2006 Volkswagen Passat: engine failure

Filed Dec 14, 2020 · Engine · 55,000 miles · TX

We have 2006 3.6l vw passat with 55k miles for my daughter. Just recently the oil light came on and the engine seized while driving under 30 MPH. It had been running good and no oil was leaking. This seems to be related to an issue many other passat owners experienced where the oil pump bolt becomes lose and causes a fatal failure.

Filed Oct 26, 2018 · Airbags, Steering · 200,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated while driving. The contact was concerned that the air bag might deploy while driving. The vehicle was taken to joseph volkswagen of cincinnati (located at 3813 montgomery rd, cincinnati, oh 45212, (513) 914-1785) where it was diagnosed that the curtain air bags needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v247000 (air bags). In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel seized when attempting to drive. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and provided case numbers: 180151960, 181324957, and 08125390. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Filed Jun 25, 2018 · Engine, Fuel system · 109,000 miles · PA

Out of the blue the low oil pressure light came on and said shut off car. Immediatly pulled over and shut car off. Oil was fine because I check it constantly. Come to find out that the high pressure fuel pump has a thimble called the cam follower. The cam follower blew off through the timing chain and housing. My motor is done. It has 109,000 miles on it. Vw knows about this issue. I just bought this car less than a year ago. I don't have thousands of dollars to replace the engine. Vw is well aware of this issue on my 2006 passat 2.0t. This is not right. My car has now been sitting in my driveway since march because I dont have the funds to replace the motor.

Filed May 4, 2018 · Engine · 100,000 miles · CT

It's common knowledge that the 2006 3.6l v6 engines have a terrible flaw. The oil pump bolt installed from the vw factory was either specified incorrectly, installed wrong, or has some other fatal defect. My wife drives less than 10 miles to and from work everyday conservatively. While driving 30 MPH the engine lost power started smoking and leaking oil all over the ground. The check engine light came on. We got misfiring codes so we immediately parked and had it towed to a local vw dealer. The dealer said the loose bolt & chain rubbing was what caused an internal failure so we'd need a new engine @ $4,554.00! The car has driven perfectly and is serviced regularly but suddenly died due to no fault of my wife or myself. There's a running list of the people this has happened to @ http://www.passatworld.com/forums/volkswagen-passat-b6-discussion/327507-3-6-oil-bolt-failure-reference-material.html people have spoken up about this and I'm sure there are a many other folks that never spoke out. Vw ignores the true scope of this issue and should rectify these failures with a legitimate recall. The real issue is the bolt. It comes loose or brakes. Vw needs to recall this since it is a major factory issue. Although costly it would keep loyal vw drivers in vw's.

Filed Mar 21, 2016 · Engine · 144,000 miles · IL

While driving a 2006 passat 3.6l, the oil pressure warning came on. Took to vw of orland park il.they told me the oil pump bolt is backing out, it hasn't yet, but it will, it's a common problem. They reccomended a new oil pump, bolt included, and new timing kit as that would have suffered residual damage from the bolt backing out. They offered to do this for $6000. A new engine for $11,000. Being disgruntled, the lead tech supervisor pulled me to the side and said this bolt was fixed in late 2007 models. I asked him how much to just replace the bolt. He told me $3000 + $12.00 for the bolt. I couldn't afford the repair. Vw offered no goodwill for issue. Every time car is started, oil pressure warning sounds and then goes off, no check engine lights ever come on. No weird sounds. Car is not being driven now. Vw is aware of this issue and has done nothing. One wrongly sized bolt can cause the whole engine to fail. Vw' has been having plenty of recalls lately, putting lives in danger. Please investigate this! There shouldn't have to be a body count to issue a recall.

Filed Oct 23, 2015 · Engine · 107,000 miles · PA

Lost power while driving and the epc light came on. Now the "stop no oil pressure light came on and engine is not of normal sound. Had to have towed to garage and the engine needs replaced. Oil pump bad along with many other parts.

Filed Jun 26, 2015 · Engine · 164,000 miles · PA

Traveling over 400 miles, 70 miles per hour, engine light on, oil light on, stop driving. Checked oil, reservoir full. Towed on flatbed to nearest dealer. Metal in oil, told I need a new engine. Like all the others I read about, all maintenance was done per vw. New tires two weeks ago to the tune of $1100+ . Timing belt has been done. Inspections done per state regs. Oil changes on time. Dealership has not mentioned the bolt on the oil pump, but what else would put metal in the oil. Nice job vw. No recall, no recourse. Waiting to hear what they will give me for the car as I am told new engine is $11k. :(

Filed Dec 5, 2013 · Engine · 90,335 miles · PA

Check engine light came on, we took it to dealership and had repairs done including oil change, after a day of driving the check engine light came on again, returned to dealer, more repairs were done, paid around $3,000 in repairs to timing belt, tensioner, guide pulleys, and water pump. After that repair, the light again came on and returned to dealer, was told that metal was found in oil filter housing and engine will need replaced to address the concern. Could not afford at that time and was not informed it could not be driven, the check engine light was off and were told that upon acceleration from stop the metals would scrape. Car was still operable, c/e light was off and needed for transportation to work and after 3 trips to and from repair shop (3 rivers volkswagen) and all of the money already spent on repairs to "fix" the same issue leading up to this, I was not able to do that at the time, as well as being skeptical of paying $9k more! Was driving on the highway when the oil pump bolt failed completely and caused engine to cease. Later learned that this was a common issue on the 2006 vw passat 2.0t engines and that it can cause catastrophic engine failure, that vw was aware of the design flaw and has manufactured a replacement bolt but has never issued a recall and does not inform owners of these cars that there is potential for this engine failure. Http://www.faqs.org/car/volkswagen-passat-2006/engine/#ixzz2mckgqsg2 I was lucky not to have an accident as the engine failed while driving on the highway, and had to get a tow home. This is a potential accident waiting to happen for many like myself who were never told the engine may cease and could result in people being injured or killed. There needs to be a recall on this as there are many others having this exact issue on this car.

Filed Mar 1, 2013 · Engine · 160,000 miles · WA

Car died after going up hill at night in the rain. Had towed to service station. Was advised oil bolt disintegrated after oil plug filter got clogged. Head blown in car need new engine. Was advised vw is familiar with this problem but chose not to fix it.

Filed Jul 16, 2012 · Engine · 110,000 miles · PA

While driving on a busy highway in philadelphia pa (schuylkill expressway), my 2006 vw passat 3.6l 4 motion lost power and limped to the side of the road almost causing several accidents in the process. After taking the auto to two different non-dealer specialist and then a vw dealer - all three stated that the default code (p0016 -008-incorrect correlation - mil on) meant that the oil pump bolt failed and caused the engine to go into limp mode. One specialist said I was lucky to get to 110,000 miles as most of these bolts fail at a range from 60,000 to 70,000 and that this bolt that was used being of poor quality will, and has caused catastrophic engine failure and could cause a loss of power and a rear end collision - all three (the two non-dealer and the vw dealer service manger were well aware of the problem, stated it was common on 2006/2007 passat and as more and more of these 2006/2007 get older - more will fail and could cause accidents or worse. I would like to know if an investigation could be done and a recall established. There is a wide range of repair cost, potential for property damage and ultimately loss of life for a $5.00 bolt that the manufacturer knows is flawed and will not fix it.

Filed Jun 15, 2012 · Engine · 11,000 miles · NJ

It's very common knowledge that the model year 2006 and 2007 3.6 engines have a fatal flaw. The oil pump bolt as installed from the factory was either specified wrong, installed wrong, or has some other defect. The engine lost power and check engine light came on. I got misfiring codes in all cylinders. The engine in my car was replaced at 11k acording with vw records because of this same issue that resulted in an fatal engine failure. The issue is the bolt that hold the oil pump in place. It comes loose or brakes in half. Vw needs to recall this since it is a factory issue.

Filed Jun 13, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 81,000 miles · OR

2006 vw passat 3.6l 4motion, 81k miles. Check engine light (cel) and electronic power control (epc) lights came on at cruising speed. Codes pointed to a cam/crank timing issue. Access to timing chain on this model/trim requires removal of transmission. Upon removal, technician discovered that the oil pump bolt had completely sheared off which could have LED to complete engine failure; the only thing keeping the oil pump assembly in place was the cover. The oil pump bolt for this model/trim appears to be defective.