2007 Volkswagen Passat Cruise Control Problems

ON SATURDAY JAN 10, 2014, WHILE CRUISING AT APPROX 45 MPH DRIVING STRAIGHT, ON A DRY AND CLEAR DAY, THE ECP DASH LIGHT CAME ON WITH NO WARNING AND THE POWER OF THE CAR DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWING DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND ACCELERATION WAS EXTREMELY SLOW MAKING IT UNABLE TO MAINTAIN TRAFFIC-FLOW SPEED AND DRIVING UPHILLS WAS EVEN WORSE, SLOWING DOWN AND NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN SPEED UNTIL OVER THE HILL.(VIRGINIA HILLY ROADS). I TOOK CAR TO THE LOCAL VW DEALER, TERRY VW LYNCHBURG,VA WHO TOLD ME THAT THE 2 TIMING CHAINS AND ALL ASSOCIATED PARTS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH AN ESTIMATE OF $3536.00. I MENTIONED TO THEM ABOUT THE ISSUE RELATING TO THE 3.6 ENGINE IN THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR HAVING A REPEATED PROBLEM WITH THE OIL PUMP BOLT THAT HOLDS THESE TOGETHER WORKING LOOSE AND THAT VW HAD RECOGNIZED THIS ISSUE AND REPLACED THE "OIL PUMP BOLT" WITH A NEW MODEL BOLT ON THE ASSEMBLY LINE AFTER THIS SAME ISSUE HAD OCCURRED REPEATEDLY WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME 3.6 ENGINE. SAME ISSUE RECORDED MULTIPLE TIMES IN VWVORTEX.COM, PASSATWORLD.COM, CARCOMPLAINTS.COM, VOLKSWAGENDEFECT.COM, ARFC.ORG, AND OTHERS. I CONTACTED VW OF AMERICA WHO DENIED THIS PROBLEM EXISTED AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST IN THE REPAIR WHATSOEVER. SINCE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE AND VW IS NOT IGNORANT OF IT, AND IT CAUSES THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT NOTICE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ISSUE HAD I BEEN ON A HI-SPEED HIGHWAY AND/OR IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC, VW NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES WITH THIS ENGINE AND REPLACE THESE ITEMS AS THIS IS NOT A NORMAL FAILURE ITEM ON MOST VEHICLES WITH IS LOW OF MILEAGE. *TR

THROTTLE NOT RESPONSIVE TO ACCELERATOR PRESSURE. VARIOUS RESPONSES -- SOMETIMES ACCELERATES NORMALLY, OTHER TIMES VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION. OCCURS WHEN ENGINE IS WARM AND AT SPEED ON EXPRESSWAY. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE WHEN I NEED TO, E.G., NEEDING TO ACCELERATE TO SWITCH LANES. IT HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK (MARCH 27-30, 2010). WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE "EPC" AND THE "SLIP CONTROL" SIGNALS ON THE DASHBOARD LIGHT UP, AS WELL AS AN "!" AND AN IMAGE OF A TACHOMETER. IN THE MORNING WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD, THE WARNING LIGHTS ARE NOT ON, OR WHEN THE CAR HAS BE TURNED OFF FOR A WHILE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER IMMEDIATELY THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK (MARCH 30). THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM BETWEEN THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE ACCELERATOR. I DROVE THE CAR HOME THAT EVENING AND BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. I PICKED THE CAR UP THAT EVENING AND PAID $407 DOLLARS FOR THE REPAIR. I INDICATED THAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT VW WOULD COVER THE EXPENSE. THEY SAID IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER CARS BUT THERE WAS NOT RECALL. THE SAME THING OCCURRED THE NEXT DAY (FRIDAY) ON MY WAY TO WORK, BUT NOT ON THE RETURN HOME. THE NEXT MONDAY (MARCH 29), IT OCCURED ON THE WAY HOME. I STOPPED AT THE VW DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEXT DAY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE VW DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY PROGRAMMING WAS NOT WORKING AND THAT THEY WOULD INSTALL A NEW THROTTLE BODY ($400 PART PLUS $120 LABOR -- THE PART WOULD BE FREE SINCE I AM A GOOD CUSTOMER). I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND TO SEE IF THIS WAS OCCURRING WITH OTHER VW VEHICLES. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT I CONTACT VW DIRECTLY. I WILL DO THAT TODAY.

WHEN STOPPED THE ENGINE RPM'S HAS INTERMITTENTLY RAISE SUBSTANTIALLY, TO THE ~1500-2000 RPM RANGE. ALMOST LIKE IT'S RACING. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO HOLD THE CAR STOPPED. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

THERE IS AN UNSAFE PROLONGED HESITATION WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ON THE 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 3.6 LITER 4 MOTION. WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU'VE DEPRESSED THE PEDAL APPROXIMATELY 3/4 TO AN INCH OF PEDAL TRAVEL, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR LURCHES AND ACCELERATES AT WHAT FEELS LIKE HALF TO FULL THROTTLE. IT IS A RANDOM HESITATION, YET OCCURS AT PROBABLY 30% OF THE TIME. IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP, YET WILL HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, IF ACCELERATING TO PASS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION. IF THIS ABRUPT ACCELERATION OCCURS IN SNOWY OR ICY CONDITIONS, IT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES, WHEN I EXPECTED MY CAR TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN I DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, ONLY TO HAVE IT HESITATE AND NEARLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS CAR HAS A DRIVE BY WIRE ACCELERATOR, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A FAIRLY RECENT DESIGN CHANGE. WE HAVE ANOTHER CAR WITH THE SAME TYPE OF SYSTEM WHICH DOES NOT DO THIS. *NM *AK