2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS OF LEASING MY NEW 2006 VW PASSAT, FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN THE CAR DOWN SHIFTS TO FIRST GEAR IT MAKES A VERY NOTICEABLE "HARD" DOWN SHIFT. THE NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HARD DOWN SHIFT IS VERY STARTLING -- IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS COMING THROUGH THE FLOORBOARD. I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY PARTICULAR CONDITION THAT CAUSES THE CAR TO DO THIS...IT SEEMS RANDOM..IT ALWAYS SEEM TO HAPPEN WHEN I'M SLOWING DOWN TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE VW DEALERSHIP IN DULLES, VA AND THEY SAID THEY CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM UNLESS THEY CAN EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CHECK ENGINE AND BATTERY WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO DAMAGES, INJURIES, OR A POLICE REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE A/C COMPRESSOR AND CONDENSER FAILED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY BEFORE THE CRASH. THE DEALER MADE REPAIRS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, HOWEVER, THE CONTACT COULD NOT REMEMBER WHAT THE REPAIRS WERE SPECIFICALLY. SHE HAS THE REPAIR ORDERS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,000.

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS HAD PROBLEMS SHIFTING IN SPORTS MODE.. TRANSMISSION WILL GET STUCK IN 1ST GEAR AND NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND.. THE REV LIMITER WILL KEEP IN BECAUSE RPM'S JUMP OVER 7,000.. NOT ONLY IS THIS GOING TO CAUSE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS BUT IT WILL ALSO CAUSE ENGINE DAMAGE SINCE RPM'S ARE ABOVE NORMAL AND HIT THE RED AREA(NOT SAFE).. *JB

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS PROBLEMS WHEN PRESSING GAS PEDAL.. VEHICLE SEEMS TO HAVE A DELAY WHEN PUSHING PEDDLE.. YOU CAN PUSH PEDAL DOWN 1/4 WAY BEFORE VEHICLE EVEN JUMPS RPM'S.. VEHICLE WILL THEN JUST JUMP FORWARD.. THIS HAS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST GET INTO 3 OR 4 ACCIDENTS BECAUSE I HAVE PULLED OUT AND CAR JUST SITS THERE THEN WILL JUST TAKE OFF.. VEHICLE WAS AT DEALERSHIP AND HAD UPDATE DONE BUT THIS DIDN'T HELP MY PROBLEM.. UPDATE CAUSED ME TO NOW HAVE SAME PROBLEM BUT ALSO HAVE SHIFTING PROBLEM.. *JB

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS RADIO ISSUES.. WHEN TURNING VOLUME UP PAST THE HALF WAY POINT IT SEEMS TO GET LOWER IN VOLUME.. IT SEEMS TO HAVE PROBLEM WITH AMP OR HEAD UNIT.. THE RADIO IS LOUDER WHEN 1/4 WAY UP THEN WHEN ALL THE WAY UP. *JB *JB

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS LOUD NOISE COMING FROM RIGHT FRONT CORNER.. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES NOW.. SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS HITTING FIREWALL.. NOTICED PROBLEM WHEN GIVING CAR GAS YOU CAN HEAR LOUD CLUNKING NOISE.. DOESN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME BUT SOUNDS BAD.. DOESN'T SOUND SAFE AT ALL. *JB

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS SHIFTING PROBLEMS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST.. CAR SOUNDS LIKE SLEDGE HAMMER HITTING UNDER HOOD WHEN DOWN SHIFTING.. THIS HAS HAPPENED 6 TIMES NOW WHEN COMING TO A STOP FROM HIGH SPEEDS.. THIS WILL CAUSE CAR TO PUSH FORWARD WHEN PROBLEMS STARTS.. COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT. *JB

01/20/07 PASSAT 3.6 HAD CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING HOME. WARNING LIGHT CAME ON DISPLAY ADVISE LOW OIL PRESSURE AND TO IMMEDIATELY STOP THE CAR. MILEAGE ON VEHICLE AT TIME OF FAILURE 13,357. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND THEN LATER STATED THAT REPAIR COULD BE DONE. PARTIAL LIST OF REPAIRS IS AS FOLLOWS: REMOVE AND REPLACE TIMING BELT, TENSIONER AND SHEARED BOLT THAT CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. CHECK MAIN BEARINGS AND REPLACE REMOVE AND EXTRACT BROKEN.......? CANNOT MAKE OUT NOTES ON SERVICE TICKET. FLUSH ENGINE BLOCK VEHICLE RETURNED TO US WITHIN 1 WEEK AND HAS NEVER BEEN RIGHT. CONSTANT ISSUES WITH SHIFTING AND CONTINUED NOISE IN ENGINE. 09/10/07 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINS ON. LOW OIL PRESSURE MESSAGE AND STOP CAR IMMEDIATELY DISPLAYED ON READOUT. LOUD CLUNKING AND GRINDING NOISE IN ENGINE AGAIN. APPEARS THAT SAME FAILURE AS BEFORE HAS OPCCURED AGAIN. MILEAGE IS 22,161 DROPPED VEHICLE AT DEALERSHIP ON 09/11/07 AND DEALER IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT SENT WRONG AND WHY. I AM INSISTING ON NEW ENGINE REPLACEMENT OR VWOA TO BUY BACK THE VEHICLE. *TR UPDATED 10/03/07. *JB

I OWN A 2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T. TWO DAYS AGO, AS MY WIFE WAS PARKING WITH THE BABY IN THE BACK SEAT, THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FAILED COMPLETELY AND SHE SMACKED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER AND IT INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS IN THOSE CARS AND MY WIFE AND BABY ARE OKAY. SHE THEN FILED A POLICE REPORT AND HAD THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PICK IT UP AND TAKE IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER. NOW I KNOW ABOUT THE LATE 2006 RECALL AND WE HAD THAT FIXED BUT GEEZ, IT'S A GOOD THING SHE WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY! AS OF YESTERDAY, VW MECHANICS COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND COULD NOT FIND A MECHANICAL OR COMPUTER ERROR. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT THEY ROAD TESTED IT AND IT WAS FINE. HOWEVER, MY CAR MODEL WAS RECALLED BY VW IN 12/06 AND SUPPOSEDLY FIXED A POWER BRAKE ISSUE. OF COURSE YESTERDAY THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS ALSO RECALLED JUST YESTERDAY FOR A SOFTWARE UPDATE. MEANS NOTHING I GUESS...AND THEY'VE ROAD TESTED IT AGAIN. BY THE WAY, HAD MY WIFE FLOORED THE GAS, WITH THE 2.0T ENGINE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE. WITNESSES SAW HER SCREAMING AND LOOKING DOWN BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. VW CONSUMER AFFAIRS, IS ALSO INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE AND THE DEALERS SERVICE LEVELS. NOW TODAY, SOMETHING SURPRISING HAPPENED. MY LOJACK EARLY WARNING SYSTEM CALLED AN EMAILED ME BECAUSE AS IT TURNS OUT THEY WERE ROAD TESTING IT. FUNNY, THEY SAID THEY ROAD TESTED IT YESTERDAY AS WELL BUT I HAD NO EARLY WARNING FROM LOJACK. SOUNDS LIKE I CAUGHT THE SERVICE CENTER IN A LIE. *JB

ON HOT WEATHER DAYS (90 DEGREES OR MORE) THE ENGINE WILL INTERMITTENTLY RUN AT A HIGH IDLE OF APPROXIMATELY 1,000 RPM AT STOPS. THE ENGINE NORMALLY IDLES AROUND 600 RPM AT STOPS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD AND REQUIRES EXCESSIVE FORCE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS IT IS AN INTERMITTENT CONDITION, THE DRIVER WILL BE CAUGHT UNAWARE OF HOW MUCH PRESSURE TO APPLY TO THE BRAKE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE ANTICIPATED DISTANCE. THIS HAS LED TO NEAR ACCIDENTS WITH VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS. *TR