2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Complaints

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING AND SHARPLY TURNED RIGHT BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL AND ALL INDICATIONS OF FAILURE SUBSIDED. I HAVE HAD THREE INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING IN ONE YEARS WORTH OF TIME.

THE COIL, THE FUEL PUMP AND THE REAR SEAL ARE DEFECTIVE. THEY ARE COVERED FOR REPAIR UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE ISSUE IS THAT THIS IS THE 3RD ENGINE FAILURE THIS YEAR, ANOTHER IN THE PAST. IF YOU GOOGLE 2009 TIGUAN REAR SEAL, YOU WILL FIND MANY MANY VW OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE AT THIS EARLY AND EARLY MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE. THERE IS AN APPARENT MANUFACTURERS DEFECT THAT IS BEING OVERLOOKED. *TR

A LIQUID WAS ACCIDENTALLY SPILLED ON THE PARKING BRAKE, WHICH IS LOCATED NEXT TO THE CUP HOLDERS. NOW THE CAR IS SAYING THERE IS A "PARKING BRAKE FAILURE", INDICATING THIS ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT IS NOT SEALED FROM SPILLS EVEN THOUGH IT IS LOCATED NEXT TO THE CUP HOLDERS. *TR

I BROUGHT MY TIGUAN IN DUE TO AN ENGINE LEAK AND TO HAVE AN ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC. THEY INDICATED THE MAIN REAR MAIN SEAL WAS LEAKING. 700 PLUS DOLLARS. REPAIRED THE SEAL THE LEAK STOPPED BUT THE LOW ENGINE PRESSURE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF. THE THEN INDICATED THAT THE TENSIONER ARM WAS BAD AND THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I RECEIVED A CALL THE NEXT DAY THAT THE TENSIONER WAS BAD BUT THE TENSIONER CHAIN HAD WALKED OFF THE ROCKER ARM AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I CALLED MULTIPLE TIMES TO VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER CARE MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY RESPONDED THAT THEY CANT HELP WITH ANYTHING. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE TENSIONER ARM THROUGH GOOGLE AND FOUND PAGES AND PAGES OF BLOGS WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE TENSIONER ARM FAILING RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON ROLLING ROAD (NORTH) TOWARD OLD KEEN MILL ROAD IN SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA AROUND 4:05 PM ON NOVEMBER 4, 2014 (TUESDAY). I SAW THE SMOKE COMING OUT NEAR THE HOOD IN THE FRONT WHILE WAITING FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT, SO I PULLED OVER TO THE PARKING LOT NEAR A GAS STATION. I SAW PEOPLE WAVED TO ME, AND YELLED AT ME TO STOP, I GOT OFF MY CAR AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE AT THE BOTTOM, WE BEND DOWN AND LOOKED THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE, AND SAW THE FIRE BURNING ON THE MATERIAL HANGING DOWN. FORTUNATELY, A DRIVER RAN OVER CARRYING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM HIS CAR, AND A PERSON FROM THE GAS STATION ALSO BROUGHT ANOTHER FIRE EXTINGUISHER, THEY SPREAD THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. I COULD NOT WAIT FOR THE TOW TRUCK, SO I CAREFULLY DROVE THE CAR TO THE VW DEALERSHIP IN FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA. THE MECHANIC LIFTED UP THE CAR AND TOOK DOWN THE BURNED LOWER ENGINE COVER, AND FIGURED THAT IT WAS BECAUSE MANY DRIED LEAVES STUCK NEAR THE ENGINE AND THE HIGH HEAT NEAR THE ENGINE CAUSING THE LEAVES TO FIRE UP AND BURN THE LOWER ENGINE COVER. I'VE SAVED THIS LOWER ENGINE COVER IN MY TRUNK, AND HAVE REPORTED THIS SAFETY INCIDENT TO THE VW CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE CASE WAS DOCUMENTED AND A CASE # [XXX] WAS ASSIGNED. I REPORT THIS INCIDENT TO NHTSA FOR THE SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THIS NON-FIRE-RESISTANT MATERIAL CAN CAUSE THE LIFE OF THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN DOWN INTERSTATE THROUGH CONSTRUCTION AREA. LOUD POP WAS HEARD FROM REAR END. AFTER A SHORT DISTANCE, REAR OF CAR STARTED TO SHUTTER THEN LOCKED UP COMPLETELY. CAR SKIDDED TO A STOP ON. CHECKED TO SEE IF IT WAS BRAKES ONSITE AND IT WAS NOT. HAD TOWED TO VW DEALER IN HOMETOWN AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE GEARS IN THE REAR END HAD COME APART AND SEIZED THE REAR WHEELS. **IF THIS HAD OCCURRED AT NORMAL INTERSTATE SPEEDS I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED WORSE RESULTS UP TO DEATH. WHEELS WERE COMPLETELY LOCKED UNTIL CAR WAS PUT INTO REVERSE TO UNBIND THE AWD SYSTEM. *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CONTINUES DESPITE RECALL FIX IN MAY 2008. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THIS RECALL BY VW CORPORATE OR THE DEALER. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUG. 2008 - 3 MONTHS AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS DONE. WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT UNEXPECTED SURGES NUMEROUS TIMES TO THE DEALER, VW CORPORATE AND NHTSA NOT ONE PERSON MENTIONED THE 2008 RECALL WHICH EXACTLY DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM I WAS EXPERIENCING. I HAD THREE SERIOUS NEAR COLLISIONS BECAUSE OF THIS UNINTENDED SURGING BEFORE I MYSELF DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM. I DID THIS BY KEEPING A 2-YEAR LOG OF WHEN THE SURGES OCCURRED AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES. I FOUND THAT THE ONLY COMMON DENOMINATOR IN THE INCIDENTS WAS THE USE OF AIR CONDITIONING. IT ONLY SURGED WHEN THE A/C WAS ON 3 OR 4. TODAY - AFTER VISITING YOUR NEW SAFERCAR.GOV I LEARNED ABOUT THE 2008 RECALL FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT DESCRIBES EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING WITH THIS CAR AND IT CITES THE A/C AS THE DIRECT CAUSE. AFTER DRIVING IN DANGER FOR SIX YEARS - I WANT THIS FIXED NOW AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS RECALL AFTER MY NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS TO BOTH VW AND NHTSA. *TR

AT SLOWER SPEEDS, IDLE, COMING TO A STOP AND ACCELERATING THE ENGINE SPUTTERS CAUSING A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. VW HAS CREATED IMPROVED REPLACEMENT PARTS BUT HAS NOT INFORMED ANY CUSTOMERS. ALSO THE VW TIGUAN OWNERS MANUAL CLAIMS THAT THE TENSIONER IS LIFETIME AND NEED NO MAINTENANCE. EVENTUALLY THE SPROCKET WHEELS BECOME SO WORN THAT THE CHAIN JUMPS AND DESTROYS THE PISTONS/HEADER/ENGINE. FAILURE USUALLY HAPPENS ABOVE THE 60,000 MILE POWERTRAIN LIMITED WARRANTY. VW AMERICA IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT CLAIMS "LIKE ANY COMPONENT ON ANY VEHICLE, IT'S STILL POSSIBLE FOR IT TO FAIL". THEY KNOW THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD, THEY HAVE A FIX AND THEY DO NOT INFORM CUSTOMERS. *TR

THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON MANY TIMES BETWEEN 2011 AND 2014 AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE KICKED OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL. MILLER VW CHECKED THE CAR JULY 2011, DID NOT HAVE A SOLUTION AND CLEARED THE CODES. I ASKED OUR LOCAL MECHANIC ABOUT IT IN JULY 2013 WHO IDENTIFIED THAT THERE WAS A TSB FOR THE THROTTLE BODY WIRING HARNESS. WE CONTINUED TO OBSERVE THE INTERMITTENT EPC FAULT RESPONSE BUT EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS. THE FIRST MAJOR INCIDENT OCCURRED 28 JUNE 2014 ENTERING I-89 NORTH WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC THE EPC AND ENGINE FAULT LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER JUST AS WE ENTERED THE TRAVEL LANE. THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AND WOULD GO NO FASTER THAN 35 MPH I SWITCHED OFF THE ENGINE WHILE TRAVELING WHICH RESET THE THROTTLE FAULT ALLOWING US TO CONTINUE TRAVELING. THIS IS A SHORT RAMP AND THERE IS NO SHOULDER AT THE END OF THE RAMP. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE CAR AT WALKER VW TO REPAIR THE CAR ON 2 JULY. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE REPAIRS THAT DAY AS THEY DID NOT HAVE ALL OF THE REQUIRED PARTS ON HAND. ON 22 JULY MY WIFE WAS PREPARING TO ENTER I-91 FROM ROUTE 5 SOUTH VIA A LEFT TURN ON RAMP WHEN THE EPC AND ENGINE FAULT LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE ENGINE WENT INTO LIMP MODE JUST AS SHE WAS PREPARING TO TURN INTO THE ON RAMP. A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS RAPIDLY OVERTAKING HER IN THAT LANE IN A DRIVING RAIN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT EXCEED 20 MPH. SHE TURNED ON THE FLASHERS AND THE OVERTAKING TRUCKER VEERED INTO THE RIGHT LANE AVOIDING COLLISION. I THEN MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH OUR LOCAL CAR REPAIR SHOP AND TRUSTED MECHANIC AT KINGDOM IMPORTS. THEY ORDERED THE PARTS AND INSTALLED THE REPLACEMENT WIRING IAW THE TSB ON 29 JULY 2014. EVEN AFTER ORDERING TWO COMPLETE SETS OF PARTS VW DID NOT INCLUDE THE SHRINK TAPE REQUIRED TO STABILIZE THE WIRING. VW HAS CHOSEN THE WORST SOLUTION AND SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND INSTALL A PURPOSE BUILT WIRING HARNESS. *TR

I DRIVE A 2009 VW TIGUAN 2.0 AUTOMATIC FRONT WHEEL DRIVE ABOUT 63000 MILES SITUATION #1: $782.67 INTAKE MANIFOLD (COVERED UNDER VW WARRANTY EXTENSION) DE CARB FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR PVC VALVE PRESSENS SEPARATOR SITUATION #2: $903.20 REAR MAIN SEAL FILTER OIL CHANGE AFTER CAR RETURNED: ISSUES WITH POWER WINDOWS, CD PLAYER, AND SUN ROOF DURING INSPECTION FOR ABOVE AT SHOP- CAR OVER HEATED WHILE ON A TEST DRIVE ISSUE # 3: ABOUT $1000- HAVEN'T YET GIVEN GO AHEAD CD PLAYER MAY BE FROM 'PLAYING BURNED CDS... SEE BEST BUY TO FIX.... SUNROOF- MAY BE TRACKING ISSUE- SEE AFTER MARKET SUNROOF PERSON TO FIX... WATER PUMP ARE ANY OF THESE CAUSING THE OTHERS? CAN I HOLD THE MECHANICS RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF THIS? IS THIS NORMAL FOR A CAR THIS AGE/ MILEAGE?? HELP!!!! *JS