2008 Volkswagen: Persisiting Steering Issue; Temporary Loss of Control at Speed

[mr_reznik]

Close. There is no 'diagnosys' per se. They indy mechanic did not disassemble anything; he just confirmed the existence of the problem, which VW denies.

I don't think $2000 would be on top of legal expenses. Those would have to be covered somehow, you are correct.

I just don't understand how the arbitrator could come to such decision. He claimed in it that VW 'adressed the issue every time'...what? They could not even diagnose the issue and they never properly fixed it! That is ridicilous!

 

[Dave1952]

Sorry but I'm confused. You had 2 problems: a knocking noise and a loss of steering. Which did the indy mechanic confirm?
And I'm still confused about the arbitration, too. Since you did not have an idea about how much it would cost to fix your car what did you hope to accomplish?
I'm very sympathetic and hope you can get this fixed.

Good luck

 

[mr_reznik]

I'm convinced those 2 issues are in fact one. However noone can properly diagnose it. Not the dealer, not the indi mechanic.

Mechanic did confirm the noise and he observed some ''pulling'' too as the car was turning. Scared the crap out of him...

What I am trying to accomplish is to have VW buy the car back from me, since in its current condition it represents no value whatsoever, is dangerous to drive and simply can not be considered a means of transportation anymore.

 

[justalayman]

so, what kind of vdub do ya have? I see Jetta's were recalled for a knocking noise in the driveline.

2007 Volkswagen Jetta Recalls, Defects, Recall Reports & Problems at InternetAutoGuide.com

Now, having worked as a mechanic for many years, I can come up with a scenario where a drive axle coming loose could cause steering problems as well. They would not be consistent but rather intermittent. It would be unlikely it wouldn't be found upon a simple inspection but still...

 

[mr_reznik]

Update:

My lawyer called me today and said that VW raised their settlement offer to $3000, plus all legal expenses. I told my lawyer to stand firm at $9000. Otherwise it makes no sense for me: I can not rid of the car and I can't really drive it...I need enough money to pay it off, at least!

justalayman,

I have a 2008 VW GTi (the same chassis as the Jetta you posted about).

I first experienced knocking coming from the steering 2yrs ago. It would have to have been something other than a loose axle to cause my near-miss. I mean, I could not have driven with a broken half axle for 2 full years...could I?

 

[justalayman]

I first experienced knocking coming from the steering 2yrs ago. It would have to have been something other than a loose axle to cause my near-miss. I mean, I could not have driven with a broken half axle for 2 full years...could I?

I'm not saying that is it but if the axle came loose from some flange, it might have allowed the axle to move off center of the flange and cause a misalignment between the axle, suspension control arms, and steering linkage causing there to be a bind and not allow the steering to become ineffective. (they all have to pivot in the designed plane or they can interfere with each others movement. That is a bit of a stretch but not impossible.

but that appears to be a moot point. The only actual recall I could find for a 2008 involved something with the headlights.

there was apparently a technical service bulletin (TSB) from VW for a steering box problem. The explanation doesn't make any sense to me though. It sounds like they are describing a transmission problem.

http://www.aboutautomobile.com/TSB/2008/Volkswagen/GTI/Steering+Gear+Box