1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

CHRONIC OIL PRESSURE PROBLEMS (DUE TO OIL SLUDGE BUILDUP) STARTING AT 73000 MILES LEADING TO REPLACEMENT OF OIL PUMP AT 100000. ALTHOUGH THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY MANUFACTURER EXTENDED WARRANTY, I PAID ($1250). I HAVE OLD PARTS. *NM

I AM ONE OF AN ALREADY LARGE AND CONSTANTLY GROWING NUMBER OF PERSONS WITH VOLKSWAGEN'S AND AUDI'S WHO HAVE ABS (AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEMS) THAT HAVE STOPPED WORKING AFTER ONLY A MERE 60-70,000 MILES. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE AND EACH TIME THEY (DEAL) SAY IT'S SOMETHING ELSE. WITH MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING NOW AND MORE TO JOIN IN AS THE DAYS GO BY, ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE LARGE QUANTITY OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS SNAFU. OUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT VW/AUDI APPEARS TO REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. LATELY, SEVERAL PERSONS HAVE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM IS GENERALLY BEING CAUSED BY THE ELECTRICAL UNIT IN THE ABS MODULE. YET AT THIS POINT, VW AND AUDI ARE HAVING USERS REPLACE THE ENTIRE UNIT. THIS COST IS PROHIBITIVE FOR MANY OF US ($2000 UPWARD IN MY CASE). IN THE MEANTIME, MANY OF US ARE HAVING TO DRIVE WITH FAULTY ABS SYSTEMS, WITH RESULTANT SAFETY PROBLEMS: FOR ME, THE ABS PROBLEM CAUSES THE BRAKES TO GO ON AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES. THE BRAKES ON MY CAR GRAB AND ACTIVATE UNEXPECTEDLY DURING THE FIRST SEVERAL MINUTES OF DRIVING AFTER MY CAR HAS SAT OVERNIGHT. OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS TOO. I FEAR THAT THIS MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM ON MY CAR SEEMS TO BE GROWING WORSE. THE MORE OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IS THAT ALL OF THESE CARS LACK THE ABS DURING CRUCIAL TIMES OF DRIVING ON ICY OR WET PAVEMENT. AGAIN, THIS PROBLEM IS AGGRAVATED WHEN THE ABS GOES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY, WITHOUT THE DRIVER'S KNOWLEDGE (SINCE IN MANY CASES, THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS REMAIN ON THROUGHOUT). AT THIS POINT, I'M FEARFUL WHENEVER I DRIVE MY CAR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE GETTING AN OIL CHANGE THE DEALER NOTICED THE TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 00V414000, REGARDING THE STEERING; LINKAGES; ROD; RELAY; CONNECTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS STARTED INTERMITTENTLY FLASHING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ABS MODULE HAD FAILED. I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S NOT SAFE TO DRIVE WITH A FAILED ABS MODULE AS IT COMMUNICATES WITH OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE CAR. THE DEALER CHARGED $912.08 FOR THE REPAIR. A MONTH LATER THE SAME PROBLEM STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, AND THE DEALER IS ASKING $2372 FOR THE PART ITSELF. I SEARCHED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF VW PASSAT OWNERS WHO ARE PLAGUED BY ABS-RELATED FAILURES. DRIVING WITH NO ABS IS NOT SAFE IN A CAR THAT IS DESIGNED TO WORK WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. *JB

IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, 2006, MY 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GLS, WHICH WAS PURCHASED NEW BY MY FAMILY, BEGIN EXHIBITING SOME TROUBLING BEHAVIOR. THE BEHAVIOR CONSISTS OF THE TACHOMETER CEASING TO FUNCTION AS BOTH THE "BRAKE" AND "OIL" DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLASH WITH ACCOMPANYING WARNING TONES AND THE "ABS" DASHBOARD LIGHT COMES ON SOLID AND REMAINS ON. WHEN THE "ABS" DASHBOARD LIGHT IS ON, MY CAR'S ABS DOES NOT FUNCTION. AT FIRST THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT, BUT EVENTUALLY BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND HAS NOW REACH A STATE OF PERSISTENCY. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON VOLKSWAGENS VEHICLES SINCE I WAS A CHILD AND, GIVEN MY IMMEDIATELY FAMILY HAS OWNED OVER TEN VOLKSWAGENS IN THE PAST 20 YEARS ALONE, THE REST OF MY FAMILY HAS AS WELL; INCLUDING A SECONDARY RELATIVE WHO OWNS A VOLKSWAGEN REPAIR BUSINESS IN AMESBURY, MA. GIVEN THE ABOVE DESCRIBED PROBLEM IS COMMON AND WELL DOCUMENTED, THE DIAGNOSIS OF A FAULTY BOSCH 5.3 ABS CONTROLLER WAS STRAIGHT FORWARD. THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) HAS LOGGED OVER 50 COMPLAINTS ALONE WITH MANY HUNDREDS MORE BEING AFFECTED. ALL INSTANCES ARE CONSISTENT WITH MY OWN. REVIEW OF THE INDIVIDUAL TESTIMONIES AS LOGGED BY THE NHTSA MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THIS PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY THE PREMATURE FAILURE OF A KEY COMPONENT OF ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS. THE PROHIBITIVE COST OF REPAIRING THIS ITEM AND THE REFUSAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM COMPONENT AS DEFECTIVE AND ELECTIVELY RECALLING IT AMOUNTS TO NEGLIGENCE AND RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT ON THE PART OF VOLKSWAGEN. THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT REPRESENTS A DANGER TO THE DRIVER OF THE AFFECTED AUTOMOBILE AND EVERYONE SHARING THE ROAD WITH THE AFFECTED AUTOMOBILE. THE PROBLEM EXPRESSED HEREIN IS WIDESPREAD AND CLEARLY DOCUMENTED AS A PROBLEM AND A HAZARD THAT IS NOT TYPICALLY EXPERIENCED BY OTHER AUTOMOBILE OWNERS WITH SIMILARLY FUNCTIONING ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS. THIS UNIT SHOULD BE RECALLED TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS, OIL, AND BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THEN FLASHED. THERE WAS A BEEPING NOISE AS A WARNING SIGNAL PRIOR TO THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ABS, OIL AND BRAKE LIGHTS. THE TACHOMETER ALSO FAILED. THIS PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND WORSEN OVER A TWO WEEK PERIOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO INDICATED THERE WERE NO CODES AFTER THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THEY RECOMMENDED THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO THE AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. WHILE LOOKING THROUGH THE OWNER MANUAL, THE CONTACT OBSERVED A WARNING STATEMENT THAT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS COULD RESULT IN THE LOCKING UP OF THE REAR BRAKES UNDER HARD BRAKING. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY THE REAR BRAKES LOCKED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO HARD BRAKING WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

ABS LIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING CONTINUOUSLY. DEALER CLAIMS ABS MODULE($1600). AFTER RESEARCHING, FOUND HUNDREDS OF VW PASSAT OWNERS WITH SAME PROBLEM VW DOES NOT WANT TO ASSIST OR PERFORM RECALL. *NM

MY ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN FLASHING FOR MONTHS .....I AM TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS AN ABS SENSOR....BRAKES NOT REALLY AFFECTED....HOWEVER I HIT THE BRAKES AT 10MPH WHILE TAKING A SLIGHT TURN...BRAKES FAILED, THEN LOCKED; HIT CURBAND BRUSHED TREE.VW NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS.....BRAKES CHECKED AND LOOKED FINE...NO EXPLANATION FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF THE BRAKES. *NM

1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT TIE RODS AND DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG WERE BAD. *KB THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR IT'S 40000 MILES CHECKUP WHEN THE PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER BUT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY. THE INDEPENDENT TECH COULD NOT REPAIR THE AIR BAG THEREFORE THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THAT 1999 PASSATS WERE RECALL FOR TIE ROD ISSUES IN 1999 AND NOTIFICATION WERE SENT OUT IN OCTOBER 1999, ONE MONTH BEFORE THE CONSUMER PURCHASED HER VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER ALSO FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS IN REFERENCE TO THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATING. *NM

ABS, OIL, BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY COME ON AND OFF OVER LAST FEW MONTHS WITH ALARM SOUNDS BEEPING INTERMITTENTLY ALSO. TACHOMETER DROPS TO 0 WHEN THIS STARTS AND STAYS ON 0 AS LONG AS WARNING LIGHTS ON. OTHER TIMES NO LIGHTS OR ANYTHING WHEN I START IT UP AND DRIVE FOR QUITE A TIME, THEN THEY START AGAIN. TOOK IT TO RUSTY WALLIS VW IN GARLAND, TX. THEY SAID ABS MODULE NOT COMMUNICATING WAS MY PROBLEM===QUOTING $2687 TO REPLACE, AND IF I DIDN'T REPLACE IT, CHANCE WAS WHEELS WOULD LOCK UP IF I HAD TO BRAKE HARD. THEY DID ASK ME TO FILL OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THIS ABS PROBLEM, LIKE "CONSTANT LIGHT" OR "INTERMITTENT", ETC. I THOUGHT THAT WAS CURIOUS. I HAVE SEEN SO MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS VERY SAME THING ON INTERNET, AUTOMOTIVE DISCUSSION BOARDS. I ALSO HAVE GATHERED VW IS SAYING THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS IS A VW PROBLEM (ALSO GATHER IT'S AN AUDI PROBLEM). IT'S A SAFETY PROBLEM, AND IT'S AN EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. I DON'T HAVE ALMOST $3,000 IN MY POCKET FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE OWNED UP TO BY VW. IT'S A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH VW'S AND THIS ABS MODULE GOING BAD APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH VW. I'LL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *JB