— A VW water pump class action settlement has been reached for these Volkswagen and Audi vehicles equipped with 2-liter EA888 TSI or TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder multi-valve engines with codes CCTA, CAEB, CAED and CBFA.
- 2008-2014 Volkswagen GTI
- 2008-2014 Volkswagen Jetta
- 2009-2014 Volkswagen EOS
- 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC
- 2009-2014 Volkswagen Tiguan
- 2008-2010 Volkswagen Passat
- 2012-2014 Volkswagen Beetle
- 2008-2013 Audi A3
- 2009-2014 Audi A4
- 2009-2014 Audi A5
- 2011-2014 Audi Q5
- 2012-2014 Audi A6
- 2009-2014 Audi TT
The VW water pump class action was filed over the primary engine water pump driven off one of the balance shafts, not the electric auxiliary water pump. According to the lawsuit, the pump consists of the thermoplastic water pump module that includes the water pump, thermostat and integrated sensors.
The vehicles are allegedly defective because of the water pumps that cause a loss of coolant and overheated engines that lead to total engine failures. In addition, the vehicles included owner's manuals and warranty information that didn't mention anything about water pump maintenance.
The water pump allegedly should last the serviceable life of the vehicle that is in excess of 120,000 miles, yet the engine water pumps allegedly fail at less than 50% of their reasonably expected useful life.
After experiencing a failure of the water pump and engine overheating, other engine components such as the head gasket and cylinder head are damaged. The lawsuit alleges engine water pump failures cost between $900 and $1,200 to replace the pumps.
An overheated engine will run rough and stall, destroying the engine components. Vehicles with manual transmissions will allegedly suffer from drive wheels that lock and cause control problems.
Volkswagen denies the claims and maintains the water pumps work correctly and are not defective.
Volkswagen is extending its new vehicle warranties to cover repairs or replacements of failed primary engine water pumps during a period of 10 years or 100,000 miles from the in-service date of the vehicles.
However, the owner must submit to the dealer proof the vehicle was maintained according to the owner's manual maintenance schedule relevant to the cooling system.
This means an owner must prove they used the correct specification of coolant fluid that was directly recommended by Volkswagen.
The owner must provide proof the maintenance schedule was followed within a variance of 10% of the scheduled time/mileage requirements during the time they owned or leased the vehicle.
The extended warranty will also include a percentage of the cost of repair or replacement of a damaged engine if the damage was caused directly by a failed engine water pump. But the percentage of the cost will depend on how many miles are on the vehicle.
VW and Audi customers may also be eligible for reimbursement for repairs or replacements of failed primary engine water pumps within 10 years or 100,000 miles.
If the failed water pump was repaired or replaced at an authorized VW dealer within eight years or 80,000 miles (whichever occurs first) from the in-service date of the vehicle prior to December 2, 2019, the customer will receive a 100% refund of the invoice amount.
If the water pump repair or replacement was made after eight years or 80,000 miles, but prior to 10 years or 100,000 miles from the in-service date of the vehicle and prior to December 2, 2019, the customer may receive 70% of the paid invoice.
However, if the failed water pump was repaired or replaced at an independent service center and not an authorized VW dealer, the paid invoice amount must be limited to a maximum of $950.
In addition, a customer may qualify for reimbursement for expenses related to repair or replacement of a failed engine caused directly by the primary engine water pump within 10 years or 100,000 miles from the vehicle in-service date, prior to December 2, 2019.
However, there are limitations and customers must meet certain conditions. That information can be found in the engine water pump settlement notices for Volkswagen customers and Audi customers.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs will receive $2.4 million.
The VW water pump class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: Coffeng, et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Stull, Stull & Brody, Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., and Thomas P. Sobran, P.C.
