2023 Volkswagen Arteon

I am reporting a severe vehicle safety hazard introduced by Boston Volkswagen and ignored by Volkswagen Group of America. The dealership delivered a 2023 Volkswagen Arteon with an incorrect, non-factory wheel offset and tire configuration that dramatically alters the engineered suspension geometry, creating a high risk of tire contact against suspension struts and brake lines. Due to widespread public records of consumer deceit at this location, I have not contacted Boston Volkswagen directly. I escalated this vehicle safety concern directly to the manufacturer, Volkswagen Group of America (Case Ref: 2026-09-10-07714101). VW of USA is ignoring the danger of this mechanical configuration and refusing to issue a safety directive or corporate remedy, deflecting the matter entirely. Immediate intervention was required before this non-compliant vehicle setup caused a catastrophic component failure at highway speeds. This remediation has led to direct out of pocket costs on my part. Attachments included: Online post from original owner showing they requested improper configuration and depicting improper wheels car was delivered with, Carfax from time of my my purchase showing Boston VW fitted 4 tires prior to sale when car had 17 miles, and Window sticker from my purchase which indicates per VIN that the car should have been equipped with 20 Inch wheels. Additional photo from dealership site depicting incorrect 18 Inch wheels at time of my purchase.

Sudden loss of tire pressure on interstate highway in heavy traffic at 70 miles per hour. This created a safety hazard to control the car and try to move to the shoulder of the road without a collision. The tires are factory 245/35/R20 Continental ProContact with 8/32 tread remaining. Tires have 13,600 miles and the air pressure was at factory specs of 42 pounds cold. There is no visible damage to the tire or rim. The tire will no longer seal to the rim causing loss of air. All service has been performed at the VW dealer. This is the second tire failure; the first at 400 miles.

I was driving on city streets at normal speed during a rainy day. I turned right from one road to another road, and as I started to accelerate out of the right turn, my driver side front tire blew out and the TPMS started screaming because it read the tire pressure as 0. I immediately pulled over and checked the tire and saw a huge gash on the side wall, close to the rim. The road I was on was not pristine or super smooth, but it did NOT have any large bumps or potholes and I wasn't going that fast to begin with. I have only had this car for a couple of months and it only has approximately 1,000 miles on it. If this had happened at highway speeds I think it would have been much more dangerous. I had to call roadside assistance to change the tire for me. The tire that blew out is completely unusable now and the rim is also damaged, presumably because I had to drive it a short distance so I could park safely and have the tire change in a safe spot.