Eight problems related to timing tensioner have been reported for the 2008 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2008 Passat.
The timing chain tensioner failed causing extensive engine damage resulting in a repair estimate of 4500.
While I was driving 50mph, the internal timing belt belt and tensioner broke in the engine and I lost all control of the vehicle and had to pull over during rush hour traffic. The timing belt should last the life of the motor according to vw which is obviously not true. Severe safety hazzard. I had the car towed to vw dealership and after taking the engine apart that is the diagnosis they gave me.
The timing belt tensioner let go. The car has 78000 miles on it. And a quick google search resulted in finding many instances and a class action law suit over this issue do to vws reluctance to order a recall.
Check engine light appeared while driving and I brought to service station where I was informed that the timing chain had failed due to the tensioner. After researching on the internet I found that this is a safety issue that vw has known about since the early 2000's.
Started the car/engine in the morning and mil came on rough start with rattling in engine bay. Brought to vw dealership. They indicated the oil screen in front of the check valve in the cam shaft positioner bridge "has come apart lodging itself between the camshaft adjuster [valve] and intake camshaft adjuster. " it appears this is a recognized problem for 2009 Audi a3, a4, tt per TSB 15-11-21. However, the issue is not recognized for other (vw) vehicles with same engine group. . Read more...
Engine began making a louder than usual sound. There were not any check engine lights. I took the car to the garage and was told that my camshaft follower was worn completely through causing damage to chain and pump. Need to replace fuel high pressure pump, camshaft, timing chain tensioner cam follower and vacuum pump. Luckily I got it to the garage before even more damage occurred and the engine just stopped.
Car was serviced at the dealer at 90k miles. While driving locally one month after the service, the car was difficult to start, idled rough, sputtered while traveling, and bucked while stopped at a traffic light. It turns out that the timing chain slipped and caused the engine to break. The timing chain is not suggested to be replaced until 110,000 miles. Upon further research, it appears there is a faulty engine component (timing chain tensioner) that vw is aware of, but refuses to let customers know about. Please google TSB 15 12 01, dated July 23, 2012 which is a service bulletin released by vw detailing the faulty component. This faulty component has the potential to cause a major road hazard due to an uncontrollable vehicle.
My timing chain jumped timing at 74k miles. This caused the pistons to hit the valves and caused $6k worth of damage. The dealership informed me there was nothing preventative I could have done. They actually contacted vw to see what they would do to help with this issue. Initially, they offered to contribute $1,000 toward repairs. I contacted vw because I saw 2 separate service bulletins on this model regarding the timing jumping. My timing jumped due to a faulty tensioner. When I spoke with vw, they didn't even offer the $1,000 anymore and simply got the dealership to reduce repairs by 15%, this was completely unacceptable considering a) their tensioners are faulty and are causing consumers to spend outrageous amounts of money on repairs b) this is not a normal wear-and-tear repair for the age and mileage of the car, per the dealership. The failure of the tensioner causes a jump in timing which immobilizes the car, which is dangerous if the car is operating at the time. It is costly because it causes significant engine damage. See service bulletin no. : tb-15-12-01 service bulletin no. : tb-15-11-04 .