Volkswagen Passat Reviews

VW fixed the fuel line because at that time, we only have over 40 miles on it. This time, even we only have 78,000 miles on it, VW refused to fix it, by saying that we abused the car just as the fuel line. The rupture of the fuel line occurred inside the gas tank. How could we abuse that fuel line? When we called to talk with VW Case Manager and the shop, they were the most unprofessional ones. They didn't even want to negotiate with us in good faith. One of the guy even told us to take a VW credit line for the repair. For that, we will make sure to tell our large networks of friends and families to never ever buy Volkswagen again.

Are there other issues with the car, you ask? Why yes. We've replaced the door locking mechanism. It eats tires, and before the navigation system completely died it did not work properly. We have tried 2 different dealership service centers and have called VW customer care more than several times... to no avail. This company makes faulty, overpriced, environmentally polluting pieces of junk. And this is why I warn all others: NEVER BUY A VOLKSWAGEN!!

Next day car won't start at all (acts like it's flooded and smells like gas). Called VW and we had it towed to dealership ($200 fee). VW checked it out and said injectors were clogged but we're being covered by VW due to warranty added by VW to cover 2008-2011 2.0 tsi models for the failed injectors and manifold. This would cover this up to 120, 000 miles or 10 years according to VW. This was all news to me because I had never heard this nor had we been informed by VW.

Dealer goes on to tell me they need to clean the valves, change the oil and spark plugs but will do this for $200. They also tell me they hope when the injectors failed that it didn't cause motor damage or that will be another story. Now at this time I am trying to process all this info but now after thinking about I would like to know why I would have to pay a tow bill for a failed covered part that VW acknowledged and added an extended coverage for due to issues and I also don't understand why I need to pay for anything related to damage caused by the failed injectors?

Finally I have an extended warranty on my vehicle that is good to 125,000 but my guess is if the injectors caused damage to my engine and VW doesn't pay to fix it then I wouldn't expect my warranty company is going to pay up either because it's not their fault VW had bad injectors in the car. I will keep everyone posted but if anyone else has had this issue please let me know.

Then at 95000 the intercooler goes out - 2300.00 more to dump into this piece of garbage that was rated so highly. I called VW and they told me to pound sand, that there was too many miles on the car. It's only 3 yrs old, these problems should not happen with any car at 3 yrs. Oh, did I say all maintenance has been done by the dealer at their prices? The passenger rear window has never worked correctly and they want to charge me another 250.00 for that since I just noticed it. Totally my fault. Buyer Beware. This car will cost you more than any benefit to the diesel.

I've noticed some grease build up around frame and wheel rim upon further inspection. Now the CV axles boots are both broken - no clicking or binding but now these must be replaced. Let me add I have had the car from new to now it only has 63k on it. I live in north Texas - I understand it is hot here in the summer but to have so much wrong with it and not have any miles on it I can honestly say I will never buy any VW Ever again.

Original Review: July 9, 2015

At 3700 miles the light for Ad blue light comes on telling me if I turn off the car it won't restart. Dealer has not added Ad blue at scheduled maintenance, fill it myself. At next scheduled maintenance ask dealer about the system but they have no answers. At 50000 scheduled maintenance they don't fill the Ad blue again. Warning light goes on again, fill it myself. At 71000 Cel light is on the 1st time. Dealer flashed the computer, cel light goes out. 4 day later dealer wants $650.00 to replace Nox sensor. Have it replaced myself. 4 days later cel back on dealer.

Wants $100.00 to tell me that he now wants $1,200.00 to replace 2 more parts BUT doesn't know if it will fix it. Might need more? I am told that this is not under warranty even though it is part of the emissions system that has a warranty to 80,000 miles. They've added a system that is prone to fail and don't care about the cost or the customer. I'm appalled at the lack of dealer understanding of the car's maintenance.

I sustained some minor but painful injuries, was taken to the hospital and then released. I could not steer the car and applying the brakes did not work. The insurance is not being helpful. They are doing what they said is 'minimally' required by law. They are trying to make me pay a $250 collision deductible. They said I have axle damage and that it is not safe to drive. I have gap insurance so the lender will be paid. I called VW Customer Care and because I was concerned for not only my future but others as well, insisted that someone check the car for possible defect. The product engineer will inspect the car tomorrow. I was told that if a tie rod caused the crash that it is not covered under the 'Bumper to Bumper' 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty!!

I purchased my first new car at 18 and at 62 I had to find out what a tie rod was! When discussing warranties I have been told about tires, brakes, fluids, etc. that are expendable are my concern. I accept that. But to find out that a possible piece that you can only be checked by putting the car up on a rack is not in the warranty and that at 31,000 miles they are not concerned that it failed, made me very upset! I will find out the answer from the product engineer's inspection Thursday afternoon.

If the product engineer says that it is not manufacture-defective, then they told me I would walk away with zero. No old car, no new car, approximately $6,000 in payments to the lender and for what? I could have died if there had been a car in the inner lane that my car crossed - typical T-Bone injury, right to my left side. I still have enough pain in my back that it is difficult for me to walk. I don't have a car. Too old to just hike. WHO takes care of me? I would appreciate comments on my situation.

I still have no idea where the actual drain ends are located. Pushing hedge trimmer line down the drain only goes to the bottom of the A-pillar. Is that where the drain end is? If so, how does one get to it without cutting holes? OR is the water leaking in through the doors? Already replaced igniters, fuel pump, timing belt. I thought VW was a good brand until I owned one! Florida VW dealers are no help either.

Not something I would've expected from a car that was very well taken care of over the years, let alone a car made by Volkswagen. Long story short, we finally got some help and got our Passat towed back to West Kelowna where we later found from two independent mechanics that the pistons were shot and the engine was completely dead. DEAD! After less than 70,000 kms on it. And we later found out that replacing the engine through VW would cost us over $14,000. Over $14,000!!! Now why would we bother investing that much money into a car with an engine that had a very long history of severe engine problems? So this could happen again? And again?

This brings us back to VW's customer service, or lack thereof. The agent was cold and bluntly told us that we needed to spend more money towing our Passat further to a VW dealership to assess the damage for themselves (an assessment that we would have pay out of pocket for too, of course), and that they could not guarantee that VW would cover any of the cost to repair the damage as it was no longer under warranty. (Case # **)

Now I totally understand warranties and processes, but when a car's engine dies within less than a quarter of its life expectancy, you would assume that a brand like VW (whom I've been loyal to since my first beetle purchase in NZ back in the 90s) would take charge and say something like; "You know what, you and your family have been through a lot already. Both emotionally and financially. Let us arrange to tow your car back to a nearby dealership for you and we'll take it from there. We want to get to the bottom of this for you so this doesn't happen again." At the very worst, I would of expected that I would get the engine and installation at cost given everything my family has been through.

Not a chance. Not satisfied with the agent's matter-of-fact responses. I pressed to speak to a supervisor immediately, to which I was told would take about 48 hours for a supervisor to call back. A supervisor did finally call... 8 days after my request to speak with one. Are you kidding me? This is how VW treats its loyal customers??? In the end, the most help we got was from the dealership that originally sold us the car. They offered to ship the car back to Calgary (where they could use the car for parts, I would assume) in exchange for $1000 off our next purchase or lease from VW. So, a car that was originally worth $48,000, (with money still owing on it) is now only worth a $1,000 incentive towards another VW? How assuming and calculated is that? And don't get me wrong, I don't blame the dealership. This is simply how VW has armed its frontline.

To say the least, my loyalty of many years to the VW brand is no longer. VW not only has NO problem selling cars that have a history of being lemons, but also assumes NO responsibility when it hits the fan. Warranties or not, money or no money, VW put me and my family's lives at risk. And that's not cool! Now if you've had a similar experience, or have any other grievances with VW and the way you've been treated, please share your story below. With enough people onboard, we have the potential to merge resources and start a class action suit against VW, so more people don't have to experience this kind of injustice ever again. And with any luck, VW will rethink its processes not only to deliver a better all-around customer service experience, but also not to put any more lives at risk in order to turn a profit.

Lots of failure with this part recognized by VW as far back as 2008 and they have never apparently issued a recall on this part. It would appear that VW dealers charge around $900 to repair this problem, which looks like a very common problem for both Passats and Jettas.

Then the check engine light and fuel cap light indicator came on. Had the fuel cap tested and it is good. Again the dealership refused to fix this issue. Now I have to floor the throttle to get it started after filling up with fuel. The fuel cap light goes off but now the check engine light is still on. A diagnostic on the ECU indicated problems with the manifold pressure too low, evap canister, and a slew of other problems. Next the airbag light illuminated. Dealership said it was a sensor but would not fix it. Guess safety is not a priority here.

Now the rear driver side door won't lock. Car has been illegally entered twice this year. Can't lock the door so now I don't keep any personal property in my own vehicle. No way to manually lock this door and when the vehicle goes above or below 10 mph the door actuator goes on and off. The screws fell out of the rear speaker assembly and I had to search the trunk for them. I can't believe screws just fall out of this car... The transmission searches for the right gear constantly. It doesn't want to get out of first gear and then it finally shifts at high RPMs sending everyone's head back into the headrests.

My Passat has more fault lights illuminated on the dash than my 25 year old Nissan 300ZX. Don't buy this car unless you enjoy multiple trips to the service department. Keep in mind that all these issues happened in the first year and this car has never been in an accident. I am not looking forward to going back to the U.S. this year only to have the dealership tell me it is out of warranty. Gonna trade this car immediately.

Check around before you buy and there are dealers with lifetime warranties.

Now not every VW garage (in France) was willing to accept my diagnosis and just do the work, but the one close to where I live was very helpful and the mechanic did an excellent job for a very reasonable price. Ever since he did the work, the engine's been running very smooth and seems to have been healed after being quite sick (rough idle, made the care shake sometimes, and the no start condition as mentioned).

I never bought a new VW, and based on the many complaints I think the models after 2006 are much less trustworthy, but the 2000 to 2005 TDI engines are some of the strongest engines around (unless you have the camshaft wear). My car has the original engine and it's still not dead. It's just that little by little all the other parts around it fail through normal use.

So if you want to buy a VW, but also an Audi, or Skoda, or anything, try to find a second hand diesel from the early 2000's, get a good repair manual, order your parts online and fix the car yourself to save hundreds and hundreds of dollars (other than the engine bay being crammed full, there's nothing really specifically complicated about these cars). You'll get a reliable and economic engine, going into the 40's and 50's in terms of MPG.

Today the friggin light came back on and it's performing as it had 8 months ago! I'm disgusted! There is no reason why this car should behave this way, considering I service it and it's driven! I'm hoping VW will cover any service on Monday- I hate when companies don't stand by their brands. If I foresee an issue, I will definitely contact some folks. This is ridiculous! Fingers crossed though.

Well at this point, I thought that VW customer service would step up to the plate and compensate me somehow for having a "loud" ride in 2015. I mean, do they not test these cars in wind tunnels?!? So my case was assigned to a regional case manager who was terrible. Her response was, "It's not a manufacturing flaw," so you're held to your lease contract. So VW stands by their parts but not how they're put together by design?? That's a terrible response for an unhappy customer. I wasn't offered anything except one lousy car payment out of the 48 I'm obligated to make for something I'm not happy with at all. This will definitely be my last time ever owning a VW again. I hope consumers read this and stay away

This morning on my way to work I noticed my "check engine" light is now illuminated, and the car just this morning rolled over to 75,000 miles. I'm wondering if this is a pre-programmed occurrence, since most vehicles have service scheduled at around these intervals. Has anyone else had this happen? I'm going to stop by the auto parts store on my way home and let them run a diagnostics test to see if we can determine the issue. I'd appreciate any feedback regarding the check engine light if anyone else has experienced this with their Passat or CC. Thanks!

Immediately after the 2nd service, the car suddenly won't start, the battery was flat and the clock needle went around non stop. It was at 9 pm and the car is in a basement parking. What else could I do but only wait for a mechanic or a tow truck from the authorized tow company to tow away the car. The tow company refuse to come as it was already late night and no one is available. A samaritan came along and jump start the car. Upon reaching an authorized workshop the same night, a new battery was replaced as the old one is dead. Now the car won't start and was left overnight in the workshop.

The next day the car was towed to the Volkswagen service center in Petaling jaya. It took them 3 days to diagnosed what was wrong with the car. The verdict by the technician: The car has it first history of a corrupt ECU and that I have to change the whole ECU at the cost is RM 8,300. When ask what was the problem, the answer was: The jump start was the cause of the ECU getting corrupt and that the whole ECU cannot be used. The technician rational about the ECU was that the jump start and putting in another battery was illegal and that it has void its warranty. Easy answer for a stupid and blood sucking service center. Before they could really examine and diagnose they drop a hefty price on your face.

My question is: If the ECU is corrupt why don't you just get it reprogrammed. Do you need to change everything? If your battery is good, it wouldn't have fail in less than 1 year (Guaranteed 2 years). If your car is so good with the electronic system, why isn't there a fail safe for the ECU? When I called your authorized service center, why do they give so much excuse and yet not turning up? Your technician, asst workshop manager and workshop manager are giving different variation and conflicting stories and passing the phone line from one person to the other.

I should have listen to my friends who were against buying a Passat. I will never recommend any of my friends or anyone to buy a Passat. I will bad mouth Volkswagen as much as I can and will even create a "Hate Page" and get in as many readers as possible announcing your incompetent and as a slaughter house. Until Volkswagen compensate, I will not stop hating them, their service outlet and their service technician.

I found there was a recall I was not notified about. There is a problem with the oil turning to sludge which clogs everything and freezes the engine. You can look it up under engine sludge problem. It is a shame that as good as Volkswagens reputation was for building good cars that my 1998 GMC Sierra with over 238,000 miles outlasted my 2006 Passat. I bought a 2002 Jetta the same day as my Passat and going to try and get rid of it before it bites the dust too. Very disappointed. I won't buy or recommend a Volkswagen because of this experience.

No more rattles but it still slightly "squeaks" as it probably doesn't fit flush like other parts in the Passat. They also had to insulate one of the cubby departments on the drivers side was it was also rattling. Too much cheap, hard plastic I guess? Mechanically, I haven't had any issues yet but my car is still within warranty thank goodness. I'm very disappointed in the interior and the way it rattles, squeaks and makes other noises. For as simple as the design is, I would think they could engineer and/or execute a solidly built interior, but that hasn't been the case with my car. The car literally sounds like it's 10 years old on days the temperature is below 40 degrees. The car does drive nice and the V6 is very responsive and fun to drive. Just wish the interior execution was better...

I maintained my car with synthetic oil changes at 5k, rotated tires faithfully, and drove this car primarily to work and leisurely on weekends as a normal commuter would. In the midst of that, I've replaced the water pump, cleaned the intake manifold system, and flushed brake and coolant fluids. I was a proud VW owner, having previously owned a 2002 Jetta 1.8T.

I had my last straw when I pulled out of my garage to have my car stall in the middle of the street. I towed the car to the dealer to find that there was an oil leak which caused the engine to seize. $8K to fix it? I'll pass. It's a shame that a car that looked that great had to see its life end right at 121K. Nonetheless, I traded it in and purchased a 2014 Honda Accord with comparable features that my Passat had.

I won't be going back to anything VW makes, because there's too much overhead to keep this car running and on the road. I feel like I've spent more time in a loaner vehicle than I've spent in my car this year alone. Good luck to those of you who consider this vehicle. Be prepared to drop loads of money on simple maintenance repairs and procedures that are a fraction less with other Japanese and American auto makers.

I have officially broke 100,000 miles and now the oil light is on and VW is telling me the pump alone is $1,800.00. After doing a lot of research, there are a LOT of things that could be going on with the car including the pickup screen, pump, sending unit, etc. It's going to cost a fortune for the car to be put back in service. I owe about $5,000 on the car and it will likely cost all of $2,500.00 to get it back on the road. That doesn't include the fact that the heater coil is leaking too. Not only has this car had extreme repairs needed (for a car that is literally just driven back and forth to the office) but it also has little things breaking or going out pretty regular. It was a tossup between the VW and a Toyota Camry....I chose wrong....so, so wrong.

Please listen to ALL of the warnings posted on here. If you're like me you can't afford regular repairs of $2,500.00. The car has been sitting for roughly 2 months and likely will not see the road again for several more. I'm having to drive my old Ford truck to work and back which looks like death but runs far better than this German engineered pile of junk.

On Monday morning I was taking my daughter to school and on the freeway passing a semi truck the vehicle shut off, no power!!! Was able to shift the handle to Neutral start the vehicle back up and and shift to Drive. Dropped my child at school and went straight to the dealership and told them what happened. They told me to contact Volkswagen Corporate to see if they would consider taking me out of that unsafe vehicle and transfer me to another vehicle. The lady in the Corporate office "Monique" does not care of the safety of her customers. I stressed how unsafe the vehicle is and that I would not take it back and place my children in it AGAIN!! Monique responded, "The vehicle is still under warranty and you are solely responsible for the car."

I told her my daughter and I could have died if it didn't react the way I did; next time, we will be planning a funeral. Monique responded to me, "LET'S NOT GO THAT FAR! YOU COULD GET RUN OVER BY A CAR, OR ANOTHER VEHICLE CAN HIT YOU AND YOU COULD DIE THAT WAY, NOT NECESSARILY FROM VW VEHICLE!!!" Are you kidding me?!! No concern over our safety, nothing. She is only concerned about numbers. My vehicle is being repaired and they are placing and ENGINE HARNESS, they say it should solve the problem... I am scared for my safety and well being of my children. What can I do? Seeking legal advice!! Extremely disappointed and dissatisfied on how this situation is being handled by employees at Volkswagen..........

I will never ever buy a VW again. I have been stranded on a busy highway with my children, the hatch has hit my child on the head and myself on more than one occasion, the lights go out constantly and the engine is faulty on many counts. Right now, the car has been in the shop for one month because my mechanic is trying to figure out why there is a severe lack of acceleration on take off and can't seem to figure it out. So frustrated. I need a reliable car and not one that scares me. VW makes a crummy product and have horrible customer service.

After these last two events I tried to find some an official Volkswagen site who could provide advice as previous experience with their service dealerships has always produced the same result - i.e. no problem could be found. It's all very frustrating as I really loved that car. Unfortunately if my wife and I are to continue to live in this world the only outcome is to sell ASAP and buy a brand in which we feel safety have been properly addressed and at least there is some responsible authority available who are seriously prepared to address real issues. Disappointed.

Eventually, the car died 5 miles out of warranty. VW corporate was useless. That is the not only problem I had, needed new brakes and rotors and CV boots within a week of purchase, wear and tear item. Sunroof opened in rain and stayed open, various parts fell off. Peeling interior plastics, stereo gave out within a week, CD player did not work after a month. Rust everywhere, I lived in Southern California, virtually no rain, much less salt on the road. The driver door nearly rusted off after four years. Too many electrical gremlins.

I never took this car far, I was afraid of being stranded. I was left stranded on the road several times. AAA membership was the best thing I ever purchased. Spent lots of time on the side of the road, and on flat bed trucks. This car died after spending thousands in repairs, making it difficult to take our son with a disability to and from his appointments and therapies. Shame on VW corporate, and their horrid dealers; Dublin VW, and Bozzani VW.

I was thinking instead of doing this just by myself why should we all not team up and make a list of failures and passing it to the VW Chairman so at least he knows it is not all hunky dory and just by becoming the biggest car manufacturer in the world is not something to be proud of? They need to build cars which are more reliable and stable. Purchase of a car is one of the most expensive investments we make after buying a house and if this is what we get then it is quite a let-down.

I change the synthetic oil every 5 to 9 thousand miles. VW recommends every 10K miles with synthetic 5W-30. Timing belt replaced at 98K miles. New tires as needed, blah, blah, blah. I did encounter one high pitched whine from the engine. In addition, another symptom was no oil pressure stop vehicle. Turned out to be a recalled pcv valve nc, recall status.

Passat's rock. Imho

VW corporate offered $1200.00 towards the repairs and said that was all they could do for me and I had to take it up with the owner of the dealership. After much haggling, we agreed to split the cost of repairs three ways. After three days, I called to see if it was ready and they told me now the turbo was shot and it will cost another $1900.00 to fix it (suspiciously this was equal to their share of the repairs on the valves). I asked for an estimate in writing a week ago and they have yet to send me the exact description of the problem and in the meantime their extremely rude service manager has threatened to report their loaner car as "stolen" if I don't bring it back.

I told him I would bring it back when he repairs my car as we agreed. The owner and service manager have been impossible and threatening. I have considered suing but it will probably cost more to hire a lawyer. I will probably pay for the repair and sell it as soon as possible. I hope they don't break something else. This was my first and last VW. What a nightmare!!!

In January 2014 we had Armstrong VW do another more precise oil consumption test, for a cost to us of $264.50, which revealed that there is a problem with the oil consumption. They wanted us to approve an engine teardown which would've cost us another $525 with no guarantee they would correct the problem without more cost to us. We have also been talking with Volkswagen of America about this issue and trying to get them to help. They were in contact with the dealership before and after the consumption test. Along with the continuing cost of expensive Synthetic oil, our fear is that the car will run out of oil before we realize it and have a total loss of the motor. Also concerned that it may not pass the Oregon Environmental testing for licensing. There is no oil leaks, so the burning oil has to be entering the air. If you Google the Passat oil consumption problem, you will see that we are not the only ones having this problem with the dealerships and warranty companies not taking care of the problem. Please help us, we still owe $8,000 on this car and are stuck. The only solution would be to pass it on to another unsuspecting consumer and owe more on the next car.

As for the problems I've had, there have been a few small ones, and only one more major one. Very early on the oxygen sensor kept failing, turning the check engine light on, and VW eventually did a recall and redesigned part which resolved that. About 6 years in, the passenger window pulley broke and got replaced. I've gone through about 3 sets of rubber boots on the front axle over the years. Also, about 10 years in, both front turn signal lights fell out while driving (!), within 1 month of each other. They still stayed hanging there by the wires. Apparently it's a common flaw that the plastic clip degrades, but I put in new ones, and it's fine now. That's really it, besides standard maintenance like oil changes and new brakes and tires as needed, etc. I'm up to around 110k miles now.

The only major problem I had, at about 75k miles, was one day the car simply wouldn't start. Took it in, and found that a gasket failed and oil was leaking into the spark plugs. Apparently it's a standard flaw in the V6 engine, and Audis with this 2.8 V6 engine have the same issue. This was a big repair job. Plus, I figured that while I was at it, I should also replace the timing belt due to age, which in this car comes as a multi-item "timing belt kit" including alternator and water pump, so I renewed that whole system. All total it led to about a $2300 repair bill. But this is the only major issue I've had with the car in 14 years, so I think it's reasonable enough. Otherwise, the car is very comfortable and fun to drive, and handles great. I think the profile shape of it still looks reasonably stylish too for a 15-year-old car, and especially with mine being black on black with dark tint (factory), it gives it a good look.

Besides the 500.00 a year for registration and that doesn't include the full synthetic oil changes every 3,000 at 70.00 a pop! Not to mention the premium gas it takes. I have also been told the cv boots need replacing. Mechanic said maybe electrical issue with the check coolant light. I'm afraid to drive the car for fear of blowing another engine. The light still on. VW says, "Bring it in and for 98.00 we will diagnose the problem!" I just spent almost 4,000 today in getting a rebuilt engine! Money pit! But I am a single mom with no other car and if I didn't do the engine rebuild I was at a loss as you cannot buy a comparable car for less than 6k! Now I'm broke, no savings, had to borrow money to get new engine and still check coolant light on! How much more am I going to have to put into this car before I can drive it and feel confident it won't break down? Anyone else with same issues?

After researching the internet, I learned this was a common issue on this model and VW knows, even has made a new bolt to replace the one that fails, but has not recalled, even though there is potential for accidents having the engine cease while driving. Others who have had this happen, please file a complaint to the NHTSA http://www.nhtsa.gov/ and try to get them to issue a recall. There are many complaints of the same thing all over the internet, but only if we file with the government will they be forced to recall before someone is killed by this! Thanks.

VW used to be the most dependable car on the road. I have owned several Beetle bugs that were marvels of German engineering. They were all identical parts and plenty of interchangeable parts were available. They were universal and some were known to run more than a million miles. Some are still running today after more than 50 years so if I ever get another VW, it will be a 1960s Beetle bug. No more computer crap for me. I am going back to the future; I wish some auto manufacturer would just start rebuilding a non-computerized solid mechanical engine &drive train. I would be the first customer in line for simple dependability easy service at home or shop.

I was at the VW dealer shop again for the 1000th time and could not help but notice that the mechanics were not driving the brand new VWs. They all had older Beetle bugs and seemed happy to drive the 60s cars never a problem; I ask one would he sell his Beetle bug, he laughed and said, "Bill Gates doesn't have enough money to buy it." I ask why he didn't have a brand new one but he said they would give him one if only he could keep it running. He said he doesn't like being late to work and didn't like to ride on the wrecker tow truck and just doesn't want the problems associated with the new ones. Even the dealership shop can't keep them running. In one word, KISS. Keep it simple stupid **.

My MAIN nightmare problem is the fact that my timing CHAIN jumped timing at 74k miles!!!! This caused the pistons to hit the valves and cause $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 due to faulty tensioners. This is EXACTLY what caused my timing to jump - 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.

4 water pump replacements (a 5th needed at the time of timing jumping and only after a prior repair 1.5 months earlier), 1 fuel pump replacement, various other repairs generally $500 a pop. Because repairing/replacing the valves and pistons was so expensive, I had to replace the engine with a used engine as a cheaper alternative. I have spent more than half of what I paid for this car in repairs and more than a quarter of the time I have owned it, it has been at the shop. I have tried to sell the car to stop the bleeding, but I can't recoup even what I have spent on repairs let along get book value/trade-in value.

Dealerships are offering auction prices on them, which sits $2k back of fair book on trade-in. They have drastically dropped in value in my area in the last 1.5 months. I've had zero interest from private buyers while trying to sell it online, priced lower than other private sellers and their postings remain as well. I'm particularly frustrated today because after a lengthy time in the shop getting the engine replaced, it started throwing new codes and broke down. New issues...joy! I didn't even have time to return tomorrow to trade it in (one day out of the shop) before it broke down. Yes, this car is a lemon. But I will say that the problems I have with it don't seem unique to my car.

Reading forums, reviews, and reports, others are having these same issues. The service bulletins alone regarding the faulty tensioners and impacted timing which came from VW show enough issues to warrant making VW technicians aware as they diagnose issues. See: Service Bulletin No. : TB-15-12-01; Service Bulletin No. : TB-15-11-04.

I caution anyone against buying VW. I will NEVER buy a VW product again. I will caution everyone I know. My hope is that nobody goes through the devastating experience I have with my Passat and the horrid experience with VW. In my experience, they fail to stand behind their product and fail to value their customer. I am someone who has personally owned MANY VW vehicles, as have my family. Never again! NEVER! BEWARE! The cars look great, handles well, and when ACTUALLY WORKING, are fabulous fun to drive. But I have paid in spades for its looks and driving performance. It's just not worth it, no matter how cool or reliable you think this car might be... It's not.

I am concerned about cost of upkeep with VW. I am a D-I-Y. Back in 1978 I had a very bad experience with a VW dealer. Said I would never own another VW, mainly b/c of the dealer and the corp attitude. But after driving this Passat and comparing the features, it changed my mind. Same thoughts about a diesel after owning an Olds in 1979. We had no intention of buying a VW or diesel. Only looked at VW b/c a S-I-L suggested it. Only got interested in the TDI after driving it at the salesman's insistence to "just try it." We compared Toyota, Honda, Nissan, & Ford. Drove them all. Felt the Passat was by far the most car for the $$$. Time will tell on upkeep cost. Oh, I did buy the Extended Warranty, just in case.

The local service manager said he would replace it if authorized but now VW tells me the local service manager said it could not be fixed because all the window for the 2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium have this distortion. For me, this distortion is a safety issue so I will trade the car for a better built brand and take the depreciation loss. I should have noticed the problem earlier but I just thought the distortion was from my new bifocals. Not so. VW has a quality problem here. I hope the rest of the car is built better, but this leaves some doubt. I had heard that VW service was indifferent to customers and now I know this is true.

I was told at the dealership that VW USA was aware of the problem and were waiting for a software fix. VW USA said the fix could take one month to six months and I would be notified by mail when the fix was available. After 7 weeks of aggravation with no radio, hands-free phone or navigation, I was still told to be "PATIENT". The care broke down once again on the NJ expressway on a Sunday night. This time the car was overheating and the engine light came on to stop immediately. A kind gentleman stopped to help me and my children and found the hose clamp had come undone and he replaced it and added what liquid we had in the car to get us to a service station. The coolant light came on a few miles later and we managed to get to a service station that was open and purchased coolant.

I feel this incident put our lives in danger having to pull off the expressway and then a really bad area of Philadelphia with ex-cons and drug addicts knocking on our windows for handouts. The car went to the dealership and nothing was found to be faulty but the hose clamp may have been repaired improperly when they replaced the turbo 3 months ago and the entire car was power washed and a new radio was installed. This dealership was not aware there was a problem with radio system and was able to order one overnight and it works fine.

VW USA said they don't inform the dealerships of problems and that a new radio would not fix the problem since all the radios with the navigation system were having this issue. Customer service at the VW USA is the worse. I now have to replace two tires in 9 months of owning this car and 13,800 miles. Of course the warranty is under the tire manufacturer and the tires are manufactured for VW specifications which is 20,000 miles. I was told by Bridgestone to take my vehicle to a registered tire company in my area for tire wear measurements which indeed were worn out. Bridgestone only has one other tire that will fit this car and are out of stock with no ETA available. They will however only issue a 35% discount if I buy four new tires which are not available or buy two tires at my cost and when the tires are available they will discount 4 new tires by 45%.

Once again spending hours on the telephone with VW USA for some kind of compensation and they will not take the word of a reputable tire vendor as to the wear and tear measurements and I need to spend another few hours of my time driving to a dealership to have them inspect the tires and then they will call me. We have been a loyal VW customer with 4 people in my family having these cars but no longer. Customer service at the corporate is unacceptable and it's impossible to get to a higher level of management. Do yourself a favor and purchase another brand vehicle or be stressed out and afraid to drive your new car.

Obviously, I have an electrical problem because my headlights constantly needs replacing and magically work after several days or hours. My driver's side leather seat is ripping. On hot or cold days, my dashboard panel blinks on and off, fades completely away, and has blurry wavy lines. I sometimes get a check engine light that pops on and then off, even after oil changes. Right now, I have a faulty airbag warning light on that won't go away that I'm afraid to fix because I'm sure they'll say that's a huge cost as well, just to reset the light. They charged me $149 just to reset the check engine light (it was causing my car to fail emission tests). Sometimes, when I get in my car, the dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree. I'm definitely buying a Honda after this one dies. I'm just glad this one is paid off. Headache.

First mechanic had it a week, and replaced a pressure valve in the turbo. Paid $200 for that, but it did not fix the problem and he told me to take it to a VW dealer. VW dealer said they had it fix 2 days ago. They charged me $200 to have a $13 part installed. So I picked it up and on the way home, I had loss of power, the car started bucking, and clouds of black smoke came out when I accelerated. Dealership still has no clue what is wrong, and they charge $125 and hour to diagnose the issue. Not sure what to do at this point. I do not really want to dump any more money into this car, especially if they have no idea what the issue is. Hoping to trade it in if they can get it running properly. I'd never own another one again. Very disappointed.

P.S. Mark from Texas I would like information on the class action suit. Thanks.

The next morning, we were contacted by VW service and informed that the engine would not crank and they would need 4-5 hours to diagnose it, but again this charge would be waived if they were to do the repairs. At this point, we still assumed that the vehicle had an issue that could be repaired as we were not informed that there was a possibility the engine was so damaged that it would need to be replaced. At the end of the business day after five hours, we were informed that the oil pump had failed and as a result, the engine ceased. They said we would have to pay approximately $12,500 to repair. We were completely shocked that a vehicle that had a tune up and service done in June at VW service and an oil change 10 days prior at VW was now a paper weight as the manager described it. We were not about to pay $12,500 for an engine on a car that only had 50,504 miles on it. The dealership was not trying to help us in any way saying that there was nothing else they can do for us and they also would not settle on the diagnostic fee they charged us for $599, because they said we verbally agreed to it. We had to pay the bill and we had the car towed out of there on February 28th, 2013.

After looking at the description of what they found, they claimed that a bolt broke off causing the oil pump to fail and consequently causing the engine to cease. In the meantime, we had contacted Volkswagen advocacy. The day we were contacted with their final diagnosis, a representative Steve had told me that we did have a strong case being that the vehicle had been well maintained and was not far outside the warranty timeframe (however, we were no longer covered under a warranty because we were past 5 years, although we were nowhere near the 75,000 mile warranty limit). He said it did seem strange that we just had an oil change and ten days later, we would have an issue with the oil pump causing so much damage. He gave me a claim # and said that Regional Management would investigate and they would get back to us. The following day, we received a call and were told that there isn't much they can do, because it was a part malfunction that caused the oil pump to fail and we never bought an extended warranty so there was nothing they can do and this stuff happens.

They did offer assistance to put us in a new Volkswagen. But after our experience and scare, we do not feel it is safe to buy another Volkswagen vehicle. After doing some research, we have discovered that Volkswagen models between 2005-2007 seem to have this issue with a defective bolt that breaks, causing the oil pump to fail, and consequently causing engine failure. This does not seem acceptable on a vehicle with 50,504 miles on it. The company does not want to recognize the defect in the bolt and oil pump. This is a safety issue and a hefty financial burden. We are very disappointed and more so the fact that the company is not trying to assist financially with the repair. It seemed that they were more interested in getting us to buy a new Volkswagen rather than fixing the car.

The EPC light has come on, stayed on and then I was unable to start my car. I brought my car in to have the recall on the coils replaced, only to find out at another dealership that they were never done. So why did I bring it in the first time to get them replaced and have the dealership tell me they had replaced them (that's why you should always ask for the broken parts, have them in your hands so you can see them)? I can't tell you how scary it is to have your car just stop in major traffic or intersections. My car has been towed repeatedly back to the dealership. I have tried so many different dealerships in the San Diego area to no avail. I've even asked for specific technicians with the hope that more experienced ones would do better work. Still if it's not one thing, it's another.

One of the tiny bulbs in the interior went out, around the radio that turns it that pretty red. I was quoted $4.95 to replace the bulb and $110 for labor. Yay! My best advice is to take it to a trusted mechanic, not the dealership. Around 100k miles, I had a trusted friend who is a mechanic look at my car and replaced the timing belt. Since having him look and help replace items he thinks are necessary, I haven't had a problem. It ran for more than 5k miles without needing some sort of repair! I hate to say this, but I really think they mess with your car so that you have to come in for another service - especially if you're a woman. It's sad but the advisers and technicians know how to word things to scare you into replacing things you don't need, and how to rebate/certain parts by writing them a certain way on your service papers.

I don't and would never recommend this car to anyone. I too paid it off in the first year and really loved it. I couldn't believe this was my experience. It has been a nightmare. I have spent far more in repairs and parts than I ever thought. With that money, I would have bought a more expensive car to begin with than bother with this mess.

We have been told by other VW representatives that VW should cover this as there are hundreds of complaints about this issue. In a year when we are buying a new car, we will not be buying a VW. We have had Passats in the past and they have been great, but the quality is lousy now.

I have contacted the VW Customer Care department who would always send me to new VW dealerships to "diagnose" the car, after which they declared that the car had no problem, but the problem persisted. I have written a complaint letter to VW American branch president, a copy of which I have sent to the Company's two Group Vice Presidents. As they say, "Voice in the Wilderness." I have sent a letter of complaint to BBB, to this ineffective and irrelevant company, according to which, "BBB could not do anything" as my car is in its third year of service, and not in its second year? After my ordeal with VW, I would sell my Passat and buy an Asian car. Contrary to my past experience, now I feel it is much better to give my money to Asian car manufacturers than to this lousy VW.

I also advise new customers: Stay away from VW and don't buy cars from this "company", which has lousy car service and lousy built cars. VW is a company, which has lost its former stellar car service and impeccable reputation. If my German-built car has such a problem, I am sure, then Chattanooga, TN-made cars will be much worse built as, unfortunately, US car manufacturers are the lousiest ones among all manufacturers by statistics. The best proof to what I said is the story of Jaguar and Land Rover cars and the near bankruptcy of the three US car manufacturers two-three years ago. One more time, stay away from VW and from its cars.

Some of the worst mechanics are the VW mechanics. You are better off taking it to an Audi or even Honda or Toyota dealer. Save your money and get rid of the car. It's not worth the stress and money. Further, VW does not stand behind its product or service and they don't care. Go Hyundai or even Mazda. You'll be much happier with your car and probably be much safer in it.

Volkswagen Passat is made of plastic, so I guess that’s one of the reasons for not being a good car anyway. After 20,000 miles, the entire plastic mounting inside the car starts making noises, then every other thing start falling apart. With 30,000 miles, the engine light starts coming on. This is not a first time. Latest is the engine light indicating EPC - Electronic Power Control. It slows the car down dangerously, when you drive on the freeway at 60-70 miles. Engine starts to die down rapidly, especially if you are in a left lane and tons of cars behind you. I wouldn't recommend Volkswagen at all and for no one.

Volkswagen is not standing behind their products when there is an obvious problem that has been so well documented. I’m very unsatisfied with these cars and the company. I will never buy another nor recommend to another person. In fact, I will discourage anyone from buying one.

To let you know, I am not satisfied with the performance of the car. The car had to be sent to dealership around 20 times in a time span of 20 months since its purchase. In the beginning during raining season, it had A/C problems, i.e. the wind screen used to be foggy, for that the car had to be left at the dealer twice for around three days.

Then it started consuming Mobil oil. The oil level went down the minimum level (did not touch the dipstick), without any indication glowing. I had to send the car to dealer for door noise a number of times, license plate light sometimes glowing and sometimes not glowing. A number of times, it was sent in for low coolant level. There was also a water pump leakage. I had to change the water pump.

Now, it is in workshop again since 12th Feb, 2012 due to a jerk while driving on a turn and the clutch pedal stopped working. After 3-4 pushups, it worked again and the car was sent to workshop and clutch plate problem was reported. The car is still in the workshop.

During all this period the staff looking after at the workshop could not satisfy me with performance of the car. I had a word over the phone with the director of the dealership (Mr. Lally) and wanted an appointment. Also, I wanted an appointment through SMS to discuss about the performance of the car but never got an appointment. Even I was assured an appointment by the Service Manager of the dealer with the Area Manager Mr. Vishal from Bombay but until this time, no appointment fixed.

I have doubts about the car sold to me and I would like to have the details of the car i.e. when the car was manufactured, when sent to dealer and when it was sold to me. Also, I would prefer an appointment with a responsible person of the dealership that could satisfy.

I've performed my duty as a responsible customer. I've had regular maintenance, have proper documentation, and taken great care of the vehicle. Now, VW is backing out of a warranty repair, on a well known issue. I was told that VW can't guarantee warranty repairs for a vehicle with multiple services by an "independent" provider, even if I have complete documentation. I've contacted VW corporate. After a 1.5 hour phone call, the message was basically the same. VW can't provide warranty repairs on an extended warranty, if service was performed by an "independent" provider.

After talking with service this morning, the rep stated it wouldn't have mattered if it was covered or not. They have denied the last two (with the exact same problem), because of scoring. This causes the issue to be classified as engine repair, and therefore not covered. I would be required to repeat the process for engine repair! I'm forced to foot the bill for a well known issue, on a vehicle that is still under warranty, with documented proof of regular maintenance.

VW should change their contracts to read, "VW Warranties are only guaranteed if purchased with an extended warranty, only serviced at the purchasing dealer, provided with original documentation of service (to include item numbers, part numbers, bar codes and cost) repair, comprehensively complies with every technical bulletin in VW publications".

This is a horrible car. I regret the purchase and I am stuck with a unreliable lemon. All I can do is warn people about the manufacture and hope people avoid my mistake of purchasing a $30,000 car that has been nothing but a headache and money pit.

They "checked" the battery and the alternator said all was good and I brought the car home. On January 17, 2012 my husband drove the car and an indicator light came on stating the gas cap wasn't on right. He got out and checked it; it was fine and he drove on. Stopped at bank, turned car off and upon returning the car would not start. Called AAA and they came and jumped it. He indicated it could be the alternator. Meanwhile, I was on the phone with Moses and explained what was happening and was basically accused of causing the problem myself by not putting my gas cap on correctly (it was). What would that have to do with my car not starting, pray tell?

The following day we took it to a real mechanic who put it up on the rack and within three minutes had my husband come look at the problem. Not only was oil everywhere, the grounding wire to the battery was just dangling in the air and one of the motor mount bolts was sheared off and left broken. They had to know this was done and they let me drive that car off the lot with total disregard to my safety or the safety of others. Our mechanic explained that the reason the car would start at times was because when the wire was in contact with the frame it started and when it wasn't it didn't. Our mechanic said to take it back and tell them to finish installing the engine. It is back there now and the service department rep has said that the bolt being broken must have happened after leaving the shop. I don't think me or my husband has the strength to shear a bolt off.

We are in our fifties! Besides that I couldn't drive the car half the time anyway because it wouldn't start and who knows where the motor mount is. I don't. I am appalled by the blatant disregard that Moses has to the needs and safety of their customers and I would highly recommend staying as far away from Moses of Huntington, WV as you can. When I do get the car back I am getting rid of it. While I loved driving my Passat I do not love the way Volkswagen and Moses Volkswagen treats their customers.

Finally, Tuesday comes, 12/27/2011, as I called my insurance company to file the claim I finally am able to realize the extent of the damages to my car, my car port, the other car that was parked next to me and the motorcycle. After much going back and forth between myself and the insurance company, they finally told me that the only thing that they are going to do is pay off the balance left on the car which is about $4,000. After having this car for less than one year making my payments on time, taking care of my car, taking it to get service on it every 3,000 miles, this is what I get? Nothing.

I'm left without a car, without having any sort of transportation for work or to even drop my son off to day care. After the adjustor did his part, he stated that it's a total loss and that they are just going to pay off whatever I still owed on the loan. I feel it is so unfair to me that I was doing everything right and at the end of the day I could have been hurt or even killed because of whatever malfunction the car had. I would never buy another Passat or consider having that type of vehicle.

The car stayed at the facility for 10 days and on day 11, they said, they'll need to import the mecha-tronic box from Germany as it was defected. I did ask for a replacement car (per the policy-10 days) but they declined claiming non-availability. I complained online and was directed to the company chairman office secretary who called back on day 12 saying that, Alobour Center will call me soon to get my car completed.

On day 13, the secretary called back asking if an Alobour engineer called me out, but she was surprised that no one called, she promised they'll call me in 5 minutes. They called me in 5 minutes saying that I can come the next day at 12 noon to receive my car maintained and that was day 14! I wonder how they can import this part in a day or two. The car was okay for 9 months and started the same transmission cut again at an average 1 time per week, then increased to 2-3 times per week till the maintenance day at September 2011. At the maintenance day, I complained about the transmission problem and they said, it could be a software problem and well adjust it.

A week later, the problem prevailed and increased frequencies till Thursday January 5, 2012 where I couldn't move it. I had to call maintenance, delivered the car on January 6 2012, and yet, no feedback claiming that Germany is qualifying the diagnostic report. I was told also that it's out of warranty (2.5 years old and have 72000km) and I have to pay the cost of maintaining/replacing this part if any! I had to say, this is not a consumable part and the history proves that VW is having a problem in the DSG system and this part should be changed free.

I can't imagine an important part like this should be replaced every 15 months. Now, I need you to help me in the following please: a) Speed the process of maintaining this part as my business is heavily affected having no car to use while moving around. I'm a business development manager of a reputable company that deals with 53 clients on daily basis and I need to move a lot. b) Change the defected mecha-tronic box free. c) Guarantee a replacement car if this maintenance will exceed 10 days as per policy.

Hope that this complaint reaches the right person who can take the right action towards protecting the company (Both VW and Egypt Automotive) image bearing in mind that our company is having over 10 Passat in addition to few Jetta cars and since this problem, some of them decided to sell their cars and replace with most reliable cars instead.

The engine failed on September 11, 2010, well short of the 5 year time period of the warranty. It is impossible for me to get a 60,000 mile warranty from Date of Purchase, unless the warranty expires when the mileage reaches 60,195, thus VW is acting in bad faith, by blatantly denying me a 60,000 mile warranty, and is instead admitting they represented to be selling me a 60,000 mile warranty, but, really sold me a 59,805 mile warranty. GM, Ford (confirmed), and all other US manufacturers I can find add the mileage on the In Service Date to the warranty. My 2006 GM Duramax diesel truck with a 100,000 mile warranty clearly shows on the official GM warranty printout that the warranty expires at 100,046 miles, since the Odometer Disclosure Statement shows 46 on the In Service Date when it was purchased.

VW dealers in Houston, Texas are telling customers (when pressed for an answer) that the mileage on the new vehicle they are considering on purchasing will not be added to the warranty. This would seem to constitute a deceptive trade practice, since most customers assume they are purchasing a warranty for the number of miles advertised in promotional literature, and the number of miles showing on the warranty in the owner’s manual of the vehicle they are purchasing. It would be interesting to put out some inquiries in the media to see how many people have been affected by this deceptive practice of VW. I am out a considerable sum of money, and the Passat which I paid $42,000 for, is a totally unusable piece of junk, which has been sitting on a trailer on my property for the last 15 months, while I have tried to get some satisfaction from VW.

Just a sample of other issues I have had are exactly the same as others on this site. I now am being told I need a new catalytic converter. I just spent $500 on it last week and have been averaging $200-500 per month on repairs. We have a 98 Jetta with similar issues (windows continue to fall down but the engine issues aren't quite as bad).

Consequences are dire financially, and due to being self-employed and other issues I cannot get financing to purchase a new car until VW takes responsibility for these issues by recalling the 2004 Passats. If everyone who owns them or more than 50%, why is the gov't not doing anything? Are there any recommendations you have that I can do to take action before dropping $1,400 on a catalytic converter? Any insight appreciated.

Reassurances of Class Action lawsuits to protect the victims of t his outrageous and dangerous failure, all with the predictable results. "Oh, you cannot prove you used synthetic motor oil at all times. We are so sorry. This malfunction is your fault. " The Passat has been in our garage since 2009. But then true to form, the final VW insult. Just this week, I received a little postcard from VW Campaign in Bernardsville, NJ about the "campaign" with my VIN number incorrectly written in a child's print. Upon calling this place, I was routed to a VW dealer who told me that I was to be the proud recipient of two New Coils! Case settled, right!

Friends, never, never deal with WW or any of their dealers, for you will be screwed just like all the others who have written these rants! Just think if we had lost in 1945!

We were notified of the oil sludge problem with this engine but expected that the dealership would have informed us if this incident in the spring was a symptom of sludge buildup and something we should repair immediately. This car is not driven on a daily basis, hence, the six month span of time before the symptoms presented again. Now, the warning light does not go off and I had it towed to an independent VW mechanic as I was told by the dealership that my car was not eligible for the extended warranty as it expired last year.

I am looking at an expensive repair job for oil sludge or possibly a new engine. Why is this not covered by VW? The engine is a ticking time bomb. The lawsuit in itself indicates the vulnerability of this engine so why limit their liability? The letter I received after the class action settlement states 10 years of 120,000 miles. Is the dealership lying? My calls to them do not get returned. Considering the magnitude of problem with these Passats, I cannot understand why the government has not insisted on a recall of these cars.

I was always warned by others never to buy a Volkswagen because after a certain age they simply fall to pieces. I have witnessed this first hand. This vehicle has had several serious recalls and I would like to acknowledge that you must carry a certain type of warranty from day 1 to cover the window regulators that basically hold your window up and in place. If you Google Volkswagen window regulators, you will find thousands of complaints and videos on how to repair your windows yourself because Volkswagen does not cover this.

While driving my car, my window fell down into the door scaring me half to death and almost causing a wreck. Still Volkswagen has made no recall on this for this year. It's simply irresponsible and should say something to you when there is an extra warranty that covers your windows falling down and breaking. How about you just use better materials? One by one, things are falling apart on the car. Handles to the glove compartment, buttons on the radio, visors breaking, gas cap breaking. What is the point in buying a car that is good for 70K and then falls apart? I'm astonished by Volkswagen’s desire to resolve the issue with the window simply by stating that the car is old. When have you ever had a car that the windows are expected to break?

In the past two weeks, I have had my mass air flow sensor and O2 sensor replaced, and what do I get in return? The "check engine" light is back on. I had the code read and was told that it's an "ECU" which could mean one of numerous items, and that to diagnose it further will be $100. Major things happened like the engine to smaller-yet-equally-annoying things like the driver's side door handle breaking last week so I have to put the window down to open my own door from the outside. Oh, and for the posters about the brake light being on? Yeah, mine's on too. It has been that way for about 3 years because I was told that the repair for that is another $1800! I will NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER purchase another VW as long as I live. This car is a total piece of crap and has caused me more aggravation than my ex-husband ever did!

I have a 2006 Volkswagen Passat that I bought when it was just a year old with barely 7,000 miles on it. The log below shows what is currently happening (last three fill-ups) with my gas cap, check gas cap light and check engine light. I jotted down the incidences along with the current trip meter reading to keep track. Volkswagen replaced the gas cap a few months ago (after which, the problem became worse) as well as a valve, of some sort, recently--$100 deductible each time under my extended warranty.

The primary consequence is frustration and the $100 every time I bring the car in to have them look at it. They say that I must not be tightening the gas cap sufficiently. If I twist much harder, it will probably break. They also say that I have to bring the car in with light(s) on before they can do anything. But that timing doesn't always work out. I guess they can't take my word for anything.

So, still, this isn't fixed. If this were their car, would this not bother them? If they were considering buying my car and I couldn't explain the lights going off and on, will they buy it? I have a case number with VW Cares (?) but I'm not sure how that will help me.

Quadruple clicks of gas cap. Gas cap is still pretty new. Check out the date of replacement.

We had approached you on June 1, 2011 through email with the same complaint at that time Volkswagen delivered the vehicle after a span of 36 days to bring the vehicle in order. When we received your call about the complaint, vehicle was returned to us so nothing could be initiated with the complaint.

Now the vehicle is troubling with the same faults since August 8, 2011. On informing the company about the faults, the company mechanic briefed us that the vehicle developed some major fault in it and is to be tow-chained to workshop as the engine could not be started.

We are enclosing herewith the copies of letters addressed to authorized dealer, M/s Frontier Autoworld Pvt. Ltd, Gurgaon (Haryana), for replacement of manufacturing defective Volkswagen Passat.

This car has been giving troubles in smooth and perfect ride just after three months of purchase. Authorized dealer is not interested at all to put the car in order as well as we are not convinced regarding the quality and perfectness of the car at all.

The way the complaint is handled, we are of the opinion that the manufacturer is not providing the right product to the honest Indian people who are paying the maximum amount for cars in the world.

Below is the brief sequence of the problems faced by us:

7. On 14th of July 2011, we got a call from company representative that they are organizing a major campaign for Passat on 15th July to check all the Passat cars on road to check and rectify the problems faced by almost all the Passat users. This signifies that Passat model is not at all good for use. We are the real victims out of all the Passat users facing troubles from this vehicle every now and then.

In view of gross negligence attitude of company's representative in India, we request you to kindly highlight the harassment faced by us from a reputed international brand and request your kind cooperation so that this manufacturing defective car shall be replaced immediately. We feel cheated by an auto manufacturer.

Hope you will grant your helping hand for replacement of this manufacturing defective car so as nobody else from India will be cheated and the company will supply 100% quality perfect cars to Indian people in the future.

Copies of all our correspondence with the Volkswagen representatives in India are attached herewith for your ready reference and records.

I took it to the dealer in Colorado who said that what my car needed was a software update. They said that they found nothing wrong with the oil pressure. They did check the car for sledge and found none and they told me that the oil light did not come on for them. One month later, the oil pressure light started coming on again an average of 1x a week. Each time it went on, I would take the car home and park it.

I moved back to Nebraska on June 5th. One week later, the check engine light and the oil pressure light started taking turns coming on. As of a week ago, the stop engine oil light goes on every time the temperature outside gets higher than 90. If it's cool outside, the car is fine. The kicker is this. Everytime I take it to the dealer, they say that they cannot do anything to the car until they hook it up to diagnostics which costs $125.00 each time. If the diagnostics shows nothing then they act like nothing is wrong and send me on my way. I have paid this fee 5 times in the last 6 months. So whats the difference if the light is on or off - the problem is still there! Or is the problem that VW can't fix their own cars? They can tell me not to drive the car if it goes on. But they can't fix it if the light doesn't go on while they have it.

I really like the guy in Lincoln, very nice. And I like the guys in Colorado, very nice as well. But understand that time is money and money takes time and no one can afford a VW if it's always parked!

A year later, I received a recall notice regarding the coil packs. I was reimbursed for my repair. Since the ignition coil was replaced at Volkswagen, it has had to be replaced seven more times. I did not take it back to the dealer because when i called, they said it is not covered and they were going to charge me to diagnose the same problem again. I have been replacing the coil with Napa ignition coils because the charge to replace them at Volkswagen is ridiculous. The repair takes less than five minutes. I replaced this coil approximately every two to three months in the same cylinder. It has been a problem since i first purchased the vehicle and Patrick Volkswagen wants to charge me to have it looked at, when there is clearly a defect.

I now have 134,000 miles on my car and my catalytic converter is blown, which I'm pretty sure was caused by my engine misfiring so many times due to failing coils. It sent a large amount of unburned fuel through my exhaust and ruined it. I do not think the coil is the problem, I think it has something to do with the actual cylinder the coil sits in. This car is a lemon. It has been extremely costly and I still have one year of car payments on it. I have contacted a woman at Volkwagen's corporate office a couple years ago regarding the concern and she did not want to help out in any way. She did not even sound like she knew anything about Volkswagen. Volkswagen has the worst customer service I have ever seen. From corporate all the way to the dealer end. I will never buy one again.

After a week (at 44000km), the new battery went flat again, I called them back and had a replacement for free. They recommended a check up visit to the workshop to search for the reason. So, I did. Up to today, (after almost working 13 days) my Passat did not come back?!! I am really upset of the situation because of the following: 1) Before this Passat, I had a Skoda Octavia A5 of the VW group without a single trouble of such kind, 2) I could have been killed in accident because of the sudden seat move and nobody cared about it, 3) I have a Chinese make cherry 1.3lit car bought on the same month as this Passat, it did not show me need neither for gearbox exchange nor a flat battery, 4) What makes me really frustrated is that I preferred the Passat over the Mercedes C180 because of the reliability reputation!!! Unfortunately it did not reach my expectations, and 5) Do I deserve a spare car during this long period of service at the workshop.

Volkswagen used to give the code to reprogram the key but since a few years back, they refuse to give them away to make sure their dealers get the money. I strongly feel this is an unfair business practice that needs to be looked into. Surely this key does not cost more than 5 pounds to produce and if Volkswagen even put the price at 50 pounds, they would still make money out if it. Because they created a situation of monopoly on their keys they can put the price as high as they want it to be. This is against the fair rules of competition.

Besides cost of replacing all the parts, she had to rent cars so she could get to work.

Not only did we all lose out on the engine cost, we also lose on the value of the car. If you have not dumped this piece of ** car yet, wait until you do. If you have, you probably got burnt at trade-in time. This is perhaps the first time that I am willing to take part in a class action lawsuit. I just wonder if it would help out the lawyers (and myself) if the real cause was exposed. VW tried to blame the issue on a bad assembly job at their Turkey plant. I guess they looked deep into the issue and found the real problem. Then went into the "war room" and develop a go forward strategy to hide the cause. By that point, VW had too much money invested in the car to stop production and fix the engine issue before it was sold.

Why do you think VW of A handles your claims in such a ** manner? This issue has drug down their financials tremendously. It is a huge cover-up and they are tired of it and the financial impact.

Reading today that there have been many reports of similar problems with the oil pump to include engine fires & customer injury, I am seeking a list of all recalls of the model. I have driven many makes & models of autos, GMC, Ford, Lincoln, and Lexus but VW is the worst purchase I have ever made. With full of regret & borrowing a car, I have spent multiple thousand dollars on repairs on this vehicle in addition to the financing & routine maintenance.

I'm pretty diligent about filing repairs that are under warranty, but never kept simple oil change and tire rotation receipts. Additionally, it turns out that Volkswagen had notified original owners of this engine to keep service records as proof of oil changes so they may repair the car when it fails. I was on the phone with the dealer and Volkswagen for the better part of the morning when Katie *** at Volkswagen USA advised me after stating Volkswagen's "position" to see what records I do have and we will "go from there." In my opinion, this is a known defect and should be recalled immediately. I'm inclined to recommend a class action lawsuit on behalf of owners of this car.

The electrical system started going haywire, giving me lots of error messages regarding my doors being open (when I checked they were not open), and then my rear hatch was repeatedly and rapidly locking and unlocking all by itself. I turned my car off, but many of my exterior lights remained on, even with the key removed and the lights switched off. When I tried to turn my car back on, it would not let me turn the key far enough to start the car, no matter what gear I put the car in and with and without the parking brake on. I had just left work when this occurred, and had only made it about 100 feet from work. At a loss, and with the rear hatch still stuttering locked and unlocked, I decided to unhook my battery to stop the strange problem.

When I went to get the tool to loosen the battery hook-up, I noticed something strange about the foot well behind the driver's seat. When I pulled up the floor mat and stepped on the carpeting underneath, water pooled up around my foot. I checked my headliner immediately, thinking the sunroof might have been partially open or otherwise letting rain in, but the sunroof was closed and my headliner was completely dry. I then checked the door, the door frame, and the seat behind the driver's seat for any moisture, and they were all dry as well. The only thing wet in my car was the foot well behind the driver's seat. I was completely dumbfounded, but knew that the mystery water (clear and with no odor, like regular water) was likely in contact with wires somewhere, causing the error messages and the rear hatch issues.

I disconnected the battery and waited for my mom who by this time I had called and asked to come pick me up and help me. And when my mom arrived about 15 minutes later, we hooked the battery back up. My car allowed me to start it again, but continued to give various alarms for doors being open, etc. and the back hatch continued to malfunction. I drove my car back to work (I work at a high school) because I did not feel confident about my car making it back the 20-30 miles home. I parked my car in the auto shop area so it would be protected from rain, and tried to dry it out. After 3-4 rolls of paper towels, the footwell was still wet, and my car was still acting very strangely. I decided to leave my car in the covered area and hoped it would dry out over night enough to work correctly.

When I went home, my husband and I researched the symptoms I had noted on the internet, looking for answers. We did a search to the effect of 2002 VW Passat strange water leak. A shocking number of results came up with people talking about the exact same problem and symptoms with their Volkswagens, specifically 2002 Passats (regular and wagon style). They talked about taking their car to be fixed, and the same main causes kept coming up when it was explained by the mechanic—drainage associated the sunroof or drainage associated with the battery area, which would become clogged and un-drained water would find a route into the car.

Obviously, since my headliner was not wet, I figured it was probable that my issues were likely associated with the battery drain being clogged. Along with the battery drain being clogged, people were reporting a few ways that water in the engine bay found its way into the car because of the clog. It would come through the pollen filter area and following gravity, come through the heating system and into the rear foot well. Many other people, however, mentioned it finding another way besides the pollen filter to come into the car.

In all cases though, the battery drain clogging was where water first accumulated, and then found a way to enter the cabin of the car. The problems with electrical shorts, and a damaged or ruined computer module housed in the foot well area because of the water ended up costing most people in the vicinity of $1,000 in repairs. Most people were commenting not just on their frustrations regarding the damage, but that once shown the drain by the battery, were bothered by how poorly it seemed to be designed so that it could clog easily. I ultimately had my car towed to the local VW dealer (Parr Volkswagen in Bremerton, Washington) to be serviced and to determine precisely what the problem was and how to fix it.

They confirmed what I had read on the internet: the drain near the battery had become clogged. And the battery itself was sitting, according to the mechanic at VW, in about 4 inches of water and filled the whole area the battery was sitting in from one side of the car to the other. They then said that the water had gotten in through a hole drilled into a separating wall (the hole was apparently drilled for an after-market remote start system installed in the car before I bought it), rather than through the pollen filter.

The water then came down to the foot well behind the driver's seat. In addition to wiring down there that was submerged in several inches of water, a computer unit called the "comfort control module" had also been submerged and was irreparably damaged and would need to be replaced. The module was responsible for controlling the keyless entry and door locks that all VW's come with standard, as well the anti-theft system and the immobilizer that activates if the car has been stolen.

Because the module was destroyed (in terms of function), my car could not and cannot operate without a new one. I told the service people that I felt that since the water would likely not have gotten through the after market hole if it were not for the design flaw (By Volkswagen) of the battery drain clogging and causing flooding in the engine bay, then part of the repair cost (quoted at $1,092.00 before tax) should be taken care of by Volkswagen. I was told to contact the company's customer service line because the dealership was not allowed to make that call/deal themselves. I called customer service, explaining my concerns and was told that because the drain was not a recall item and my car was not under any warranty, they would not do anything for me.

I argued my case, reiterating that VW had a design flaw in the drain hole becoming easily clogged (regardless of car age or mileage), and that water would not have come in anywhere, aftermarket area or factory, if not for the clogged drain in the first place. I also pointed out that no regular maintenance done by a regular service shop, Volkswagen or otherwise, was regularly checking, maintaining, or servicing that drain, so there was no reasonable expectation that anyone would be checking and clearing that drain to prevent the clog and resulting flood of water.

I then asked them how such a design flaw was not yet a recall, and how Volkswagen as a company could be claiming to operate with "good faith" with their customers by not standing behind their product and admitting the design flaw. Through several phone calls with customer service, including a call back by a regional manager of "customer care", the response was the same: “Your car is not under warranty and this is not a recall, so we are not going to do anything for you in regards to the repairs or repair cost. You must pay it yourself.”

The only offer I was given was a voucher of $1,500 off my next purchase of a new VW vehicle. I asked those that offered me that why they thought I would want to purchase another car, spending tens of thousands of more dollars with the company, when they would not stand behind their previous product. I pointed out that even the voice mail I received from the Regional Customer Care Manager stated that the service people at the dealership had said both the after market hole and the battery drain clog were likely at fault for the resulting flooding and damage elsewhere in my car, but that they were still not offering me any help with repair costs or future service check ups to check on the drain, only a voucher to buy another car from them.

I agree that some of the service repair cost ultimately falls on me as I inherited the aftermarket system when I bought the car, but I believe, as severe of damage as is done to the car, and the clear safety issue of water pooling around not only the battery but around wiring and other electrical systems in the car, that Volkswagen needs to take up some of the responsibility regarding their design flaw.

If my car had ceased function on the freeway, I could have been involved in a severe car accident. If I had touched water or wiring at the wrong instant, I might have suffered an electrical shock. And ultimately, if nothing else, it completely incapacitated my car, and thousands of other people’s cars because of this drainage problem. It is not just minor, inconvenient water damage. I believe the Volkswagen is not operating under "good faith" with their customers by failing to acknowledge this design flaw and do something about it for their VW customers.

I personally am concerned about the quality of their products and their lack of operation under good faith with their customers and will not be a customer of theirs again until they properly address this issue. I am out over $1,000 plus tax for the repairs that are at least partially caused by a Volkswagen design flaw. And I am now concerned about it becoming a repeat problem (and cost) because the design flaw has not been addressed.

Needless to say, I returned to have it fixed 1-2-2010 only to have the vehicle die and then towed to the dealer. A $700 fix became a $2950 fix plus head, so my car sits dead in my driveway. I've notified another complaint service hoping VW Passat will do a major recall to fix all engine problems that have resulted from the faulty oil sludge design which eventually cost owners thousands of dollars to fix. These problems to the 1.8 Passat cars have low mileage. Mine has 69,900. Unbelievable, not drivable or useable. Do I recommend VW vehicles? No.

After a few months of driving the car, I realized that I was getting terrible gas mileage. After bringing it to Big Apple VW in the Bronx, I was told that the car simply needed to be driven and the issue would reset itself after having it checked. And if it continued, to bring it in and they will serve the matter for the fourth time in two months.

Approximately two years later, I received a letter in the mail stating that there had been a recall on the vehicle for a faulty coil system which can cause a fire. This leads me to believe that the servicemen who examined the car were negligent not to notice the problem. I was in no way reimbursed for the extra fuel that I had been providing.

In addition, I brought my Volkswagen in to Big Apple VW, while it was under warranty, to report a terrible smell that appeared upon the first few minutes of operating the air conditioner, as well as to complain that the front head lights were extremely deem. Once again, I was sent away with the vehicle, with the excuse that it was a problem that many Volkswagens faced and could not be repaired.

This time, the problem was more than I can take and handle. I took it in as soon as possible because I don't want to be the cause of a deadly accident on the road to myself, my unborn child and the people in the street. I called the 800 customer number for VW and filed a complaint; however, the warranty had expired on 8/17/2010, with no heads up from the dealership and VW probably forcing me to pay for a problem that was present from day one out of my own pocket.

I have had to replace nearly a dozen different light bulbs (headlights, taillights, vanity mirror light, heating and cooling panel lights, etc.). Also, until this day, I am still waiting for the dealership to contact me about my vanity mirror lights to be replaced on the visor. Mind you, it has been three years and counting, and no call!

After noticing a rattling noise when the engine was on, I had it serviced, and found that the catalytic converter and its surrounding parts had broke and required replacement. I repaired this at a local mechanic when the car was out of warranty, only to find out that there was a recall on the catalytic converter. After that, I had to repair a problem with the brake light of the vehicle, where it remained on while the car was in motion, as well as when the ignition was turned off. This happened intermittently so I was not aware of it for several weeks.

A failure to notice and send the vehicle out for repair in a timely manner would have resulted in other more serious problems, including a possible rear collision. The emergency hazard lights have had to be replaced, the hose for a leaking vacuum line, ignition leads, spark plugs, etc. In closing, I would like to express my distinct displeasure in having purchased this car.

The dealership had also claimed that my battery had mysteriously gone bad that night they had done work on it. They jumped my battery and told me that it would be alright. I broke down on the way home and had to get jumped again. The dealership had to come and pick the car up from my home because it wouldn't run. After they had done work on the intake flap motor and cost me that money, I had to buy a new battery and more fees.

I have been lied to by VW and most likely by the dealership. As long as I live, I will never purchase a new VW. This is coming from a man who goes to VW events like H20 and Dubs at the Beach and also from someone who has a couple older VW's in his driveway, and wear VW gear all the time. I had expected more from VW.

As I write this, a new engine is being placed into my car. I am currently driving a friend’s 2010 VW CC, and it is an engineering nightmare. Grease is leaking out of the bottom of every passenger door, and as this is a white car, it is very obvious and disgusting. VW focuses on the cosmetics, and ignores the basic engineering standards of American quality.

They denied me again today and said that I need to pay for the car too. I knew that they would not cover it based on all the complaints that I have read. In my warranty booklet, I am covered if they do not give me an answer in 30 days--as well as me being under warranty and proving all service orders. My car is still there and if I pick it up, I am accepting denial. I have all invoices, recalls, voice messages and emails. I have one car with two children and I am scared! There is a lot more to say. I am in the right and I need help.

It is now July, and my car has been with a mechanic since March and several thousands of dollars later. I am currently shopping for a law firm to initiate a class action lawsuit against VW. If anyone sees the letter that was faxed to me, purporting the engines problems, not only would VW be overwhelmed with lawsuits, but cars with the VW 1.8 turbo would rot on the used car lots. This should be a recall issue, and the public should be made aware of the consequences of owning such a vehicle. I carry extra copies of the letter in the event that I see one of these cars and either give it to the dumbfounded owner or leave it under the windshield wiper. I only wish someone had informed me as I am thousands in the hole and making 2 car payments.

Now, the problems started, believe it or not, last year on of all days April 1. Oh and while in the shop or parked in the lot, there was a hail storm and of course there was damage. The shop notified us after the weekend, (occurred on Friday). $1300.00 in damage. Thank God for USAA and the coverage I have. VW said that they were not liable for anything that occurred on their lot! This does not include the $100 expense of the computer diagnostic every time you go in and the $200 oil changes every 5000 miles. Oh and the $400 rear break job at 65k.

My mother told me that I should have the repair people paint large lemons on the both doors to provide ad time on the highway for the dealership. I am really thinking of doing this. Yesterday, the wife told me that the courtesy driver was sitting in the driver seat of her car and revving the engine as loud as he could stating the the car sounded real good! Well, I guess if you like vehicles that had no exhaust system (cat converter or mufflers) that would be really loud. What was he doing or thinking? I still have not reviewed this with the shop foreman yet! Now, anyone that needs a really repaired car (new stuff on the inside, new glass), 80k will sell. Haha.

Second, after about 1 week of driving the car, I have noticed a weird sound while steering the car. So I had to go back again to the car service shop, and they took the car and kept me waiting for over 8 hours. Then they told me there is a problem with air bag coil and that they will have to order it and it will probably take about 3 weeks until it arrives from Germany! So I had to drive my child around in a car with a safety problem.

Third, while I was driving on the highway from Alexandria to Cairo in a temperature that exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, all of a sudden, the AC breaks and it just won't work! So I had to roll down the windows and suffer from severe rash and hypothermia because of heat.

I Google VW oil sludge problems, and it appears that this is a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen for cars with 1.8T engines. My car is a 2.0T engine; however what people have described on the internet is exactly what happened to my car. It appears the same issue occurs in Audi vehicles as well. I was treated very badly from the dealership and Volkswagen customer relations. They were rude and non-apologetic. I spend $35,000 on this car. I have not paid it off yet. I've owned the car since 2006 and I'm the original owner. I feel completely betrayed as a consumer.

They asked me to provide receipts for all services I had performed on the car. I gave them 5 receipts which were about 10 miles apart worth of services. I didn't have a receipt for the first oil change, so they denied my claim stating that I had not followed the manufacturer recommended maintenance. This is completely ridiculous. Cars don't have to be checked by the dealership every 5,000 miles, especially since VW does not cover the maintenance. If there are any attorneys out there who would like to help, please contact me. I am outraged beyond belief. Words cannot describe how disappointed I am at VW. I will never again purchase anything they make. I will share my story with others to protect them from this unscrupulous company. Shame on them! I am not giving up without a fight. I'm looking for a class action law suit. If there isn't one, I will hire an attorney myself. I believe as bad as their cars are, if enough people come forward, there will be another class action lawsuit coming their way.

I spoke with Diane ** at VW of North America. She was extremely rude and unreasoning. I was appalled. She seems to ignore the fact that engine problems are covered by the powertrain warranty, which my car is covered under. She kept saying that I don't have a receipt for the first oil change. I don't know how that's relevant when there have been at least 5 other oil changes since then.

I took it to the Volkswagen dealer and service center. They could not find anything wrong and said if they did anything, it would cost approximately $2,000 and that was not a guarantee. So I went to inquire about an extended warranty, another approximately $2,000 quote for a limited time and also no guarantee the warranty would cover the car, even if I purchased the premium warranty. Currently I don't feel safe driving the car, it is my only car. And the service guys suggestion was to trade it in. I wish I could, but can't afford to do that right now.

The dealer has had it for 2 days now and is saying that the wiring harness located under this specific foot well was damaged by the water and was sending mixed signals to the transmission module. How could VW miss this design flaw?! Now I'm without a car and have to rent one and get rides from colleagues into work which totally defeats the purpose of getting a 'more dependable' ride which I just got! Thanks VW!

I wrote the "customer service" department of Volkswagen of America telling them about my ordeal, and how my current heater still doesn't work. Their reply was an insincere "if any part that we put in breaks, we will fix it under our parts warranty". My point was that from a heating standpoint, everything, sensors, radiator, hoses, heater core, thermostat, everything has been replaced. One would think that regardless if the car was 8 years old that a brand new heating system would work. My only request was a simple rental car paid for (which most honorable car companies do anyway) while my car was being fixed for the 5th time for the same problem and they rejected that claim.

So please Mr. W & Mr. K, and the entire customer retention staff at Volkswagen, understand that your lack of customer service, and the failure to provide a $90 3-day rental car, has lost a previous lifelong customer. In such a competitive market with so many quality car competitors, Volkswagen has really missed the mark.

Right after the initial warranty ran out, the engine light came on again. I went to emissions and the car did not pass emissions. I took the car to the Volkswagen Dealership and lo and behold, it was a hose that needed to be fixed. So I had to come out of pocket the deductible to fix this hose which was most likely the problem the whole time because since that time the light has not come on again. The air conditioning in the car broke down after having the car for 18 months. It took several weeks for Volkswagen to fix the air conditioning in the middle of the summer. During that time, I wrote to headquarters and told them of the problems I had with Volkswagen and that I believed I had a lemon. Headquarters did nothing.

Three recalls later, there are still problems with my Passat. All I can say is never buy an extended warranty. There is always a catch as to why they will not pay. I was told by the warranty company that they believe Volkswagen should have caught my front axle problem. I told Volkswagen this and am waiting for their decision on whether to fix my vehicle for free or if they stick to their guns on this $1220. I have never missed an oil change. Any maintenance that Volkswagen told me the car needed I did so that I could continue to have a reliable car. Even the expensive service at the $40,000 mile mark they say I needed I did just so I could continue to be able to claim the now useless extended warranty. Now, I just want to leave the car at the Volkswagen Dealership and walk away.

The pollen air filter failed flooding the interior of the car and causing over $2000 of damage to the ECM was covered by a recall. The exhaust pump, oil cooler (leaked oil into coolant tank,required 4 flushes), and oil pump/oil sludge have been repaired. The left arm rest came off, as well as the right silver window trim disappeared. There is an oil leak on the valve cover gasket, the battery cable is corroded, and the right headlight wiring harness buried up so my daytime running lights no longer work.

I have paid out over $4000 in repairs since owning this car and it only has 90k miles on it. Lemon does not begin to describe this car and the dealership insists each time that it is a good car.

11) Hard time keeping battery charged.

In summary, this is a very unreliable car that drains the wallet soon after you drive it off the lot! I have also not been impressed with the service and maintenance at Tynan's Volkswagen in Aurora. I would not recommend a Passat Turbo to anyone and I will certainly not purchase another Volkswagen myself.

I cannot even begin to add up the total cost from all of the repairs and maintenance that occurred between the two Passats (along with three towings), but it's the lack of reliability that has really taken its toll. Every time I drive somewhere, I actually plan on it breaking down or seeing the 'check engine light' come on; this is not a good feeling.

Within one week of purchasing the vehicle, the oil light came on and prompted me to stop the vehicle immediately and check oil pressure. Since I wasn't sure of how to do that, I had the vehicle towed to the Auto Outlet and demanded that they repair the problem since it was under 30 days. The service center kept my vehicle for a week and stated that it was the fuel/water pump and the problem was fixed. Since I've had the vehicle, I kept up the maintenance and continued to experience problems with the oil light coming on in my car. Between September and November '09 I spent a considerable amount of money to have my car repaired because of the oil light and problems with driving my car. On November 30th, I picked my car up from the service center only to have it cut off on me an hour later.

I initially made a complaint with Volkswagen corporate headquarters and they gave me a $1,000 coupon to use towards the purchase of a new vehicle because they found that my vehicle could have been defective and the issues revolving around the sell of the car. I then contacted a Volkswagen dealership (Wes Greenway's of Alexandria, VA) and had my car towed there December 23, '09. They told me that my car needed a timing belt and fuel pump. I don't have any money for the repairs along with not having an extended warranty, so their service center recommended that I purchase a new vehicle.

I received terrible customer service from their salesperson (Jamal **) who never returned my calls about purchasing a new vehicle. I then contacted Volkswagen corporate headquarters again to find out what I could do to purchase a new car. My car has been at their service center since then and I am continuing to pay a car note on my vehicle. My issue is that I have contacted three Volkswagen dealerships to date to inquire about purchasing a new car and I continue to basically "get the run around".

I have coupon from corporate; however, I have negative equity in my car as of 1/28/10 ($10,900) that dealerships don't want to consumer or help me with and I am stuck with a car I can't drive and a payment on it. I was told by corporate that the dealerships were offering rebates and incentives; however, when I get there I am told otherwise. I would like to hear from a representative from your organization as I will be writing to Volkswagen corporate headquarters and inquiring about lemon laws and other corporations that protect consumers against bad business deals and despicable customer service.

As of right now, I have a vehicle that requires repair; however, I am not in a position financially to pay for repairs and there is no extended warranty on the vehicle. It doesn't make sense to pay for repairs at this point only to encounter major problems later on since the vehicle is well over 100,000 miles. The vehicle is probably worth $1000 but I still owe $10,900 on it. I was given a coupon from VW corporate headquarters towards the purchase of a new vehicle which is the reason for my complaint. I am continuing to make car payments on my vehicle but not able to drive it.

I would like to purchase a new vehicle to start new with an extended warranty and GAP insurance to ensure that I am protected once I am in the vehicle and to prevent this problem from happening again. I have learned many lessons from this ordeal. Thank you and I look forward to speaking with you very soon.

Now, the light is coming back on again. I went and had the engine cleaner ran through and oil and all filters changed. It ran for one day fine and the next day the light came on again. I took it to the dealer and they told me it is up to VW to decide if they will not charge me or not to fix it. If this is a known issue they need to fix this properly or buy out the car. I am not putting any more money in this piece of **!

I called Volkswagen of America and she said the only thing that she could do for me is give me a $1,000.00 voucher for a new VW. I will never buy another VW ever again. This is the second VW in a year that I own, that needed a new engine from the oil sludge. VW needs to take responsibility for this oil sludge problem that has cost me so much money and so much stress from finances.

They should not be allowed to get away with this. I went out and bought a new car which is a Toyota and I know that I can count on this car to be reliable, unlike a VW. Once again, VW should not be allowed to get away with this oil sludge problem that all of their cars seem to have.

The malfunction light is another area that continuously came on and the service department stated it would eventually go off on its own. I contacted Customer Service and was told to take it into the dealership for service. Next, I lost my brakes and considering the emergency brake is electronic, it did not work. I almost hit persons because of this. It stopped in moving traffic and had to be pushed out of harm's way. When this occurred, the back seat belt locked up causing my then four-year-old to be locked in. After three hours for roadside assistance to pick us up to go only 8 miles, I totally became depressed. A month later, I received a notification of the brake recall for the brake line.

Understand, I placed calls into customer service and visited the dealership. The problem I have had over a year now that has almost cost me, my son and others their life is the jerking and shutdown of the vehicle. I took the vehicle in and was told that a diagnostic machine would have to be used in order to find the problem, only they did not have an operable one and that it would be a month before the parts would be in to fix it. I contacted the next VW dealership and the cost to just hook the machine to the car was quoted at $200.

Another call was placed into the VW Customer Service and I was instructed to take the car in to the dealership and have the dealership contact them once the car was there. I was told that I would receive a loaner by the dealership and immediately the sales manager stated that his loaners were for VW customers. I asked what I was to them. When pulling into an intersection and your car stalls or shakes uncontrollably and your child and others are in the vehicle, what do you do? Other than cry and think about how dangerous this car is, you remove beings from the situation. If anything were to happen to anyone, it's only myself in the car. I was also told by the service department that the 2006 was not a good model and there were over 600 recalls. Again, these were quotes from the service department and the information was relayed to customer service. There was no resolution.

I have continuously taken this care in for 23 visits and no codes can be found. I was offered money ($500) to purchase another at the end of my lease. Though what happens in the meantime before my lease end term? I have been told by the service department that the car is a piece of junk and that they would not have their families driven the car. To add, I was told, "if I were your husband, I wouldn't let you drive the vehicle." The sales department stated that it would be auctioned once it was returned unless corporate still had it set for pickup to test out the car themselves. I asked what that that meant and was directed to contact VW Customer Care for that information.

When doing so, I was told that information was not told to them. Since then, I only drive the vehicle no more than eight miles a week as it stays parked in the garage. I use my husband's when he doesn't have to travel. I contacted Customer Service three times within this last week and have decided to return the vehicle. I have been told that all monies including the turn-in fee would be due. I have never missed a payment. I have respected VW and in all have wasted my money, patience and respect for their professionalism. I have become depressed and have tried to keep my head up with this situation. I would never trade in this vehicle in the event that something may happen to someone and I hope at least they remove the car off the road upon its return. I know not everyone's experience is anything like mine, though I would like to share my experience and concern.

I would not refer this manufacturer due to my experience. I had hoped that after today's scheduling of the lease inspection date was set up and relaying that I would be releasing the car back to them that someone would realize the severity of the issue. A fatality is waiting to happen with this vehicle and it will be at no fault of my own. Without hesitation, "we are sorry we are not able to help you and still want you to be a part of the VW family." My questions to them, what have they done to be called a family member? Do you leave your family member in harm's way? I was very pleasant and stated that I was terminating the call.

I found another mechanic next to them to do the job. This man is an angel. Once he got in there to change the pump, he found nothing but gunk! He cleaned it all out for me. My little car was running like a dream for the first time since I have had it. It has really good mileage and get-up-and-go. Then a week into it, the head gasket goes. Now oil is in the water and vice versa. The brakes are out again...In the 2 years I have had this car, brakes have been worked on at least 4 or 5 times...at my expense.

I have to let the bank take my car back because I can’t afford to make payments and buy parts for it and pay someone to fix it every month. I make minimum wage and I am a widow. When I was car shopping, I wanted a dependable car and this was suggested...It makes me sick. My credit is really getting ruined now. My finances are ruined too. Now I have to find another car because neither place will help me out.

I called VW of America in Aug 2009 after the gunk was found to see if they would help because it was a used car. They told me it had too many miles on it and it is too old, they didn’t care that I only have had problems since I got it. This car is a lemon, lemon, lemon...If it’s not one thing, it’s the other. Power steering fluid is always needed. Windows go opposite way most of the time. No blinkers. Engine light always on...locks itself.

The economic damage is I am out a lot of money for trying to keep this car maintained. I am broke now and have no car. All I want is a car to replace the one I have to give back. I have thousands in this little car. I feel so used and abused and stupid for having put up with this. I don’t know if you consider the emotional or mental damage to be physical or not, but I assure you I have been through it all because of this. I don’t even have enough money to buy a junker to get back and forth to work.

I have been back and forth between the dealership and the (lack thereof) Customer Care line for weeks with nothing done to resolve the issue. Volkswagen knows what the problem is, knows they made a major mistake, and knowingly turned their back on customers. I continue to be treated with less than adequate service and feel compelled to tell everyone how unreliable their product and customer care line is. Volkswagen continues to show they do not believe in their product, and the recent happenings with the 2008-2009 models equipped with DSG reconfirms my complaint.