2005 Volkswagen Passat owner complaints

Numerous reports of vw bhw diesel engine oil balance shaft / chain failure are reported. Volkswagen of america refuses to acknowledge any responsibility for repair despite the fact that vw has recognized the issue and changed the design. Failure of the balance shaft / chain results in immediate lack of power creating a potential life safety hazard. Vw of canada has acknowledged responsibility in some documented cases. Vw of america should be compelled by government authorities to resolve the matter on behalf of us citizens. *tr

Numerous reports of vw bhw diesel engine oil balance shaft / chain failure are reported. Volkswagen of america refuses to acknowledge any responsibility for repair despite the fact that vw has recognized the issue and changed the design. Failure of the balance shaft / chain results in immediate lack of power creating a potential life safety hazard. Vw of canada has acknowledged responsibility in some documented cases. Vw of america should be compelled by government authorities to resolve the matter on behalf of us citizens. I am having the repair done proactively to prevent any serious safety issue but vw should step up and reimburse those of us who have paid for the expensive repair on our own. *tr

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

On november 4,2005, around 7:30 pm while a I was driving my car from new jersey to new york city, a new jersey transit authority bus dangerously cut in front of my car. My wife was accompanying me. As I stopped to avoid the bus, the bus made a sudden and full stop about 15 feet in front of me. Instinctively, I put the car gear in neutral. All of the sudden my car engine started accelerating at a very high speed without touching any pedal. I pushed the brake pedal to see if the acceleration would stop. When I released the brake pedal , the car started running toward the stationary bus, despite the fact that the car gear was in the neutral position. As a result, my car moved forward and hit the back of the bus. The bus driver got out and asked if we were ok. She said she was fine and were no

Excessive and increased rattling noise noticed on my 2005 passat tdi. Evaluation revealed that the chain and tensioner driving the balance shafts and oil pump was failing and needed replacement. Service technician states that this is a common problem and vw has issued a gear drive to replace the chain, however there is no recall or tsb therefore the cost of the repair is the owner's responsibility. Over $2000 to repair. *tr

I was driving on the highway with my 2 years old son, and out of no where the car stop and as soon as stop one of the message from my car was stop cooling engine, that was the four time that light appears on my car, I been talking the car to the mechanic for that problem but they told me it is a defect I already spent more than $3,000.00 on my car and is not working, my car is a wv passat 2005. *tr

This reference a very specific vehicle, I.e. Namely the 2005-2005 vw passat tdi (diesel) car, both sedan and station wagon version, with the vw bhw engine. What started out as an occasional need to replace the chain that drive the oil pump, became a certainty that the chain would break. If the chain breaks, you loose oil pressure immediate, and the engine is going to seize (not to mention the chain itself flopping around in the crank area which could lodge in the drive system and do the same). In any situation where you are accelerating, that is going to be catastrophic , and certainly any higher speed on a freeway/highway being the same) vw has recognized the issue and has now issued a tsb on the problem, but has not instituted a recall. The change is to remove

I own a 2005 vw passat gls tdi sedan diesel and the oil pump balance shaft assembly including oil pump drive chain, tensioner, and sprocket are bad and making a horrendous noise. The vehicle has just over 60,000 miles but, is out of factory warranty. The vw dealer the vehicle was taken to has no idea of such a problem. My research has proven otherwise. It is said that if such a failure occurred at highway speeds, disaster could result. Apparently, there is a fix for this issue which entails the removal of the whole oil pump chain drive assembly and replacing it with a gear driven assembly. I feel this should be considered a factory defect and safety issue to where vw issues an immediate service bulletin followed by a mandatory recall campaign. *tr

I own a 2005 passat tdi gls. My car had developed a very serious noise caused by the oil pump chain unit that was originally on this vehicle. I did talk to vw and my dealer service department about the thrashing chain noise. I got polite denials and blank stares when I told them of this issue. Members of the www.tdiclub.com discovered a vw engineered fix for the vehicles involved. Members who have driven their cars beyond the 80k or so seem more likely to have the chain snap during operation which renders the car inoperative and dangerous during the breakage. The fix is not exactly an inexpensive repair as the parts alone are around $1500 and the installation requires extensive disassembly of the vehicle. The repair involves replacing the chain driven oil pump balance shaft assembly w

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 ongoi

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen passat. The contact stated that she could hear a chain noise while driving at any speed. After a year, the noise became louder. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the balance chain would break soon. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000 and the current mileage was approximately 117,000. Updated 01/24/11 *bf updated 04/14/11

This is the 4 th time I have had the check engine light come on along with misfire issues. Each time costing me at least 2000.00 to correct only for a short time. Have changed oil pump, plugs, injectors just to name a few. I love my car but this has been a money pit from day one. Vw needs to be held responsible for these issues. Oil sludge, is a big problem too. I just had the timing belt replaced with injectors and a new gasket set up and ran good for two months and now I'm back in the same position of needing the same repairs once again. Car was driving began to shutter trying to stall. Help!

Tl*the contact owned a 2005 Volkswagen passat station wagon. While the vehicle was parked, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined. There is a fire report but the contact does not have a copy. There were no deaths, injuries and no police report. The current and failure mileages are 40000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the seat heater burned a hole in the passenger seat and the passenger's coat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. Updated 02/23/16*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. Updated 03/30/16.*jb

Approximately back in June 2021, I noticed the smell of diesel fuel coming from the rear of the vehicle, noticed hours and days after the vehicle was parked. The smell is partially present from the interior in the trunk area, but mostly evident when standing near the vicinity of the fuel tank when outside of the vehicle. After driving the vehicle, I occasionally notice small puddles of diesel fuel (as evidenced by the oily texture and smell) coming from below the fuel tank. On occasion, I can also spot actual drops of diesel fuel on the lower car frame from underneath the vicinity of the fuel pump. These puddles usually evaporate or dissipate within an hour or two after appearing. Given that these puddles only appear after driving, and not after extended periods of the vehicle sitting in m

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen passat tdi. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, he noticed that all of the oil had leaked out. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the chain drive of the oil pump and tensioner was worn, which caused damage to the crankcase. As a result, the chain assembly needed to be replaced with a gear assembly. Also, the lower housing, oil pan and tensioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 130,000.

Volkswagen passat passenger vehicle model year 2004 and 2005 with 2.0l diesel tdi engine. Balance shaft and oil pump are driven with a chain mechanism which has a history of failure with less than 100,000 miles usage. This prompted a design change and a recall of affected vehicles in europe. No recall in north america. Recalled vehicles in other areas of the world were retrofit with a gear drive mechanism that is reliable. Failure occurs without warning and will result in immediate loss of oil pressure and rapid engine damage including possibly engine seizure. If this were to occur at highway speeds it would be a clear safety hazard. *tr

I went to start my 05 passat and got several error warnings: airbag fault, esp, check engine, absorber intermittent warnings. This occurred because the transmission control module (TCM) got wet from a (known by vw) water leak problem from the sunroof and HVAC system. Vw has a recall to try and seal the leaks, but will not fix results of the leaks. I am lucky I wasn't going down the road when the TCM malfunctioned. I've researched, and this problem is a recurring one with not only passats, but also golf and jetta models from the late 90s to 2005. A malfunctioning TCM isn't the only electrical component that can be affected by the water leak. The engine control module and climate control module can also get wet and malfunction, causing serious safety issues if this occurs while moving

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen passat. While parked, the contact noticed water leaking from under the driver and passenger side floorboards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000. Updated 01/24/12*lj

Diesel fuel fill back pressure overflow. 2005 vw passat tdi. *tr