NHTSA Complaint #10913735 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN CC

TWO DAYS AFTER RETURNING FROM A TRIP WITH NO ISSUES. I WENT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULD CRANK BUT NOT FIRE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A VW DEALER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DO A MULTIPOINT DIAGNOSTIC. I WAS CALLED AND TOLD THE ENGINE LOST COMPRESSION AND THE TIMING CHAIN STRETCHED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER HEAD. THE ESTIMATE WAS OVER $7000. I CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR OF THE TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WITH THAT LOW OF MILEAGE, 73,000. HE CALLED BACK A FEW MIN LATER AND TOLD ME OF A TSB ON THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND ALSO THAT THERE WERE LAWSUITS FOR THIS EXACT THING. UPON DOING RESEARCH I FOUND MULTIPLE LAWSUITS, A SETTLEMENT IN 2014 IN WHICH THEY PAID ALL REPAIR COSTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS. THE LAWSUIT INDICATED THAT VW HAS KNOWN ABOUT A DEFECTIVE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FOR YEARS AND HAVE NOT PUT OUT A RECALL, NOR EVEN LET THEIR CUSTOMERS KNOW OF THIS POTENTIAL. THEY DO HAVE A REPLACEMENT TENSIONER AVAILABLE WHICH DOES INDICATE THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I ASKED THE DEALER TECH HOW HE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND SAID HE LISTENED WHEN HE WENT TO START AND PUT A SCOPE IN THE OIL DIP. WITH THAT SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME, HE CAME UP WITH A STRETCHED TIMING CHAIN AND DAMAGED HEAD CYLINDER, AND A MAJOR REPAIR COST. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND ASKED ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE TENSIONER AND HE DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE, WHICH I FIND HIGHLY UNLIKELY, DUE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON. I HAVE A CALL INTO VW CUSTOMER CARE ASKING FOR THEM TO FIX IT AT NO COST DUE THE DEFECTIVE PART. THIS IS A VERY LARGE ISSUE THAT CAN RESULT IN NOT ONLY A HIGH COST, MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE, BUT COULD ALSO RESULT IN ENGINE POWER, STEERING AND BRAKE CAPACITY WHICH IS A CATASTROPHIC SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATED, AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY VW PRIOR TO ANY RESULTING DAMAGE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ANY INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE.