2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2017, I PARKED MY VW IN MY GARAGE. THERE WERE NO ENGINE LIGHTS ON OR ANYTHING, BUT THE CAR HAD BEEN MAKING A LOUD FAN LIKE NOISE AFTER I REMOVED THE KEY FOB FROM THE IGNITION. ITS BEEN DOING THAT SINCE I BOUGHT IT. I DIDN'T START THE CAR BACK UP UNTIL 5 SEPTEMBER 2017 AFTER RETURNING FROM A WEEKEND WITH FAMILY. WHEN I STARTED MY VW UP I NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOW ILLUMINATED. I WAITED ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE I TOOK ANY ACTION HOPING THAT THE LIGHT WOULD JUST GO AWAY ON ITS OWN, BUT IT DIDN'T. ON 12 SEPTEMBER I TOOK THE CAR TO THE NEAREST AUTOZONE AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THEIR FREE ENGINE LIGHT DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. THE ERROR CODES READ "P0171 SYSTEM TOO LEAN (BANK 1)" AND "P12A2 FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR INAPPROPRIATELY HIGH." AT THE TOP OF THE PAPER IT STATED THAT THE MOST LIKELY SOLUTION FOR THESE ERROR CODES WAS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP. ONCE I RETURNED HOME I CALLED THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OUT FOR MY MODEL VEHICLE, BUT THERE IS NO FIX AT THE MOMENT. I THEN WENT ONLINE TO SEE FOR MYSELF, THE MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER IS: 20AE AND THE NHTSA MANUFACTURER NUMBER IS: 17V509. I AM NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RANDOMLY START HAVING THESE ISSUES. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR OUT OF TOWN ANYMORE, I ONLY DRIVE IT TO AND FROM WORK.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER (HERITAGE VOLKSWAGEN PARKVILLE, 9215 HARTFORD RD, PARKVILLE, MD 21234) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HER RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V509000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED JOSEPH VOLKSWAGEN (3813 MONTGOMERY RD, CINCINNATI, OH 45212, PHONE NUMBER: (800) 551-4240) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

CAR WAS PARKED AND WOULD NOT START. HAD TOWED TO MECHANIC--CASTASTROPIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO BROKEN TIMING BELT TENSIONER. 105K MILES--MAINTENANCE UPKEPT. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A LATENT DEFECT IN THE TENSIONER SYSTEM OF THE TIMING CHAIN THAT CAN CAUSE THE CHAIN TO “JUMP A TOOTH” IN THE VEHICLE’S CAMSHAFT, WHICH CAUSES SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. UNFORTUNATELY THE DEFECT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CAR OWNERS TO DISCOVER, BUT AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN KNEW OF THE TENSIONER SYSTEM PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST JUNE 2010. NORMALLY, THE TIMING CHAIN IS MEANT TO FUNCTION PERFECTLY FOR AT LEAST 120,000 MILES. BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT ON THE SCHEDULE FOR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURERS. HOWEVER, WITH THE DEFECTIVE TENSIONER, THE TIMING CHAIN FREQUENTLY FAILS WELL BEFORE THAT MARK, BUT OFTEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS ISSUE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO HAVE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. WHY HAS THE VW OWNERS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED AND WHY HASN'T THE NTSB DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. 7K+ TO GET A NEW ENGINE. THIS IS AN INTERNAL PART AND NOT A SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ISSUE.VW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. PEOPLE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PURCHASE A CAR AND HAVE THE ENGINE FAIL BEFORE CAR IS PAID FOR.

CAM CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE. DRIVING DOWN ROAD ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH THEN STOPPED GOT CAR BACK TO HOUSE (75 YARDS) HAD CAR TOWED TO VW DEALER PAID $140.00 FOR DIAG.L MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE FROM CAM CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE VALVES AND PISTON DAMAGED COULD HAVE BEEN MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM IF ON MAJOR ROAD ( DANGEROUS UNSAFE )

THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN A SHORT DISTANCE AND PARKED. SHORTLY AFTER THAT IT CAUGHT ON FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR UNAWARE OF A CARBONIZATION ISSUE ON THE VALVES\. THE CARBON BUILD UP CAUSES A MISSFIRE READ AND A LEAN FAULT IN LEFT BANK. THE MISSFIRE ISSUE MAKES THE VEHICLE VIRTUALLY UNDRIVABLE WHICH PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN DANGER AT THE TIME THIS OCCURD. ACCORDINGLY AFTER PLENTY OF RESEARCH THIS APPARENTLY IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE AND IS A MANUFACTURE ISSUE SINCE THE ISSUE COULD BE SOLVED BY PLACING THE FUEL INJECTORS BEHIND THE VALVES TO CLEAN THEM INSTEAD THEY ARE COSTING CONSUMERS OBSCENE AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK FOR NO OTHER REASON THEN TO NOT FIX THIS ISSUE.

TAKATA RECALL. AS OF FEBUARY 6TH THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED A FI FOR MY CAR AFTER 2 YEARS.

VEHICLE STARTED ROUGH AND WAS VIBRATING. SHUT OFF AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. TOWED TO DEALER WHO INFORMED THAT AN INTERNAL FAILURE OCCURRED CAUSING THE TIMING CHAIN TO SLIP AND THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT, "THESE THINGS JUST HAPPEN SOMETIMES". HOWEVER, AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING AND REPEATED ISSUED FOR MANY VW AND AUDIT OWNERS AND THAT THERE ARE THREE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS FILED FOR TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER PROBLEMS. VW OF AMERICA WAS NOT HELPFUL. WHY SHOULD THE CONSUMER BE OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR WHAT SHOULD BE A KNOWN DEFECT. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 105,000 MILES.

THERE IS A LATENT DEFECT IN THE TENSIONER SYSTEM OF THE TIMING CHAIN THAT CAN CAUSE THE CHAIN TO 'JUMP A TOOTH' IN THE VEHICLE'S CAMSHAFT, WHICH CAUSES SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. UNFORTUNATELY THE DEFECT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CAR OWNERS TO DISCOVER, BUT AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN KNEW OF THE TENSIONER SYSTEM PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST JUNE 2010. NORMALLY, THE TIMING CHAIN IS MEANT TO FUNCTION PERFECTLY FOR AT LEAST 120,000 MILES. BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT ON THE SCHEDULE FOR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURERS. HOWEVER, WITH THE DEFECTIVE TENSIONER, THE TIMING CHAIN FREQUENTLY FAILS WELL BEFORE THAT MARK, BUT OFTEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS ISSUE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO HAVE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE.