NHTSA Complaint #10917444 — 2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR FROM WV TO NY, I BROKE DOWN IN PA. MY CAR WAS MAKING AN ODD NOISE AND RUMBLING FEELING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH AND WOULD WORSEN DURING ACCELERATION. I WAS VERY CONCERNED, SO I PULLED OFF TO A GAS STATION. AT THIS POINT NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WERE ON. AFTER I FILLED UP ON GAS, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT WAS TOWED TO VW DEALERSHIP IN NORTHERN PA, WHERE I WAS TOLD AN AIR HOSE WAS BROKEN. 10 DAYS LATER, MY CAR BEGAN MAKING THE SAME NOISE AND DRIVING POORLY AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESS IN LONG ISLAND, AND WAS EXACERBATED BY ACCELERATING. MY CAR COULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 30 MPH, SO I PROMPTLY TOOK MY CAR TO THE MECHANICS, WHERE I WAS TOLD THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND GUIDE, EXHAUST VALVES, GASKET HEADS AND SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY IN 1400 MILES, MY CAR HAD CONSUMED ALL OF THE ITS OIL AND WAS ON RUNNING ON FUMES. APPARENTLY MY CAR CONSUMES OIL AT AN ABSURD AND UNACCEPTABLE RATE. THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILING HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST VW 2.0TSI ENGINES AND CURRENTLY THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST THIS TYPE OF ENGINE, AS IS THE CONSUMPTION OF OIL. MY CAR WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THESE FAILURES, BUT THAT IS ONLY BECAUSE I PULLED OVER TO A SAFE LOCATION AS SOON AS I FELT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AGAIN A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME PRIOR TO BOTH MECHANIC VISITS. HOWEVER THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND MAY CONTINUE TO CAUSE ONE IN OTHER VEHICLES. *TR