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A VW class action lawsuit claims that some vehicles made by the company are equipped with defective sunroofs that leak in rainy weather conditions.
According to a VW owner, the defective sunroofs are present in certain Audi, Arteon, Atlas/Teramont, Golf, Jetta, Passat, Polo, Tiguan, and Touran vehicles, in model years 2016 to the present.
The VW class action lawsuit was filed by Krzysztof Ziarno who says he purchased a 2016 VW Golf equipped with a movable, panoramic sunroof in August 2016.
Ziarno claims that he expected his vehicle to be free of defects, as any reasonable consumer would. However, the plaintiff says that he has experienced several sunroof leaks that damaged his vehicle and that he was not informed of the sunroof defect.
The plaintiff states that he experienced the first sunroof leak in mid-October 2019 while it was raining. Allegedly, the doors, windows, and sunroof had been closed, but he found a significant amount of water on the floor of his car.
He claims that the problem occurred multiple times and, in a few instances, water seeped into the car while he was driving in the rain.
The VW class action lawsuit says that, in December 2019, Ziarno made an appointment with the VW dealer from whom he purchased the vehicle. He allegedly wished to have the vehicle’s leaky sunroof repaired, but could not get an appointment for multiple weeks.
In the interim, Ziarno says that so much water had accumulated on the right side of the vehicle that a passenger was unable to ride in the car.
After he was able to get in for repairs, the dealer reportedly told Ziarno that the leaking and flooding was caused by a clogged drain in the sunroof. Allegedly, his vehicle was kept by the dealer for several days but the dealer refused to provide a rented vehicle to Ziarno to use while his car was unavailable.
According to the VW lawsuit, the dealer unclogged the clogged drain and replaced the sunroof’s headliner, but this did not fix the problem.
Ziarno states that his sunroof continued to leak, causing mold to accumulate in the vehicle and discoloring the upholstery.
The plaintiff says he took the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer once again kept the vehicle for several day, but did not give Ziarno a rental car to use.
The dealer reportedly replaced the upholstery and claimed that the problem was fixed. However, Ziarno says that this was not the case, as the dealer did not replace the headliner the second time and water continues to enter the vehicle.
Ziarno claims that the leaky sunroof is a problem that plagues many Volkswagen vehicles and is the result of flaws in “design, manufacturing, and/or workmanship.” He stresses that the problem is a serious one, because it can can cause damage to the vehicle’s interior, electrical systems, roof headliners, and more.
The plaintiff notes that the problem is distracting and annoying to drivers and can cause mold to build up. If the water effects the electrical elements in a car, it can allegedly cause the vehicle to malfunction in a range of ways that can possibly endanger the driver, passengers, and other people on the road.
The VW class action lawsuit says that Ziarno and other customers were financially injured by the defect because, had they known that the defect was present, they would not have purchased the vehicle or would not have paid as much as they did for it.
Ziarno argues that Volkswagen is aware of the problem but falsely advertised the Class vehicles as free of defects. To support his claim that the company was aware of the problem, he points to numerous customer complaints about the problem as well as to instructions for dealers on how to deal with the problem.
Allegedly, Volkswagen told dealers not to notify customers of the defect. To make matters worse, the company has reportedly provided insufficient remedies to the problem.
Ziarno notes that eventually, the company did offer to provide inspection and cleaning of the valves on the Class vehicle sunroofs, but Ziarno states that this is an insufficient remedy.
According to the VW class action, the company expanded its warranty in an attempt to re-establish trust with customers. These changes reportedly came after the company’s reputation took a hit after the “Dieselgate” scandal, in which VW was accused of defrauding emissions regulators to make their diesel vehicles appear more fuel efficient than they were.
The VW class action suit argues the revamped warranty covered “any repair to correct a defect in the manufacturer’s material or workmanship” for six years or 72,000 miles. He says that this warranty is longer than any other warranty offered by another car maker.
However, despite the warranty’s generous terms, Ziarno asserts that the company does not fully honor the coverage and fails to cover issues associated with a sunroof deject. This allegedly requires customers to incur the costs of the sunroof leak defect repairs, which can be expensive.
Have you purchased a Volkswagen vehicle? Share your experiences with the car company in the comments below.
Ziarno is represented by Russell D. Paul, Jeffrey L. Osterwise, Amey J. Park, and Abigail J. Gertner of Berger Montague PC; Mitchell M. Breit, Jason ‘Jay’ Barnes, and Brittany A. Boswell of Simmons Hanly Conroy; Gregory F. Coleman, Mark E. Silvey, and Arthur Stock of Greg Coleman Law PC; and Mark P. Bryand and Emily Ward Roark of Bryant Law Center PSC.
The Sunroof Leak VW Class Action Lawsuit is Ziarno v. Volkswagen Group of America Inc., et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-03833, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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45 thoughts onVW Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Leaky Sunroofs
How do I get added to the lawsuit?
Leaking panoramic roof caused electrical short on 2018 Audi Q5. They refuse to fix under warranty.
I also have a 2018 Audi Q5, which is currently at dealership getting panoramic sunroof water channels replaced. There was substantial water accumulation in the spare tire area. We have to pay out of pocket for this repair And now I am dreading any other complications due to water intrusion. Can I jump on this lawsuit as well??
I have a 2016 Golf SE that had a sunroof leak within the first year of purchase. They repaired it but it has been leaking again. When I took it in they said they would not honor the repair because I had not been using them (the dealer I purchased it from) for servicing the car.
Same issue with 2002 Volkswagen Golf. Always a puddle of water in the back after rain without an explanation.
Add me
Can you tell me if there is a similar lawsuit in Canada. I have a 2015 tiguan Red Line. Roof is leaking.
I have the same question? 2019 Alltrack leaking
Same question, 2018 Tiguan.
My 2013 Tiguan leaked from the sunroof and both rear doors, from the window controls causing extensive water damage including mold in the under pad and carpets which have to be replaced in the entire vehicle. My car’s electrical is basically destroyed. At least $5000 in damage so far and this doesn’t include damage behind the dash, such as the airbags. I was also looking to file a class action lawsuit. Count me in if something is happening. VW should not be able to get away with this. They completely brushed me off when I contacted Customer Care. Consumers need to be protected. I am in Ontario, Canada.
I am having the same nightmare with my Alltrack. Is there a class action lawsuit in Canada?
I literally just got off the telephone from VW Canada. I have a 2017 Golf Sportwagen with 50k km’s which started leaking enough for me to notice it in Nov 2021. VW has had my vehicle for a month already and have told me that my extended insurance will not cover leaks so the onus is on VW Canada. Not surprisingly, they have denied to cover any of the cost. My entire car is leaking. The sunroof, the back doors, the grommet on the back windshield wiper! I found the entire spare tire well full of water. I would like to start a class action suit in Canada. They should be held responsible for selling cars that they know leak. Please reach out to me if you are experiencing these same issues and are not satisfied.
Same, I have a leaking dome light Q3 2020.
please add me
I own a 2019 Tiguan SEL Premium and this last summer water started leaking inside the vehicle. I had to bring the vehicle to the dealer 3 times. I had issues with mold and condensation on the inside of the front glass.
I have “09” Tiguan that sunroof leaks, engine blew up because water pump did not cool engine . I am not ever honna buy a vw ever again . I had to pay almost $6000 to get new engine and I am just disgusted with customer service and now after I had to jump there hoops to send water pump settlement my hard copies and threw e-mail niw they want me to send more? Do vw atterny keep the $ wtf I hate my tiuan siitting in my yard as a yard decoration.
Hi barbara, im sorry to hear about what happened to your engine. Considering it was a ’09 i believe that you most likely did not regularly maintain your car. The water pump is usually replaced twice by the time it reaches 120-150,000 miles. Additionally, the car gradually over heats with time and the first thing you should do is check the coolant levels. If the fluids are filled you should have it towed (not drive) to your trusted mechanic so they can inspect the water pump lines. I do not see how the water pump has anything to do with the sunroof. This lawsuit is about vw hiding information about the sunroof. The water pump maintenance requirements are outlined in the drivers manual. I highly recommend you find a vw specialist before buying another one since not everyone is equipped to maintain one. The sunroof is a separate issue that does not have a solution. Were as the water pump issue is avoidable.
Water drops coming into the cabin from my 2017 Jetta. A mechanic looked at it and found the tubes that are supposed to drain the sunroof were never installed. When I contacted WV they said the warranty was expired and all expenses of remedy would be mine.