2009 Volkswagen Rabbit

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN MOVED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V913000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL); HOWEVER, THE DEALER REFUSED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT VOLKSWAGEN OF EDMOND (14220 BROADWAY EXTENSION HWY) DIAGNOSED THAT BEFORE THEY COULD PERFORM THE REMEDY, THE ABS PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 64,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

THE CURRENT RECALL (MANUFACTURER RECALL 45F2, NHTSA RECALL 16V913) FOR THE KNOWN ABS CONTROL MODULE FAULTY GROUNDING ISSUE IS WOEFULLY INADEQUATE, AS IT ALLOWS THOSE ALREADY SUFFERING FROM THE FAULTS THAT THE SOFTWARE UPDATE IS DESIGNED TO BE MORE SENSITIVE TO ARE UNABLE TO RECEIVE SATISFACTION. IF EITHER OR BOTH OF THE FAULTS THAT WOULD NECESSITATE A MODULE REPLACEMENT AFTER A SOFTWARE UPDATE ARE PRESENT PRIOR TO THE SOFTWARE UPDATE, THE SOFTWARE UPDATE CANNOT BE PERFORMED & VOLKSWAGEN WILL TAKE NO FURTHER ACTION. ESSENTIALLY, THOSE VEHICLES THAT HAVE A MODULE THAT HAS ALREADY FAILED ARE NOT BEING REPAIRED WHILE THOSE THAT HAVE NOT YET FAILED (BUT MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE OR STARTING TO FAIL) ARE BEING REPAIRED. THESE SPECIFIC FAULTS (01130 - 125/4TH AND/OR 16352 - 96/4TH) ARE FOR DETECTING A BAD GROUND DUE TO AN IMPROPER SOLDER USED IN THE MODULES. IT SHOULD NOT MATTER IF THOSE FAULTS ARE PRESENT PRIOR TO A SOFTWARE UPDATE OR AFTER A SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT IS OSTENSIBLY DESIGNED SIMPLY TO BETTER DETECT THOSE EXACT FAULTS. THE FAULT BEGINS AS AN INTERMITTENT FAULT THAT IS CAUSED BY HARD BRAKING OR HITTING A BUMP BUT CAN BE CLEARED BY A VEHICLE RESTART. OVER TIME, IF THE MODULE IS NOT REPLACED, THE SOLDER ON THE GROUND DEGRADES FURTHER & THE FAULT BECOMES MORE SEMI-CONSTANT & CANNOT BE SIMPLY CLEARED. THE WAY THAT THE CURRENT RECALL IS WORDED ALLOWS VW TO DENY THE RECALL WORK SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE DEGREE OF DEGRADATION TO THE GROUNDS. OVER TIME, THIS FAULT CAN INTERFERE WITH THE SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTING OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VEHICLES. AND ON BOTH AUTOMATIC & MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES, CAUSES A VERY UNSAFE FAILURE OF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WHEN CORNERING OR STOPPING IN NORMAL DAILY ROAD CONDITIONS (BRAKES LOCKING, REAR-END LOSING TRACTION, ETC)

AS PER NHTSA 16V-913 MY VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT HAS BEEN PRESENTING THE SYMPTOMS STATED IN THE SAFETY RECALL. THE ABS LIGHT, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, AND BRAKE LIGHT HAVE COME ON NUMEROUS TIMES AND HARD BRAKING, AND IN NOT SO HARD BRAKING IN THE SNOW. HE PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSIVELY WORSENED TO THE POINT THAT THESE LIGHTS NO LONGER GO OUT AFTER AND IGNITION CYCLE. I AM ESSENTIALLY DRIVING WITHOUT ABS OR STABILITY CONTROL, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I PURCHASED THIS CAR. THE CODE FOR U0121 LOST COMMUNICATION WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) CONTROL MODULE NO LONGER CLEAR WITH A HAND HELD CODE READER OR A LAPTOP RUNNING ROSS-TECH'S VCDS SOFTWARE. I TOOK MY BROKEN VOLKSWAGEN TO DANBURY VW IN DANBURY CT TO PERFORM THE SAFETY RECALL (16V-913). BECAUSE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE TO UPLOAD THE NEW SOFTWARE, THEY HAVE DENIED THE RECALL AND SAY I MUST FOOT THE BILL TO REPLACE THE MODULE SO THEY CAN THEN UPLOAD THE NEW SOFTWARE TO SEE IF THEY GET THE CODE FOR FAULTY SOLDER JOINT. VOLKSWAGEN IS TRYING TO SIDE STEP THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE MY CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UPLOAD THE SOFTWARE WHEN THIS ISSUE FIRST STARTED HAPPENING, BUT NOW THE ABS CONTROL MODULE HAS COMPLETELY FAILED, PROBABLY DUE TO THE BAD SOLDER COMPOUND. NOW THEY ARE DENYING CLAIMS, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. THE NTHSA NEEDS TO LOOK DEEPER INTO THIS PROBLEM.

I JUST PURCHASED MY USED 2009 VW RABBIT. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, TRACTION, BREAK LIGHT, ESP. WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THE ABS PUMP WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. MANY VOLKSWAGEN OWNERS WITH CARS WITHIN THE ABS RECALL YEARS HAVE THE SAME EXACT ISSUE AND VOLKSWAGENS RECALL WILL ONLY COVER THE MODULE PORTION AND NOT THE ABS PUMP (OF COURSE THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART). I WAS QUOTED AN INSANE PRICE FOR THE REPAIRS AND THE PART THAT NEEDS REPAIRS, WHEN PURCHASED, JUST HAPPENS TO COME WITH THE RECALLED PART (THE ELECTRONIC MODULE). I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AND THEY STATED THAT THE RECALL WAS ONLY FOR TGE ELECTRONIC PORTION AND I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PUMP. I BELIEVE THIS FAULTY ELECTRONIC MODULE HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE PUMP FAILING.

ABS BRAKE MODULE. COMPUTER LOSES COMMUNICATION WITH ABS BRAKE MODULE, POWER STEERING IS DISABLED, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL IS DISABLED ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER BECOME DIABLED. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT CAN CAUSE OVER STEER AND UNDER STEER. ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT ON TWO OCCASIONS. RECALL SENT, VW STILL WON'T FIX THE ISSUE. PREVIOUS COMPLAINT LISTED.

THE ABS MODULE IN MY VEHICLE FAILED AROUND 90,000 MILES, WHICH I'M NOW DISCOVERING IS A VERY COMMON FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND YEAR. THE ABS SYSTEM CEASED TO FUNCTION BUT OTHER SYSTEMS WERE AFFECTED AS WELL; MY SPEEDOMETER WOULD STOP WORKING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AT A TIME, AS WELL AS MY FUEL GAUGE. POWER STEERING WOULD CUT OUT AND I WOULD EXPERIENCE A CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE. I WAS NEARLY HIT WHILE CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET ANY ACCELERATION FROM THE CAR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS ALSO BEEN TRIGGERED INTERMITTENTLY BY THIS PROBLEM SO I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PASS A SMOG CHECK, MAKING MY VEHICLE ILLEGAL TO DRIVE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WHERE I'M STATIONED WITH THE MARINES. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIPS ARE CHARGING MORE THAN $1,500 TO FIX THE ISSUE AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ISSUED FOR THE PROBLEM.

TOOK MY VEHICLE IN AS THE ABS, BRAKE, ESP/ASR LIGHTS CAME ON AND WERE BEEPING. REPLACED THE ROTORS, BRAKE PADS, ETC. WHEN I CAME BACK TO PICK UP MY VEHICLE, THE VAG COM HAD MULTIPLE FAULTS STILL SHOWING, COME TO FIND OUT I NEED THE CONTROL PANEL REPLACED. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 59K MILES, DOZENS OF FOLKS HAVE REPORTED A SIMILAR SITUATION IN 2009 VW MODEL CARS, ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONING W LESS THAN 60K MILES

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN CONSTANT SINCE PURCHASING (I.E. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON FOR NO APPARENT REASON DURING LONG TRIPS, THE PRND LIGHTS LIGHTING ALL AT ONCE AT RANDOM). THESE ISSUES WERE NOT MUCH OF A PROBLEM UNTIL RECENTLY. I STARTED THE CAR AND IMMEDIATELY THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BRAKE LIGHTS LIT UP AND THE CAR MADE 3 "BEEPS". I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN, AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND CONTINUED. I THEN DROVE ON THE FREEWAY FOR ABOUT 10 MILES WHEN THE STEERING, AND EPC LIGHTS CAME ON. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGES DROPPED TO ZERO AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE STEERING BECAME SLOW TO RESPOND/DELAYED. LUCKILY THERE WERE NOT MANY CARS ON THE ROAD AND I SAFELY PULLED TO THE SHOULDER. I SAFELY DROVE THE CAR HOME THAT DAY, BUT MY HUSBAND EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUES WHEN HE TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR THE DAY AFTER. AFTER RESEARCHING THESE SYMPTOMS ONLINE, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2009 GTI AND RABBIT MODELS, AND THAT, WHILE THIS MALFUNCTION MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE, VW WILL NOT HELP CONSUMERS WITH THE ESTIMATED $2K REPAIR COSTS.

THE TRACTION CONTROL ON MY VEHICLE INITIALLY DID NOT TURN ON EVEN AFTER PRESSING THE BUTTON THAT TURNS THE ESC ON AND OFF. AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO ACTIVATE IT, MY ABS, BREAK LIGHT, ESC, AND STEERING WHEEL LIGHTS HAVE COME ON. NOW MY VEHICLE LOOSES TRACTION IF I MAKE A FAST TURN. MY STEERING HAS ALSO BECOME REALLY STIFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, THE FUEL METER GOES DOWN DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE CAR HAS FUEL. LASTLY, THE SPEEDOMETER GOES UP AND DOWN WHILE BEING STATIONED. THIS SAME PROBLEM REGARDING THE ABS CONTROL MODULE HAS EFFECTED HUNDREDS OF 2009 VOLKSWAGEN OWNERS AND DESPITE THE DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE, VOLKSWAGEN HAS REFUSED TO COVER THIS UNDER A RECALL.