NHTSA Complaint #10003237 — 2002 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

INJECTION COIL FAILURE ON 1.8T ENGINE-VW PASSAT 2002. WE HAVE HAD 3 FAILURES SPANNING 16 MONTHS. CAR WAS PURCHASED 8/01. INJECTION COIL AT CYLINDER #2 OCCURRED ON 1/02, 7/02,1/03 EVERY 7000 MILES. WE WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE MANAGER HAS CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 4 CYLINDER ENGINES BUT WON'T TAKE THE CAR BACK. WE ARE ACTUALLY LUCKY BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH ONE COIL. OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD MULTIPLE COIL FAILURES. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ON 1/03, HE MENTIONED THAT HE'S HAD ABOUT 100 AUDI A4'S ( SAME ENGINE AS THE VW 1.8T) RECENTLY( WE'VE HAD A COLD SPELL IN CHICAGO FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS). THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR IDLES ROUGHLY AND IT DOSEN'T GO. THE CARS ARE IN FOR REPEATED INJECTION COIL REPLACEMENTS BUT THEY STILL KEEP FAILING. THIS HAS BEEN A FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL WITH THIS SITUATION BECAUSE IT INVOLVES BOTH THE AUDI AND VW CARS WITH 1.8T ENGINES. A4'S, BEETLES,JETTAS, AND PASSATS!