NHTSA Complaint #10143049 — 2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

PURCHASED THE VEHCILE (SECOND-HAND) FROM THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP ON VETERANS DRIVE IN METAIRIE,LA BACK IN MARCH 2004. HERE IS MY COMPLAINT: MY FAMILY EVACUATED FOR HURRICANE 'KATRINA' AND WE LEFT THE VW BEHIND AT THE HOUSE. WELL, IT SAT FOR ABOUT A MONTH. ONCE WE GOT BACK TO THE VEHICLE, WE NOTICED IT WAS NOT RUNNING GOOD AT ALL. VERY ROUGH. VERY DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE THE STORM. I CHECKED THE CAR OUT AND FOUND OUT IT WAS VERY LOW ON OIL. YET, WE HAVE NO OIL LEAKS. I COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHERE THE OIL HAD GONE. AND THE OIL IN THE CASE OF THE VEHICLE LOOKED "GRAINY" AND "SLUDGEY". WE THOUGHT IT WAS STORM RELATED AND FILED A CLAIM WITH STATE FARM. WE THEN TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL VW DEALER NEAR MY OFFICE TO HAVE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE VW SERVICE GUY SAID, YES, VOLKSWAGEN HAS IDENTIFIED A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH OUR MODEL VEHICLE WHERE THE TURBO CAN NOT HANDLE CONVENTIONAL MOTOR OIL. THEY WOULD FIX THAT FREE OF CHARGE....HOWEVER, THEY NEED THE LAST 12 MONTH HISTORY OF OUR OIL CHANGES. WELL, AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN OUR REGULAR OILL CHANGES SO THE RECEIPTS SHOULD BE HANDY. WELL, I DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR NEW ORLEANS HOME BY HURRICANE KATRINA. OUR HOUSE WAS A TOTAL LOSS AND SO WERE THOSE RECEIPTS. I THINK WE MANAGED TO GET OUR HANDS ON TWO OF THEM. WELL, THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR VW. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY WON'T EVEN TAKE HAND-WRITTEN RECEIPTS FROM THE OIL CHANGE PLACES. I AM EXTREMELY ANGRY THAT THEY WILL NOT FIX AN EXISTING PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLE WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION. THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT IT'S THE VEHICLE MECHANISMS BUT THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT WITHOUT COPIES OF RECEIPTS I CAN NEVER PRODUCE. ALL OF NEW ORLEANS WAS DESTROYED. NOW, MY WIFE, WHO HAS TO COMMUTE 50 MILES EACH WAY TO WORK, HAS TO DRIVE HER UNSAFE VEHICLE AND ENDANGER HER LIFE BECAUSE VW REFUSES TO FIX A PROBLEM THEY ADMIT THEIR CAR HAS. WE HAVE NO RECOURSE BUT TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. *NM