Vehicle schedule for 40000 mile service. Engine warning light came on code P2196. Volkswagen did a computer update in January 2015 for 30000 mile service, 23N5 ECM software recall. Oxygen sensor (front) replaced was replaced by VW when I complained it should not have failed. The emission system is in question since the oxygen sensor is running rich. This year model should be added to recall for pollution system not function correctly. This model is diesel. Tdi

- Ocala, FL, USA

Driving northerly on I-95 at highway speed going up the incline to the piscataqua river bridge (the border between New Hampshire and Maine), the vehicle lost forward power about halfway up the incline of the bridge approach. The engine did not stall at any time during or after the event. Driver was preoccupied with [1] turning on hazard flashers, [2] safely negotiating entry to the breakdown lane, and [3] not braking in an attempt to coast to the top of the bridge such that the car could coast down the far side of the bridge and allow exiting the highway at the nearby exit #1 in Maine. The driver's preoccupation with safely addressing the power loss event did not allow him to scan any of the gauges or indicators on the front panel. Upon reaching the top of the bridge the car was coasting to a stop and the driver shifted between drive / sport / neutral to see if any power could be restored. Within 30 seconds or less the car again resumed forward motion in the drive shift setting. Car was driven to the nearby VW dealer where it was purchased. Service department checked (diesel) fuel quality which was good, and found no error codes when a scan was done. A vta case was opened and owner contacted VW customer care in auburn hills, mi. Subsequent testing at the same dealer's service department on 9 April 2015 also resulted in no findings for a cause. VW recommends I continue driving it until the power loss occurs again. I asked what they would then do if no error codes were again found. They indicated they would ask me to lend them the car to drive until they can get the problem to reoccur. (= a no-cost lease back to VW!). owners' opinion is that there is a design fault in the Volkswagen Passat engine/transmission pairing that is directly related to a deficiency of meaningful error sensors and fault / error code readout values during a power loss event..

- Greenland, NH, USA

Turbocharger failure at 15,000 miles; replaced and 2nd turbo failed at 25,000 miles. First failure was documented in a prior report and is repeated here. Failure 1 at ~15,000 miles in June 2014. Driving at highway speed in moderately heavy traffic at night, sudden complete loss of power. Was able to safely maneuver to shoulder and vehicle was then engulfed in black smoke. Was on the side of the highway for 1.5 hours waiting for tow truck sent by VW roadside assistance. Lots of traffic passing by very close and at highway speeds. The turbo was replaced under warranty. Failure 2 at ~25,000 miles in March 2015. Driving on local road, no shoulder, at 30-40 mph. Noticed intermittent whining noise and partial loss of power. Was able to drive home. Car was towed to dealership next day where they are currently replacing the turbo again.

- Cooksville, MD, USA

Was merging onto interstate when the car lost power, check engine light and flashing glow plug illuminated. Cleaned the mass air sensor and ran it for several days with no performance problems. Several days later, the car would not start and was towed to dealer, who diagnosed the problem as boost pressure sensor and turbo failure.

- Woodbine, MD, USA

Turbo failure. Whining sound coming from engine compartment. Louder as engine RPM's increase. This is the second failure of a turbo in this car. Fortunately, I caught it in time to not lose power. After tow in to dealership, they confirmed that it needs another replacement turbo to replace the first replacement turbo.

- Williamsburg, IA, USA

Car was set on cruise control and engine revved up, cruise control shut off and loss of power to the motor. Tried to reset cruise control to a lesser speed and would not set. Car felt like it would not shift gears (acted like it was a manual drive being wound to tight). Drove for several miles then the warning light came on (glowplug indicator). Parked in a safe location and stopped car. After about 10 minutes I restarted the car and no warning flashed so I began to drive car...would not accelerate. Warning light came back on. Had car towed to dealership got repaired (replaced turbo charger along with oil feed and return lines). Picked car up on 11/26/14 drove for less than 30 miles and got a engine oil light and warning message: Engine off manual. Had car towed to dealership. Dealership stated that they talked with manufacturer and they are going to give me a new turbocharger and new engine. The car is still in the shop and repairs have not been completed at the time of this writing.

- Surry, VA, USA

On 11/9/14 the turbo failed on my 2013 VW Passat with the tdi diesel engine. VW knows they are having a serious issue with their turbos on the tdi engine (europe currently has a class action law suit against them). In August I received a letter in the mail from VW extending my warranty on the turbo to 10 years/120000 miles. They are simply waiting for the turbos to fail rather than replacing them on all 2012 & 2013 Passats. This is a serious safety concern, when the turbo fails you loose all engine power (ie. GM ignition recall). This is an extremely dangerous position for VW to put its customers in who don't have the knowledge of what to do in a situation when you loose engine power at highway speeds. Mine did just that, it failed on the highway resulting in no power. I would like to see VW recall these turbos and replace them in all the affected cars before it causes a fatality.

- Bristol , RI, USA

Complete loss of engine power: Vehicle on three occasions has experienced complete loss of engine power when shifting from reverse to drive. Display depicts 'alternator malfunction' but dealership claims no fault code stored, therefore no repair can be made. I provided photos of the trouble lights and a video of other lights that come on after the power loss happens. Dealership verbally acknowledged something is wrong. Vehicle taken in twice for this issue, dealership unable to replicate problem. Dealership troubleshoots electrical system.technician verbally told me it could be a transmission problem w/ the internal clutch failing to release, stalling the vehicle.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

Turbo quit making a high pitch noise... blowing smoke.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Traveling on the highway at approximately 65 mph, the VW Passat tdi SE (the "vehicle") lost power, causing the glow plug warning light to illuminate. To prevent any additional damage, the vehicle entered into limp mode. While in limp mode, the automobile becomes unable to accelerate, forcing the driver to pull over and phone for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, at which time notification was given that the vehicle's turbo needed replacement and the repair would take approximately a week. During discussions with the service consultant, they stated that a service bulletin was issued recently by VW, on turbo failures and proper modifications of the installation to prevent future failure. Approximately 3-4 weeks after the initial failure, the vehicle experienced a second turbo failure. At which time, the turbo failed while crossing into traffic, jeopardizing lives of myself and my family. VW has once again replaced the turbo. I have lost confidence in the vehicle. There have been two other incidents of the vehicle losing power intermittently, but nothing sustained. If the turbo fails again, that would be a third occurrence. VW's response to the issue has been rather insignificant.

- Charlotte, VT, USA

Vehicle lost power while on the highway in busy traffic. Glow plug light began flashing (it's a tdi) and I heard a clicking noise. I pulled over and the vehicle was immediately engulfed in smoke. I waited on the shoulder over an hour for a tow with continued busy 60+ mph traffic. Vehicle was towed to the closest dealer. They've diagnosed it as a turbocharger failure. Clearly this shouldn't happen at only 15,000 miles but it appears to be common. Turbo and exhaust system are being replaced under warranty.

- Cooksville, MD, USA

This incident had to happen twice for the dealer to see the issue. Accelerating from stop at a light when I reached 3000 RPM the engine stalled and the car will not accelerate. I pulled to the side and turned the car off and turned it back on problem was gone. I took it to the dealer and they could not see any issue. Couple of weeks later same thing happened again but instead of turning the car off or even shifting out of D. I drove the car with that condition directly to the dealer and instructed one of the service technician to get in the car and take a ride with me. He saw the issue and this time believed me and they investigated further and found out that the knock sensors were malfunctioning. I have had nothing but problems with my car. My seat frame was fixed incorrectly twice. My navigation unit replaced twice and VW still ignoring the lag and freezing of the unit. Why pay 5000 more for a navigation and camera for them not to function right. A section of my muffler was malfunctioning as well. Another issue is the key fob. I found out it is effected very easily by interference and when your key fob is in the car it can say key fob not in close proximity. I am very disappointed by this vehicle, I thought VW had better quality standards.

- Dearborn, MI, USA

There was a whine by the turbo then black smoke. I called roadside assistance and they took the car to the dealer. The turbo went out and the engine blew. No warning lights. The car had oil. VW says pay 12K for a replacement engine and turbo. They will not cover under warranty because I missed the 10K service. We live in a remote area but I had added approved factory oil. I don't know what an oil change has to do with a turbo?

- Wellsville, UT, USA

Turbo failed for second time and after only 4,000 miles. Began as whining noise. Vehicle then showed check engine light and wouldn't accelerate above 1st gear.

- Richland, WA, USA

Turbo failed on vehicle. Began as whining noise. Vehicle then showed check engine light and wouldn't accelerate above 1st gear.

- Richland, WA, USA

Own a 2013 VW Passat sel tdi. Glow plug light came on, pulled over, called dealer, they in turn had me turn vehicle off and restart. Glow plug light on and check engine light started flashing. Drove to dealer less than 4 miles. Diagnostic at dealer "exhaust temp sensor" bad and they would have to order part. Was told these sensors are like "light bulbs", per dealer, and will go bad routinely. Pretty expensive light bulb if you ask me. I purchased a new vehicle for the sole purpose of being maintenance free, I travel extensively, this is ridiculous that a sensor should go bad with 51,000 mile on a new vehicle and if this part is a "light bulb" than VW should allow consumer to replace not charge them this ridiculous labor fee.

- Troup, TX, USA

Started hearing a whistling type of sound and noticing that the vehicle was not accelerating when I pushed on the pedal. As I tried to pull off the road the vehicle stalled and I could not get it started to get out of the road. Very scary. It finally started long enough to get to the side of the road and it stalled out again. There was smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle would not start again. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where I purchased it and have it serviced. The service department called to tell me it was the turbo and that the vehicle needed a new engine. I will be going to the dealership on Monday to pick up the vehicle but will have a list of questions on what exactly has been replaced and what type of warranty this new engine has.

- Wallace, NC, USA

Was driving 2013 Passat tdi sel just fine. Turned around in a parking lot and when I went to pull back into traffic, the car had no power. Stepping on the gas almost made the car stall, but it would idle fine. After trying everything and even shutting the car off and restarting, it did the same, would idle fine but you could not step on the fuel pedal, it would make the car stall out. Local mechanic drove to his nearby shop by just leaving it and drive and used idle power only to get it there (yes it took a while). There were no indicator lights on the dash so he hooked it up to his computer and it gave three errors for injector failures. Vehicle was towed by roadside assistance to dealer 100 miles away. The next day, I was told the turbo charger had failed and had to be replaced. Two weeks later, I was told they were still waiting for a gasket. Finally after almost 3 weeks to the day, they said my car was fixed. I am going to pick it up tomorrow but have very little faith in this car after reading the numerous threads out there about the turbo charger failure rate in this model vehicle. I think its time for a recall.

- Tupper Lake, NY, USA

1. there is a noticeable hesitation after a cold start (tdi, diesel engine) going from 2nd to 3rd gear. This has occurred everyday since purchased. 2. this car has always and still has a hard right pull since purchase (car will pull into adjacent lane within 200-250 feet). My previous 2012 Passat tdi sel steered staight. My car has been to the local dealership to fix this issue on four separate occasions, to no avail.

- Gonzales, LA, USA

While driving at 55mph, the vehicle lost power and the "glow plug" light on the dashboard illuminated. The vehicle nearly stalled on the expressway while in traffic, and then would not operate above 25-30 mph. I had the vehicle taken by flat bed tow truck to the VW dealer, where it was diagnosed as "turbine shaft seized" and repaired under warranty. Review of public data reveals this to be a common occurrence with the Passat equipped with the diesel engine.

- Coram, NY, USA