NHTSA Complaint #11081571 — 2010 VOLKSWAGEN CC

TIMING CHAIN MALFUNCTION: I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN STARTED FLASHING AND MY CAR STARTED TO MAKE A SOUND LIKE SOMETHING MISFIRED. I TRIED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. I TRIED RESTARTING MY ENGINE AND IT BARELY STARTED AND CONTINUED TO RATTLE AND SHAKE LIKE SOMETHING AGAIN WAS MISFIRING AND TURNED OFF AGAIN. I TRIED TO RESTART AGAIN AND IT BARELY RESTARTED AND I TRIED HITTING GAS A LITTLE HARDER TO GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO FINALLY MAKE MY TURN AND PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. LUCKILY, THERE WAS A VOLKSWAGEN/AUDI SHOP CALLED "MOTORKARS" LESS THAN A MILE AWAY SO I DORVE MY CAR THERE WHILE THE ENGINE STALLED 2 MORE TIMES. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE CALLED A TOW AFTER THE INITIAL ENGINE MISHAP BUT SINCE I WAS SO CLOSE I FIGURED IT WOULD BE SAFE ENOUGH TO GET TO THE SHOP. ONCE I GOT THERE, THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND DUE TO THIS, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDERS. THEY ARE DOING TEST AS WE SPEAK AND HAVE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN A TON OF THESE ISSUES LATELY WITH CARS WITH THE SAME ENGINE (2.0L GAS TSI ENGINE.) THE SHOP TOLD ME THEY HAVE CAME OUT WITH BETTER PARTS AS THE STANDARD ISSUED PARTS WERE NOT UP TO PAR AND THE TIMING BELT SHOULD USUALLY LAST THE ENTIRE LIFE OF THE CAR, YET THEY SEE THEM MALFUNCTIONING RIGHT AROUND 60K-100K MILES. THE ORIGINAL TIMING BELT VW HAS IN THESE ENGINES ARE INEFFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT IS DANGEROUS TO HAVE ON THE ROAD IN ANY CAR.