2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

I HAVE A 2005 VW PASSAT GLS WITH APPROX 135,000 MILES. I TOOK IT IN TO GET "WINTERIZED", OIL CHANGE AND CLEAR THE ENGINE LIGHT (WHATEVER THE MISFIRE WAS FOR), AND A FACTORY RECALL ON THE ENGINE COILS. GOT ALL THAT DONE (PLUS SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED) AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT SHOULD BE OK, IF IT COMES BACK ON...TO LET THEM KNOW ASAP. A DAY AND 1/2 LATER, THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON, AND THIS TIME, THERE WAS BARELY ANY HEAT ON IN THE CAR. TOOK IT BACK...THEY STATED THAT THE COILS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (AGAIN) AND THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK GOING INTO THE COILS & THE FUEL INJECTORS, AND THAT THE HEATER CORE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I HAD THE COILS AND THE 2 "FAULTY" INJECTORS REPLACED. I GOT FRUSTRATED WITH THIS DEALER AND WENT TO ANOTHER VW DEAL, FOR THEIR EVALUATION. THEY SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW I COULD'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS BAD, WHEN THERE WAS SO MANY OTHER THINGS WRONG BEFORE THEY EVEN GOT TO THE HEATER CORE!! AND THEY GAVE ME 3 OPTIONS: EITHER PAY FOR EACH SERVICE SEPARATELY, GET A NEW/USED ENGINE OR SEE WHAT I CAN GET FOR THIS CAR AND TRADE IT IN (NOT HAPPY @ ALL). I CALLED VW OF A TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEATER CORE, SINCE IT WAS CAUSING MORE DAMAGE THAT ORIGINALLY THOUGHT, BUT THEY NICELY "DOCUMENTED" IT AND SENT ME A LOYALTY VOUCHER IF I WERE TO GET ANOTHER VW. I AM PISSED. I KNOW I HAVE ALOT OF MILEAGE, BUT THIS IS MAJOR, MAJOR DAMAGE AND EXPENSES TO BE PUT OUT FOR THIS CAR!!! VW NEEDS TO GET IT TOGETHER. I LOVED MY PASSAT UNTIL THIS POINT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATED SEATS ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. HE WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOTIFY THE CONTACT IF THERE WAS A RELATED RECALL AND HE HAS NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF VW BHW DIESEL ENGINE OIL BALANCE SHAFT / CHAIN FAILURE ARE REPORTED. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR DESPITE THE FACT THAT VW HAS RECOGNIZED THE ISSUE AND CHANGED THE DESIGN. FAILURE OF THE BALANCE SHAFT / CHAIN RESULTS IN IMMEDIATE LACK OF POWER CREATING A POTENTIAL LIFE SAFETY HAZARD. VW OF CANADA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED RESPONSIBILITY IN SOME DOCUMENTED CASES. VW OF AMERICA SHOULD BE COMPELLED BY GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES TO RESOLVE THE MATTER ON BEHALF OF US CITIZENS. I AM HAVING THE REPAIR DONE PROACTIVELY TO PREVENT ANY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BUT VW SHOULD STEP UP AND REIMBURSE THOSE OF US WHO HAVE PAID FOR THE EXPENSIVE REPAIR ON OUR OWN. *TR

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF VW BHW DIESEL ENGINE OIL BALANCE SHAFT / CHAIN FAILURE ARE REPORTED. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR DESPITE THE FACT THAT VW HAS RECOGNIZED THE ISSUE AND CHANGED THE DESIGN. FAILURE OF THE BALANCE SHAFT / CHAIN RESULTS IN IMMEDIATE LACK OF POWER CREATING A POTENTIAL LIFE SAFETY HAZARD. VW OF CANADA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED RESPONSIBILITY IN SOME DOCUMENTED CASES. VW OF AMERICA SHOULD BE COMPELLED BY GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES TO RESOLVE THE MATTER ON BEHALF OF US CITIZENS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY 2 YEARS OLD SON, AND OUT OF NO WHERE THE CAR STOP AND AS SOON AS STOP ONE OF THE MESSAGE FROM MY CAR WAS STOP COOLING ENGINE, THAT WAS THE FOUR TIME THAT LIGHT APPEARS ON MY CAR, I BEEN TALKING THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC FOR THAT PROBLEM BUT THEY TOLD ME IT IS A DEFECT I ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN $3,000.00 ON MY CAR AND IS NOT WORKING, MY CAR IS A WV PASSAT 2005. *TR

I OWN A 2005 PASSAT TDI GLS. MY CAR HAD DEVELOPED A VERY SERIOUS NOISE CAUSED BY THE OIL PUMP CHAIN UNIT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON THIS VEHICLE. I DID TALK TO VW AND MY DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THE THRASHING CHAIN NOISE. I GOT POLITE DENIALS AND BLANK STARES WHEN I TOLD THEM OF THIS ISSUE. MEMBERS OF THE WWW.TDICLUB.COM DISCOVERED A VW ENGINEERED FIX FOR THE VEHICLES INVOLVED. MEMBERS WHO HAVE DRIVEN THEIR CARS BEYOND THE 80K OR SO SEEM MORE LIKELY TO HAVE THE CHAIN SNAP DURING OPERATION WHICH RENDERS THE CAR INOPERATIVE AND DANGEROUS DURING THE BREAKAGE. THE FIX IS NOT EXACTLY AN INEXPENSIVE REPAIR AS THE PARTS ALONE ARE AROUND $1500 AND THE INSTALLATION REQUIRES EXTENSIVE DISASSEMBLY OF THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIR INVOLVES REPLACING THE CHAIN DRIVEN OIL PUMP BALANCE SHAFT ASSEMBLY WITH A GEAR DRIVEN ASSEMBLY. THE BELOW LINK HAS VIDEOS/SOUND CLIPS OF MY CAR BEFORE THE NOISE, AFTER THE NOISE AND AFTER THE FIX. THIS WAS TAKEN WITH 44,444 MILES ON THE CLOCK: HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=K0WMGCDJFQI THIS THE CAR PRIOR TO BALANCE SHAFT REPAIR IN MAY 2009 WITH 56,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK: HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=TTQX3SJ6_FK THIS IS A POST-OP RECORDING JUNE 2009 AT 57,000 MILES OF MY PASSAT AFTER BRIAN JOHNSTON OF CARDOCAUTOMOTIVE IN ST. LOUIS MISSOURI. HE IS A NATIONALLY KNOWN INDEPENDENT ASE CERTIFIED EXPERT ON THIS ISSUES REPAIR. HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XTQIAK-CWD4. *TR

MY VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT HAS EXPERIENCED SCARY ACCELERATION WITHOUT ME PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, BOTH WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY. I CHECKED MY MATS, BUT THEY WERE NOT OBSTRUCTING ANYTHING. I WAS SO SURPRISED TO SEE THE NEWS TONIGHT ON CHANNEL 5 BOSTON COVERING THIS STORY! *TR

SEAT HEATER REMAINED ON AFTER SWITCHED TO THE OFF POSITION. HEAT INCREASED TO UNCOMFORTABLE LEVEL, IN-DASH SWITCH BECAME TOO HOT TO TOUCH, AND SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC FILLED COCKPIT (NO SMOKE THOUGH). *TR

HELLO, I BOUGHT VW PASSAT WAGON GLS BRAND NEW FROM VW DEALER IN OHIO DURING JUNE,2005. THE CAR MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP IS COMING ON THRICE SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW. I ALREADY MADE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS DURING MY SERVICE VISIT. EVERY TIME THEY FIX IT AT A COST TO THE CUSTOMER.BUT I DO NO KNOW HOW SAFE TO DRIVE IN A HIGHWAY WITH THIS MIL COMES ON SUDDENLY.VW NEVER ADDRESS TO THIS UNTIL. YOUR ACTIONS ARE APPRECIATED. *TR THANKS, MOHAN RAJAMANI

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VW PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE LOW PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL; WHICH INSTRUCTED HER TO DISCONTINUE OPERATION. IT THE CONTACT CHOSE TO CONTINUE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ENGINE FAILURE COULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. A TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE TURBO ALONG WITH THE OIL AND PICK-TUBE; TO AVOID OIL FROM ENTERING INTO THE INNER COOLER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 62,000. UPDATED 10/21/09 *BF UPDATED 10/20/09*JB