2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT SIXTY MILES AN HOUR AS I TRY TO COME OFF THE FREEWAY TO MY EXIT THE BRAKES DO NOT SEEM TO ENGAGE AS I GET CLOSER TO MY TURN I DEPRESS THE CAR EVEN DEEPER THE CAR DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO STOP OR SLOWDOWN SO I BRACE FOR IMPACT AND NOW THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.

AIRBAG ERROR LIGHT CAME ON AFTER STARTING UP CAR IN DRIVEWAY ON AUGUST 3, 2015 AND WILL NOT TURN OFF EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. VW SAID TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP. I COMPLIED AND, AT MY EARLIEST CONVENIENCE, TOOK IT TO RALPH THAYER VW IN LIVONIA, MI ON AUGUST 5, 2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:30 AM. DEALERSHIP STATED THEY CAN NOT LOOK AT IT FOR FOUR DAYS, UNTIL MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015. NO LOANER CAR WAS PROVIDED AFTER REQUEST OF SUCH.

THE CAR WAS ON CRUISE CONTROL THEN ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND GLOW PLUG LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. ALSO A WINDING NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN ACCELERATING WHICH DID NOT ACCELERATE VERY WELL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WOULD NEED A TURBO WHICH WAS JUST REPLACED 20,000 MILES AGO, MECHATRONIC UNIT ,, AD BLUE HESTER KIT ,PARTICULATE FILTER PART . THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD I PUT ABOUT 35K MILES ON A YEAR. I SERVICE THE CAR RELIGIOUSLY NEVER HAVE MISSED REQUIRED SERVICE. OVER $6,000 DOLLAR REPAIR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ALL STEERING WHEEL FUNCTIONS HAVE STOPPED WORKING INCLUDING THE HORN. THE AIRBAG ICON SHOWS AN "ERROR" MESSAGE. THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A CRACKING SOUND WHEN IT TURNS. IDENTICAL PROBLEM AS IN THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION #PE15010. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE: STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING/STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE (SCCM). DEALER WANTS OVER $ 500 TO REPLACE IT. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 58,000 MILES AND WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN 2012. UPDATED 9/15/15*CW UPDATED 09/17/15*LJ UPDATED 11/22/2017*CN

ON 8 TO 10 OCCASIONS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS I HAVE LOST POWER, I.E. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING, BUT ACTED AS THOUGH IT WERE IN NEUTRAL WITH HIGH RPM?S. SOMETIMES IT IS INTERMITTENT AND RECOVERS POWER BUT ON THREE OCCASIONS ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS IT HAS LOST ALL POWER AND I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER. TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND IT STARTS NORMALLY WITH FULL POWER. THE DEALER CHECKED THE ENGINE CODES AND ONLY FOUND ENGINE LOST COMMUNICATION WITH TRANSMISSION AND SAID THE VW DID NOT HAVE ANY NOTICES ON THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO REPORTED THIS TO VW AND THEY SAY IT HAS NOT BEEN AN ISSUE. QUICK GOOGLE SEARCHES SHOW SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH LOTS OF VW TDI ENGINES SHOWING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. LOSS OF POWER IN 65 MPH TRAFFIC IS VERY DANGEROUS AND INEXCUSABLE. VW SHOULD BE LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT THIS PROBLEM.

ON 6-9-15 THIS DIESEL VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. MILEAGE IS APPROXIMATE AS I DO NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE (IT IS AT THE DEALER). TAKEN TO VW OF NORTH ATTLEBORO, MA FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. DEALER STATED FUEL WAS CONTAMINATED AND CLEANED OUT FUEL LINES AND REPLACED FILTER. DEALER STATED VEHICLE STILL WOULD STILL NOT START. DEALER THEN STATED THEY INVESTIGATED FUEL DOWN-LINE OF FILTER AND FOUND CONTAMINATED FUEL IN THE COMMON FUEL DISTRIBUTION RAIL JUST BEFORE THE FUEL INJECTORS. DEALER STATED THEY DID NOT RETAIN THE FUEL FILTER WHICH WOULD HAVE SHOWN A FILTER BREACH/RUPTURE THAT ALLOWED THE CONTAMINATED FUEL TO GO BEYOND THE FILTER CAUSING THIS ADDITIONAL MISCHIEF. REQUEST FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF VW PASSAT DIESEL FUEL FILTERS AND THE FUEL FILTRATION SYSTEM THAT MAY CAUSE SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE BECAUSE OF PASSING THROUGH CONTAMINATED FUEL, RATHER THAN FILTERING AS IT SHOULD WHICH WOULD CAUSE A SLOWER DECREASE IN ENGINE POWER BECAUSE OF RESTRICTED FUEL FLOW. THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF DIESEL FUEL FILTRATION IS TO PREVENT INTRODUCTION INTO CRITICAL ENGINE COMPONENTS CONTAMINATES OFTEN FOUND IN DIESEL FUEL. DEALER ESTIMATES REPAIR COST OF $7,236.25, THE BULK OF WHICH IS FOR DAMAGE TO CRITICAL ENGINE COMPONENTS DOWNSTREAM OF THE DIESEL FUEL FILTER RESULTING IN SUDDEN ENGINE STOPPAGE. THIS VEHICLE WAS REFUELED ONLY AT DIESEL FUEL STATIONS FOR WHICH RECEIPTS WERE OBTAINED, SO NO GASOLINE OR OTHER IMPROPER FUEL WAS INTRODUCED INTO THIS VEHICLE.

DRIVER STEERING COLUMN AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING A SEVERE CRASH. UPDATED 11/09/15*LJ...UPDATED 11/13/15 *BF UPDATED 1/4/16*JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. MA 08/05/15 THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. A MECHANIC ADVISED THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED, WHICH APPEARED TO BE RELATED TO NHTSA PE 15010. UPDATED 9/29/2015*JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, IT WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL POPPING NOISE. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL CEASED TO WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.