NHTSA Complaint #11066463 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN GTI

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM A VOLKSWAGEN DEALER WITH 61557 MILES AND MAINTAINED THROUGH SERVICE AT DEALERSHIP INCLUDING REGULAR OIL CHANGES. LESS THAN TWO YEARS LATER, AT ROUGHLY 106,000 MILES THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN VALVE DAMAGE AND ULTIMATELY FULL ENGINE FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS COMING OUT OF A TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 24 MPH, SAFELY IN 3RD GEAR, AND FAILED ABOUT 2 SECONDS AFTER THROTTLE WAS APPLIED. NO POSSIBLE WARNING FROM VW OR THEIR SERVICE TECHS AND NO SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE INTERVAL FOR THIS PART. HAD THIS HAPPENED IN A MORE TRAFFIC FILLED AREA, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A VERY HIGH CHANCE OF A COLLISION OR OTHER SAFETY CONCERN.