NHTSA Complaint #10836217 — 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

THE TURBOCHARGER BLEW UP WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. PRIOR TO THE TURBOCHARGER BLOWING UP, THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS FROM THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE OR INDICATOR LIGHTS THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. WHEN THE TURBO SEIZED UP THE PRE-GLOW INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON SHORTLY FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT. I PULLED THE CAR OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED ME OF NOT MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE AND ASKED ME IF I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP DRAINED THE OIL FROM THE ENGINE AND SENT IT TO THEIR LAB AND HAD A VW REP COME OUT TO VALIDATE THEIR CLAIM THAT THE CAR WAS NOT MAINTAINED. AT NO POINT IN TIME DID THE DEALERSHIP TELL ME THAT VW HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS OR 120K MILES. MY PASSAT HAS 75K MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED, INCLUDING THE MOST RECENT OIL CHANGE AT 63K MILES. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE TURBOCHARGER WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BASED ON THEIR ASSESSMENT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MAINTAINED SO I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE TUNE OF $2.3K. MY PERCEPTION FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VW DEALERSHIP WAS THEY WERE BUILDING A CASE. I CALLED VW OF AMERICA AND CONFIRMED THAT MY VEHICLE IS COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I FILED A CLAIM WITH VW OF AMERICA TO RECOUP THE ENTIRE $2.3K CHARGED TO MY CREDIT CARD AND DISPUTED THE CHARGE WITH AMEX. THE BURDEN OF PROOF FOR DENYING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE TURBOCHARGED IS ON VW. THIS IS KNOWN ISSUED THAT VW HAS ACKNOWLEDGED AND UNDERWRITTEN WITH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. THE FACT THAT THERE NO INDICATIONS OF FAILURE ONLY MAKES THE SITUATION WORSE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT CAUSED BY CAR'S SUDDEN DECELERATION. I WILL HEAR BACK VW TODAY WITH REGARD TO COMPENSATION. THAT SAID, I EXPECT NTSB TO APPLY PRESSURE ON VW TO STAND BEHIND THEIR WARRANTY COVERAGE.