Oil Pump Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 1

We have 2006 3. 6l vw Passat with 55k miles for my daughter. Just recently the oil light came on and the engine seized while driving under 30 mph. It had been running good and no oil was leaking. This seems to be related to an issue many other Passat owners experienced where the oil pump bolt becomes lose and causes a fatal failure.

See all problems of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Have replaced numerous parts . . . The epx light keeps coming on which may reference to the oil pump bolt failing. . . Crankshaft and cam shafts codes keep coming on even though they were replaced. . . Transmission shifting slightly hard. . Overheating even though new parts were installed. . . Air bag light stays on. . Brakes have been bleed over 10 times and are still too soft cause me to brake at a further distance to avoid a wreck. . . . I am on a fixed income and cant afford a massage bill to fix it and vw is aware over these years of the issues and wont recall to repair any of the issues. . . I have all reciepts for the parts replaced. . .

Started to sound likr a deisel engine and leak oil. Oil pump bolt backed out. Too expensive to fix.

My 2013 vw Passat 3. 6 sel major issues with the transmission, burning excessive engine oil, and substandard suspension. The transmission slips in 3rd gear, and struggles to search for a gear. Vw engineered my Passat for castrol oil 5w40 synthetic oil, 6-7 quarts every oil change (every 10,000 miles). I have to add 3 quarts of oil every 4,000 miles. This is a clear indication the oil weight is insufficient for this vehicle, engineering issues with the oil pump, and/or valve seals. The Passat does not handle well, and feels unsafe in rain, snow, and sleet, because there is no traction control button on the instrument panel. It's quite obvious that the executives at Volkswagen ag are not interested in safety and quality. They are only interested in sacrificing a dollar for safety and quality.

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It's common knowledge that the 2006 3. 6l v6 engines have a terrible flaw. The oil pump bolt installed from the vw factory was either specified incorrectly, installed wrong, or has some other fatal defect. My wife drives less than 10 miles to and from work everyday conservatively. While driving 30 mph the engine lost power started smoking and leaking oil all over the ground. The check engine light came on. We got misfiring codes so we immediately parked and had it towed to a local vw dealer. The dealer said the loose bolt & chain rubbing was what caused an internal failure so we'd need a new engine @ $4,554. 00! the car has driven perfectly and is serviced regularly but suddenly died due to no fault of my wife or myself. . Read more...

My car completly stalled on my on the road and I got stranded in the middle of the traffic called the tow truck andh took it to a local shop and they did dignostics and said the famous problem this car has is the engine oil pump bolt came off the timing chain pulley this should be a recall, the 07 vw Passat 3. 6l have a recall on the particular problem but the 06 vw Passat 3. 6l doesnt car is just parked at my house.

Engine failure due to cam shaft, high pressure fuel pump, oil pump, cam shaft follower. Loud noise and rough sounding engine. Constant warning light of "stop! low oil pressure" problems similar or identical to the 07 engine that was recalled.

See all problems of the 2008 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

While driving my car after exiting the highway, my car suddenly lost power and went from being okay -- to not able to accelerate to faster than 20 miles per hour and running extremely rough. I was on a busy street and this was quite frightening. Took the car to a mechanic and after $1600 of other repairs with no result he finally diagnosed the problem as the timing belt slipping due to a faulty oil pump bolt. Apparently this oil pump bolt is failing on lots of Passat 3. 6 vortex engine and should be under recall -- since the fix is a ridiculously high amount. I will not be able to afford to fix this vehicle and will be paying for a car I can't drive.

See all problems of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Didnt explain fully the first time, so here goes. My vw has engine failure, vw had a lawsuit against them some years back because of a engine sludge problem. The engine ran hot because it was a turbo powered engine, plus not having enough oil to keep it cool. Causing the oil to breakdown and make sludge which clogged up the oil pump and starved the engine of oil leading to engine failure. This is what im experencing right now, I have engine failure due to sludge. Vw lost that lawsuit and still wont acknowledge the design flaw, im still making payments on my car, it ran perfect. All maintenance records are documented, the car is in almost perfect condition for a 2002. I want vw to fix what they created, I dont have 3000 dollars to buy an engine for it. Its not my design! I was driving down atlantic Ave in raleigh nc going 45 mph when my engine died, had to push my car out of traffic into a nearby parking lot.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

2006 vr6 Passat. Maintained at local garage with oil and filter changes (synthetic oil) every 5,000 miles. Low oil pressure light came on while driving and took to a vw dealer. Timing chain rubbed on cover due to loose gear and caused plastic parts to fall into oil pan. Sucked up by oil pump causing failure. Engine did not fail, but the repair is more than 3x the value of the car.

While driving a 2006 Passat 3. 6l, the oil pressure warning came on. Took to vw of orland park IL. They told me the oil pump bolt is backing out, it hasn't yet, but it will, it's a common problem. They reccomended a new oil pump, bolt included, and new timing kit as that would have suffered residual damage from the bolt backing out. They offered to do this for $6000. A new engine for $11,000. Being disgruntled, the lead tech supervisor pulled me to the side and said this bolt was fixed in late 2007 models. I asked him how much to just replace the bolt. He told me $3000 + $12. 00 for the bolt. I couldn't afford the repair. Vw offered no goodwill for issue. Every time car is started, oil pressure warning sounds and then goes off, no check engine lights ever come on. No weird sounds. Car is not being driven now. Vw is aware of this issue and has done nothing. One wrongly sized bolt can cause the whole engine to fail. Vw' has been having plenty of recalls lately, putting lives in danger. Please investigate this! there shouldn't have to be a body count to issue a recall.

Lost power while driving and the epc light came on. Now the "stop no oil pressure light came on and engine is not of normal sound. Had to have towed to garage and the engine needs replaced. Oil pump bad along with many other parts.

I was driving on a highway going towards home and was traveling approximately 65mph when suddenly I heard a loud bang and a smell of something burning and all the dash lights came on and the engine turned off. I coasted to the shoulder of the highway and opened the hood and got out to check what was going on. When I visually inspected the engine compartment I noticed a hole in the intake manifold and looking closer I noticed cracks where the bolts hold the intake manifold on. Also the air filter box mounts are also cracked and that is all I can see without further investigation (removing engine). I towed it to a vw dealership in easton PA where I purchased it. I talked to the service manager and he said they would evaluate it and it cost $129 to tell me that they had to pull the transmission and transfer case down which would cost me an additional $1000 just for the labor and would let me know what else is not broken. I told them no. They would not tell me what they thought was wrong but when I went to the dealership and spoke to the service manager one on one outside the building he admitted that there have been problems with this model and year of vw. I had it towed back to my home. I am mechanically inclined and after some research on the computer saw that many other people with this model and year of vw have had this same issue. The car lost timing contributing to the timing chains being disconnected. Online they mention about the oil pump bolt backing its way out and the timing chains becoming disconnected. When we purchased the car it was used and had 70,000 miles and one owner and when this happened it had 120,000 and according to our research this oil pump bolt issue occurs usually between 70,000 and 100,000 in the 2006 and 2007 vw Passat 3. 6. If vw knew these bolts were coming out they should have issued a recall. Vw knew this was an issue.

While driving on the highway there was a loss of power and the engine started running rough. The check engine light came on and stayed. The car wouldn't go over 10 mph. Car was towed to a shop and was advised that an engine was needed. They informed me of a oil pump bolt coming loose and the engine jumped time. They said this is a common failure on these engines.

Traveling over 400 miles, 70 miles per hour, engine light on, oil light on, stop driving. Checked oil, reservoir full. Towed on flatbed to nearest dealer. Metal in oil, told I need a new engine. Like all the others I read about, all maintenance was done per vw. New tires two weeks ago to the tune of $1100+ . Timing belt has been done. Inspections done per state regs. Oil changes on time. Dealership has not mentioned the bolt on the oil pump, but what else would put metal in the oil. Nice job vw. No recall, no recourse. Waiting to hear what they will give me for the car as I am told new engine is $11k. :(.

Vehicle oil pressure light alerted driver of low oil pressure. Driver brought vehicle to r&j auto on 1309-1365 barnum avenue in bridgeport, CT; driver purchased car from this business less than a year ago; driver was told that nothing was wrong with the car. A week later the same issue arose while on the highway. Driver was not speeding due to getting off of the ramp. Car began making a ticking noise. Driver brought car back to r&j a week later the car was deemed unfit to drive due to sludge, the oil pump being damaged and the engine malfunctioning. Dealer/mechanic informed me that the car was dangerous to drive and would not be worth fixing. I was forced to junk the car and leave the car with the business. I am afraid they will resell the car without completing the proper maintenance and repair to another innocent customer. This car is not fit to drive.

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While driving on the highway the check oil light came on and the engine made terrible sounds. The car was pulled over immediately. Had to be towed 60 miles to the nearest town (missoula mt). The engine was seized up due to a failed oil pump. The dealership and a local shop both were familiar with this failure mode. A defective oil pump bolt came loose, casing the pump to fail and destroying the engine. The car only has 68,000 miles on it. As a known manufacturing defect, it is very disappointing that vw does not recall this and fix the problem. It is fortunate that no injuries were incurred, but an elderly woman was stranded along the highway in a remote area. The engine is a vr6 code blv, a 6-cylinder 24 valve engine. This needs to be corrected.

On Saturday Jan 10, 2014, while cruising at approx 45 mph driving straight, on a dry and clear day, the ecp dash light came on with no warning and the power of the car diminished significantly slowing down immediately and acceleration was extremely slow making it unable to maintain traffic-flow speed and driving uphills was even worse, slowing down and not able to maintain speed until over the hill. (virginia hilly roads). I took car to the local vw dealer, terry vw lynchburg,va who told me that the 2 timing chains and all associated parts would need to be replaced with an estimate of $3536. 00. I mentioned to them about the issue relating to the 3. 6 engine in this make/model/year having a repeated problem with the oil pump bolt that holds these together working loose and that vw had recognized this issue and replaced the "oil pump bolt" with a new model bolt on the assembly line after this same issue had occurred repeatedly with other owners of this same 3. 6 engine. Same issue recorded multiple times in vwvortex. Com, Passatworld. Com, carcomplaints. Com, Volkswagendefect. Com, arfc. Org, and others. I contacted vw of America who denied this problem existed and that they would not assist in the repair whatsoever. Since this is not an isolated issue and vw is not ignorant of it, and it causes the car to slow down immediately without notice, this could have been a serious issue had I been on a hi-speed highway and/or in congested traffic, vw needs to recall these vehicles with this engine and replace these items as this is not a normal failure item on most vehicles with is low of mileage.

Oil pressure light came on and alarm . Said to stop car . Oil pump bolt broke. No oil pressure.

The oil pump "off" warning light has come on 3 times since 10/01/2014. This appears to be a common problem with the 2006 & 2007 3. 6 Passats.

Engine is dead thanks to Volkswagen who have not make a official recall over this defective oil pump bolt - lots of people most of them get this cars out of warranty like my case who are getting this car preowned will face same issues unless vw take action.

Engine oil pump drive failure (tdi engine), causing loss of engine operation including loss of power steering and loss of power brakes.

See all problems of the 2005 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

I was getting onto the highway in my 2006 3. 6 Passat. The car lost power, check engine light & epc light came on in the car. The car would not allow me to go over 40mph, so I exited the highway & drove car to the mechanic. They removed the transmission to find the issue of the bolt holding the oil pump was partially removed. The car detected a timing issue & was the reason that it would not allow me to go over 40 mph. When the mechanic removed the bolt to replace it, it came off in two pieces. He stated that the bolt was not the appropriate bolt & the new guidelines required a different bolt with additional torque. This was an engineered manufacturer defect with Volkswagen & should be required to be recalled.

Oil pump bolt broken as in the other vw Passats from 2006 & 7 and reported on this site. Damaged timing chain cover, timing chain and a number of other parts. Car was serviced and inspected 5,000 miles previously. All service up to this point completed per owners manual at vw dealer. . Read more...

Was driving home and the check engine light, stop driving light, low oil pressure light and a buzzer went off. Had the vehicle towed to a mechanic and have found that there is no oil pressure. The vehicle with this many miles should never have a problem with no oil pressure. The mechanic tells us that it might be "sludge" or the oil pump is shot. Either of which should never happen on any vehicle especially since it has only 89000 miles. This problem is typical with this motor and was recalled up to the model years 2004. The 1. 8 l turbo motor is and always has been a terrible motor for this and just because they have not received a lot of complaints on this particular year does not mean that there is no problem. One only has to search on line to see that their is and has been an ongoing problem. Vw of America has acknowledged the recall and their culpability up to 2004, in an email to me, but because of our newer VIN has denied coverage.

On the highway going over a hill apparently the oil pump bolt that holds the sprocket broke causing the car to drive with a significant loss of power and rough idle. Fortunately I was able to get it to a qualified repair shop that was able to fix it before it ruined the engine. The repair shop diagnosed the problem as completely due to a faulty oil pump bolt. They said I was lucky that the bolt managed to stay more or less in place even though it was snapped in half otherwise it would have destroyed the engine. I have supporting repair documentation.

My car is exhibiting the same problems that many other consumers are experiencing. The engine oil pump bolt fails and backs-out, which can sheer off the bolt and cause the engine to experience catastrophic failure. My epc light, engine light, as well as exclamation light are on. The car has very little power, and although it does run, the acceleration needed to drive the car makes it dangerous. . Read more...

While driving on a busy highway in philadelphia PA (schuylkill expressway), my 2006 vw Passat 3. 6l 4 motion lost power and limped to the side of the road almost causing several accidents in the process. After taking the auto to two different non-dealer specialist and then a vw dealer - all three stated that the default code (p0016 -008-incorrect correlation - mil on) meant that the oil pump bolt failed and caused the engine to go into limp mode. One specialist said I was lucky to get to 110,000 miles as most of these bolts fail at a range from 60,000 to 70,000 and that this bolt that was used being of poor quality will, and has caused catastrophic engine failure and could cause a loss of power and a rear end collision - all three (the two non-dealer and the vw dealer service manger were well aware of the problem, stated it was common on 2006/2007 Passat and as more and more of these 2006/2007 get older - more will fail and could cause accidents or worse. I would like to know if an investigation could be done and a recall established. There is a wide range of repair cost, potential for property damage and ultimately loss of life for a $5. 00 bolt that the manufacturer knows is flawed and will not fix it.

It's very common knowledge that the model year 2006 and 2007 3. 6 engines have a fatal flaw. The oil pump bolt as installed from the factory was either specified wrong, installed wrong, or has some other defect. The engine lost power and check engine light came on. I got misfiring codes in all cylinders. The engine in my car was replaced at 11k acording with vw records because of this same issue that resulted in an fatal engine failure. The issue is the bolt that hold the oil pump in place. It comes loose or brakes in half. Vw needs to recall this since it is a factory issue.

Driving car normally then check engine light and epc light came on and engine lost power and failed to shift normally. Brought to vw dealer who told me that the oil pump bolt had worked itself loose and ruined the valve timing chains and adjusters and oil pump. Vw of north America failed to accept any responsibility for the failure and refused any monetary help with the repair that is estimated to be $3500.

Oil pump bolt backed out/broke causing engine damage. Car loss oil pressure fortunately was near an exit to avoid the engine completely stopping in the middle of the highway getting involved in a potential dangerous wreck. Dealer says it will cost $11,000. 00 to replace engine. Vw knows this is an issue but will not take any responsibility. They would not do anything seeing I am outside the warranty and stated would not do a thing because I am the second owner. Only had this car for two years and bought it as a pre-certified owned used vehicle from the vw dealership. I have searched on line and many other owners have had this issue. . Read more...

2006 vw Passat 3. 6l 4motion, 81k miles. Check engine light (cel) and electronic power control (epc) lights came on at cruising speed. Codes pointed to a cam/crank timing issue. Access to timing chain on this model/trim requires removal of transmission. Upon removal, technician discovered that the oil pump bolt had completely sheared off which could have led to complete engine failure; the only thing keeping the oil pump assembly in place was the cover. The oil pump bolt for this model/trim appears to be defective.

The contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a clattering sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine maintenance where the mechanic advised that the chain drive assembly for the oil pump would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 96,500.

2. 0l vw Passat tdi had a rattling, vibrating chain noise from the oil pump balance shaft module in the oil pan. The oil pump chains/sprockets/tensioners were worn and caused noticeable vibration and rattling noise for thousands of miles; however, it was difficult to diagnose. We had the entire oil pump assembly replaced by a vw dealership at approximately 120,000 miles with oem gear driven pump which includes the balance shafts and oil pump. It was a $3700 repair to exchange the original oil pump with the gear driven pump. Not a cheap service. The sound before and after the module change was much improved because the gears are quieter. The replacement gear driven oil pump/balance shaft assembly uses a similar balance shaft but with a different oil pump and gear drive. The gear drive smoothes out stress on the oil pump hex shaft so runs much better. In summary, I am not happy with having to do such an expensive repair due to a poor design at the low mileage of 120,000 for a diesel that should last to at least 400,000 miles. This is a recurring expensive problem that should be reimbursed by vw.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen Passat tdi. The contact stated that at engine startup, a noise was heard from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic stated to the contact that the oil pump chain was loose. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 108,500 and the current mileage was 109,000. Kmj.