2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

HEARD A WHISTLE SOUND FOLLOWED BY SOME SORT OF PUFF AND LOSS OF POWER. TON OF WHITE SMOKE, THOUGHT CAR ON FIRE, PULLED OVER. PEOPLE PASSING BY CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE. AFTER CAR SMELLED LIKE BURNED OIL, EXHAUST PIPE COVERED IN OIL, AND OIL DROPS ON THE EXHAUST PIPE. TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP NEW TURBOCHARGER IS NEEDED. *TR

MY BULB HOLDER MELTED INTO THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CAUSING IT NOT TO WORK AND HAVING ME BUY A NEW BULB SOCKET AND OTHER PARTS TO FIX THIS ISSUE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR STARTED SURGING AND REVVING HIGH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EPC LIGHT CAME ON. ITS DRIVABLE BUT NOT SAFELY AND NEEDS FIXED ASAP. *TR

I LEFT MY HOME AND DRIVE MY VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES AT SPEEDS AT OR UNDER 25 MPH. I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN BEFORE MAKING A RIGHT TURN ONTO ANOTHER ROAD. WHEN I ACCELERATED THE CAR HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND I COULD NOT MAINTAIN SPEED. I WAS ABLE TO GO APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND I WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC. LATER THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A PREMATURE TURBO FAILURE. IF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I MAY HAVE BEEN IN DANGER OR ENDANGERED OTHER MOTORISTS. I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS BEING MORE FREQUENTLY REPORTED ON INTERNET FORUMS AND MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING TURBO FAILURES AT LOW MILES. *TR

STARTED CAR AFTER BEING PARKED FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES. FUEL (DIESEL) STARTED POURING OUT THE BACK BY THE FUEL TANK NECK. ABOUT 2-3 GALLONS OF FUEL CAME OUT ( LESS THAN A MINUTE) BEFORE REALIZED THIS WAS HAPPENING AND TURNED CAR OFF. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE DETERMINED THE FUEL LINE CAME OFF BUT CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY OR HOW. VW TOLD THEM THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED. CHECKED ON LINE AND CAN SEE THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS HAPPENING BUT NOT BEING REPORTED. *TR

THE DRIVER DOOR LATCH FROZE SEVERAL TIMES AGAIN THIS YEAR AFTER DOING IT THREE TIMES LAST YEAR. THE LATCH FROZE EVERY TIME THERE WAS MOISTURE (FOG, SNOW ,RAIN, ETC.) AND THE TEMPERATURE FELL BELOW 32 F. THE LATCH WAS FINALLY REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE SENSOR FOR THE AIRBAGS FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY AT NIGHT. NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME TO KICK UP A ROCK, NO OVERPASSES FOR SOMETHING TO BE THROWN FROM. COMPLETELY RANDOM EXPLOSION. I HEARD A LOUD GUNSHOT SOUND, THEN SMALL GLASS PIECES RAINED DOWN ON MY HEAD AND FACE AND ALL OVER MY THREE CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT. LOOKED UP AND HEARD THE SOUND OF WIND AND SAW THE HOLE IN MY SUNROOF. SO FAR THE DEALERSHIP HAS SAID THEY WON'T REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY AND I HAVE REACHED OUT TO VW DIRECTLY AND THEY ARE DENYING THE CLAIM AS WELL. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THEY ARE NOT STANDING BY THEIR PRODUCT. THEY ARE LUCKY NOBODY WAS INJURED OR KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT. HOPEFULLY THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN FOR THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST US WHERE IT TENDS TO GET COLDER THAN 0 DEGREES CELSIUS CONSTANTLY DURING WINTER. EVERYTIME IT IS BELOW FREEZING MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR LATCH GETS STUCK. THIS IS DEFINITELY A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR VW PASSATS, BUT VW RESPONSE TO FIXING IT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALERSHIP PRIOR TO DECEMBER 16TH AND EXPLAINED THAT I NORMALLY WARM UP THE CAR FOR OVER 20 MINUTES(WHILE I WALK MY DOG). THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS THAT ITS NOT AN ISSUE AND I SHOULD EITHER PARK THE CAR IN A GARAGE WHERE IT WON'T FREEZE OR WARM UP THE CAR LONGER (I FIND THAT ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS). SO I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE GARAGE FOR DECEMBER 16TH. LUCKILY THE WEATHER FORCAST FOR TEMPERATURES BELOW -4 CELSIUS ALL WEEK. HAD THE TEMPERATURE BEEN ABOVE 0 CELSIUS THE LATCH WOULD HAVE WORKED FINE AND YOUR GARAGE WOULD HAVE SAID THERE IS NO ISSUE. THE REASON WHY I HIGHLIGHT THE TEMPERATURE HERE IS BECAUSE THAT IS THE MAIN ISSUE, AND YOUR GARAGES TROUBLESHOOTING AND DIAGNOSTIC METHODS ARE MY BIGGEST CONCERN. I GUARANTEE THAT THERE ARE EVEN MORE CASES OF THIS ISSUE THAT ARE BEING DISMISSED. THE FACT THAT THERE IS NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10559530, FILED BY SOMEONE ELSE PROVES IT. I'M SURE THE FACT THAT I CAN FIND THIS ON NHTSA (NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10559530) MEANS THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WHO ARE JUST NOT REPORTING IT OR DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO GO. I WILL ALSO BE FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA, AS WELL. IT HAS BEEN OVER A MONTH, AND THE SERVICE GARAGE TELLS ME THERE IS NO PARTS AVAILABLE. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS AND IF ITS TRUE I THINK THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. I ALSO HOPE THAT DURING THE WINTRY WEATHER THE NORTHEAST HAS EXPERIENCED THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS NO ONE WAS INJURED IN A PASSAT WHERE EMERGENCY WORKERS WERE NOT ABLE REACH THE VICTIM (POSSIBLY DUE TO A STUCK DOOR LATCH). THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AND THE LACK OF RESPONSE IS CONCERNING. *TR

VEHICLE, WHILE AT SPEED AT NIGHT, SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING LOST LOW BEAM ILLUMINATION FROM THE LEFT FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE FACTORY LIGHT BULB REVEALED NO FAULTS: FILAMENT WAS INTACT AND RESISTANCE (OHM) COULD BE MEASURED ACROSS TERMINALS. INSTALLATION OF A NEW VW BULB DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS FACTORY STOCK AND UNMODIFIED. CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALS WHAT APPEARS TO BE OVERHEATING AND SUBSEQUENT DEFORMATION OF THE BULB RETENTION HARDWARE. ON-LINE SEARCH REVEALS NUMEROUS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS POSTED BY OTHER PASSAT OWNERS, AFFECTING BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES VW DEALER ADVISED THAT THE PROBLEM CAN ONLY BE RECTIFIED BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. *TR

EVERY TIME IT IS COLD OUTSIDE MY DOOR LATCH STOPS FUNCTIONING SO I CANT OPEN IT FROM THE OUTSIDE OR INSIDE. I SPRAYED LUBRICANT IN IT WHICH HELPS SOMETIMES BUT I THINK A NEW CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE A ISSUE LIKE THAT. ALSO WHEN I CAN GET IT OPEN SOMETIMES IT WONT CLOSE. THE ISSUE IS THE ACTUAL LATCH WHICH OF COURSE ISN'T COVERED. PRETTY EMBARRASSING CLIMBING THROUGH A PASSENGER DOOR TO GET IN THE DRIVER SEAT . WHAT HAPPENS IF IM IN A WRECK AND MY DOOR WONT OPEN? WILL I OWN A PART OF VOLKSWAGEN? *TR