Timing chain or tensioner fails without warning leaving motorist in an unsafe situation especially if driving in metropolitan traffic

- Wichita, KS, USA

Ongoing engine misfire issues. After 3 visits to dealership and replacement of coils, fuses, relays, etc, root cause determined to be a short between the after run coolant pump which causes a voltage draw and confuses the ECM. After talking with VW technician, I learned that this same exact part on Audi vehicles is under a safety recall for the shorting issue that my pump is having because the short can cause fires. However, the VW part is not under recall. My family could have been put in grave danger because this part is in my car and has not been recalled. In addition, even though the part has failed, VW will not compensate me for the repair, so I have no choice but to pay $500 out of pocket to fix a safety hazard in my vehicle. For reference, Audi recall number is 18V229000.

- Hermosa Beach, CA, USA

My 2011 Gti has had constant issues since just after warratny ending. Since purchasing a new 2011 Gti I have had a water pump changed twice, intake manifold replaced four times, ignition coils and decarb service twice in less than 130K miles is cause for concern and shows a lack of reliability of parts and/or workmanship. During services at 50005 mil - found code faults relating to manifold. Technician reset codes. 57711 mil - misfires occurred and returned to service. Found issues with faulty manifold. This was 4months after previous service. Manifold replaced. 69119 mil - multiple faults found. Misfires. Manifold replaced, faults still present. Found internal air leek. Replaced oil separator. 83991 mil - misfires on all cylinders. Leak in intake manifold. Replaced intake manifold. Replaced faulty fuel pump. Decarb recommended and serviced. 102300 mil - multiple misfires. Intake manifold leak. Replaced intake manifold, was told that there is a large carbon build and need to decarb. Replaced all four ingnittion coils. 119406 mil - multiple misfires. Replaced all four ignition coils. Was told that the engine needed a decarb..again. 128700 mil - multiple misfires, manifold faulty, told to replace manifold, camshaft timing issues. Has jumped tooth. These are all repeated and known issues that have not been rectified and have contributed to current issues and many thousands of dollars in repairs. Also had the serpentine belt replaced at 110000 miles as it came shredded entering the freeway. All major services were completed at a VW dealership. It is worth noting we have two 2011 Gti's. the other vehicle had a broken camshaft at 96,000 miles.

- Castro Valley, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Gti. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and lost power. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to hanlees hilltop Volkswagen (3255 auto plaza, richmond, ca 94806, (510) 283-6300) where it was diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Roseville, CA, USA

I purchased my car new and always had the dealer I bought it at do the service work. At the 100000 mile service interval I asked what I had to do with the timing chain and was assured that nothing needed to be looked at or replaced. At approximately 130000 miles I was traveling on I-88 at speed with heavy traffic when all of a sudden I lost all power and had to coast thru 4 lanes of traffic to make it to the right shoulder. I let the car cool down and when I was able to get it started 30 minutes later I nursed it home. The next day I was able to drive it to the dealer where I had all my service work done and they informed me that the timing chain had jumped, most likely the timing chain adjuster had failed, and it would cost between $7000 and $10000 to repair. This took place on Sep 20 2016. The car is still sitting in my driveway since I have been in and out of work for the last year and had to move in the meantime.

- Aurora, IL, USA

I tried to start my car, which was parked in the driveway; the battery was working fine, but the engine would not start. I had it towed to a VW mechanic the next morning, 11/9/17. The VW mechanic informed me that my timing tensioner chain had broke causing my pistons to crash into one another, causing my engine to not work and need a total rebuild. My car had given no warning, no engine lights, nothing to allude to an impending catastrophic issue involving my engine. My car only has 59,000 miles on it, premature for this issue - especially with no warning. This issue is not protected by warranty.

- Tampa, FL, USA

My VW Gti has a failing timing chain tensioner that caused my valves to collide with pistons and required a rebuild of the engine (excluding timing chain). The engine is not timed correctly and has lost a ton of power and is rattling, if I continue to drive it will most likely cause the engine to seize again. The vehicle was stationary and initially broke upon turning it on.

- Lynnwood, WA, USA

60K miles timing chain tensioner failed at idle in my garage causing catastrophic engine damage. Vwoa declined assistance despite tsb existing for updated part. Vwoa cited reason of failure as improper maintenance. All my maintenance was done on time or early at VW dealers with the exception of 3 oil changes I performed myself with recommended oil. The rate of failure is extremely high and customers are not being informed that an updated part exists. I brought this car into the dealer twice for camshaft correlation codes which were verified and I was told it's normal operation. This cost me $3000 to repair. Also warranty extensions on other parts are not disclosed when you run your VIN on VW's website. Fraudulent concealment is being committed. If this happened while the vehicle was in motion a crash could have occurred as all power was lost.

- Port Richey, FL, USA

Timing chain tensioner failure. Started the car one morning and ran extremely rough and wouldn't stay running. Dealer wants %6000 to rebuild engine or $7000 for a remanufactured engine. Car has 80K miles on it.

- Tampa, FL, USA

The vehicle stalled suddenly while driving in a parking lot. The check engine light did not appear, nor did any fault codes. The discovered cause was an oil screen in the camshaft adjuster bridge that came apart inside the timing chain housing, causing the engine to come out of timing. This caused significant damage to the cylinder head, leading to a replacement at a cost of $7400. This is an issue that Volkswagen is aware of an has issued a redesigned replacement part for. Unfortunately, they have not informed the owners of the affected vehicles of the problem and the potential danger associated with it if the part fails. If I had been driving on the freeway at 65-70 mph in traffic, it would have been a dangerous situation.

- Reno, NV, USA

While accelerating off the ramp the car stalled and started to shake. It created a very dangerous situation since I almost got rear ended. Besides, being immobilized on the side of the very busy highway is dangerous as well. It turned out that one of the coils have failed and caused car to shake and loose the power. Couple of people that I know experienced the same issues with their vws. In my case they went at 54K miles.

- Forest Hills, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Gti. While parked, it took multiple attempts to start the vehicle and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain tensioner failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,900.

- San Ramon, CA, USA

Walking out to my vehicle in sub-freezing weather to return home, I attempted to start the vehicle and when the engine caught it made a loud rattle and died quickly. This same situation occurred on subsequent ignition cycles all with the same result. VW has released a service bulletin pertaining to this common issue which is to check the timing chain tensioner. When this tensioner fails it can render the engine useless. I have removed the timing chain cover and the tensioner has failed and does not hold tension to the chain. VW should take responsibility to fix this issue in customer vehicles as it is a known defective part that they are unwilling to repair or aid in repairing.

- Columbus, OH, USA

I've had quite a few parts on this car replaced. 2 defective water pumps, 2 defective clutches, 1 flywheel, 1 turbo oil line, door seals and various electronic switches. My car is currently sitting in the dealership due a blown upper timing belt cover gasket, a lower timing belt cover gasket and a suspected faulty oil pan gasket as well. All 3 seals seem to have suddenly failed at the same time and yet VW does not want to replace these under the factory power train warranty. The other reason my car is at the dealership is for "stretched" sub-frame bolts. According to VW it is perfectly normal for the bolts which hold the sub-frame to the car for these bolts to stretch with time and cause the subframe to shift around. There are technical service bulletins on the cc, passat and various Audi models to have these bolts replaced when a customer complains and yet Gti, golf and jetta do not have tsb and the dealer wants to charge 400$ to replace these bolts... again item not under warranty.

- Hopatcong, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Gti. While the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the technician discovered that the water pump failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Vehicle suddenly began sputtering, and struggling to make power after being started and driven down a street at low speeds. ECM and ECU both threw codes pertaining to a cylinder misfire. Replaced sparkplugs. Misfire remained. Identified as ignition coil pack, which is an extremely common issue on this model. Previous generations of the same car report recall notices. This generation unfortunately missed the recall so far, and has several threads on noted forums pertaining to others who have had problems as well with the faulty coil packs. Vwoa alluded to being aware of the issue when contacted, but did not offer full compensation. Vehicle is out of bumper to bumper warranty. Not covered as "engine component" under powertrain warranty.

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

Came outside to a failed water pump. This is a common problem with various Volkswagen. Many shop techs are very familiar with this issue. It is unsafe for the driver and other cars. There is a chance the pump could fail while driving or a person may not notice the coolant on the ground. That can lead to the car overheating and causing expensive damage. You could also be left stranded on the side of the road. Any instance when a person or car are left on the side of the road is a road and health risk. Also when these pumps fail they often leak coolant. The coolant is not safe for the environment. When the pumps do get replaced the issue often comes back repeatedly. This is partly due to the poor design of the system. A revision of the waterpump should be made. Also an extension on the warranty of said part should be made for owners. This is a significant problem that needs to be taken care of. For personal and environmental risks.

- Shaw Afb, SC, USA

Engine will stall and die within 5-20 seconds after starting. Happens on a warm engine after it sits for 45-60 minutes. Happened multiple times, each after engine has reached operating temperature. This is potentially a deadly problem if the car dies on a street, as it won't steer or have propulsion! had it seen at VW dealer: They suspect it is the "in-tank fuel pump" but this part is not covered under drivetrain warranty? I called VW customer service but they said they can't help on this $834 repair. I'm perplexed how a fuel pump goes bad on a 2011 with only 45K miles, and that a vital component that will make the car stall & die is not covered under drivetrain warranty. This is a potentially deadly problem if it dies suddenly and cars following cannot swerve around. Very disappointed. This will be my last VW, ever. If you own a VW with 2.0 tsi you should look into this.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

When the engine is restarted after it has been stopped, but before it has fully cooled down, the engine often stalls directly after an engine start.

- Austin, TX, USA

My 2011 VW Gti with only 38000 miles lost first ignition coil. There are multiple recall from VW for this part, but not for this model year. As result, vehicle loosing power during driving.

- Staten Island, NY, USA