How Reliable is the Volkswagen Passat?

1. The lead plaintiff that submitted a nationwide class-action against Volkswagen for defective sunroofs has had a change of heart?

   He has requested a voluntary dismissal of the entire lawsuit which was filed back in April of 2020. Sounds like someone got a new sunroof behind closed doors.…

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2. Volkswagen and Audi are recalling 119,000 vehicles to replace dangerous Takata airbag inflators.

   This campaign is part of an industry-wide effort involving more than a dozen automakers and 1.7 million vehicles. The chemical inside of Takata airbag inflators can become unstable over time, leading to violent and sometimes deadly airbag deployments. The recall is for both driver and passenger side inflators in the 2015-2017 CC, 2015-2016 Eos, and 2015 Passat.

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3. There’s an important deadline coming up for VW owners who previously paid for repairs to their timing chain system or damage to their engine from a timing chain failure, and want the automaker to pick up the tab.

   A recently approved timing chain settlement benefits thousands of owners by providing them with an extended “new vehicle limited warranty” for any future repairs, plus conditional reimbursements for any previous repairs.

   The extended warranty is applied automatically if you own or lease one of the affected vehicles and didn’t opt out of the class-action.

   Owners who want to be eligible for reimbursements must file a claim by January 25th, 2019. More information is available at TimingChainLitigation.com.

   How to Submit a Claim ∞

   1. Use the VIN lookup tool to check your eligibility
   2. Gather the documents requested by the Claim Administrator
   3. Submit your claim before 11:59 PST on January 25th, 2019

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5. When Volkswagen agreed to a multi-district settlement for selling polluting engines marketed as clean diesel, it did so knowing it’d have to pay billions of dollars to customers that owned or leased an affected vehicle when the news about the scandal broke.

   Some owners that had sold their affected vehicles before the news came out tried to file for compensation in court, but didn't get very far. That may be about to change due to an interesting court decision in California.

   Former owners and lessees of Volkswagen "clean diesel" vehicles can proceed with their lawsuit even though the customers got rid of their diesel vehicles before anyone knew the emissions systems were illegal.

   Volkswagen, as you might image, is less than impressed with this decision.

   Volkswagen says the case is nothing more than trial attorneys trying to suck more money out of the automaker that has already paid more than $25 billion for its emissions sins.

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6. Like many diesel vehicle owners, Allen and Jennifer Pickard chose to keep their two Passats as part of Volkswagen's $10-billion diesel emissions settlement.

   The agreement came with compensation contingent upon the exhaust system being modified to meet EPA standards. And sure, every owner knew that likely meant a knock to engine performance or fuel economy. But I doubt anyone expected this...

   According to court documents, both Passats have been in the custody of an authorized Volkswagen mechanic for months because the emissions repairs caused both cars to not start.

   The plaintiffs claim numerous attempts made by VW technicians have failed to fix the no-start problems, so the owners tried to trade in one of the Passats. The lawsuit alleges they were told a trade wasn't possible because the car was worth $0 since it couldn't be started.

   Needless to say the couple is … let’s call it, “unimpressed” with VW’s “fix” and has filed a lawsuit against the automaker.

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7. Owners and lessees of certain 2008-2014 VW and Audi vehicles may soon be eligible to receive benefits for their engine’s defective timing chain.

   On November 19, 2018 a judge will rule on a proposed settlement that would either reimburse owners for previous repairs or fund future work on the timing chain tensioner system.

   This decision has been a long time coming. Even snails are embarrassed by how slowly this case has crept along.

   • May 2016 VW was first sued for failing to help pay for repairs on their defective timing chain tensioner system.
   • August 2016 Another lawsuit popped up after 24 plaintiffs in 17 states complained about their timing chain “jumping a tooth.”
   • May 2017 VW filed a motion to dismiss the cases after they were combined in court. They were denied.
   • May 2018 VW reluctantly agreed to settle the class-action lawsuits in one combined action.

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8. It appears Volkswagen is close to settling 7 lawsuits regarding defective timing chains and the threat of engine damage.

   The proposed settlement includes all consumers who purchased or leased certain 2008-2014 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles that will be determined by the vehicle identification numbers (VINs).

   According to the terms, reimbursement amounts will be determined based on the age of the vehicle, how many miles are on the odometer and if the timing chain tensioner, timing chain or engine was replaced."

   Reimbursement amounts are highly favoriable to owners who get work done at an authorized VW dealership. Our advice – if something goes wrong with your timing chain or tensioner and you're covered under this settlement, skip your local mechanic and go to an authorized dealer.

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