2015 Volkswagen Touareg

PARTIALLY WET/MOIST AIR FILTER. VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN THROUGH ANY STANDING WATER. 1/3RD OF THE AIR FILTER IS WET AND LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS STANDING WATER IN THE AIRBOX AS THE AIR FILTER DISPLAYED SIGNS ON WATER DAMAGE UPON REPLACEMENT FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. IT SEEMS THAT WATER COLLECTS IN THE BOTTOM OF AIRBOX AND DOES NOT DRAIN OUT EVEN WHEN DRAIN VALVE IS UNOBSTRUCTED AND OPERATIONAL. COULD CAUSE AN ISSUE WITH ENGINE HYDRO-LOCKING AND FAILING. POOR DESIGN. THIS COULD CAUSE ENGIN

WATER IS SOMEHOW FINDING ITS WAY INTO ENGINE AIR FILTER HOUSING(INTAKE) AND SOAKING AIR FILTER ELEMENT DESPITE HAVING ONLY BEEN DRIVEN UNDER NORMAL WEATHER/ROAD CONDITIONS. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN DRIVEN THROUGH ANY WATER DEEPER THAN A MUD PUDDLE. AM CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL ENGINE DAMAGE THAT COULD POSSIBLY OCCUR IF FURTHER WATER INTRUSION OCCURS, PARTICULARLY IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING.

VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT SLOW CITY SPEEDS AND SUDDENLY LOUD EXHAUST NOISE STARTED TO COME FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN HOOD WAS OPENED TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS, FLAMES WERE BEING SPIT OUT OF THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BECAUSE THE PRE-CAT PIPE WAS COMPLETELY SEPARATED. CYLINDER 4-6 PRE-CAT (REAR/UPPER) SEPARATED FROM EXHAUST MANIFOLD FLANGE BECAUSE OF A FAILED WELD. ISSUE ADDRESSED ON VW RECALL 26L3. VW RECALL 26L3 DOES NOT ADDRESS 2015 MODELS BUT DOES 2013 MODELS, DEALER REFUSED TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO CARRY OUT THE RECALL BECAUSE THEY STATE THAT VW HAS NOT INCLUDED MODEL YEAR 2015 IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. ESCALATED TO VWOA, WAITING FOR A RESPONSE.

WATER AND DEBRIS WAS INGESTED IN TO AIR FILTER BOX RESULTING IN WATER-SOAKED AIR FILTER AND THE POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. IT IS UNKNOWN HOW LONG THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING BECAUSE I HAD NEVER CHECKED MY AIR FILTER BEFORE. THE VEHICLE HAS PERIODICALLY BEEN DRIVEN IN RAIN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS BUT NEVER DRIVEN IN DEEP OR STANDING WATER. IT APPEARS THAT DRAINS ARE NOT ABLE TO DRAIN PROPERLY AND WATER IS ENTERING THE BOX SOMEHOW WHEN IT SHOULDN'T BE BE ABLE TO.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR THE DAY AFTER A RAINY DAY IN FLORIDA AND WATER WAS INGESTED INTO MY CAR'S AIR FILTER AND THEN INTO THE ENGINE. THIS CAUSED MAJOR AND EXPENSIVE ENGINE DAMAGES. I HAD NOT DRIVEN THROUGH ANY DEEP PUDDLES. VW FIXED THE VEHICLE (FOR $4321.99). I LATER RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND LEARNED THAT THERE IS A VW RECALL FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM IN CHINA, BUT NOT THE U.S. IT HAS TO DO WITH A FAULTY DRAINAGE SYSTEM DESIGN, WHICH VW HAS OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED. THE ISSUE IS A GLOBAL ONE, HOWEVER, NOT JUST A PROBLEM IN CHINA. I PURCHASED MY CAR ONLY 3 MONTHS AGO, CERTIFIED AND WITH A 2 YEAR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY, WHICH DIDN'T COVER ANY OF THE DAMAGES, BECAUSE THEY WERE FROM AN "EXTERNAL" SOURCE. VW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR FIXING THIS PROBLEM EVERYWHERE. THEY ARE BENEFITING FINANCIALLY FROM PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO ARE STILL BUYING THEIR CARS AND THEN HAVING TO PAY HUGE REPAIR BILLS FOR A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHTS CAME ON, THE CAR SLOWED TO A CRAWL (I WAS ON A HIGHWAY) AND THE CAR JERKED VIOLENTLY. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE VEHICLE INTO THE NEAREST VW REPAIR SHOP.

SUNROOF IS LEAKING AND CREATES CONDENSATION AND MOLD INSIDE THE CAR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR AND THEY PERFORMED A CLEANING. COUPLE A WEEKS AFTER I HAVE DISCOVERED THE SUNROOF IS LEAKING AGAIN AND CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THEY CLAIMED THEY ONLY CLEANED THE PIPES BUT NOW THEY NEED TO SEAL THE PIPE. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS THERE THE DEALER MENTIONED HE IS SWAMPED WITH VW CARS WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WITH SUNROOF LEAKING AND HE IS BACKED UP. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH ALL VW CARS AND NOT JUST MY MODEL. THE DESIGN OF THE DRAINING SYSTEM FOR THE SUNROOF IS FAULTY AND CREATE WATER PENETRATION. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS EXTENSIVELY AND SPOKE WITH A FEW DEALERSHIPS AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM WITH VW SUNROOF.

AFTER VW EMISSION REPAIR THE CAR STALLS IN SHIFTING GEARS AT LOW SPEED. I TOOK AT THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP 3 TIMES EVERYTIME THE KEPT THE CAR FOR ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS AND COULDN'T RESOLVE THE ISSUE. IT APPEARS LIKE THERE IS NO FUEL COMING TO THE ENGINE OR THE CAR COMPUTER DO NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO SHIFT TO THE NEXT GEAR UNTIL IT HITS 3000 RPM IN SPEEDS LOWER THE 35MPH. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND WITH SPEAKING WITH VW DEALER ADVISORS THAT THIS AS A RESULT OF THE EMISSION REPAIR AND THEY CAN'T FIX IT. THIS MADE THE CAR UNDRIVABLE SINCE IT'S KEEP STALING AND YOU CAN'T DRIVE IN THE CITY WITHOUT THE JERKING FEELING FROM THE ENGINE. VW CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE KEPT CHANGING THEIR VERSION. AT FIRST, THEY SAID THE CARS COMPUTER WILL LEARN MY DRIVING PATTERN AND WILL ADJUST. THEN WHEN I SPOKE WITH A SUPERVISOR THEY CLAIMED THIS IS HOW THE CAR SHOULD DRIVE AFTER THE EMISSION REPAIR. WHEN SPEAKING WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR AT STHOLMAN VW HE TOLD ME HE HA A CUSTOMER WITH THE SAME CAR IN FOR 3 MONTHS AND THEY COULDN'T FIX THAT ISSUE.