NHTSA Complaint #10910107 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

MY WIFE'S 2010 JETTA 2.0T TSI EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE STALL AND COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON A STRAIGHT SECTION OF CITY STREET. THIS WAS A ROUTINE TRIP UNDER CLEAR WEATHER CONDITIONS. WITH NO TRAFFIC BEHIND HER, SHE SAFELY COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER WAITING 5-10 MINUTES SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND, WITH NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS APPEARING, DRIVE APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES HOME. THE FOLLOWING MORNING, UPON STARTING THE ENGINE, MULTIPLE CYLINDER MISFIRES BEGAN OCCURRING AND THE ENGINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUTOFF AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED THAT THE STALL WAS DUE TO THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILING, WHICH ALLOWED THE TIMING CHAIN TO SKIP SIX TEETH ON THE CAMSHAFT AND THE VALVES TO CONTACT THE PISTONS RESULTING IN THE ENGINE SELF-DESTRUCTING. THEY RECOMMENDED A NEARLY COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF OVER $8,000. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN 2009 AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED IMPECCABLY AS SPECIFIED BY VW. SPEAKING WITH THE DEALERSHIP ENGINE TECHNICIAN, WE LEARNED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER IS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART BY VW AND THAT IN 2011-2012, WAS REVISED SEVERAL TIMES IN AN ATTEMPT TO MITIGATE THE FAILURES. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED BY VW TO DEALERSHIPS AND SERVICE DEPARTMENTS EXPLAINING THE ISSUE BUT NO NOTICES OR RECALLS WERE SENT TO CUSTOMERS INFORMING THEM OF THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY COMPONENT FAILURE. I HAVE READ, BUT NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED, THAT VW HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS SPECIFIC COMPONENT IN EUROPE. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 2016, AND OWING TO THE SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD, AS MANY AS THREE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST VOLKSWAGEN FOR THIS SPECIFIC COMPONENT FAILURE. WE ARE THANKFUL NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED WHEN THE CAR STALLED DURING OPERATION, BUT NOW WE ARE FACING OVER $8,000 IN REPAIRS.