1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

1999 PASSAT 4 CYL. TURBO ABS MODULE FAILURE. DIAGNOSED AT DEALER. $3200 TO REPLACE. WILL NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION IN CURRENT CONDITION.

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING THE 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY BRAKING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER HAD TO WEAVE IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC TO AVOID HITTING OTHER VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY JUMPED THE CURB AND STRUCK A FENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT FILED. *AK UPDATED 04/05/07.*J

I HAVE A 1999 VW PASSAT WITH A FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. VW RECENTLY RECALLED 790,000 CARS (BUT NOT THE PASSAT MODEL) FOR FREE REPLACEMENT. MY REPAIR SHOP AND SEVERAL WEB SITES VERIFY THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE PASSAT ALSO. THE PROBLEM CAUSES THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT FUNCTION WHICH COULD LEAD TO A REAR IMPACT CRASH. I HAD THE SWITCH REPLACED AT A COST OF $110. I FEEL VW SHOULD EXTEND IT'S RECALL TO ALL MODELS WITH THIS PROBLEM AND REIMBURSE THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD THE SWITCH REPLACED. *JB

ABS INDICATION LIGHT WAS ON CONSISTENTLY. SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINT EXISTED REGARDING THE ABS CONTROL UNIT BUT NOT YET HAVE THE VM/AUDI RECALL ACTION ACTIVATED. BROUGHT TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND NOTED "FOUND NO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ABS AND INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, ABS CONTROL UNIT HAS FAILED". WAS CHARGED FOR OVER $1000 TO REPLACE THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THIS SHOULD BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND IT IS NOT REASONABLE FOR THE CONSUMERS TO BEAR THE COST OF REPLACING THE ABS MODULE. *NM

WHILE HAVING NEW TIRES INSTALLED ON MY VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO (NOT AT MY VW DEALER), I WAS INFORMED THAT MY TIE ROD ENDS WERE "LOOSE" AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THREE WEEKS AGO, I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO MY DEALER TO HAVE THE CV JOINTS REPLACED, AND TO HAVE THE TIE ROD ENDS INSPECTED. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE PREVIOUS DIAGNOSIS, ADDING THAT THE TIE ROD ENDS WERE NOW "DANGEROUSLY LOOSE." I PROCEEDED TO HAVE THEM REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROX. $700 INCLUDING THE FRONT-END ALIGNMENT THAT NECESSITATED. I HAD DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT THE TIE ROD ENDS HAD HAD TWO RECALLS FOR MY MODEL YEAR VEHICLE. HOWEVER, MY DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME UNEQUIVOCALLY "THERE WAS NO RECALL" ON MY TIE ROD ENDS FOR THIS VEHICLE. SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE REVEALED THAT MY VIN NUMBER FALLS SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE THE VIN RANGES COVERED BY THE TWO RECALLS. AS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER, AND AS A MATTER OF COMMON SENSE, IT SEEMS UTTERLY UNREASONABLE FOR SUCH A CRITICAL (STEERING) COMPONENT TO HAVE FAILED IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. A REVIEW OF THE FACTS INVOLVED IN THE ABOVE RECALLS, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT VW'S DESIGN WAS DEFECTIVE FOR THE RECALL CLASS, AND CERTAINLY SEEMS TO HAVE REMAINED DEFECTIVE ON VEHICLES PRODUCED AFTER THE RECALL VIN RANGE COVERED UNDER THE RECALLS. UNFORTUNATELY, I FAILED TO HAVE THE DEALER PROVIDE ME WITH THE REPLACED COMPONENTS. *NM

THE BRAKE LIGHT SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO PASSAT MODELS (OURS IS 1999). WE HAVE HAD THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYING ON, TRIGGERING THE ABS LIGHT TO COME ON ALSO. AFTER 3 ACE MECHANICS REVIEW THE PROBLEM, THEY ISOLATED IT TO THE SAME PROBLEM THAN THE RECALL FROM VOLKSWAGEN ANNOUNCED TODAY. THIS PROBLEM WAS ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 3 MONTHS AGO AND WE DON'T KNOW IF A BRAKE PROBLEM OCCURRED HOW IT WILL SHOW SINCE THE LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. *JB

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2006 I PURCHASED A 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT FROM SUBURBAN COLLECTIONS AT THE TROY MOTOR MALL IN TROY, MICHIGAN. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO I EXPERIENCED SEVERE PROBLEMS AS I WAS ON MY WAY INTO WORK. MY CAR TOOK ON A MIND OF IT'S OWN. AS I TURNED THE CORNER ONTO W. 13 MILE ROAD IN ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN MY CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE RATHER QUICKLY. BEFORE I KNEW IT WAS GOING 60 MPH, WITHOUT EVEN HITTING THE GAS AT ALL. THE MOST FRIGHTENING PART OF ALL OF THIS WAS THAT MY BRAKES WOULDN'T WORK DO TO THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL ACCELERATING. AS I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK THE RPM'S IMMEDIATELY RED LINED AND THE ENGINE WAS REVING. NEEDLESS TO SAY I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP AT THE TROY MOTOR MALL. THE DEALERSHIP TWO DAYS LATER THEN TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED. ODDLY ENOUGH, AFTER THIS OCCURRED TWO HOURS LATER MY CAR WAS FINISHED? I PICKED THE CAR UP THAT FRIDAY AND DROVE IT FOR EXACTLY ONE WEEK WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PROBLEMS. WELL, I GOT INTO MY CAR ON FRIDAY AS I USUALLY DO AND ONCE AGAIN MY CAR BEGAN TO FUN BY ITSELF. I WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED DRIVING DOWN ROCHESTER ROAD GOING 70 MPH WITH NO AVAILABLE WAY TO STOP MY CAR. I MADE IT HOME SAFELY AND CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP ONCE AGAIN. THE STRANGE THING IS THAT THE SAME DAY I RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL ON FRIDAY SAYING THAT MY PART (THROTTLE BODY) WAS IN AT THE DEALERSHIP READY FOR REPLACEMENT. SO ALL IN ALL, THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP PRESENTED ME WITH FALSE DOCUMENTATION STATING THAT MY THROTTLE BODY HAD BEEN REPLACED WHEN IN FACT IT HADN'T BEEN AND TO BOOT, THOSE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP SENT ME AWAY DRIVING A RECKLESS VEHICLE KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HIT CURBS, EXPERIENCED EXTREME EMOTIONAL ANXIETY ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE, STOP AND CONTROL MY CAR. DUE TO THE LACK OF PROMPT REMEDIATION OF MY VEHICLE THERE HAVE PROBABLY BEEN MORE PROBLEMS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED BUT WAS KNOWN ABOUT. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT SOMETIMES IN JUNE 2006 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH THE 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT STARTED TO LOSE POWER. ALSO, HE HEARD A RAPPING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED INTO A REPAIR FACILITY, WHERE THEY DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE COMPLETELY CEASED. THE REPAIR WAS NOT COMPLETED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 150000.*AK

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASAAT WITH 113000 FAILURE MILEAGE AT 60 MPH THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UP TO 75 MILES. THE CONTACT RODE THE BRAKES FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES, THEN NOTICED A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. THE CONTACT WAS JAMMING ON THE BRAKES TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP , AND THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED TWICE, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL REVVING HIGH. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD TO PULL UP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THAT WAS THE REMEDY TO GET THE VEHICLE TO IDLE PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. *AK

1999 VW PASSAT 1.8T SUFFERED SUDDEN TIMING BELT FAILURE AT ONLY 54,000 MILES. INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE (I-70) IN THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS, LEAVING ME BARELY ABLE TO CONTROL MY VEHICLE TO COAST UPHILL TO A NARROW SNOWY SHOULDER, WHERE WE WERE FORCED TO CALL 911 AND WAIT FOR ALMOST 45 MINUTES IN A COLD VEHICLE, IN CONSTANT DANGER OF BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY SEMI/TRACTOR TRAILERS. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS OCCURRED AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE AND ENDANGERED MY FAMILY, AND IF IT WERE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT I WOULD NOT BE PURSUING THIS ISSUE AS I DID MISS THE 40,000 MILE SERVICE WHEN A BELT INSPECTION WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PERFORMED. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE BASED UPON MY DISCUSSIONS WITH INDEPENDENT VW/AUDI SERVICE TECHNICIANS AND THE INTERNET, AND LED TO A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OF AUDI AND NOW (ONGOING) VW. IN THE MEANTIME, VW APPEARS TO BE DENYING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE, AND REFUSES TO HONOR ITS EXTENDED POWERTRAIN WARRANTY UNLESS IT HAS BEEN VERY STRICTLY FOLLOWED. DUE TO THE SYSTEMATIC FAILURE WITH THIS CRITICAL ENGINE PART, USUALLY OCCURRING WELL BEFORE VW'S OWN RECOMMENDED BELT CHANGE INTERVAL OF 105,000 MILES, I BELIEVE THAT VW SHOULD BE REPAIRING/RECALLING THESE VEHICLES FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE BELTS AND TENSIONERS. SUDDEN AND TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL; IN MY CASE THE REAL DANGER WAS THE LOCATION AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FAILURE. IT APPEARS VW IS FOLLOWING THE SAME AGGRESSIVE STANCE/DENIALS OF WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THESE ENGINES, THE OIL "SLUDGING" PROBLEM WHICH IS ALSO WELL-DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET. *NM