2005 Volkswagen Passat: engine failure

Filed Sep 19, 2014 · Engine · 101,900 miles · CT

Low oil pressure do to sludge build up. Bought the car as a certified pre-owned vehicle. I bought it around 60k and at 100k I am being told that I need a new engine.

Filed May 8, 2012 · Engine · 125,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 30 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnosis. The dealer stated that they had to replace the engine. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted stated that they were not responsible for the repairs because the vehicle was not under recall. The failure and current mileages were 125,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Mar 20, 2012 · Engine · 100,000 miles · OH

I was driving on highway when the alarm message "oil pressure low: stop engine" came on. I got off the side of the road and the engine locked up. Bent valves, broken piston shaft, engine needs replaced. I've seen this so many times on the internet as I've been looking into my options since then. Volkswagen will do nothing to help nor take responsibility. They offered me $1000 toward a new volkswagen. Seriously? I have maintained the vehicle. They know there is a problem with these cars and as far as I'm concerned, it is criminal to sell these without recalling to fix the problem. If I wasn't able to get off the highway, outside of chicago, my passenger and I would have been smashed with countless other injuries. I didn't stop the car once I got off the road, it stopped itself. Volkswagen needs to be accountable for their products.

Filed Feb 16, 2011 · Engine · 168,000 miles · PA

Oil pump failure leading to engine falue. Requiring engine replacement.

Filed Jun 25, 2010 · Fuel system · 54,000 miles · PA

Driving my 2005 vw passat wagon with 50k miles. Engine died suddenly while driving and was able to pull to the side of the road. No warning lights of any kind appeared on the dashboard. Car would not restart and was towed to the volkswagen dealership. Problem was stated as failure of the fuel pump and replacement would run $550.00. This item was recalled on previous model years but not on the 2005 1.8t engines. I feel that this item should not fail on a low mileage engine. Dealer notated that numerous other vehicles have been suffering from failing fuel pumps as the summer heat sets in.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Engine · 66,300 miles · NJ

Oil sludge, oil pump failure, engine failure, now my 2005 vw passat needs a new engine , this is a vw manufacturing defect in the 4 cylinder 1.8 turbo engine because the turbocharger gets to hot and cause the expensive synthetic oil breakdown and it sits in the bottom of the oil pan until it gets sucked up by the oil pump and this causes your engine to fail.

Filed Sep 24, 2009 · Engine · 62,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 vw passat. While driving 30 MPH, the low pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument panel; which instructed her to discontinue operation. It the contact chose to continue operating the vehicle engine failure could have occurred. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. A technician replaced the turbo along with the oil and pick-tube; to avoid oil from entering into the inner cooler. The current and failure mileages were 62,000. Updated 10/21/09 *bf updated 10/20/09

Filed Apr 7, 2009 · Engine · 79,000 miles · TX

There is a problem with the bhw engine in my 2005 passat tdi the balance shafts in this engine are driven by a chain off the motor, which also drives the oil pump. This unfortunate design subjects the chain to stresses it cannot withstand. On various tdi forums, especially tdiclub.com, there are a significant number of chain failures being reported. Of course, when the chain driving the oil pump fails, the engine is starved of essential lubrication. If the failure of the chain causes engine to stop running in the middle of traffic, merging onto a highway, or passing on the highway, this condition could easily cause danger to all citizens nearby, possibly leading to death. Recently, volkswagen in europe recognized the problem and designed a repair, which changes the chain driven oil pump to a gear driven oil pump. This appears to be a permanent fix to the original design defect. The repair is quite expensive. When the chain fails, the parts to repair cost approximately $1800 plus approximately another $1500 in labor bills to have the parts installed. If the engine is destroyed, it will cost the owner approximately $8000 to replace the engine. This is unacceptable. I believe it is now obvious that all the bhw engines will fail unless the gear driven oil pump modification is undertaken. It is unfair to expect owners of these vehicles to pay for the repairs. The problem originated with a flawed design. This is not a small problem, as this design flaw will lead to total engine failure. My vehicle is currently experiencing severe noise oscillations that is attributed to imminent failure of the aforementioned chain assembly. Thus, I must pay to repair this design flaw before it can cause an accident. So far, volkswagen of america has not provided adequate support for resolving this design problem.

Filed Mar 28, 2009 · Engine · 62,000 miles · VA

Vehicle affected is a 2004-2005 volkswagen passat tdi equipped with a 2.0l diesel engine. Codedbhw. The oil pump balance shaft module and chain are week in design and are failing without any warning to the driver. When this failure occur the engine is starved of oil and internal failure is imminent. Safety of operation becomes compromised at this point since an engine failure at highway speeds removes all power steering and braking features and the driver is along for the ride until getting the vehicle to a stop by use of e-brake or other speed reducing maneuvers and hopefully avoiding a collision. This failure is being reported at a broad range of mileage starting with 45,000 and up. Its main sign is a loud chain rattle or abnormal vibration while at idle. Volkswagen has issued an upgraded part but no further guidance was issued. There are no recalls or warranty repairs as of right now. All owners are upgrading there vehicles with a gear driven assembly at a price tag for the repair of $3000.

Filed Mar 11, 2009 · Engine · 41,000 miles · PA

Excessive noise from oil pump, chain unit, and chain (and possibly balance shaft) due to original equipment design. I believe a failure is imminent and within 100 miles. Failure of the balance shaft assembly and the engine oil pump system drive can lead to catastrophic engine failure with loss of oil pressure, broken oil pan, broken front engine seal flange, and damaged crankshaft. This can result in damage to the extent that the engine must be replaced. If this occurs while the vehicle is in traffic, it can lead to a collision with injuries or deaths. My vehicle is still under warranty, however, it is unclear that the extensive parts and labor to repair will be corrected by vw dealer due to the limited number of vehicles such as this in north america.

Filed Feb 26, 2009 · Engine · 66,000 miles · IL

The balance shafts in this engine are driven by a hex shaft off the chain driven oil pump. This unfortunate design subjects the chain to stresses it cannot withstand. My own passat had the oil pump and balance shaft replaced 2/16/09 with less than 65,000 miles. Thankfully, a good mechanic detected the problem before I had a catastrophic engine failure. A $3,500 repair is never welcome, but it was better than replacing the engine like the vw dealer recommended. I did a lot of research on this problem and inquired at several vw dealerships and chose the most experienced man to do the job. Recently, volkswagen in europe recognized the problem and designed a repair which changes the chain driven oil pump to a gear driven oil pump. This appears to be a permanent fix to the original design defect. The repair is quite expensive. Parts will cost in excess of $1,400 and labor will be in excess of $1,200 at most shops. I believe it is now obvious that all the bhw engines will fail unless the gear driven oil pump modification is undertaken. It is unfair to expect owners of these vehicles to pay for the repairs. The problem originated with a flawed design. This is not a small problem, as this design flaw will lead to total engine failure. My wife normally drives the car and she should not be put through this. If the failure of the chain causes engine to stop running in the middle of traffic, merging onto a highway, or passing on the highway, this condition could easily cause danger to all citizens nearby, possibly leading to death. I would like to know what steps volkswagen of america is taking to inform 2004 and 2005 passat tdi owners of this problem. Good corporate citizenship would recognize a problem of this severity and should be communicated to the owners as soon as possible. These engine failures could leave motorists stranded under dire circumstances and their safety is at risk.

Filed Feb 24, 2009 · Engine · 58,000 miles · CA

I am an owner of a 2005 passat tdi gls wagon with 58,000 miles on it. I am writing to seek help in getting volkswagen of america to recognize there is an inherent problem with the engine's balance shaft assembly. I am a tdiclub.com forum member, which has participants that are career mechanics who work on tdis specifically. Through their experience they noted this problem will sooner or later affect the some 20,000 2004-2005 passat tdi's with the bhw engine code. The balance shafts in this engine are driven by a hex shaft off the chain driven oil pump. This unfortunate design subjects the chain to stresses it cannot withstand. On various volkswagen (vw) forums, especially tdiclub.com, there are a significant number of chain failures being reported. Of course, when the chain driving the oil pump fails, the engine is starved of essential lubrication. Recently, volkswagen in europe recognized the problem and designed a repair which changes the chain driven oil pump to a gear driven oil pump. This appears to be a permanent fix to the original design defect. Here in the states, you can no longer order the original chain pieces as a replacement. The repair is quite expensive. Parts will cost in excess of $1,400 and labor will be in excess of $1,500. I believe it is now obvious that all the bhw engines will fail unless the gear driven oil pump/balance shaft modification is undertaken. Our own passat has been getting a bit louder this past year which is the first sign of this imminent failure. It is unfair to expect owners of these vehicles to pay for the repairs. The problem originated with a flawed design which will lead to total engine failure. This could lead to a serious accident if the failure happens while the car is on the road. The federal safety agency cannot let this happen to american owners. Volkswagen of america has to recognize and inform the passat tdi owners of this problem, and help to rectify the situation to the satisfaction of their loyal owners.