NHTSA Complaint #10181393 — 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

ON THE 22 JANUARY I PICKED MY CAR UP FROM THE VW DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD IT REPAIRED. I HAD TOLD THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP, BELTS, SPARK PLUGS, BRAKES AND ROTORS AND THE 95,000 MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR. THIS COST ME WELL OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS, I SUPPLIED BRAKES AND ROTORS AND SPARK PLUGS. THE CAR RAN OKAY BUT I BEGAN TO SMELL OIL BURNING AND WHENEVER I UNLOCKED MY CAR TO GET IN IT WOULD LOCK AUTOMATIC AND THEN WHEN I STARTED IT THE ALARM WOULD GO OFF. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE OIL SMELL AND THEY HAD ME BRING IT BACK IN TO LOOK AT. AT THAT TIME THEY SAID THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK AND THEY WOULD CLEAN IT AND TIGHTEN THE BOLTS, THIS WAS ON FRIDAY JANUARY 26TH. ON MONDAY JANUARY 29TH I WAS TRAVELING AND WHEN I PULLED ON TO THE 4 LANE HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATED THE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF, SO I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR DIED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT BUT IT RAN VERY ROUGH. THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER. THE NEXT DAY THEY INFORMED ME THAT AN IGNITION MODULE HAD GONE OUT AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME 30 SOME DOLLARS A PIECE TO REPLACE THEM AND THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING THEM ALL. WHEN I ASK THEM ABOUT THE RECALL THEY TOLD ME THAT VOLKSWAGEN WAS INTO THE K'S ON THESE AND MY WAS BEFORE THAT. I HAD ASK THEM ABOUT THIS WHEN I RECEIVED THE RECALL LETTER FROM VWOFA, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CHECK IT. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THEY DID OR NOT. *NM