSUSPECTING OWNERS TO PAY $1,000'S TO REPLACE IT. I BOUGHT THE CAR AS A CERTIFIED USED CAR FROM VW ON 9/11/10 AND WAS NOT TOLD OF THIS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IN A RECALL IF VW WILL NOT WARN CUSTOMERS OR FIX THE ISSUE ON THEIR OWN. HTTP://WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM/FORUMS/74-VOLKSWAGEN-PASSAT-B6-DISCUSSION/327507-3-6-OIL-BOLT-FAILURE-REFERENCE-MATERIAL.HTML. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN PHILADELPHIA PA (SCHUYLKILL EXPRESSWAY), MY 2006 VW PASSAT 3.6L 4 MOTION LOST POWER AND LIMPED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALMOST CAUSING SEVERAL ACCIDENTS IN THE PROCESS. AFTER TAKING THE AUTO TO TWO DIFFERENT NON-DEALER SPECIALIST AND THEN A VW DEALER - ALL THREE STATED THAT THE DEFAULT CODE (P0016 -008-INCORRECT CORRELATION - MIL ON) MEANT THAT THE OIL PUMP BOLT FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO GO INTO LIMP MODE. ONE SPECIALIST SAID I WAS LUCKY TO GET TO 110,000 MILES AS MOST OF THESE BOLTS FAIL AT A RANGE FROM 60,000 TO 70,000 AND THAT THIS BOLT THAT WAS USED BEING OF POOR QUALITY WILL, AND HAS CAUSED CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF POWER AND A REAR END COLLISION - ALL THREE (THE TWO NON-DEALER AND THE VW DEALER SERVICE MANGER WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, STATED IT WAS COMMON ON 2006/2007 PASSAT AND AS MORE AND MORE OF THESE 2006/2007 GET OLDER - MORE WILL FAIL AND COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS OR WORSE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF AN INVESTIGATION COULD BE DONE AND A RECALL ESTABLISHED. THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF REPAIR COST, POTENTIAL FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE AND ULTIMATELY LOSS OF LIFE FOR A $5.00 BOLT THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS IS FLAWED AND WILL NOT FIX IT. *TR

TRUNK HAS DIFFICULTY CLOSING. SEAT BELT DON'T WORK PROPERLY. AIRBAG LIGHT ALONG WITH THE MOTOR LIGHT TURN ON. THESE LIGHTS WERE NEVER REALLY FIXED BY THE CAR DEALER. THE PASSENGER BACK DOOR DOES NOT LOCK MOST OF THE TIME LEAVING THE CAR WITHOUT THE ALARM WORKING. *JB

IT'S VERY COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE MODEL YEAR 2006 AND 2007 3.6 ENGINES HAVE A FATAL FLAW. THE OIL PUMP BOLT AS INSTALLED FROM THE FACTORY WAS EITHER SPECIFIED WRONG, INSTALLED WRONG, OR HAS SOME OTHER DEFECT. THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I GOT MISFIRING CODES IN ALL CYLINDERS. THE ENGINE IN MY CAR WAS REPLACED AT 11K ACORDING WITH VW RECORDS BECAUSE OF THIS SAME ISSUE THAT RESULTED IN AN FATAL ENGINE FAILURE. THE ISSUE IS THE BOLT THAT HOLD THE OIL PUMP IN PLACE. IT COMES LOOSE OR BRAKES IN HALF. VW NEEDS TO RECALL THIS SINCE IT IS A FACTORY ISSUE. *JB

2006 VW PASSAT 3.6L 4MOTION, 81K MILES. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) AND ELECTRONIC POWER CONTROL (EPC) LIGHTS CAME ON AT CRUISING SPEED. CODES POINTED TO A CAM/CRANK TIMING ISSUE. ACCESS TO TIMING CHAIN ON THIS MODEL/TRIM REQUIRES REMOVAL OF TRANSMISSION. UPON REMOVAL, TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THAT THE OIL PUMP BOLT HAD COMPLETELY SHEARED OFF WHICH COULD HAVE LED TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE; THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE OIL PUMP ASSEMBLY IN PLACE WAS THE COVER. THE OIL PUMP BOLT FOR THIS MODEL/TRIM APPEARS TO BE DEFECTIVE. *TR

DRIVING CAR NORMALLY THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EPC LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE LOST POWER AND FAILED TO SHIFT NORMALLY. BROUGHT TO VW DEALER WHO TOLD ME THAT THE OIL PUMP BOLT HAD WORKED ITSELF LOOSE AND RUINED THE VALVE TIMING CHAINS AND ADJUSTERS AND OIL PUMP. VW OF NORTH AMERICA FAILED TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE AND REFUSED ANY MONETARY HELP WITH THE REPAIR THAT IS ESTIMATED TO BE $3500. *TR

OIL PUMP BOLT BACKED OUT/BROKE CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE. CAR LOSS OIL PRESSURE FORTUNATELY WAS NEAR AN EXIT TO AVOID THE ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY GETTING INVOLVED IN A POTENTIAL DANGEROUS WRECK. DEALER SAYS IT WILL COST $11,000.00 TO REPLACE ENGINE. VW KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE BUT WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING SEEING I AM OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY AND STATED WOULD NOT DO A THING BECAUSE I AM THE SECOND OWNER. ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR TWO YEARS AND BOUGHT IT AS A PRE-CERTIFIED OWNED USED VEHICLE FROM THE VW DEALERSHIP. I HAVE SEARCHED ON LINE AND MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. LINK TO VIEW NUMEROUS ISSUE HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?4321376-**OFFICIAL-24V-3.6L-ENGINE-(OIL-PUMP-BOLT)-FAILURE-THREAD**. ALSO ANOTHER LINK: HTTP://WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM/FORUMS/74-VOLKSWAGEN-PASSAT-B6-DISCUSSION/331097-OIL-PUMP-BOLT-FAILURE-74K-MILES.HTML THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND WE THE CONSUMERS A RE PAYING FOR IT. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE HORN STOPPED FUNCTIONING WHEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIR BAG AND A BOLT IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER DID NOT INSPECT THE VEHICLE, BUT THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PREVIOUS WIRING HARNESS REPLACEMENT WAS NOT RELATED TO THE CURRENT FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,000.