2006 Volkswagen Passat Suspension Problems

MY 2006 PASSAT 3.6 HAS LOUD NOISE COMING FROM RIGHT FRONT CORNER.. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES NOW.. SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS HITTING FIREWALL.. NOTICED PROBLEM WHEN GIVING CAR GAS YOU CAN HEAR LOUD CLUNKING NOISE.. DOESN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME BUT SOUNDS BAD.. DOESN'T SOUND SAFE AT ALL. *JB

WHEN DRIVING MY NEW 06 PASSAT 2.0T AT 35 MPH+, W/ PASSENGERS (AVG. WEIGHTS - APPROX 140 EA.) THE CAR BOTTOMS OUT, RUBBING THE ROAD SURFACE, OVER EVEN MODERATE BUMPS & 'SWOOPING' HUMPS IN THE ROAD. IT OCCURS W/ MORE SEVERITY WHEN ENCOUNTERING BUMPS DURING CORNERING. IT STARTED WITHOUT WARNING, AND WAS 'MODERATE' AT FIRST, THEN BEGAN TO GET WORSE AS TIME WENT ON. I CAN ALSO HEAR A 'CLICKING' SOUND WHEN THE DRIVER WINDOW IS DOWN, & GOING OVER EVEN SMALL, SLOW SPEED BUMPS (<5MPH) AFTER SEVERAL OF INCIDENCES I TOOK IT THE LOCAL VW DEALER IN VANCOUVER, WA,. AFTER 3+ VISITS, NO SOLUTION. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS FINE, THEY COULDN'T REPRODUCE EITHER THE CLICKING OR BOTTOMING OUT. I CONTACTED VW USA & FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THAT DICK HANNAH DEALERSHIP. I WAS QUICKLY CONTACTED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO OFFERED TO TAKE A RIDE W/ ME, DURING WHICH WE EASILY REPRODUCED BOTH CONCERNS, AT SLOW SPEEDS, WITHIN MINUTES OF LEAVING THERE LOT - SHE WAS SHOCKED, & SAID SHE'D LOOK INTO IT - WHICH SHE DID. THE SOLUTION? "THE FACTORY INSTALLED FRONT MUD FLAPS WERE 'TOO LONG' & DRAGGIED WHEN ENCOUNTERING BUMPS" ! NEEDLESS TO SAY, & EVEN W/O BEING A 'MECHANIC', THIS ANSWER WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE REASON FOR A SUSPENSION THAT 'CLICKS' LOUDLY OVER BUMPS & BOTTOMS OUT DURING NORMAL DRIVING. I ACCEPTED THIS ANSWER W/ THE IDEA I'D DO SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH. THE CAR CONTINUES TO BOTTOM OUT, IS GETTING WORSE & IRONICALLY ONLY HAPPENS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE - REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I AM DRIVING (AT 180LBS) OR MY FIANCE' IS DRIVING (AT 115LBS) NOW EVEN W/O PASSENGERS! THERE'S DEFINITELY AN ISSUE W/ AT LEAST THE FRONT STRUT UNIT - WHICH WOULD ALSO EXPLAIN THE CLICKING COMING FROM THAT UNIT. ALTHOUGH I HAVE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, THEY STAND BY THERE DIAGNOSIS - THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN BOTH THERE SERVICE AND LEVEL OF EXPERTISE/KNOWLEDGE - EVERY SUSPENSION MECHANIC I HAVE SPOKEN WITH SAYS THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE A FAULTY OR LEAKING STRUT UNIT - AN EASY FIX. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS OF 0-5MPH THE ENGINE JUMPS TO RPM'S OF 900 TO 1000 RPM'S CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE FORWARD. THIS OCCURS MORE OFTEN WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A WHILE AND THE ENGINE IS HOT. THE RPM'S GO DOWN ONLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND THE MOTOR IS REVVED UP, OR WHEN THE VEHICLE SHIFTS INTO SECOND GEAR. THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGHLY AND HESITATES. WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, THERE IS LAG BETWEEN WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED AND THE WHEN THE ENGINE KICKS INTO GEAR. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD. THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WHILE PARKED, AT LOW SPEEDS, OR TURNING THE VEHICLE RIGHT OR LEFT, THERE IS A GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE RIGHT SUSPENSION AREA. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER STRUT BEARING WHICH SEEMED TO HELP FOR A WHILE, BUT NOW THE GRINDING SOUND IS BACK. THE GRINDING SOUND IS NOW COMING FROM THE LEFT SUSPENSION AREA. *AK

ON 7/13/06 I PURCHASED A NEW 2006 VW PASSAT FROM BERT SMITH VW IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. I TOOK DELIVERY AT 5PM ON FRIDAY 7/14/2006. I HAVE 4 MAJOR PROBLEMS. BERT SMITH VW SERVICE PERSON (NOEL APONTE AND HIS SERVICE MANAGER MICHAEL) AND THEY SAY THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE BELOW ISSUES. FIRST ISSUE: I HAVE EXTREME IDLE SHAKING OF THE ENGINE. THIS IS CONSTANT - MEANING YOU WOULD HAVE TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION TO STOP IT. I CAN SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND STILL FEEL THE SHAKING. I CAN PUT THE GEAR IN PARK OR IN DRIVE AND IT IS STILL SHAKING. SOMETIMES THE SHAKING IS MILD (LIKE THE SHAKING WHILE BRAKING) OTHER TIMES IT IS SEVERE...SO SEVERE YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE CAR SHAKE. SECOND MAJOR ISSUE: I DRIVE MY CAR OF A PARKED POSITION (OR AFTER COMING TO A ROLLING STOP AT A LIGHT) AND THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS TRYING TO PULL OR LUNGE FORWARD WHILE MY FOOT WAS PREVIOUSLY ON THE BRAKE. AT THIS TIME I HAVE TO PUT EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES TO KEEP IT FROM MOVING FORWARD. THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN AND I AM OFF. I COME TO ANOTHER LIGHT, THE SAME THING HAPPENS. REGARDING THESE 2 ISSUES, HERE IS A THREADED DISCUSSION ON THE WEBSITE VWVORTEX.COM. HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=2619540 ALL OF THESE OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL FEEL VW IS GIVING THEM THE RUN AROUND. I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS. IS THERE A TSB ON THIS PROBLEM? THESE ISSUES ARE ON-GOING THE MOMENT I LEFT THE BERT SMITH DEALERSHIP ON FRIDAY 7/14/06. THIRD ISSUE: THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SEVERE THROTTLE LAG WHILE DRIVING AND AT A STAND STILL. I AM AT A LIGHT, I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AND THERE'S SIGNIFICANT LAG TIME BETWEEN THE TIME THE CAR BEGINS TO ROLL. FOURTH ISSUE: THE FRONT END SQUEAKING REALLY BAD. IT BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND BERT SMITH REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE STRUT BEARING ON THURSDAY 7/21. IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN. THE 2ND FRONT BEARING HAS TO BE REPLACED, AND MAYBE THE ONE THAT WAS ALREADY REPLACED HAS TO BE FIXED AGAIN. *NM

2006 VW PASSAT 3.6 TWO WEEKS AGO A NOISE APPEARED QUITE SUDDENLY. ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME HAD A BAD MUFFLER. NOISE COMING FROM FRONT, RIGHT OF CAR. ALMOST SOUNDED LIKE A BASEBALL CARD IN YOUR BIKE SPOKES BUT LOUDER AND DEEPER. STARTS AT AROUND 50 MPH. TONE AND SPEED OF SOUND DECREASES AS SPEED OF CAR DECREASES BUT OTHERWISE STAYS CONSTANT. DISAPPEARS WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF GAS. TOOK IT TO CARTER VW. THEY HEARD SOUND. TOLD ME THAT AIR PRESSURE IN FRONT, RIGHT TIRE WAS AT MAX AND SO THEY LET SOME AIR OUT AND THAT "FIXED" THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. SINCE I HAD NOT HAD THE TIRE PRESSURE CHANGED SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN NOV - I FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WOULD FIX THAT PROBLEM AND TOLD THEM THAT. WILL TAKE IT TO CHAPLINS VW, WHICH IS MUCH CLOSER TO HOME. *JB