2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Complaints

THE TIMING TENSIONER WENT BAD AND CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE WHICH NOW NEEDS REPLACED AT AROUND $7K-$8K. THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE BY VW AND THERE ARE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS OUT THERE. I CALLED VW OF AMERICA AND THEY REFUSED TO EVEN HELP WITH THIS ISSUE DUE TO THE FACT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED AND THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. HOW COULD THERE BE NO RECALLS ON A CAR THAT THEY KNOWINGLY HAD ISSUES WITH THE TIMING TENSIONER? I CANNOT FIND ANYTHING ON THE NHTSA SITE THOUGH ON SOME FORUMS OTHERS HAVE STATED A FILE NUMBER FOR THE SAME ISSUE. I JUST THINK VW SHOULD STAND UP AND TAKE CARE OF A PROBLEM THEY KNEW ABOUT A LONG TIME AGO.

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER IS DEFECTED. THE TIMING CHAIN LOST TENSION WHILE VEHICLE WAS ON ALLOWING THE CHAIN TO JUMP ONE TOOTH CAUSING DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS TO THE ENGINE.

WHIEL DRIVING ON A BUSY STATE ROAD, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AROUND 70,900 MILES. I HEARD RATTLING SOUND FROM ENGINE, FRONT END SHAKE. I PULLED OVER NEAR MY HOUSE AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. I THEN HAD TROUBLE STARTING THE VEHICLE. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO A VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY INFORMED ME OF THE FOLLOWING, "TECH FOUND THAT TIMING CHAIN ADJUSTER HAS REACHED ITS LIMITS. FOUND COOLANT FANS HAVE INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT. TECH RECOMMENDS TO REPLACE ALL TIMING CHAIN COMPONENTS AND TO REPLACE BOTH COOLNG FANS. TIMING CHAINS AND ALL COMPONENTS $2887.68 COOLING FANS $1252.16" THE TECH THEN TOLD ME HE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ME DRIVING THE VEHICLE ANYMORE. I'M NOT SURE WHEN THE TIMING ADJUSTOR FAILED, BUT IF I WERE TO KEEP DRIVING THE TIGUAN, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO SEIZE AT ANY TIME. I LATER BECAME AWARE FROM INTERNET RESEARCH THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER PROBLEM WAS COMMON AMONG VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDIS WITH THE 2.0T ENGINE SOLD FROM 2008 - 2011 AND IN NOV. 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) MAKING THEIR DEALERS AWARE OF THE DEFECT. HOWEVER, THE COMPANY NEVER INFORMED CUSTOMERS. THIS PROBLEM IS CURRENTLY THE SUBJECT OF AN ONGOING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. VOLKSWAGEN HAS SO FAR REFUSED TO HELP ME IN ANY WAY, INSTEAD MAINTAINING THAT BECAUSE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY (6 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES) THEY ARE UNABLE TO HELP IN ANY WAY AND THAT I WOULD BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE TIGUAN MANUAL SAYS NO MAINTENANCE SHOULD BE NEEDED ON THE TIMING CHAIN UNTIL 130,000 MILES.

AFTER NOTICING EXCESS OIL LEAKAGE WE TOOK OUR "09 TIGUAN TO OUR ASE CERTIFIED LOCAL INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZES IN EUROPEAN CARS. HE FOUND A REAR MAIN SEAL FAILURE. VW PASADENA FOUND THE FOLLOWING: TIMING CHAIN FAILURE, CRANK CASE BREATHER FAILURE, CARBON BUILD UP ON VALVES, REAR MAIN SEAL FAILURE, PRESSURE CIRCULATION VALVE (PCV) FAILURE. VEHICLE IS WITHIN POWERTRAIN WARRANTY AND VW REALDRIVER MECHANICAL FAILURE SERVICE CONTRACT WARRANTY BY MILES, BUT NOT BY TERMS (5 YR AND 3YR RESPECTIVELY). WENT TO LOCAL DEALER, ESCALATED TO VW AMERICA, AND DENIED CLAIM 1/26/17. AFTER OWNING 10+ VW'S IN THE FAMILY THIS IS IT. ESCALATING PAST CLAIMS MGR TOMORROW AND SEEKING A RESOLUTION.

THE ENGINE FOR MY PARTICULAR CAR IS VERY POORLY DESIGNED CAUSING IT TO HAVE SO MANY ISSUES ONE AFTER THE OTHER. AT ON 72K MILES I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE FOLLOWING JOBS DONE TO MY CAR: REPLACE PCV VALVE, DECARBONIZATION OF THE CAR, REAR MAIN SEAL LEAK REPLACEMENT.

TIGUAN. PURCHASED THE CAR IN DECEMBER 2015 REPLACED THE WATER PUMP IN FEBRUARY 2016 AND AGAIN IN JANUARY 2017. THE WATER PUMP ON THIS CAR HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES IN ITS LIFETIME. VW SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND OFFER EXTENDED WARRANTIES TO ALL OWNERS OF ITS CARS.

LARGE POOL OF MOTOR OIL UNDER THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. DEALER INSPECTED AND INFORMED ME OF A FAILED REAR MAIN SEAL CAUSED HIGH CRANKCASE PRESSURE BUILDUP DUE TO A STUCK (CLOSED) PVC VALVE.

THE WIRING INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAS INSULATION THAT DEGRADES WITH THE HEAD GENERATED BY THE LOW BEAM/DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS. IT BECOMES BRITTLE AND FALLS OFF CREATING BEAR WIRE SHORTING HAZARD. THE LIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE SUCH THAT THE WIRING CANNOT BE ACCESSED TO REPLACE WITH HIGH TEMP INSULATION. VW ONLY REPLACES W/ THE SAME ENTIRE ASSEMBLY WHICH DOES NOT CORRECT THE HAZARD & COSTS $800 TO REPLACE BOTH ASSEMBLIES. I CAUGHT THE DEFECT WHEN REPLACING A LIGHT BULB. THIS AFFECTS MORE THAN THE TIGUAN MODEL.

CAR WOULD NOT START OR EVEN TURN OVER. BATTERY WAS FINE AND FIRMLY CONNECTED. LIGHTS ALL CAME ON. NO ERROR MESSAGES. ON THIRD OR FOURTH TRY, IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I BACKED THE CAR OUT OF DRIVEWAY ONTO MY STREET WITH DISTANT APPROACHING TRAFFIC. I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD AND LEFT, THEN WITH A LOUD CLUNK IT DIED COMPLETELY, ENGINE OFF, ALL LIGHTS DARK. NOW IN DANGER FROM THE NOT-SO-DISTANT ONCOMING TRAFFIC, I TRIED TO RESTART. SAME TROUBLE AS BEFORE---NO REPONSE BUT THE ALL LIGHTS CAME ON. TWO OR THREE TRIES AND THEN IT STARTED. THE SAME THING OCCURRED THE FOLLOWING MORNING. NO OIL DUMP OR ANY OTHER FLUID. UNKNOWN CAUSE. VW DEALERSHSIP UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM AND THUS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE. THE DYING WHILE IN MOTION PROBLEM IS A POTENTIALLY INJURY-CAUSING OR EVEN FATAL HAZARD.

WHILE DRIVING THE REAR OIL SEAL FAILED CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE THAT REQUIRED AN IMMEDIATE TRIP TO THE MECHANIC. NO WARNING LIGHTS EVER CAME ON TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. HAD OUR VEHICLE STALLED OR ENGINE FAILED DUE TO LOSS OF OIL WHILE WE WERE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED WE COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. ALMOST A YEAR LATER WHILE PARKED THE ENGINE FAILED TO TURN OVER AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO MECHANIC. TIMING TENSIONER HAD FAILED CAUSING DAMAGE TO ENGINE REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT. HAD WE BEEN DRIVING AND THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED WE COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THESE ARE BOTH KNOWN PROBLEMS BY VW YET THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO REPAIR OR MAKE THEIR CUSTOMERS WHOLE DUE TO THESE DEFECTS. NOW I HAVE AN $7,000 PAPER WEIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE TO REPLACE A BLOWN ENGINE IN A CAR THAT HAS 90,000 MILES AND IS 7 YEARS OLD.