NHTSA Complaint #10562469 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF

FIRST INCIDENT WAS 1/06/14. MY WIFE WAS A WEEK OVER HER DELIVERY DATE TRIED TO START THE CAR AND IT TRIED TO TURN OVER BUT WOULDN'T START. EVENTUALLY CALLED DEALER WHO HAD HER TOW IT IN TO THEM. THE DEALER INFORMED HER OF MOISTURE IN INTERCOOLER PIPE WHICH THEY BLEW OUT WITH AN AIR HOSE AND CHARGED HER $48 (THEY SAID IT IS NORMALLY ABOUT $150). THEY INFORMED HER IT WAS DUE TO DRIVING SHORT DISTANCES & THE COLD WEATHER; THAT DIESELS NEEDED TO BE DRIVEN LONG DISTANCE ONLY. THE 2ND INCIDENT WAS 1/30/14. MY WIFE & NEWBORN WERE RUNNING ERRANDS IN TOWN WHEN THE CAR ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON & SHE PULLED OVER TO CHECK ON IT. THE CAR THEN WOULD NOT START & AGAIN HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. THIS TIME THEY PULLED A BIG CHUNK OF ICE FROM INTER-COOLER PIPE AND SAID THE INTER-COOLER HAD TO BE REPLACED & COLD WEATHER KIT INSTALLED (EST. $1100). A QUICK SEARCH ON-LINE SHOWS THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM & VW HAS BEEN AWARE OF IT ON NORTH AMERICAN DIESELS FOR SEVERAL YEARS YET THEY HAVE FAILED TO INFORM NEW BUYERS OR FIX THE PROBLEM. ALSO MANY OWNERS WHO HAVE GOTTEN VW'S "FIX" (COLD WEATHER KIT) SAY IT HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. IF WE HAD KNOW THEIR DIESELS COULD NOT BE DRIVEN IN THE WINTER OR FOR SHORT DISTANCES WE DEFINITELY WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT ONE. LEAVING ANY ONE STRANDED IN THE WINTER IS BAD BUT LEAVING MY VERY PREGNANT WIFE & MY NEWBORN BABY IS SOMETHING I CAN'T PUT UP WITH. BECAUSE VW DOESN'T ADMIT TO HAVING A DESIGN FLAW I AM GOING TO HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR SOMETHING I HAVE NOW CONTROL OVER BUT VW DOES. ON TOP OF THAT I MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITHIN A WEEK DUE TO AN UNFORESEEN EVENT CALLED "WINTER" IF THEIR FIX DOESN'T WORK. IF KNOWING YOU HAVE A DESIGN FLAW IN YOUR VEHICLES THAT LEAVES OWNERS STRANDED AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME (WINTER) DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SAFETY ISSUE & DESERVE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION&ACCOUNTABILITY IF NOT A RECALL THEN I'M NOT SURE WHAT DOES. *TR