general problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking an unknown fluid underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vacuum pump, oil pan, and the gaskets needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 193,211.

Heater cor clogged. The vehicle has 78xxx miles. On the Volkswagen forms other people have the same issue also in other years. It is the same part used.

My 2012 vw Passat will randomly turn off while parked & while waiting at stop lights without any warning. Usually this happens while the vehicle is stationary, but once it has happened when I started to move when the stop light turned to green.

The car began shaking once in a while and about a month later began to die when idle waiting at red lights or stop signs. I was told the vacuum seal needed replaced but to do so everything would need replaced as you can't just replace a vacuum seal. The electrical component of my car started to go haywire and every light, clock would go off if I tried to start the car. After that as fixed the batter which was tested and at 99% died and had to be replaced. These issues happened when I was on a city street driving and I was stuck in the middle of the road with people passing me and honking. I got the car fixed at steven's creek Volkswagen in sunnyvale, CA it was very expensive and I was out of a car for well over a week. None of these were issues caused by me. I have very low mileage and take good care of my car.

Sudden engine high vibration whiles driving and eventually engine and battery failure at the same time and day. Vw technicians identified pieces of metal from engine in oil filter. Luckily I was not driving on the highway else it would have been fatal. Note: car is taken care of with regular oil change and regular maintenance using vw service.

Car lost power while driving on highway, diesel fuel all inside the engine bay, dealership said a bolt on the engine had a stress fracture and broke.

First the glow plugs were bad. Within the same year I had an issue with diesel particulates and now the adblue heating element!!! all issues occurred while the car was in motion, literally felt my life was in jeopardy. However after having to come out the pocket with now thousands of dollars I feel like the company is raping me!!!.

After the nox sensor went in this car exactly a month to the day later the adblue heater is shot. I was driving the car when the mil light came on. A scan showed it is the adblue heater. This is the 2nd emissions related part to go in this car since the diesel scandal broke and the 2nd issue in a month.

Ad blue reductant tank failed. Thus making the emissions system not work properly. Part # 561-198-970-a is defective. The same failure occurred on my 2013 Passat within less than a month. This is a known defect from vw. Here is a link to a thread on the extent of these failures. . Read more...

I was driving at night on a limited access highway. The turbocharger failed without warning. Rather than offer to replace the affected parts with the updated part they redesigned before the entire engine is contaminated with metal filings they allow their customers to attemp to destroy their engines first. If my car could not survive the original design of the turbo no car like this will survive. After receiving the warranty extension I was relieved that I had done the right thing by always changing the oil at one half the recommended interval and always driving light footed for optimal mileage. I supposed that since I had taken perfect care I would certainly not be a candidate for this tragic failure. I was stranded at night on the side of an interstate and had to be flatbedded to my home and then further to the dealer, who kept the car for two weeks and charged 5000 to try to undo the damage done by this turbocharger self destructing under my feet. It remains to be seen if repeated oil flushes and all new oil system parts will be enough to secure my car's mechanical future. If you choose to remove the turbocharger before the catastrophic end occurs you will pay out of pocket. Only after your car is ruined will they step in. This is a safety issue because you will be stranded as part of the problem. The owner's manual clearly states you must pull over immediately and shut off the car when the glow plug light blinks. This will occur with no prior notice from the car. Many people are killed and injured after pulling over in an emergency situation. Having done the correct thing immediately did not lessen the severity of the damage done to my car. The light only comes on after the damage is done!.

Turbo failure, was driving down the road and turbo failure. Was able to get to side of road safely.

Was on ramp entering I-5 south off clairemont (san diego) when engine completely died with no warning light or previous signs. Steering and brakes stopped but I was able to pull to side. The car did not start right up right away. My daughter-in-law and I had just stopped to get gas; she got out of car to check gas cap. It was on tightly. She got back inside car and the car started again. A couple days later, doors unlocked on it's own while driving. I took it to dealer 8. 21. 2015 and they could find nothing wrong and nothing recorded in the car's system. They know I am very concerned and this is very disturbing.

The car was on cruise control then engine light came on and glow plug light started flashing. Also a winding noise was heard when accelerating which did not accelerate very well. I took it to the dealer and they said it would need a turbo which was just replaced 20,000 miles ago, mechatronic unit ,, ad blue hester kit ,particulate filter part . The car is 3 years old I put about 35k miles on a year. I service the car religiously never have missed required service. Over $6,000 dollar repair.

On 8 to 10 occasions over the last two years I have lost power, I. E. The engine was running, but acted as though it were in neutral with high rpm?s. Sometimes it is intermittent and recovers power but on three occasions on a major interstate highways it has lost all power and I had to coast to the shoulder. Turning off the engine and it starts normally with full power. The dealer checked the engine codes and only found engine lost communication with transmission and said the vw did not have any notices on the problem. I have also reported this to vw and they say it has not been an issue. Quick google searches show something different with lots of vw tdi engines showing similar problems. Loss of power in 65 mph traffic is very dangerous and inexcusable. Vw should be looking more closely at this problem.

2012 vw Passat with no previous signs of problems begins sputtering/flashing engine light. Car was driven apx. 1/4 mile back home, where it began smoking and caught fire. Entire engine burnt out. Car was under warranty. Nhtsa investigated Passat's faulty ignition coils yet did not issue a safety recall because there was no safety issue. . . But if the engine catches on fire. . . With all the combustibles in a car. . . One would think that was a little unsafe. Glad my 4 year old was not with me.

Tl-the contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel seized and the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000. Djr.

Vehicle developed a ," loss of power" issue at approximately 1. 5 years ago around 50,000 miles. It usually occurs within the first 10- 15 minutes after cold start up and when vehicle is traveling between 10 and 40 mph. The vehicle will be operating normally, then instantly lose power and start shuddering. When merging onto a highway on numerous occasions since then, the sudden loss of power has nearly caused me to be struck by other vehicles. Along with loss of power, there has been a noticeable odor of diesel fuel which comes from the observed fuel pooling on the top of the engine. This is a fire hazard only waiting to happen. I will not let any other members of my family drive this vehicle for fear of their safety. Manufacturer dealer has been able to duplicate the issue but not resolve it. The manufacturer engineering and technical dept has been involved but still not able to solve after 1. 5 years and numerous shop visits.

I left my home and drive my vehicle approximately 1. 5 miles at speeds at or under 25 mph. I stopped at a stop sign before making a right turn onto another road. When I accelerated the car had a sudden loss of power and I could not maintain speed. I was able to go approximately 10 mph and I was able to get my car out of traffic. Later the dealer diagnosed the problem as a premature turbo failure. If this type of failure had occurred at highway speeds I may have been in danger or endangered other motorists. I have found that this problem is being more frequently reported on internet forums and many people are experiencing turbo failures at low miles.

I was in very slow bumper to bumper traffic when the battery light came on and there was a significant loss of power in the engine and no power steering or brakes. I was able to coast to the shoulder and turn off the car. Lights, radio and ventilation systems did not seem to be impacted. After a minute, I turned the car on and everything appeared to be back to normal. This has happened twice in 3 months.

I was driving down the highway going approximately 67 mph in the middle lane. The battery light flashed once, no other warning other lights flashed and there were no previous warning lights to flash. Suddenly the car hestitated and then my speed dropped to 0 in a matter of seconds. Luckily, the transport trucks behind me were paying attention and actually blocked the traffic until I could get the car in neutral to safely roll onto the shoulder. This is a huge safety issue; I was lucky. What good is it to have a car that you now feel is unsafe to drive! vw should have to buy this car back.

If I am driving with no excelleration (coasting) and step on the gas to enter traffic there is no power; nothing happens when you push on the gas. This has happened numerous times both in town when trying to enter traffic, as well as on the freeway trying to cut in between cars. This is very dangerous if one does not have lots of room between cars. The volkswagon dealer claims this is only a problem for me becausi I am not used to driving a car with a digital throttle.

Vehicle stumbles and hesitates during cold starts and clears up after approx 10 minutes. Consistently occurs daily essentially since vehicle was purchased. Issue was brought up a couple of times to dealer, but they indicated nothing was wrong and no errors seen in computer. There are several blogs online from hundreds of owners complaining of this issue and Volkswagen appears to not be resolving the issue. The concern is bucking, chocking and hesitation becomes a safety issue especially if you need to speed up to avoid a vehicle or crossing intersections when vehicle is cold. . . Safety is a concern and has been. . . . I did bring the vehicle to the dealer again and left with dealer for 1 week. . . They claimed the techn found no issue. . . . When I picked vehicle up it immediately had hesitation, jerky bucking issue. . . . Not acceptable.

In the morning, I went downstairs to my 2012 vw Passat s. I noticed a pool of fluid that smelled like gasoline on the asphalt underneath the vehicle. I entered the front driver's side and turned the key from the off to on position. When I turned the key to on, a sound of draining fluid could be heard and a strong odor of gasoline could be smelled. I attempted to start the car, and it does turn over, but will not start. I decided not to attempt to start it again, afraid that the ignition would start a fire. Since this occurred on a Sunday morning, all service departments at vw dealerships are closed. About 5 hours later, I unlocked the Passat and opened the door to get some items from the car. Again, the sound of draining fluid could be heard and a strong odor of gasoline emitted from the vehicle. I checked underneath the car again, and a fresh pool of gasoline has formed. The gas is dripping from the passenger side, near the rear wheel. Needless to say, this is very disappointing, as the vehicle has only been driven for a little more than 1,000 miles.

Our new Passat has problem controlling the car while using reverse on a hill. It appears that vw has tied the accelerator and braking function together in a way that the driver may lose control of the vehicle while in reverse. If the brake is pressed, the accelerator is disengaged thus allowing the engine fall to an idle and not develop any thrust. If the driver is using both feet to control the vehicle, left foot on the brake, right foot on the accelerator while depressing the brake, the engine develops no power even if the accelerator is depressed fully. By releasing the brake while the accelerator is depressed fully, the vehicle will lurch at full throttle in reverse in an out of control condition until the driver realizes what is happening and removes their foot from the accelerator. It was fortunate that no one was behind the car when this happened to me or there might have been an injury or even a fatality. It is clear that the vw engineering staff has never tried parallel parking the Passat on a hill in san francisco. Vw engineers should remove the software code that ties the accelerator and brake function together while in reverse or at least activate it when the speed is greater than 5 miles an hour. If you don?t use two feet and only use one, then the hill hold will be effective and generally you can control the vehicle. There is no warning that this implementation exists and when parking on a steep hill, in a very tight spot, you almost always use two feet to have total control. Volkswagen engineers, in good faith, implemented the NHTSA recommendation for "brake throttle override". Docket no. Nhtsa-2012-0038. Page 16 has specific comments on intentional "two footed use". The vw dealer investigated and offered us a full return and refund. We are hoping the NHTSA will work with vw to help reconcile this software anomaly.