NHTSA Complaint #11023385 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

ON MAY 25, 2017 MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT FOR OUR SON WHO IS MAKING MONTHLY PAYMENTS. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AFTER THE PURCHASE HE WAS ON THE ON RAMP GETTING READY TO PULL ONTO HIGHWAY 65 IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI. THE CAR SEEMED TO LOSE ENERGY AND WASN'T ACTING CORRECTLY. FEARING THAT IT WOULD DIE WHEN HE PULLED ONTO THE HIGHWAY, HE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. AFTER LOOKING AT THE ENGINE HE DECIDED TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AS SOON AS HE COULD. APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER MY SON WAS DRIVING THROUGH TOWN. HE HAD TRAVELED LESS THAN THREE MILES WHEN HE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF ONE OF THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS. NOT HAVING ANY NOTICEABLE ISSUES THAT EVENING, HE WAS VERY SURPRISED TO FIND THAT WHEN HE TRIED TO START HIS CAR IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER. IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WANTED TO, BUT WAS MAKING A STRANGE NOISE THAT IT HADN'T BEFORE. WE DECIDED TO LEAVE IT PARKED AND HAVE IT TOWED THE NEXT DAY. AFTER LOOKING AT IT THE MECHANIC INFORMED US THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD SLIPPED DUE TO A FAULTY TENSIONER, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. BECAUSE OF THIS THE ENGINE WILL HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. WE ARE SO VERY THANKFUL THAT OUR SON WASN'T HURT, OR EVEN WORSE. I HAVE SINCE BECOME AWARE OF THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THAT HAS BEEN PUT INTO PLACE DUE TO THE MILLION PLUS VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES THAT HAVE THE SAME TENSIONER. VOLKSWAGEN KNEW IT WAS A FAULTY PART YET CONTINUED TO MANUFACTURE THESE VEHICLES REGARDLESS OF THE SAFETY ISSUES THAT CAN, AND IN FACT HAVE, BECOME ISSUES WITH MANY PEOPLE. I'VE READ MANY STORIES OF UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS WHO WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT FULL SPEED HAD THEIR VEHICLES STOP IN FULL TRAFFIC NEARLY CAUSING SEVERE ACCIDENTS, WE FEEL THAT DUE TO THE NEGLIGENT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF THESE VEHICLES, A RECALL SHOULD TAKE PLACE. KEEPING CONSUMERS SAFE FROM THEIR FAULTY PRACTICES. THANK YOU.