Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Date of Transaction:February 20, 2025 Amount Paid:~3500 now What the Business Committed to Provide:Heritage Volkswagen Catonsville sold me a Certified Pre-Owned 2020 Volkswagen GTI, which under the Volkswagen CPO program is supposed to meet strict mechanical and cosmetic standards, including passing a 100+ point inspection and being free of major defects or unrepaired damage.Nature of the Dispute:The vehicle was sold with significant mechanical failures and cosmetic issues that clearly should have disqualified it from Certified Pre-Owned status. Within the first couple weeks of ownership, the car suffered a failed oil separator, N80 valve, low oil pressure switch, and leaking timing cover gasket confirmed and documented by another ** dealership, which stated the car should not have been certified.Additionally, the vehicle had heavy curb rash on all wheels, a dented wheel, scratches, loose trim, and a prior incident reported on the Carfax involving possible front end damage. A front air dam was poorly zip-tied instead of properly repaired. Despite multiple service visits and requests, the selling dealership has not completed all necessary repairs, has failed to communicate effectively, and has ignored voicemails.Has the Business Tried to Resolve the Problem?Only partially. Some cosmetic repairs were made, but key mechanical and safety-related issues remain unresolved. A diagnostic scan I performed myself showed multiple unresolved fault codes. The dealership continues to delay responses, and the service advisor has admitted to assigning incomplete or improper fixes. It's now been over three weeks since Ive heard from anyone, despite repeated follow ups.Advertising Dispute?No specific ad involved misrepresentation occurred at the point of sale through verbal statements. Salesperson ****** ***** stated all flaws were accounted for in the price, which misled me into believing the condition was acceptable under CPO standards.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to formally file a complaint against Heritage Volkswagen Catonsville regarding a recent service experience involving my vehicle, which is still under warranty and has not yet reached 30,000 miles.
  
  I first noticed an unusual creaking noise coming from my car’s suspension and promptly contacted the Heritage Volkswagen dealership, from whom I purchased the vehicle. Since the car is under warranty, I expected a straightforward resolution. The dealership provided me with two options: either drop the car off for a day or wait at the dealership while they fixed the issue. I opted to leave the car at the dealership for repairs.
  
  The following day, I contacted the dealership for an update, expecting to retrieve my vehicle. However, I was informed that the technician was unavailable. Understanding the delay, I waited an additional two days, only to be told that the car still had not been repaired. I then requested a loaner vehicle, which was denied.
  
  Over the next several days, I continued to follow up, but the dealership repeatedly failed to provide any updates on the status of my vehicle. On the seventh day, they finally informed me that they had started working on my car and expected to have it repaired by the following day. However, when I called again at the designated time, I was told that the issue had still not been resolved, and once again, they did not offer a loaner vehicle for my use in the meantime.
  
  The next evening, I received a call stating that my car was finally fixed. Upon arriving at the dealership to pick up my vehicle, I discovered that the problem had not been resolved. Given the circumstances, I refused to accept the car in its current condition, fearing that unresolved issues could lead to further damage, which might later be attributed to me and not covered under the warranty.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The AC has not worked on a brand new card my family purchased from this dealership in 2021, for three years they have made us go into the service center time and again to “fix” the issue to not have it be fixed or be told there is nothing wrong, never offering a loaner vehicle or reaching out to make things easier to schedule the service appointments

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/04/2024

  Here are the two warranties I have, We have sent this car into this dealership multiple times over the past three years and the AC still does not work, at times we have been told there is nothing wrong with it, or it has been fixed, this last time they are saying it is for a part they just got in but refuse to give a lender car or any accommodations which I find ridiculous because they will not tell us how long they need to keep the car and they have already put us through this serval times before only for us to get the car back and to have the same issue again, they have not been helpful in anyway all the work to try and get this issue fixed has been placed on us and its become a full time job trying to get the AC to work on a brand new car 

  Business Response

  Date: 06/11/2024

  A condenser was ordered and has been on backorder.  It has since been received by the store and it is my understanding that the customer came in on 6-6-24 for the repairs and has been provided with a rental vehicle during said repairs. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/11/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium.Second time in the past 3 years, I have encountered sunroof leak in the car that lead to the mold build up. The first time vehicle was serviced at *********************** location 3 years ago. They had my car for 4 month. I had a loaner car at that time. This time same problem occurred leak happened again, reason is spyder drain got clogged same as the first time. This time they have cut out the spyder drain assembly line, to prevent the problem. I have being going back and force with car, they have changed the floor padding & carpet, and ordered the wrong carpet without the clips for floor mats. They have ordered the clips and I had to leave the car 3 times at the dealership. They have told me that they have 3 months wait line on the loaner car and shuttle is not driving further than 10 miles from the dealer twice. They have changed the parts, but the strong smell is still present at the time of the car pick up. I had to insist for the to get rid of the smell, they did Ozon Threatment and told me it will take 2-3 days for the odor to go away. Two weeks went by its still have the odor of ozon threatment, even I have been ventilating the car 4-6 hours per day for 2 week & washed the interior multipletime. Third time I had to return for 2 problem: After the carpet & padding magically my horn stopped working. They had my car for 3 days, They did shuttle me home this time, because I was waiting at the dealership. I have also reminded them about smell, I asked to detail the interior of the car, because my 4 years old is riding in this car with my spouse, They replied Volkswagen is not going to cover that. Im going to pick up the car tomorrow and check how they repaired it. Please help me!

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2024

  On or about March *******, the customer came to ********************** Catonsville stating that there was a water leak. After inspection of the vehicle by the service technician, it was determined that the water leak was due to all drains being clogged.  Heritage snaked the drains which allowed water to flow freely down all of the drains. Additionally, the interior carpet, pads and liner were removed and replaced under warranty, with no charge to the customer.  On or about April 1, 2024, the customer brought their vehicle in for a mildew smell.  Accordingly, an Ozone generator was used to help eliminate any odor in the interior of the vehicle.  This was completed under warranty, at no charge to the customer.  On or about April 9, 2024, the customer advised that the vehicles horn was inoperable.Both high and low tone horns were replaced after the technician found that a fuse had blown. This service was also completed under warranty, with no charge to the customer.  The dealership has also detailed the interior of the vehicle, at no cost to the customer. The customer has picked up the vehicle this morning. Heritage has advised the customer that they next step would be to open a techline case with the manufacturer.    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a brand new car from this dealership in July of 2023. I took my brand new car to them for its first service/oil change/tire rotation on February 1, 2024. Their technician crashed my car into a pole and admitted fault. This car has 6,000 miles on it and is now damaged because of the negligence of the dealership. The dealership tried to "internal" the damage so that it would not show up on a carfax and only went through their insurance after I told them that made me feel uncomfortable and that I would prefer insurance to be involved so that I can guarantee that the work is done correctly. They will be repairing it but keep telling me that there will not be any depreciation (when literally every car website says that there will be depreciation for an accident) and that my car will "look as good as new." When I told them that there will be depreciation and that I want an undamaged car, they offered to buy back my damaged car and sell me a new car, but at a $10,000 cost to me. I should not be upside down on a brand new car loan for damage that the dealership caused! I would like for them to make this right by replacing the car that they damaged with an undamaged car at an even exchange. I brought them an undamaged car in excellent condition for service, and I expected to leave the dealership with an undamaged car. Instead, they still have my car and are not addressing the depreciation issue that they caused by damaging my vehicle.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a used card, 2019 VW Golf, it had ***** miles and I purchased it certified and the extra dealership warrantee with it. The next day I was told to bring it in for detailing as they hadnt done that yet. I was there for over 4.5 hours and all I received was a vacuum and window wipe. They parked it in a lot for over 2 hours at first. The *** thought it was being sent out. Then it took another 2.5 for the minimum. The car had shaking and brake noises not too mention it was just filthy. I tried to return the car that Monday and was told I could not. They did take my car in and fixed the shaking, some wires that were sticking out as panels were off in the cars interior. They painted the rear bumper and replaced a sensor (air bag). 4 weeks later, the air bag sensor went on again. Then I had the car in for an oil change and recall for computer work. They then told me my breaks were so rusted I had "hot spots" from breaking too hard. Not true, they were completely rusted through. Since it had been several months since I had the car and they stated there was no mention before of my brakes (which I complained about many times) I had to replace them for 800$. Now 800 miles (4 months) after the oil change, I was driving to take my daughter to her practice and the car went dark and it said to check my starter system. The car completely shut down except the engine. I drove it home and let it sit. I cannot turn it back on now. I called the service **** and was basically told I have to get it there as they wont get it. Now I am paying for a tow. The service has been so slow and dismal. Like this is my fault. I just keep hearing "its a used car" from them. And act like it my fault for buying used. I bought it "good as new", certified and paid for the extra warranty. Now I am without a car for however long it will take them this time. They sold a car to me that was far from certified. If this just happened within the 30 days I couldve gotten the lemon law. Thats how bad it is.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  The dealership worked directly with the customer and was able to trade them out of the vehicle on 6/5/23 (a few days after this complaint was submitted by the customer). It is my understanding this complaint should be closed as resolved. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Sometime in August of 2022 I took my 2002 Volkswagen Passat W8 to a dealership named Heritage Volkswagen Catonsville, my car was having trouble overheating, probably jumped timing and the brakes didn’t really work all too well. Due to their analysis, they recommended a new used engine. That engine was about $3,000 and I had to put a deposit on it, so I did just that and paid $3,000 in cash which is on the receipt. After waiting for one week it finally came in (engine). They called me to give me confirmation that it was there but with that came buying parts. The total price for the job was $10,000 roughly with buying the parts they said was “unavailable” that was online and found via part number on EBay. They gave me a list of part numbers to buy the parts which compiled of hoses, clamps, and transmission lines. These parts weren’t cheap either. Each transmission hose averaged $200-$300. After buying those and getting all of the right parts, they said they’d have the car ready before the end of January in 2023. Days after that in February on the 8th, I pick the car up because it’s “finished”. The car was dirty, but running fine, I payed the remaining balance of $5,000 on the bill all for the car to start overheating on the highway and shutting down on an exit trying to take the car back. It misfired worse than before they touched it. Before the whole thing, I told them I wanted the car to be like new but this wasn’t a good representation of that. After telling them what happened, I was told “we’ll check it out” as if it was a small kink they could work out and not a problem whatsoever as if that wasn’t another engine they sourced and put in. It felt like the engine locked up. I told them I wanted my money back but I got no response. I still haven’t gotten a response on the car and it’s February 11th, 2023. I want all of my money back, the car fixed right and compensation for the rentals I paid for months waiting on this car to be done. I paid well over $5,000.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Car stopped working, its only 12mos old & is under 80k miles but has been giving me trouble since I first bought it. Every time I have taken the car to Volkswagen with complaints, they'd say "oh its nothing" or theyll make it seem as if the issue is my fault. Now the car does not turn on. I called a family member with mechanic experience to give me a hotshot. He jumpstarted my car and he told me to turn it off and restart it to test drive it down the street to be sure that I'd be able to drive home after work. I attempted to do so, but the car would not start. Our theory was that once I get the hotshot, the car can't be turned off. He agreed to come give me another at the end of my shift so I could drive home. The hotshot, worked but I could not turn my steering wheel. I had to have the car towed to my door since Volkswagen was closed. Monday I talked to a Mgr named Gabriel. I told him that my car only turns on when jumpstarted and that it is not drivable, as the steering wheel is locked & that I would like a new car. I don't want a car that has stopped working only after 12mos & a car that has been giving me issues since I bought it. I got another truck to tow the car to VW. VW tried to blame me for this too, a nonworking car. Gabriel called & said my car stopped working because a hotshot blew a fuse. That makes no sense, the tow truck drivers that jumpstarted by car did it just fine. Let's say a hotshot did blow a fuse, Gabriel is ignoring the issue that caused me to need a hotshot in the first place. My-car-stopped-working. VW's negligence has costed me $722 in tow truck & rental fees, not including the $490 car payment for a car I no longer have. Im trying not to imagine that I was given a lemon because of my race & gender but its hard to believe otherwise. Gabriel has been careless about the situation. He tried to talk me into a trade. I dont want a trade, that will only give me a loan on top of the 5yr loan I already have for the car, putting me in more debt.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/09/21) */
  I have been asked to review the complaint and respond accordingly. On 8-4-21, Ms. ***** purchased the vehicle from Heritage Volkswagen Catonsville. Since that time, she has been to Heritage four (4) times for service. The service records indicate only routine maintenance and inspections were performed on 9-16-21, 2-23-22 and 4-16-22 and there have been no major issues with the vehicle.
  On 8-29-22, Ms. ***** brought her vehicle to Heritage because the vehicle would not start without a jump. Upon examination of the vehicle, it was determined that the vehicle had been jump started and during the jumpstart someone attached the jumper cable improperly causing damage to the battery, alternator and main fuse. These items are not covered under warranty issued by the certified pre-owned VW warranty. The warranty is not issued or administered by Heritage, but by the manufacturer.
  While Heritage is happy to perform repairs/replacement of the battery, main fuse and alternator, the repairs would be at her own expense. Heritage has already provided Ms. ***** an estimate for these repairs. If Ms. ***** does not want Heritage to repair the vehicle, Heritage would ask that she pick up her vehicle no later than end of business on September 26, 2022. If Heritage is not authorized to repair by September 26, 2022, a storage fee will accrue. If she does authorize the repairs, Heritage would request that she relay such authorization by end of business on September 26, 2022.