2012 passat tdi, turbo death

7500 miles and the turbo is dead. Took it to dealership, and after they did a diagnostic and called down to HQ in Virginia, it seems I need a whole new turbo system. Not what I wanted to hear to say the least........should've bought a Toyota.

Sorry to hear about this.
Details? Symptoms?

I hate to hear that, for any car. I have a co-worker who's having multiple problems with his six-month-old Toyota...his comment just yesterday was "I should have bought a VW".

Please keep us posted on the outcome....

(hey, I traded an 07 Odyssey after 1year, 21k miles, because of front-end vibration that could not be solved...5 different dealers/multiple techs...so much for Hondas)

Oh yeah...the Odyssey! A close friend and his wife had a NEW Odyssey that would just absolutely shut off at Interstate speeds. No engine, no electronics, no lights, nothing! Anyway, they said "Odyssey" was a very appropriate name. Honda techs were unable to resolve so they traded it for a CR-V, which is now on its third transmission. Makes me nervous as my wife is driving a 2010 Pilot.

If we think about how complex modern vehicles are, (VWs, Hondas, Toyotas, etc.), it's a wonder we don't see more issues.

When I purchased my Jetta TDI in 2001, I saw issues pop up on this forum, including bad turbos, and worried. Now 10 years later, I wonder why I worried....

Again, I hate that this happened to the OP. It's really disheartening to have a new car experience ruined by the failure of a vital component.

So what exactly happened?

so 1 issue with a brand new model and you should have bought a Toyota?

Yup, I agree.

Name the VW dealership the car is at so we fellow 2012 Passat TDI owners can call and inquire as to the nature of the alleged failure and what we can do to prevent ours from the same alleged fate.

I know an exec at VWOA who I can cal and have him look for the information on this alleged failure as well.

Patience, patience...he posted only 9 hours ago...at 2:16am (?)

Didn't happen? Call YBH, my VW dealer in edgemont, pa. Ask for the service manager Will. Then ask about the 2012 passat tdi with 7500 miles on it that's getting a whole new turbo put on it cause it decided to crap out. Oh and by the way, to replace this out of warranty would be 6k.
The details are few, I started my car, was driving down the road, a light lit up on my dash which apparently meant engine malfunction, it started blinking, I wasn't getting any power from my gas pedal, I put my hazards on, and 5 minutes later it slowly rolled into the dealers lot as that's where I took it immediately. The service manager said after 6 hours that they couldn't figure it out, so they called down to hq in Virginia, and they recommended and entire new turbo system.

And it's not one issue, this is the 3rd time I've brought it into the dealer since I've bought it. The other two times the transmission light came on. If I knew I would be bringing this car in 3 times in 5 months after I bought it new, would anyone else have purchased it. Not what I was hoping for......very disappointed.

Although the dealer has recommended a turbo, that may or may not be the issue. Since they couldn't initially diagnose the problem and decided, like so many dealers, to throw an expensive part at it. There's another thread here with a fellow with an '09 CR Jetta that was told by the dealer he needed a new turbo, only to find a cracked brake booster line.

You'll probably never know what actually was wrong. But I hope you're able to get the car back on the road soon.

My only contribution would be somewhat philosophical. Major malfunctions are going to always happen to a small percentage of machines; the more complex, the more likely......and they have to happen to someone. I know that this is unlikely to make the OP feel any better about the whole issue.

I do agree with "Oberkanone," however, in that the main focus should be on how the issue is handled by the dealer / manufacturer, and not that it occurred. I admit that this is easy for me to say. I've been driving for 50 years, and nothing of the sort has happened in the twenty or so cars we've owned. Nor do I know anyone in our very large extended family or our circle of friends who have experienced this....which would reinforce the idea that it's pretty rare.

As we are not currently VW owners, but must seriously consider the Passat TDI for purchase in a year or so, I would be very interested in "Oasiscraze" posting followups in this forum at a suitable interval relating how his problem has been handled....

OP: If the turbo did fail i'd be curious if the DPF has held up, or if it's covered in oil.

I wonder if the 6K price tag included a new DPF that was puked in oil from said bad turbo.

Best of luck and hopefully you'll never have this issue again but this could happen to everyone driving one of these CR VWs.

My wife's car is a 3 year old Honda Odyssey. As recently as 3 years ago, I had bought only Hondas for 15 years until the new Accord came out, and I couldn't stand the seat and bought a 2010 VW CC. (which was one of the best cars I ever owned and the reason I got a 2012 Passat TDi).

Anyhow, the Odyssey has been one of the least reliable vehicles I have ever owned, and we have been seriously considering replacing it. If VW sold the Passat AllTrack here (or the Toureg TDI wasn't 50k), it would be gone. Here's what's gone wrong with it un 36k miles.

1. Two weeks ago - Complete Power Steering Failure - New Rack and Pump.
2. 6 months ago - Navigation System Failure - New Nav
3. 8 months ago - Battery died in the middle of vacation.
4. Last year - Power Seat failed on drivers side - New Seat
5. 1st Year - Torque Converter failed - New Torque Converter and Transmission.
6. On third set of front Brakes. Second Master Cylinder.
7. Rattles, Rattles, Rattles.
8. Burns out a set of tires every 18k.
9. Gets consistantly 16mpg no matter what.

So basically - it may or may not be the turbo... VW doesn't know so they're replacing the entire turbocharger and associated components in a "throw-parts-at-it" fix. Does that sound reasonably accurate?

Oasiscraze said:

And it's not one issue, this is the 3rd time I've brought it into the dealer since I've bought it. The other two times the transmission light came on. If I knew I would be bringing this car in 3 times in 5 months after I bought it new, would anyone else have purchased it. Not what I was hoping for......very disappointed.

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Yuo should start to claim for lemon law!!! If you have 4 attempts to fix in first year you have a right claim to lemon law. Call some consumers attorneys to talk. I did the same 3 years ago with Honda. I receive 7000$ check from Honda. And traded the same day!!!!was some loss on trade, but check was enought to cover negative equity and put some down payment!!! Good luck!!!

Don't those attempts have to be for related issues... ?

Now that we've gotten past the uncomfortable formalities of introducing ourselves, let's move on.

Is there any chance you could find out what codes were stored? That would prove invaluable to the gurus reading this. They might be able to determine if, in fact, your well-meaning dealership/VWoA is doing the right thing.

Please provide us with the most accurate details possible. We will all benefit.

Oh...and...welcome to the club! Lots of good information to be had here, along with some occasional grumpiness...(yes, I'm guilty as charged...)

VeeDubTDI said:

Don't those attempts have to be for related issues... ?

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I am not 100% sure. Maybe You right, probably must be same problem, you see mine was same thing. After change 3 times shocks they dealer start just to spray wd40 or something. But after first rain the same, after that, they try it to prove me that I am driving to fast over the speed bumbs that couse rear suspension to squeak. After that I crab the phone to call attorney.

Find a new dealership for starters, then sell the VW as fast as possible! Unfortunately you have a bad taste in your mouth and the Passat is never going to be a car that you will trust. Then go to the Toyota dealership and get that Prius.

I would be curious to know what code it threw. As well what exactly was that light he saw.

Traded in my Toyota

I have had two Toyotas and just traded in my latest for a 2012 Passat. I can tell you this I will never own a Toyota again but am pretty sure I will buy another VW.. or keep mine forever.

Toyota makes a good car but there is no comparison to the VW. Camery vs. Passat.. Jetta vs Prius or Toureg vs any Toyota SUV, simply no comparison simply because Toyota doesn't make a TDI.

As 40x40 said your way out of line, nobody deserves the attacks your dishing out.

God Bless

Guys, It was odd that he did not report any of those other issues he had. He only came on here when the big crap hit the fan so to speak and proceeded trashed VW immediately. What does one think will be the response to that?

If his intent was anything more than venting or ranting (which is fine by me to come here and do) he did not indicate that.

On the other hand, I think the suspicion was that he is just and anti-VW guy making it up to get bad information out there. We know this has NEVER happened before. LOL!

So OP can you scan the repair order once you get the car back? I am sure we want to see the diagnosis, codes thrown and part numbers ordered for you to see what VW REALLY did for you. It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

To the OP, I hope they get the issues sorted out for you and then smooth sailing. I have really enjoyed my 2010s. I just had to have the electric steering assist assembly replaced (under warranty) on my Jetta. The dealer was very good. Hopefully, no more issues for me. The MFI on my Golf was reading over 49 mpg. Always puts a smile on my face. Anyway, hope you are able to move on. These cars are capable of great performance. Keep us posted.

it gets worse.......

thanks for the many responses and condolences. So I have more good news for all the skeptics. The parts that my Passat needs aren't in the US, so now I have to wait another week for the parts to be shipped from Germany. I asked my service manager for the computer code to appease all the dbag doubters of my claim. This is what he gave me: P029900. Apparently it means turbo charger failure/underperform. Let me know if anyone also wants me to post a copy of my loaner car receipt they gave me.

I am curious what diagnostic steps they took to arrive at this conclusion. Turbochargers usually give a bit of warning beforehand, even if it is just a few seconds.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at that dealership.

Oasiscraze said:

thanks for the many responses and condolences. So I have more good news for all the skeptics. The parts that my Passat needs aren't in the US, so now I have to wait another week for the parts to be shipped from Germany. I asked my service manager for the computer code to appease all the dbag doubters of my claim. This is what he gave me: P029900. Apparently it means turbo charger failure/underperform. Let me know if anyone also wants me to post a copy of my loaner car receipt they gave me.

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My suggestion is if you dont like the responses you are getting take a look at yourself. Name calling seems pretty sixth grade doesnt it?

Personally at this time I could care less if it takes you 6 weeks to get your parts from Germany...does this mean I'm a Dbag now too?

Hmmm. What happened to some posts from last night? Seems like everything since 2:00 pm yesterday went away.....

solar flare?