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.
Cam wear found on 6/8/11, 195761 miles. Cam shaft wear seen during timing belt change. Replaced cam shaft, followers, and bearings. Factory recommended oil and oil change intervals were used. Cam shaft was also replaced on 11/03/09 at 123086 miles after the following incident: Knocking heard from engine while driving on highway near destination, approximately 300 miles from home. Vehicle arrived at destination, but would not start. Vehicle was towed to mechanic. Camshaft wear and follower bore found to be damaged beyond repair and was replaced using oem parts. Vehicle was using factory recommended oil at regular intervals.
Knocking heard from engine while driving on highway near destination, approximately 300 miles from home. Vehicle arrived at destination, but would not start. Vehicle was towed to mechanic. Camshaft wear and follower bore found to be damaged and was replaced using oem parts. Vehicle was using factory recommended oil at regular intervals. Cam wear found again on 6/8/11, 195761 miles. Cam shaft wear seen during timing belt change. Replaced cam shaft, followers, and bearings. Once again, factory recommended oil and oil change intervals were used.
Cam shaft and lifter inferior quality!!what has happened according to other owners of tdi's that I have talked to is that the camshaft and lifters have failed. They were built inferior and breakdown. This causes a lot of confusion with mechanics trying for endless hours to figure out why its smoking. With a lot of research I found out that the camshaft and lifters are inferior and breakdown. Why does Volkswagen do that to people, it cost me so many thousands of dollars replacing turbo, mass air flow sensor to rebuilding the engine for god sake to find that it is the cam and that this is a common problem. Volkswagen should be held accountable for this.
At approx 80-90K I started hearing a clattering noise from the engine and extra noise when idling. Also, the car has a hard time shifting (automatic trans). After taking the car to a mechanic, I was told that it's the dsg dmf coming apart and rattling. After doing some research, I find it's a common problem. It started happening shortly after my car went out of cpo warranty, which expired at 74K. I didn't really pay that much attention to it until it got worse. This is a 06 tdi mkv with auto dsg, brm engine. Also experiencing difficulties with soot in fuel filter, likely due to faulty seal in fuel injectors under cam shaft. Once again, common problem according to mechanics and online forums on this model. There's a recall on the dmf for this model in australia, needs to have one for us.
- Oakland, CA, USA
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During a heavy rain, and while slowing to approach a stop, multiple emergency warning lights appeared in the dash display. Low oil pressure indicator advised to shut off engine immediately, glow plug indicator flashed, and tachometer went to zero (even though engine was still running). I shut off the engine, checked oil (level was fine), but the engine would not start. Towed back home, and 30 minutes later, engine started. No check engine light at any time. Problem recurred again in heavy rain several weeks later. Examined wiring harness and found twenty individual wear points in the wires where the insulation was worn enough to expose the copper strands. There were numerous other wear points with no copper visible, but all of the insulation wear matched the corrugation of the ribbing in the plastic wire loom covering. Closer inspection of the wear points revealed the most prevalent and serious bare wire conditions were in the area of the harness support clamps. Very concerned regarding other similar potential wear problems that could result in engine failure or fire.
VW is very much aware of the defect regarding camshaft failure in the engine, resulting in high repair costs and dangerous loss of power that could result in a collision. VW southtowne in Utah called the engine "experimental" basically admitted that VW knew there was a problem and only built the engine for 1.5 years as a result. They only respond that the car is out of warranty and is the consumers problem to pay for a $4000 repair onto of paying for the loan on the car.
A rattling sound began to come from the engine compartment shortly after passing 85,000 miles on the vehicle. Scanned the computer and found several codes for misfires and vacuum leaks on the vehicle ECU. Took it to a shop after performing routine maintenance did nothing to smooth out engine operation. Shop shortly contacted me back with a quote of the timing chains were coming apart and the engine was severely out of time. After some research online this appears to be an issue with the early 2.5L MK5 Jetta engine.
The vehicle stalls whenever driving in wet conditions on the hwy while snowing or raining. I have lost control of the vehicle and have broken down on the side of the road with no shoulder and facing an uphill incline. On each occasion I have had my children in the vehicle with me and facing heavy traffic in both directions. I was fortunate to have a highway patrol officer assist me in pushing the car to off the highway the last 3 times. Each time, they informed me that I should contact Volkswagen and let them know because it should definitely be a factory recall based on the dangerous circumstances. The problem has been identified on tdi forums forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?T=239987&page=6 as a wire chafing condition caused by the vibration of the diesel engine. I took my vehicle to the repair shop 3 different times and they were unable to identify the problem because each time I was able to get the vehicle to the shop they were unable to match the driving conditions that I was driving in and each time I was able to start the vehicle after allowing the vehicle to sit for a period of time in order to allow the engine compartment to dry.
Entire camshaft has to be replaced, car is inoperable. This is apparently a known issue but VW of America will not acknowledge this or help with the replacement cost, which is substantial.
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta tdi. The contact stated that there was a rattling noise in the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the piping had become loose. The vehicle was repaired by applying a rubber guard however, the failure recurred immediately after the repairs. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they advised him that the duel mass flywheel failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 36. The current mileage was approximately 160,000.
My wife and I were driving home and suddenly my car started jerking and made a "knocking" sound, without any warning (I.e. check engine light). We were close to home and decided to continue on; however, in the next couple of miles, the problems persisted, still with no check engine light or any indication of what was wrong with the vehicle. Over the next several days, while parked on a secured premise, I started the car up and it had an erratic loping sound. I proceeded to call a nearby Volkswagen dealer and spoke to two certified VW mechanics, who failed to acknowledge the issue that there was no warning indication before the car started to act up and said to bring it in to swap out the engine at approx. $7500; they dismissed the problem as "normal wear and tear". I researched the problem on the internet and it lead me to believe that it was a problem with the cam, which I had confirmed by an auto-mechanic after towing the car in. He told me the entire engine was warped due to the cam going out. Other 2006 VW Jetta tdi owners have commented on the same issues, which at this point leads me to believe that it is not "normal wear and tear", but a manufacture defect.
At 130,623 miles our Jetta had to have the camshaft and lifters replaced. The lobes on the camshaft had completely worn off and the lifters had pitted. I feel like our diesel motor has aged prematurely and there is an underlying problem that VW is ignoring. This is a common problem for this model and year. We are having both replaced, but until the root of the problem is found there will be an issue again. VW must know of this problem. They stopped production of the tdi Jetta in 2006. The 2006 was the last year before stopping production. Why would they stop making a car that was in such high demand with the rising cost of diesel and gas. They knew of an issue in the car that they couldn't figure out. Now they ignore the problem and continue to blame the customer for poor maintenance. The car is defective and VW needs to address the problem.
Engine loss of power, black smoke from exhaust and pinging noise from engine vehicle stalled a few time in traffic almost causing an accident with other vehicles driving vehicle to work, started making noise and decided to drive to VW dealership. Dearlership first diagnosed the problem as a bad clutch. Under my recommendation camshaft was inspected and found to be defective as well as the lifters that contact the camshaft. Dealer says this is not a VW problem and was surprised to see a problem with the camshaft. If you look on the internet, many tdi VW owners are experiencing the same problem. This problem is not being recongized by VW and is costing owners a lot of money in repairs as well as creating unsafe driving conditions for owners of this vehicle.
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that a loud noise emitted from the drive train whenever the vehicle was operated. The noise sounded like something was banging under the hood. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The contact examined the vehicle and stated that the fly wheel within the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Camshaft began knocking around 100,000 miles. Many other '06 Jetta tdi have had premature camshaft failures as well. Knocking intensified just before 101,000 miles. Took it to mechanic who was very familiar with the issue, as he has seen more than his share. He said the earliest failure he has seen was at around 40,000 miles. I had to go to great expense to replace cam follower, camshaft and cam bearings. It also caused premature wear on my lifters, which I expect I'll have to do soon, as they are starting to "tick". I love my tdi, and have made sure all service was done promptly. I am frustrated that vwag has denied there is a problem. If enough people complain, then they will have to admit that poor engineering is the cause of the premature camshaft failures that are plaguing pumped use owners.
On highway going approx 60 mph, car locked up, skidding for about 50 feet. Was unable to engage clutch, engine was still running though. Got car towed to dealership, discovered engine mount bolt had sheared off, car has never been in an accident and has had all oil changes/etc ( 2K miles late for 60K service).
Engine stalled while driving at low speed approaching a stop light and could not restart the engine. The engine cranked but would not start. This has happened several times and re-occurred even after the dealer replaced the fuel pump and filter. After only 40 miles and one day of driving it is at the dealer for repair.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Alexandria, VA, USA