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.
My timing chain jumped timing at 74K miles. This caused the pistons to hit the valves and caused $6K worth of damage. The dealership informed me there was nothing preventative I could have done. They actually contacted VW to see what they would do to help with this issue. Initially, they offered to contribute $1,000 toward repairs. I contacted VW because I saw 2 separate service bulletins on this model regarding the timing jumping. My timing jumped due to a faulty tensioner. When I spoke with VW, they didn't even offer the $1,000 anymore and simply got the dealership to reduce repairs by 15%, this was completely unacceptable considering a) their tensioners are faulty and are causing consumers to spend outrageous amounts of money on repairs B) this is not a normal wear-and-tear repair for the age and mileage of the car, per the dealership. The failure of the tensioner causes a jump in timing which immobilizes the car, which is dangerous if the car is operating at the time. It is costly because it causes significant engine damage. See service bulletin no.: TB-15-12-01 service bulletin no.: TB-15-11-04.
Car was serviced at the dealer at 90K miles. While driving locally one month after the service, the car was difficult to start, idled rough, sputtered while traveling, and bucked while stopped at a traffic light. It turns out that the timing chain slipped and caused the engine to break. The timing chain is not suggested to be replaced until 110,000 miles. Upon further research, it appears there is a faulty engine component (timing chain tensioner) that VW is aware of, but refuses to let customers know about. Please google tsb 15 12 01, dated July 23, 2012 which is a service bulletin released by VW detailing the faulty component. This faulty component has the potential to cause a major road hazard due to an uncontrollable vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Smyrna, GA, USA