2009 Volkswagen Passat

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V509000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED JOSEPH VOLKSWAGEN (3813 MONTGOMERY RD, CINCINNATI, OH 45212, PHONE NUMBER: (800) 551-4240) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

CAR WAS PARKED AND WOULD NOT START. HAD TOWED TO MECHANIC--CASTASTROPIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO BROKEN TIMING BELT TENSIONER. 105K MILES--MAINTENANCE UPKEPT. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A LATENT DEFECT IN THE TENSIONER SYSTEM OF THE TIMING CHAIN THAT CAN CAUSE THE CHAIN TO “JUMP A TOOTH” IN THE VEHICLE’S CAMSHAFT, WHICH CAUSES SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. UNFORTUNATELY THE DEFECT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CAR OWNERS TO DISCOVER, BUT AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN KNEW OF THE TENSIONER SYSTEM PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST JUNE 2010. NORMALLY, THE TIMING CHAIN IS MEANT TO FUNCTION PERFECTLY FOR AT LEAST 120,000 MILES. BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT ON THE SCHEDULE FOR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURERS. HOWEVER, WITH THE DEFECTIVE TENSIONER, THE TIMING CHAIN FREQUENTLY FAILS WELL BEFORE THAT MARK, BUT OFTEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS ISSUE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO HAVE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. WHY HAS THE VW OWNERS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED AND WHY HASN'T THE NTSB DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. 7K+ TO GET A NEW ENGINE. THIS IS AN INTERNAL PART AND NOT A SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ISSUE.VW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. PEOPLE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PURCHASE A CAR AND HAVE THE ENGINE FAIL BEFORE CAR IS PAID FOR.

CAM CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE. DRIVING DOWN ROAD ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH THEN STOPPED GOT CAR BACK TO HOUSE (75 YARDS) HAD CAR TOWED TO VW DEALER PAID $140.00 FOR DIAG.L MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE FROM CAM CHAIN TENSIONER FAILURE VALVES AND PISTON DAMAGED COULD HAVE BEEN MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM IF ON MAJOR ROAD ( DANGEROUS UNSAFE )

I BOUGHT THIS CAR UNAWARE OF A CARBONIZATION ISSUE ON THE VALVES\. THE CARBON BUILD UP CAUSES A MISSFIRE READ AND A LEAN FAULT IN LEFT BANK. THE MISSFIRE ISSUE MAKES THE VEHICLE VIRTUALLY UNDRIVABLE WHICH PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN DANGER AT THE TIME THIS OCCURD. ACCORDINGLY AFTER PLENTY OF RESEARCH THIS APPARENTLY IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE AND IS A MANUFACTURE ISSUE SINCE THE ISSUE COULD BE SOLVED BY PLACING THE FUEL INJECTORS BEHIND THE VALVES TO CLEAN THEM INSTEAD THEY ARE COSTING CONSUMERS OBSCENE AMOUNTS OF MONEY AND PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK FOR NO OTHER REASON THEN TO NOT FIX THIS ISSUE.

VEHICLE STARTED ROUGH AND WAS VIBRATING. SHUT OFF AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. TOWED TO DEALER WHO INFORMED THAT AN INTERNAL FAILURE OCCURRED CAUSING THE TIMING CHAIN TO SLIP AND THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT, "THESE THINGS JUST HAPPEN SOMETIMES". HOWEVER, AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING AND REPEATED ISSUED FOR MANY VW AND AUDIT OWNERS AND THAT THERE ARE THREE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS FILED FOR TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER PROBLEMS. VW OF AMERICA WAS NOT HELPFUL. WHY SHOULD THE CONSUMER BE OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR WHAT SHOULD BE A KNOWN DEFECT. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 105,000 MILES.

THERE IS A LATENT DEFECT IN THE TENSIONER SYSTEM OF THE TIMING CHAIN THAT CAN CAUSE THE CHAIN TO 'JUMP A TOOTH' IN THE VEHICLE'S CAMSHAFT, WHICH CAUSES SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. UNFORTUNATELY THE DEFECT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR CAR OWNERS TO DISCOVER, BUT AUDI AND VOLKSWAGEN KNEW OF THE TENSIONER SYSTEM PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST JUNE 2010. NORMALLY, THE TIMING CHAIN IS MEANT TO FUNCTION PERFECTLY FOR AT LEAST 120,000 MILES. BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS NOT ON THE SCHEDULE FOR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURERS. HOWEVER, WITH THE DEFECTIVE TENSIONER, THE TIMING CHAIN FREQUENTLY FAILS WELL BEFORE THAT MARK, BUT OFTEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THIS ISSUE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO HAVE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE.