NHTSA Complaint #10940323 — 2011 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

THE CAR HAD AN EXTREME MISFIRE AT IDLE AND VERY ROUGH RUNNING. I TOOK THE CAR FOR AN INSPECTION AT THE VW DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE CHAIN HAD STRETCHED BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE GET A STABLE TIMING. AFTER DISSEMBLING AND OPENING UP THE HOUSE COVERING THE TIMING CHAIN THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE CAM SCREEN HAD COME LOOSE AND LIKING CAUSED THE CHAIN TO STRETCH. VW TOLD ME IT WOULD BE WISE TO HAVE THE CAM REPLACED IN CASE THE SCREEN CAUSED ANY DAMAGE IT TO IT AS WELL. AFTER THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED I ASKED THEM DIRECTLY IF THE TENSIONER HAD FAILED AND THEY THEN ADMITTED THAT THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF BAD TENSIONER NOT A STRETCHED CHAIN. THE VW MANAGER TOLD ME HE WAS AWARE OF THE TBS ON THE TENSIONER FAILURES. THE MANAGER CHOOSE TO MAKE UP AN UNBELIEVABLE STORY TO COVER THE TRUE PROBLEM. THE CHAIN WAS NOT STRETCHED AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE CAM SHAFT. I DIRECTLY COMPLAIN TO VW AND THEY TOLD ME IN A LETTER THE "TSBS DON'T INDICATE TRENDS AMONG OUR VEHICLES, AS THEY ARE ISSUED TO OUT DEALERSHIPS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY." THIS IS A CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED STATEMENT TO OBFUSCATE THE TRUTH. INITIAL FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. THE MILEAGE WAS 77300. THE FAILURE ON THIS ENGINE APPEARS TO HAVE SPARED DAMAGE TO THE VALVE BUT A MORE SERIOUS FAILURE COULD HAVE SHUT DOWN THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A 4 LANE HIGHWAY.