1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

1998 VOLKSWAGON PASSAT 1.8 TURBO 39, 250 MILEAGE. FRONT END NOISE, REDUCED CONTROL IN HANDLING, RESULTED IN THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL CONTROL ARMS & TIE ROD ENDS ON DRIVER SIDE- THE LOWER FOUND TO HAVE CORROSION IN THE SOCKET.*AK

ABS LIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY INDICATING ABS FAILURE.DEALER SAID IT IS A BAD ABS COMPUTER $1500+ 2 TO 3 HOURS OF LABOR. THIS STARTED THIS MONTH AND GOES ON AND OFF .*AK

1998 VW PASSAT: HEARD LOUD CLANKING NOISES ESPECIALLY WHEN TURNING VEHICLE. REPORTED TO VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT LOCAL DEALERSHIP. ADVISED THE THE UPPER CONTROL ARM JOINT IS WORN AND NEED REPLACEMENT. FURTHER, BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT TIE RODS ARE TOTALLY SHOT AND NEED REPLACING. CHECKED AND FOUND THAT THE TIE ROD PROBLEM WAS RECALLED BY NHTSA SEP. 1999 (99V-248) BUT THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. DO NOT KNOW WHY AS THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IS THE SAME. ADDITIONALLY, NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CONTROL ARMS HAVE BEEN NOTED ON THIS SITE, YET VW OF AMERICA, WHO ADVISED ME ARE AWARE AND SENSITIVE TO THE PROBLEM, REFUSED ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. ALSO THE RECALLED TIE RODS REPLACEMENT WAS REFUSED TO BE FIXED BY THEM. PLEASE FOLLOW UP AND INVESTIGATE VW OF AMERICA FOR THESE VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUES SINCE I WAS TOLD THAT THEY CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DRIVER ACCIDENTS. I AM ALSO WONDERING WHY THE BRAKE ROTORS NEEDED REPLACEMENT WHEN NEW BRAKES WERE INSTALLED. DO NOT TRUST VW TO BE A SAFE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *AK

I OWN A 1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT AND I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I HAVE DONE ALL [EVEN MORE THAN] THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE ON THE PASSAT. I HAD THE CONTROL ARMS REPLACED ONCE ALREADY 2 YEARS AGO [NOT UNDER RECALL OR REIMBURSED FOR THIS PROCEDURE]. I AM ONCE AGAIN GETTING CONSIDERABLE CRAKING NOISES FROM MY CONTROL ARMS IN MY FRONT SUSPENSION. I DO NOT DRIVE MY PASSAT ABNORMALLY NOR HAD ANY ACCIDENTS WITH IT. I FEEL THAT THIS HAPPENING TO MY PASSAT IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE, BUT SOMETHING ELSE - BAD DESIGN OR MATERIALS? *LA

CONTLOR ARMS ON MY CAR HAVE BEEN DAMAGED. THE RUBBER USED TO PRODUCE TIE RODS IS TOO SOFT AND THE CAR MAKES NOISE WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS. THE FAILURE ALSO DOES NOT ALLOW TO PERFORM ALIGMENT ON MY VEHICLE UNTIL FIXED. COST OF REPAIR OVER $600.*AK THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM ON THE SUSPENSION FOR VW, AUDI AND CAR OWNERS.

I PURCHASED A PRE-OWNED 1998 VW PASSAT SEDAN WITH 36,000 MILES ON IT IN 2002 WHICH WAS A GREAT DEAL!! OR SO I THOUGHT. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE STARTED HEARING A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE.. OR SUSPENSION .. LIKE A CREAKING, CRUNCHING, KNOCKING NOISE. I TOOK IT TO A VW DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CONTROL ARMS ON THE RIGHT AND THE TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I FOUND OUT THAT THE TIE RODS HAD BEEN RECALLED AND THE ONES ON MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPLACED UNDER THAT RECALL IN 2001, BUT HAD AGAIN WORN OUT. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT TIE RODS WOULD WEAR OUT OVER A 3 YEAR PERIOD SINCE THE CAR BARELY HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE VIEWED THIS WEBSITE AND FOUND OVER 200 COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM AND AM CURIOUS WHAT VW PLANS TO DO.. WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE DIES WHEN A CONTROL ARM SNAPS? VW NEEDS TO RECALL THIS ITEM NOW!*AK

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. ALSO, VEHICLE LOST POWER. SIMULTANEOUSLY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. A MECHANIC EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND DETERMINED THAT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WAS APPARENT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *AK

PROBLEMS GETTING RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED ON 1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT.*MR CUSTOMER CARE INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE RECALL CAMPAIGN COULD NOT BE PERFORMED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE PARTS AND REPAIR TECHNICIANS WERE NOT OBTAINABLE BY ANY DEALERSHIPS OUTSIDE THE U.S. *JB

OUR 1998 PASSAT HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES ON IT, AND YET ALL OF THE EXPENSIVE FRONT CONTROL ARMS ARE STARTING TO GO BAD. THEY ARE GETTING PLAY IN THE BALL JOINTS, WHICH ARE ONLY REPLACEABLE BY REPLACING THE WHOLE CONTROL ARMS. SINCE THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 8 CONTROL ARMS, THE COST OF REPAIR IS POTENTIALLY VERY HIGH. AND IF THEY ARE NOT REPLACED, THE POTENTIAL FOR HAZARD AND INJURY BECOMES VERY GREAT IF THE JOINTS GET SO SLOPPY THAT THEY AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THE CAR AND EVENTUALLY COME APART. VW SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH BUILDING SUCH AN UNDER-ENGINEERED SUSPENSION SYSTEM.*AK

I HAVE HAD 2 TIRES SEPARATE IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. PRIOR TO THIS RECENT EVENT I HAD ANOTHER TIRE SEPARATION AND WAS GIVEN REPLACEMENT TIRES INSTEAD OF A REFUND. THE LAS EVENT HAS LEFT SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO MY CAR. I HAVE BOTH OF THE OLD TIRES AND PICTURES OF MY CAR DAMAGE. I HAVE CONTACTED A LAWYER AN*AKD HE IS THE ONE THAT INSTRUCTED ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOU. *AK