2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

THE TURBOCHARGER BLEW UP WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. PRIOR TO THE TURBOCHARGER BLOWING UP, THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS FROM THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE OR INDICATOR LIGHTS THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. WHEN THE TURBO SEIZED UP THE PRE-GLOW INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON SHORTLY FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT. I PULLED THE CAR OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED ME OF NOT MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE AND ASKED ME IF I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP DRAINED THE OIL FROM THE ENGINE AND SENT IT TO THEIR LAB AND HAD A VW REP COME OUT TO VALIDATE THEIR CLAIM THAT THE CAR WAS NOT MAINTAINED. AT NO POINT IN TIME DID THE DEALERSHIP TELL ME THAT VW HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS OR 120K MILES. MY PASSAT HAS 75K MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED, INCLUDING THE MOST RECENT OIL CHANGE AT 63K MILES. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE TURBOCHARGER WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BASED ON THEIR ASSESSMENT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MAINTAINED SO I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE TUNE OF $2.3K. MY PERCEPTION FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VW DEALERSHIP WAS THEY WERE BUILDING A CASE. I CALLED VW OF AMERICA AND CONFIRMED THAT MY VEHICLE IS COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I FILED A CLAIM WITH VW OF AMERICA TO RECOUP THE ENTIRE $2.3K CHARGED TO MY CREDIT CARD AND DISPUTED THE CHARGE WITH AMEX. THE BURDEN OF PROOF FOR DENYING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE TURBOCHARGED IS ON VW. THIS IS KNOWN ISSUED THAT VW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED AND UNDERWRITTEN WITH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. THE FACT THAT THERE NO INDICATIONS OF FAILURE ONLY MAKES THE SITUATION WORSE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT CAUSED BY CAR'S SUDDEN DECELERATION. I WILL HEAR BACK VW TODAY WITH REGARD TO COMPENSATION. THAT SAID, I EXPECT NTSB TO APPLY PRESSURE ON VW TO STAND BEHIND THEIR WARRANTY COVERAGE.

NO HEAT COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. THIS WAS FOUND OUT WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON A VERY COLD DAY AND NOT HAVING THE DEFROST WORKING VERY WELL ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. TAKING IT TO THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE HEATER CORE IS CLOGGED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS A MONTH AGO. I FOUND OUT THAT THE PARTS WERE BACK ORDERED AND THAT I WAS #502 IN LINE FOR A REPLACEMENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

SOMETHING IS CAUSING THE HEATER CORE TO CLOG AND THAT REDUCES THE DEFROSTERS ABILITY TO WORK AND THEREFORE REDUCES VISIBILITY UNDER CERTAIN SCENARIOS. SUCH AS RAIN OR HIGH CABIN HUMIDITY. THE TSB TO REPLACE THE HEATER CORE DOES NOT SOLVE THE ROOT CAUSE SINCE THE HEATER CORE FAILS AGAIN AFTER SOME TIME.

THE HEATER CORE IN MY CAR HAS BECOME CLOGGED AND IS NOW FAILING TO PRODUCE HEAT FOR INSIDE THE CAR AND IN TURN IS FAILING TO DEFROST THE WINDOWS WHEN THEY BECOME FOGGED. I HAVE READ MANY CASES FROM ONLINE FORUMS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED VW CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY ADVISED THEY CANNOT HELP WITH THE PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT AND THE HEATER CORES IN THESE CARS SHOULD NOT BE FAILING ALREADY. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS WHILE IN MOTION AND WHILE STATIONARY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000 (AIR BAGS), BUT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

VW SOLD OVER 500,000 'CLEAN DIESELS' IN THE US COMMITTING FRAUD. I'M IN LIMBO WITH A VEHICLE I DON'T WANT AND CAN'T SELL. WHEN IS THE NHTSA AND EPA GOING TO REQUIRE VW TO BUY BACK THIS CAR THAT BROKE A NUMBER OF STATUTES?

AFTER PARKING OVERNIGHT, DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN USING EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. OPENING DOOR FROM INSIDE RELEASED LATCH, OPENING DOOR, BUT FRAYED A CABLE. FRAYED CABLE RESULTED IN DOOR LATCH STUCK OPEN, UNABLE TO LATCH DOOR CLOSED. VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AND LATCH PROPERLY. THE PROBLEM IS WATER AND MOISTURE ENTERING THE LATCH AND FREEZING. I DISASSEMBLED THE INNER DOOR PANEL TO CLOSE LATCH AND DRIVE TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. VW HAS AN UPDATED PART TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. A FAILED LATCH COULD CAUSE THE DOOR TO OPEN WHILE OPERATING A VEHICLE.

DRIVER SIDE DOOR SEALS ALLOWS WATER TO ENTER DOOR AND ONTO LATCH WHICH CAUSING THE LATCHING MECHANISM TO FREEZE SHUT. THE FREEZING OF THE DOOR INHIBITS THE DRIVER FROM BEING ABLE TO EXIT THE CAR IN AN EMERGENCY OF CAR TRAVELS FROM A WET ENVIRONMENT TO BELOW FREEZING ENVIRONMENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS WHERE TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE UPPER 30'S THEN FELL BELOW FREEZING. ONCE WHEN THE CAR WAS IN MOTION ALSO. WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY, ONE HAS TO ENTER THE CAR FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE, IF THE DOOR UNLOCKS AND OPENS, TO ENTER AND EXIT THE CAR. ON ONCE OCCASION, I WAS ABLE TO FORCE OPEN THE DOOR BY PULLING THE INSIDE HANDLE AND SHOVING UP AGAINST IT. IT IS KNOWN AND SHARED ON THE VW FORUMS THAT IF YOU PULL THE HANDLE TOO HARD, IT WILL STRETCH A CABLE WHICH MAY RENDER THE DOOR UNABLE TO SHUT OR NOT PROPERLY LATCH. VW IS AWARE OF THIS AS THEY HAVE A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB #TT-57-14-01 FOR IT HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAN STOP THE DRIVER FROM EXITING THE CAR IN AN EMERGENCY.

THE HEATER CORE PLUGS UP BECAUSE OF FLUX LEFT IN COOLING SYSTEM COMPONENTS. THE FRONT WINDOWS WON'T CLEAR BECAUSE OF NO HEAT FROM PLUGGED HEATER CORE CREATING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. VW NOT COVERING ALL COST TO PROPERLY REPAIR THIS PROBLEM.