Our passat is the tdi (diesel) model. We purchased it used and at around 185,000-190,000 (low miles by diesel engine standards), the vehicle completely shut down while being driven. I lost power steering and brakes. Diagnostics revealed that the chain driven oil pump assembly had malfunctioned. The chain broke and got all up in the engine and oil was no longer being pumped into the engine so the engine was destroyed requiring a complete engine repair. About 16,000 miles later, I was driving and the same exact thing happened. Did some research and found out that this is a very common problem with this model vehicle. Volkswagen has issued an internal technical bulletin telling the service departments how to fix the problem. The fix is changing out the chain driven assembly with a gear driven one. They also never made another model with a chain driven assembly after that model year. So they basically admitted that this is a faulty system yet won't issue a recall. Changing out the assembly is $1500 for the part alone and if you're changing out that part, the chances are good it's because it failed and you now have a destroyed engine as well which is a several thousand dollar job even for a used engine. There is no way to tell when it's going to fail and it's not part of any maintenance schedule. Volkswagen has told me that it's not a common enough problem to issue a recall and yet it's a common enough problem to have to issue a technical bulletin about it. I find it abominable that they know this has and is happening with this vehicle and they are not letting people know about it. Even if they refuse to pay for it to be fixed, the public should be aware that they are driving a ticking time bomb. Someone could get killed if the engine shut down on them while traveling at high speeds on a highway. No power steering. No brakes. It's completely unethical.
2005 Volkswagen Passat: sudden loss of power
6 of the 148 complaints about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 102,000
- recalls
- 0
Sudden loss of power by model year
What owners say
Engine oil pump drive failure (tdi engine), causing loss of engine operation including loss of power steering and loss of power brakes.
I purchased a new 2005 vw passat and needed to have two of the ignition coils replaced. In both situations, the car suddenly lost power creating a dangerous situation. In addition to losing power, the check engine light starting flashing and I needed to exit the roadway. I disposed of that vehicle and purchased a certified pre-owned 2005 vw passat 4 motion. I have now had to have one of the ignition coils replaced. Again I was driving along and the vehicle suddenly lost power and started running very rough. This time I was in an area with very little population and a severe snow storm without cell service.
At 60,025 miles and traveling at 65mph my 2005 vw passat lost power and began to sputter. I was barely able to make it to a repair shop where I was told the ignition coils needed to be replaced at a cost of $500+.
Eventual failure of chain driven oil pump and balance shafts, resulting in a sudden loss of power and destruction of the engine, leading to a potential life/safety situation in this 2005 passat tdi. This method of driving the oil pump and balance shafts is a volkswagen acknowledged engineering flaw as noted in technical product information bulletin 2016429/2. Not wishing to replace an engine that as a result of said failure, might potentially place myself and passengers in a life threatening situation, I have proactively changed out the chain-driven oil pump/balance shaft module for a gear driven assembly at a cost to myself of $3000. I believe vw needs to step up and issue a recall for this model.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 MPH uphill, there was popping noise followed by a loss of all power. After the initial engine stall, the engine was restarted, but stalled again. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. The dealer determined there was a failed connection of the inter-cooler hose and pressurized hose that connects to the turbo charger. The dealer replaced the hose fittings on the turbo charger. Updated 6/27/2006 - the consumer feels that the hose connection mechanism wasn't sufficient to support the high pressure created by the turbo.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
- Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
- Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
- Oil consumption test updated to include additional models and model year applicability.
- Oil pressure priming after engine replacement or internal repair.
- Update to Volkswagen engine oil specification attachments.
- Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards.
- Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2005 Volkswagen Passat?
6 of 148 owner complaints about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat (4%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Volkswagen Passat?
There are 0 recalls and 50 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Volkswagen Passat
Engine failure 16Check engine light 11Stalling 8Fire or smoke 7Fuel leak 6Fuel pump 5
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