This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
1. transmission control module failure. Car was not able to start. Was towed for repair. This chip has been replaced twice. 2. car began making severe jerking movements, randomly. Usually these jumps occur within the first 10 minutes of driving the vehicle but can occur later. The severity of the jerks is also variable. 3. the car was in the shop for over a month. The problem was not corrected. 4. the car consumes an unusual high amount of motor oil (more than a quart approximately every 1,000 miles). 5. VW was running a oil consumption test but they insisted the consumption level was normal for this type of engine. The problem still exists. I have been experiencing numerous mechanical problems with the vehicle soon after purchase in 2002. I have always tried to negotiate with VW. I have written letters and they have been reluctant to solve the problem in a satisfactory way. I have read about the lemon law but my time allowance has expired. The car is still under warranty until January 2006. In addition to the engine/ transmission problems, I have had problems with all my windows rolling down automatically as I try to close them. There was a recall on this. This has been examined over 5 times. The panels were replaced. The problem still persists. I am not able to give an exact date of an incident because there are many. All of these dates have been documented. I am giving a date of January 2002 as the incident date (when the car was purchased). I feel VW has evaded responsibility in correcting the problems and has created an unsafe vehicle. The number of failures and the inability to correct them is unacceptable. I feel my problems were not addressed seriously and were dismissed without concern for my safety and public safety in general.
Car was driven to and parked outside a store 1 mile from home. When owner returned to car (less than 10 minutes after parking), the car would not start. Car was towed to dealer and owner was informed that oil pan was cracked & engine has seized. Dealer said that damage was not covered by warranty and owner must contact insurance company to file collision claim. However, no collision ever occurred. Owner lost use of vehicle for five weeks. Oil pan, short block & turbo were replaced.
Owner was driving in traffic - merging onto the long island expressway - when a dull "pop" sound was heard. The engine quickly lost power. Owner was able to steer vehicle from right lane to shoulder and engage hazard lights. Car was towed to dealer. Dealer examined vehicle and advised owner that the timing belt was missing. Dealer advised that engine had seized and must be replaced. Owner lost use of car for 5 weeks. Engine and timing belt were replaced.
Oil pan cracking/engine seizing- because the oil pan is made of aluminum without any sort of skid plate protecting it, the cold temperatures of winter make it brittle and if any sort of natural occuring hazard, such as ice or rocks, or man made hazard, such as road debris hits this oil pan the chance of engine failure/seizing is greatly increased.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Stamford, CT, USA