2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Complaints

THE WATER PUMP FAILED AT 106,246 MILES, IT WAS REPLACED. THE PUMP FAILED AGAIN AT 109,802 MILES, IT WAS REPLACED. THE PUMP FAILED AGAIN AT 135,473 MILES. ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS, THE PUMP FAILED ON START UP, THE CAR WAS NOT IN MOTION.

DRIVER SEAT BACK SUPPORT FAILURE. I WAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ALAMEDA AND CHAMBERS, IN AURORA, CO. THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO PROCEED FORWARD, A BICYCLIST DARTED OUT IN FRONT OF ME SO I QUICKLY HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL TO AVOID HITTING HIM. AT THAT MOMENT MY BACK SUPPORT DROPPED BACK INTO A FLAT RECLINE POSITION. MY VEHICLE DID NOT TRAVEL 3 FT, NOR DID I REACH ANY SPEED OVER 3 MPH. I MADE A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT TO SEE IF I COULD LIFT THE SEAT BUT IT APPEARED TO BE LOCKED INTO THE FLAT POSITION. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE VW DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT INSPECTED. I WAS TOLD THAT MY SEAT OPERATED CORRECTLY AND THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET IT UPRIGHT AGAIN. BUT WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHY THE SEAT FELL BACKWARDS OR FAILED. I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH SEAT AND THAT IF I'M IN AN ACCIDENT THAT THE SEAT WILL FAIL AND THAT I COULD BE SEVERELY INJURED OR WORSE.

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE: MY TIGUAN HAD BEEN RUNNING PERFECTLY AND WAS A GREAT CAR SINCE PURCHASING IT 7 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. I DROVE IT 250 MILES AND AT THE END OF THE TRIP AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY DESTINATION, I NOTICED BACK-AND-FORTH ROCKING AND THE ENGINE SOUNDING A BIT CLUNKY. I PLANNED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM TO GET CHECKED OUT AND WASN'T GOING TO DRIVE IT IF I NOTICED THE BACK-AND-FORTH ROCKING AGAIN, BUT I DIDN'T. APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES BEFORE MAKING IT BACK HOME, I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION FOR A REST STOP. I CAME BACK OUT TO MY CAR TURNED THE KEY, AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE BATTERY WAS AT FULL CHARGE, BUT THE ENGINE HAD THE STARTER WANTED TO FIRE UP THE ENGINE, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY LOCAL VW DEALER AND WAS EXTREMELY SURPRISED UPON RECEIVING NEWS THAT MY ENGINE AND TURBO WERE BLOWN AND BOTH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER NOTIFYING THE USED CAR LOT I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM, I WAS MADE AWARE OF MY VEHICLE BEING ONE MONTH BEYOND THE 6-MONTH WARRANTY. I CALLED VW WHO SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS WELL OVER THE WARRANTY MILEAGE. I HAVE SINCE PERSUADED THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED FROM TO COVER THE INSTALLATION OF A REPLACEMENT ENGINE, BUT PURCHASING THE NEW ENGINE AND TURBO(UPWARDS OF $9K FOR OEM) HAS FALLEN ON ME.

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY FOUR YEAR OLD IN THE BACKSEAT OF THE CAR, THE CAR SUDDENLY MISFIRED AND THE ENGINE ROUGH IDLED. THE CAR STALLED AT INTERSECTIONS AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. WE ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT AS WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, AS CARS BEHIND US HAD TO SWERVE OUT THE WAY WHEN OUR ENGINE STALLED. WE TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY, AS IT WAS CLEARLY HAZARDOUS TO HAVE ON THE ROAD, AND FOUND THAT A PISTON HAD MISFIRED AND STRETCHED THE TIMING CHAIN. THE CAR, A VW TIGUAN FROM 2009, WAS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD WHEN THIS EVENT OCCURRED.

ON OCT. 24, 2015 WHEN I TRIED TO START MY CAR, IT SHOOK, IDLED ROUGHLY AND STALLED. I TRIED AGAIN AND IT WOULDN'T START. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY VOLKSWAGEN DEALER. THEY CHECKED IT AND TOLD ME THE TIMING CHAIR HAD BROKEN CAUSING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS WAS $4952.29. AND IF THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED, IT WOULD BE $6500. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA GROUP WOULD PAY NOTHING TOWARD THE REPAIR CLAIMING IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. (THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY WAS 5 YEARS/60,000 MILES.) THE CAR HAD 49,000 MILES, BUT WAS OVER THE 5 YEAR TIME PERIOD. BUT A TIMING CHAIN SHOULD BE GOOD FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR; UNLESS THERE IS A DEFECTIVE PART. YOU HAVE A TSB (TB-15-12-01 -NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10045560) ON THE "TENSIONER" WHICH CAUSES THE CHAIN TO BECOME LOOSE, SKIP AND BREAK. MOREOVER, THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE ABOUT THIS EXACT ISSUE. VOLKSWAGEN FAILED TO NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS DEFECT AND THERE WAS NO RECALL. THIS IS A TICKING TIME BOMB THAT CAN RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE DAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED, I WAS TRAVELLING ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE FOR 8 HOURS AT THE POSTED SPEED OF 70 MPH. IF THE CHAIN HAD BROKEN DURING THAT TIME, IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A FATAL ACCIDENT INVOLVING ME AND/OR OTHERS. WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL? WHY SHOULD VOLKSWAGEN BE ALLOWED TO PUT MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS AT RISK? WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR VOLKSWAGEN'S NEGLIGENCE WHEN THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS? THIS DEFECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO KILL. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE YOU WILL TAKE ACTION TO REQUIRE VOLKSWAGEN TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?

ON A CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP, MY 2009 VW TIGUAN WAS RUNNING PERFECTLY. STOPPED AT A REST STOP, AND WHEN TRIED TO RESTART CAR, IT RATTLED SEVERELY AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO VW SERVICE, AND I WAS TOLD I NEEDED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT, DUE TO A FAILED TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER. IT COST ME $5800, ALONG WITH 5 DAYS OF LODGING WHILE WAITING FOR REPAIR. THE VW DEALER SUPPORTED THE FACT THAT I SHOULD GET REIMBURSED BY VW. MY VEHICLE HAD A PERFECT MAINTENANCE RECORD. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE MANUAL PERTAINING TO MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENT FOR TIMING CHAIN/TENSIONER. ALL IT TAKES IS A QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET TO SEE THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF CASES AND COMPLAINTS, EVEN TO VEHICLES WITH AS LOW AS 10,000 MILES. THERE IS APPARENTLY A NEW TENSIONER SERVICE KIT AVAILABLE TO AVOID THE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE, BUT VW HAS NOT NOTIFIED CUSTOMERS. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE. MY WIFE OR I COULD HAVE BEEN TRAVELING IN A REMOTE AREA WITH NO CELL RECEPTION, WHICH IS OFTEN THE CASE. IT IS ALSO UNACCEPTABLE TO PUT THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ON CUSTOMERS WHEN IT COULD BE AVOIDED. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. THIS IS A CANADIAN VEHICLE, BUT THE BREAKDOWN OCCURRED IN NY STATE. THIS SHOULD BE A NORTH AMERICAN RECALL.

VEHICLE STARED TO RUN RUFF AND STALL CAUSING A DRIVING HAZARD. VW DEALER REPAIR FACILITATE CLAMMED THAT IT WAS FRONT CRANK SEAL P/N 06L-103-085-B COST OF PART $11.30. AFTER REPLACING THE SEAL THE DEALER THEN CLAIMED THAT THE PVC VALVE WAS BAD ALSO P/N 06H-103-495-AC $201.30. IT IS KNOWN THAT WHEN THIS PART FAILS THAT IT WILL CAUSE THE SEAL TO FAIL AS WELL. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS $774.07. THIS VEHICLE HAD 66,973 MILES. THIS IS A MAJOR FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE AND CAUSE A DANGEROUS CONDITION. THE TYPE OF FAILURE SHOULD NOT OCCUR ON AN ENGINE WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE.

VW 2009 AIRBAG ISSUE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE 2010-2014 TIGUANS. OUR CAR HAS THE SAME AIRBAG ISSUE HOWEVER THE 2009 MODEL IS NOT COVERED. SINCE THE 2009 MODEL IS THE SAME AS THE 2010-2014 MODELS THERE SHOULD MOST LIKELY BE A RECALL FOR THE 2009 MODEL.

WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD APROX. 40MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING-HAD TO COAST TO SIDE AND TOW IT.WHEN TOWED TO VW DEALER -THEY SAID TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED AND IT'S COMMON PROBLEM.THEY EVEN HAD TSB FOR THAT.WHY THEY DON'T RECALL THIS SINCE THEY ARE AWARE OF IT.IF I WAS AT HIGHER SPEED ON INTERSTATE,I WOULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE.

THE VEHICLE HAS A FAULTY DRAINAGE SYSTEM. THE ORIGINAL PIPING THAT WAS PUT INTO THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE YEARS HAS EXPERIENCED WEAR AND TEAR AND HAS NOT HELD UP TO ORIGINAL VOLKSWAGEN STANDARDS. OTHER VEHICLES BY THIS BRAND NAME HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS LEAKING ISSUE. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO DISTRACTIONS WHILE DRIVING AND MAKE A DRIVER LOSE CONTROL.