2008 Volkswagen Passat

DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING. VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. AAA ADVISED AND VEHICLE DELIVERED TO MY LOCAL VW MECHANIC. I ADVISED VW AND THEY NEVER HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM. FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CAR HAS 35000 MILES. VW CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVISED ME THAT THE 2008 PASSAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY CAMPAIGN, SUCH AS A RECALL OR WARRANTY EXTENSION. FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. COST $600

WARNED BY OTHER OWNERS OF 2006-08 PASSATS, I INSPECTED THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, CAM, AND CAM FOLLOWER FOR ABNORMAL WEAR. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) CAM FOLLOWER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A FLAW REQUIRING WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 120,000 MILES ON THE 2006-2007 MODELS. THIS FAULT CAUSES FAILURE OF THE CAM FOLLOWER AND THE FUEL PUMP SHAFT WEARS INTO THE CAMSHAFT CAUSING LOSS OF FUEL/SPEED, ACCELERATION, OR ENGINE POWER UPON FAILURE. MY VEHICLE EXHIBITS IDENTICAL EARLY WEAR AND FAILURE AS 2006-07 MODELS, THOUGH VW REFUSES TO EXTEND WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR 2008 CARS. FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF 2008 VEHICLES WITH THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY SEVERAL AFFECTED OWNERS IN THIS MATTER AND IS UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS FLAW RECOGNIZED IN 06-07 VEHICLES EXTENDS INTO SOME 2008 VEHICLES AND IS DENYING COVERAGE OF THIS SAFETY/EMISSIONS ISSUE. VW CUSTOMER CARE HAS DENIED ANY FLAW OR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 2008 2.0T OWNERS DESPITE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR PRIOR MODEL YEARS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROMPTED ME TO TAKE MY 2008 VW PASSAT 2.0T TO THE DEALER TO HAVE CODE READ. ADVISED IT WAS A MALFUNCTION OF THE CAMSHAFT AND THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP (HPFP) CAM FOLLOWER THAT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A FLAW MERITING WARRANTY EXTENSION ON THE 2006-2007 MODELS. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE 2007 MODEL YEAR WAS PRODUCED THROUGH 7/2007. MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN 8/2007 AND THUS HAS THE 2008 MODEL YEAR, BUT THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS THE SAME PARTS AND THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE PRIOR YEARS WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS FAULT CAUSES PREMATURE WEAR ON THE CAM FOLLOWER AND THE HPFP ROD WEARS INTO THE CAMSHAFT CAUSING LOSS OF FUEL/SPEED, ACCELERATION, OR ENGINE POWER UPON FAILURE. SEEING AS HOW MY VEHICLE HAS THE SAME BUILD AS THOSE OF PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY EXTENSION, FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF 2008 VEHICLES WITH THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY SEVERAL AFFECTED OWNERS IN THIS MATTER AND IS UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS FLAW RECOGNIZED IN 06-07 VEHICLES EXTENDS INTO SOME 2008 VEHICLES AND IS DENYING COVERAGE AND DISREGARDING THE SAFETY ISSUE THAT FOLLOWS FAILURE OF THE CAMSHAFT DUE TO THE EROSION OF THIS PART. VW CUSTOMER CARE WAS NOT ABLE TO PRODUCE PROOF THAT MY VEHICLE HAD DIFFERENT OR IMPROVED PARTS BY WAY OF A DIFFERENT SET OF PART NUMBERS INSTALLED. THE TECHNICIANS CONFIRMED THAT MY CAMSHAFT WAS IDENTICAL TO THE RECALLED CAMSHAFT, AND THE CAM FOLLOWER WEAR WAS SO EXTREME THAT THE HPFP ROD WAS ERODING THE CAM SURFACE DIRECTLY. VW CUSTOMER CARE HAS DENIED ANY FLAW OR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 2008 2.0T OWNERS DESPITE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR PRIOR MODEL YEARS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

COMING HOME FROM THE GROCERY STORE MY WIFE NOTICED A FUEL SMELL COMING FROM THE BACK SEAT. I REMOVED THE BACK SEAT TO SEE A ACCESS PANEL TO THE FUEL TANK. I REMOVED THE RUBBER CAP AND SAW THE TOP HOUSING OF THE FUEL PUMP, WHICH IS PLASTIC, HAD A CRACK AND FUEL WAS SPRAYING OUT OF THE CRACK. CALLED DEALERSHIPS IN AZ AND THEY ALL SAID THE SAME THING, NO FUEL PUMPS AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY HAVE DISCONTINUED THE PART # 3C0919051AG AND REPLACED IT WITH 3C0919051AM. WHY DID THEY HAVE ALL DEALERSHIPS RETURN THAT PART AND NO RECALL WAS ISSUED? *TR