Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Volkswagen CC owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Fuel pump module and Takata inflators while driving on the freeway on the way to work my car ended up losing power and completely shutting down while in motion. The sudden loss of power shut off all of my lights inside and out. As soon as this happens I begin to press on my brakes only to notice that my brakes felt like they were lacking pressure. The lack of pressure on the rotars made it very difficult to slow down and with there being no power also made it difficult to turn the wheel. I merged over toward the shoulder and ending up hitting some type of water run off dip that caused my car to bounce up and blow out my right front tire. The blowout was what helped me slow my car down and bring it to a stop. That caused damage to the body of my car. After stopping I tried checking if the car would turn on and it had no response. I then had it towed away. …
Fuel pump control module replaced and relocated on July 18th, 2018. However, on August 3rd, 2018, while driving alone in the #4 lane of the freeway, my car suddenly stopped. No warning. No chugging. The engine just stopped. Fortunately, there was enough traffic for the vehicles behind me to slow down to avoid me. I immediately turned my hazard lights on while desperately trying to get the car to turn back on. Thankfully it did within a minute or two giving me just enough time to cut across the highway to pull off to the side of the road. I immediately called the service department at my local dealership to inform them of what happened and they were perplexed and told me to take it to the nearest vw dealership if the engine light wasn't flashing, which at the time it wasn't. That dealership turned me away and told me I should be able to make it to my regular dealership. …
I have a 2010 Volkswagen CC sport with a little more than 91872 miles on it. I was accelerating on the highway and my vehicle began to sputter. The epc light and the check engine warning light came one. My vehicle has had sluggish acceleration since then. I have noticed that this problem has occurred with several Volkswagen owners. There seems to be several different options when it comes to repairing this problem. The only thing that seems to be common is that it occurred when accelerating. The other thing that I have noticed is that this problem is not specific to one vehicle in the Volkswagen line up. This is definitely a manufacturers safety defect in their system that needs to be corrected before it causes an accident. I am aware of NHTSA recall number17v509 (manufacturer recall number20ae). …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen CC. The contact indicated that the water was leaking through the vents and the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer and it was diagnosed that the cowl area system malfunctioned and water leaked into the interior of the vehicle instead of draining out. The dealer replaced the right side of the cowl area system. The contact stated that the failure caused internal damage to the vehicle and electrical shorts. The vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer who replaced the carpet. Also, the contact indicated that the service engine sensor illuminated several times and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while traveling approximately 40 MPH, down a hill. The contact indicated that due to the sudden loss of power, the contact crashed into a dirt part of the road. …
Vehicle was serviced at 180K by vw dealership; a premium service was selected; engine light came on as I was taking it in; the vehicle previously did turn off while on the highway on its own which then needed to be restarted. The car jerked as if my spark plugs were having issues. Have had to change spark plugs frequently compared to normal wear and tear. I was told it was the air/cam sensor (as a recommendation from the dealership) the car had been running sluggish but normal prior to it getting serviced. The car was ready for pick up and engine light was cleared. Car was driven about 35mi from dealership to place of residence. Car performed normal. Next day went to turn on the vehicle and it would not start. It did start long enough that I could use my own code reader the vehicle had 15 errors according to the reader. …
While driving on interstate at speed at 65-70 MPH with a tractor trailer in my rear and other automobiles to my right and left, the car stopped running and the engine service light illuminated. I was able to avoid a collision and drifted to the right of interatate 75. I called the dealer who sold me the car, o'steen vw of jacksonville, fl and spoke with my regulate service technician who advised me that my car had jumped time and for me to have it towed to the dealership. My insurance would only tow to nearest repair facility which would have been tifton, ga so my husband towed to our home in blackshear, ga. I could have been killed as well as others. There was no warning. The vehicle www confirmed to have timing chain failure that resulted in destruction of all cylinders and complete engine failure. …
After getting to the 100,000 mile marker. My car begin to have a rough idle from the engine bay that could also be felt from within the car. I then took my car to the dealership in which they said it was misfiring and needed new spark plugs and coils. After paying for that I pick my car up from the dealership only to find out the engine light came back on once getting home. A couple weeks after that my engine started misfiring yet again we're even a worse engine rock. Finally got it into the dealership and they told me it's a bad tensioner chain and also that my engine has been affected by that. I would think they would have known the issue was that instead of the spark plugs and coil packs. Now my engine is a goner and I'm left with a car payment with no vehicle due to the faulty chain tensioner. …
When turning corners, check engine light would flash on and engine would sometimes misfire. I took it in to the vw dealership to look at it for the second time. They performed diagnostics and then went to pull the vehicle out of shop and it would not start. They determined the timing chain slipped. Thankful that this did not happen while driving as it would have been very dangerous. The dealership must dismantle the engine to determine root cause and price for proper repairs, which they are estimating as $2,000 to $5,000 - which is more than the car is worth. We took great care of this car including servicing as recommended. It had 150K miles, but we should have been able to drive this car for many more miles. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen CC. While driving, the check engine indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to clay cooley Volkswagen richardson (300 n central expy, richardson, tx 75080, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the tensioner chain fractured and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed because the tensioner chain fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen CC. While the contact's son was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unsure if any warning indicators were illuminated. The contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. The contact called tracy Volkswagen (686 iyannough rd, hyannis, ma 0260[phone]) and an appointment was scheduled. The contact mentioned that the battery was replaced at least twice prior to this failure. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact to schedule a diagnostic test with a Volkswagen dealer, pay for the repairs, and seek reimbursement if the failure was related to the recall. The contact stated that she received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 17V509000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Engine complaints in other CC years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Volkswagen CC?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Volkswagen CC, 20% of the model year's 242 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Volkswagen CC engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 Volkswagen CC, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Volkswagen CC engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.