Water Pump problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Golf

While operating the vehicle under normal conditions, I heard a rattle from the engine, followed by the sound of something rattling in the engine compartment and then falling out. The engine died immediately and I was able to coast to the shoulder. After the dealer inspected the car they found that the water pump was faulty and it caused the water pump pulley to come off and cause damage to the cylinder head, valves, cover, water pump, and timing belt, in addition to the water pump pulley falling off. The dealer then told me this was a known issue for this make and model and that they had made the same repair to several other models in their service department. They advised there was an updated water pump part that had components made of metal rather than plastic to withstand the engine heat, which was what caused my water pump to fail. Additionally, my vehicle was in for a regularly scheduled maintenance appointment days earlier and the dealer neglected to check the water pump or advise me that it might be faulty, even though they knew and admitted later to it being a known problem with the car.

On 12/24/2012, returning from a restaurant with my family, I heard a bang and my engine died while driving on a city street at 35 mph. I was able to safely put the car in neutral and roll off the street. I found out on 12/26 that my water pump had fallen apart, destroying my timing belt and engine head. Several vehicles with the build date of my car have experienced water pump failures that destroy the timing belt and cause catastrophic engine failures. Luckily, I was traveling at a slow speed when the incident occurred. Vw claims to not know about "a widespread problem. " I was also told that no superseded part is being installed; the same water pump part is being put back. The dealer replaced the head, pump, belt, misc bolts, etc. I am worried about my safety that this incident will re-occur. . Read more...