NHTSA Complaint #10705147 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

WHILE DRIVING MY 2010 VW PASSET WITH 52870 MILES ON IT AT ABOUT 35 MPH, IT STARTED MISFIRING, SMOKING (WHITE SMOKE) AND IT STALLED. I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, LUCKILY AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT. IT WOULD'T START SO I CALLED MY INS. CO.'S EMERGENCY TOW SERVICE AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE VW DEALERSHIP.THIS WAS FRIDAY EVENING. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ON SATURDAY I SEARCHED TECHNICAL BULLETINS, ARTICLES AND VW FORUMS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. APPARENTLY MY CAR'S 2.0T ENGINE HAS A PROPENSITY TO CONSUME OIL AND TO HAVE A LOT OF CARBON BUILDUP WHICH CAUSES FAILURE OF THE COIL PACKS, FUEL INJECTORS AND SPARK PLUGS WHICH RESULT IN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY FALTERING AND STALLING OUT. ON TUESDAY I WAS TOLD BY A VW TECHNICIAN THAT MY FUEL INJECTOR HAD FAILED. THAT EVENING I WAS TOLD A SECOND FUEL INJECTOR FAILED. WEDNESDAY I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP. THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT VW WAS AWARE OF A PROBLEM (I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW HE WORDED IT - BUT HE MENTIONED CARBON BUILDUP AS THE CAUSE) AND THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY SO NO CHARGE FOR THE INJECTORS BUT I WOULD BE CHARGED $465.00 IN RELATED COSTS PLUS I WOULD NEED ANOTHER OIL CHANGE IN 500 MILES TO FLUSH THE ENGINE (ANOTHER $80.00). I ASKED ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE OTHER TWO INJECTORS FAILING AND PERHAPS CAUSING ME TO CRASH MY CAR. HE SAID THAT IF I HAD MORE CARBON BUILDU, IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. MY CAR RECENTLY HAD ITS 50K MAINTANCE. IF VW WAS AWARE OF THE CARBON BUILDUP DANGERS, THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE A CARBON CLEAN-OUT AT THAT TIME OR AT LEAST OFFERED/ADVISED ME TO HAVE IT DONE. IT ONLY COSTS $169.79 AND I WOULD HAVE HAD A SAFER VEHICLE. I THOUGHT I HAD RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE CARBON DANGER BUT VW WAS AND THEY SHOULD TELL OWNERS ABOUT THE VW 2.0T ENGINE'S POTENTIAL PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED! *TR