2009 Volkswagen Passat

AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR A SHORT TIME OUR 2009 VW PASSAT WAS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE. NO SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS WHEN DRIVER WENT INSIDE THE HOUSE. ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES AFTER BEING PARKED NOISE WAS HEARD FROM GARAGE AND AT THAT TIME INTENSE SMOKE AND FIRE FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE WAS DISCOVERED. BEFORE HELP COULD ARRIVE FRONT OF CAR WAS COMPLETELY ON FIRE AND NEARBY MATERIALS IN GARAGE WERE IGNITED. CAR WAS CONSIDERED TOTAL LOSS ALONG WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO INSIDE OF GARAGE. FIRE DEPARTMENT ATTRIBUTED THE CAUSE OF FIRE AS "CAR ENGINE/ELECTRICAL". FORTUNATELY, ,THERE WERE NO PERSONAL INJURIES BUT SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE.. *TR

I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND SMOKE WITH THE DISTINCT FIRE SMELL STARTED POURING OUT OF MY HOOD. I HAD TO RUN THE RED LIGHT TO GET OFF OF THE STREET WHERE I ENDED UP IN A BIG PARKING LOT. I RAISED THE HOOD AND SAW HEAVY SMOKE AND SMALL FLAMES. I GRABBED MY PHONE AND TOOK A PICTURE AND THEN RAN AND GOT WATER TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. THIS WILL COST ME A 500 DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE AND THE POTENTIAL FOR MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO RAISE MY RATES. I AM SO PISSED TO FIND OUT THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE! I AM GLAD I WAS DRIVING INSTEAD OF MY WIFE WITH OUR KIDS IN THE CAR! VW THE FIGHT IS NOW ON! I WAS WONDERING WHY MY SERVICE ADVISER NEW EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. A 27 DOLLAR PART FAILED AND CAUSED A COUPLE OF GRAND IN DAMAGE. *TR

THE CAR SUDDENLY HAS 50% OR LESS POWER AND BEGINS STUMBLING VERY BADLY. ACCELERATION IS SO POOR THAT IT'S QUITE DANGEROUS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND THE ABILITY TO PULL OFF THE ROAD IS SEVERELY HAMPERED. THE ONLY WAY I'M ABLE TO KEEP THE CAR MOVING AND RUNNING IS TO USE THE MANUAL FEATURE OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND KEEP THE RPM'S VERY HIGH. THE FOUR COIL PACKS IN THE CAR WERE REPLACED THIS SPRING. SUDDENLY, THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM IS BACK AGAIN 4 MONTHS LATER. CODES WERE RANDOM MISIFRE AND MULTIPLE MISFIRES AT VARIOUS CYLINDERS. STRANGE THAT ALL FOUR PACKS GO OUT AT THE SAME TIME....? THAT'S NOT LOGICAL UNLESS IS SOMETHING OTHER THAN NORMAL WEAR CAUSING THE ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWICE AND BOTH TIME IT BEGINS IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC WHERE THE SITUATION IS VERY DANGEROUS AS THE POWER LOSS IS NEARLY COMPLETE. BOTH TIMES WERE UNDER ACCELERATION WHEN THE HEAVY STUMBLING OCCURRED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY FOR 5 MIN. TO HOPEFULLY RESET THE CARS EPC AS THE PROBLEM IS SO SUDDEN IT ALMOST CERTAINLY IS ELECTRICAL. THERE IS NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR FOUR COIL PACKS ALL NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE LAST REPLACEMENT...? UNDOUBTEDLY A CONSISTENTLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, THE CAR ACCELERATED NORMALLY AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ENGINE SPUTTERED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE QUIT. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENGINE FAILED. I WAS LOCATED AT AN INTERSECTION AND PUSHED THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND NOTICED AN AROMA OF BURNING PLASTIC. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WAS SMOKE EMANATING UNDER THE TOP ENGINE COVER, TOP LH SIDE VIEWED FROM THE FRONT TO THE REAR. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A FIRE UNDER THE COVER. I REMOVED THE COVER AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE #1 IGNITION COIL HARNESS WAS MELTED FROM THE FIRE AND ASSOCIATED FIRE DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE COVER ABOVE THE ENGINE COIL LOCATION. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE #1 ENGINE COIL WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. I REPORTED THE INCIDENT IN DETAIL TO THE VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA CUSTOMER SUPPORT AS SOON AS I RETURNED HOME. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REPAIRS TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ITEMS. I WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO CURRENT RECALLS IN EFFECT. I WENT TO THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND FOUND THAT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY INVESTIGATED AND NO RECALL WAS ISSUED AT THE TIME. I FELT OBLIGATED TO REPORT THIS INCIDENT AS IT PERTAINS TO PUBLIC SAFETY. *JS

MY VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS, AND THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ABNORMALLY, SO I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, IN ADDITION TO OTHER WORK ON THE ENGINE AND FUEL SYSTEM. I FOUND OUT THAT VOLKSWAGEN HAD ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND FUEL INJECTORS OF MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE. HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH MY ENGINE WAS OF THE EXACT SAME TYPE INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, VOLKSWAGEN CLAIMED I WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR WARRANTY REPLACEMENT SINCE MY VEHICLE'S VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED ON THE EXTENDED WARRANTY LIST. CONSIDERING THAT MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND IS ONLY ABOUT 5 YEARS OLD, I BELIEVE THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE PROBLEM THAT RESULTED IN THE WARRANTY EXTENSION, AND MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. UPDATED 02/12/15 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE STEERING GEAR CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 08V577000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS, I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH MAJOR MECHANICAL AND NON-MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH MY VOLKSWAGEN (VW) PASSAT 2009, WHICH I BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 2008. VW'S MECHANICS FOUND THAT MY CAR HAD DEFECTIVE PARTS IN IT, WHICH WERE THERE FROM THE TIME I BOUGHT IT. I HAVE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR THAT I DON'T TRUST IT, EVEN THOUGH VW'S MECHANICS SAID THEY'VE EITHER FIXED OR REPLACED THE BAD PARTS, BUT EACH TIME I'VE TAKEN IT IN FOR REPAIRS IN THE PAST, I'VE HAD THE SAME PARTS REPAIRED OR REPLACED OVER AND OVER. A SUMMARY OF THESE ISSUES: - REAR SIDE WINDOW SUNSCREEN HOOK - REPLACED DUE TO FALLING OUT ? YEAR 2009 - REAR WINDSHIELD SUNSCREEN - REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAD BROKEN ? YEAR 2011 - ENGINE FAULT - CAR DIED AND RUNNING ROUGHLY EVER SINCE ? YEAR 2011 - ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON 4 TIMES ? YEARS 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 - DRIVER?S DOOR LOCK - HAD STOPPED LOCKING ? YEAR 2012 - ENGINE COVER - SCREWS FELL OUT OF THE REAR OF ENGINE COVER ? YEAR 2012 - 2 WATER PUMPS - REPLACED DUE TO COOLANT DRAINING COMPLETELY OUT OF THE RESERVOIR ? YEARS 2012 & 2013 - KNOB TO ADJUST SIDE MIRRORS CAME OFF AND NOW UNABLE TO ADJUST SIDE MIRRORS ? YEAR 2013 I HAVE PAID NEARLY $40,000 TO DATE ON THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE AND VW DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE HOW MANY TIMES I'VE BEEN PUT IN HARMS WAY AND INCONVENIENCED. I ALSO HAVE RELATIVES AND ASSOCIATES WHO'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR SIMILAR MODEL VWS TOO, SO I KNOW I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD THESE MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH A VW IN THE US. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION INTO VW CORP. OF SOME SORT BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO UNCOVER THE DEFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION OF MY CAR AND OTHERS, SO ALL OF US WHO'VE SUFFERED THROUGH THIS WILL BE REDEEMED IN SOME WAY AND FUTURE CONSUMERS WILL BE SAFER BY VW IMPROVING THEIR VEHICLES' CONSTRUCTION. *TR