1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

JUST BEFORE THE EXPIRATION OF MY 100,000-MILE, 6-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY AT 99,938 MILES (AND 23 DAYS BEFORE THE END OF 6 YEARS) I TOOK MY 1999 1.8L TURBO VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT (B5) TO THE DEALERSHIP. I REQUESTED THAT THEY PERFORM THE 100,000-MILE SERVICE AND TO THOROUGHLY CHECK THE CAR FOR ANY REPAIRS THAT MAY BE REQUIRED SINCE IT WOULD SOON BE OUT-OF-WARRANTY. FOUR HOURS LATER WHEN THE SHOP WAS CLOSING, I PICKED UP MY CAR. UPON CHECKOUT, THE SERVICE REP STATED THAT THEY DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, BUT THAT THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AND VOLKSWAGEN RECOMMEND CHANGING THE TIMING BELT, TENSIONER, AND WATER PUMP AT 105,000 MILES. I THANKED HIM AND WENT HOME NOT REALIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS COMMENT. THREE WEEKS LATER ON JUNE 2, 2006 AT 102,088 MILES (AND 3 DAYS PAST THE SIX-YEAR POINT), MY TENSIONER BROKE WHICH CAUSED MY TIMING BELT TO SLIP AND STRIP THE TEETH INTERMITTENTLY OFF THE BELT. SINCE I WAS NOT AWARE THAT MY TIMING BELT WAS SLIPPING (EXCEPT FOR AN INCREASE IN NOISE WHEN I ACCELERATED), THE VALVES WERE BENT DURING THE EVENT. I HAD MY CAR TOWED THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO A LOCAL VW SERVICE SHOP, AND THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT MY TIMING BELT WAS BROKEN AND THAT MACHINING OF THE CYLINDER BLOCK WAS NECESSARY SINCE THE VALVES WERE BENT. THE REPAIR TO MY ENGINE, INCLUDING A WATER PUMP AND FAULTY PLASTIC HOSE, COST $2,342. IN ADDITION, I HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR ONE WEEK FOR THE DURATION OF THE REPAIR ($225) AND TOW THE CAR TO THE SERVICE SHOP ($28). UPON RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, I REALIZED IT IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THE TIMING BELT TO FAIL PREMATURELY ON B5 PASSATS AND THAT HAD EITHER THE DEALERSHIP OR VW NOTIFIED ME OF THIS PROCLIVITY FOR FAILURE (AND CHANGE THEIR SERVICING RECOMMENDATION) THIS FAILURE AND ASSOCIATED $2600 EXPENSE WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. *JB

1999 VW PASSAT OIL CONSUMPTION - 1 QT. EVERY 750 MILES. DEALER HAS REPLACED SEALS, TESTS AND IS NOW PLANNING FURTHER SEAL REPLACEMENT. I KNOW THIS WON'T GET FIXED; THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW WHERE MANY OTHER CONSUMERS ARE ALSO "SUFFERING". WILL THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DEMAND A RECALL???????*JB

AFTER HEAVY RAINS THIS PAST WEEK, MY 99 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT HAS FLOODED TWICE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, FRONT AND BACK. AFTER RESEARCHING, I FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM CAME FROM CLOGGED SUN ROOF DRAINS. I WET VACUUMED OUT 3 GALLONS OF WATER FROM THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM IS ALSO CAUSED BY CLOGGED POLLEN FILTERS. THERE IS NO MENTION OF EITHER OF THE PROBLEMS IN THE MANUAL. VW SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS PROBLEM/DEFECT IN THEIR CARS. I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS ON THE SAME ISSUE (WWW.HTTP://WWW.THEAUTOBAHN.COM/FORUM AND WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM). THIS FLOODING PROBLEM IS CAUSING TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROBLEMS LEADING TO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. VOLKSWAGEN SHOULD BE MADE TO PAY! *NM

ABS LIGHT, ABS INTERMITANT FAILURE, OIL LIGHT FAILURE, TACHOMETER FAILURE. *NM

THE FOLLOWING IS EXACT COMMENTS FROM VW TECH WRITTEN IN DEALERSHIP INVOICE. "ABS CONTROL UNIT IS FAULTY ABS LIGHT IS ON AND THE WORD BRAKE IS FLASHING WHEN THE CONTROL UNIT IS PLUGGED IN. NO TACHOMETER READING AND THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT FLASHES. 5052 WILL NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE UNIT AT ALL. DEALER TECH UNPLUGGED ABS CONTROL UNIT AND THE TACHOMETER SIGNAL CAME BACK AND THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT STOPPED FLASHING." **5052 WILL NOT COMMUNICATE** DIAGNOSTIC TOOL WILL NOT DETECT FAULT WITH ABS MODULE!!! *NM

ABS, ASR, AND BRAKE LIGHT STARTED COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT IS ON THE CAR'S ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING AND THE OWNERS MANUAL SUGGESTS REAR WHEELS MAY LOCK AND THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE DRIVEN SLOWLY TO A SERVICE STATION. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY ENSURED ME THAT A NEW WHEEL SPEED SENSOR AND ASSOCIATED WIRING WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SERVICE I RECEIVED AND BECAUSE I'M A COMETENT ENGINEER WITH ELECTRICAL TROUBLE SHOOTING SKILLS I ACTUALLY FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE A FAULTY ABS CONTROL MODULE. I'M CURRENTLY AWAITING THE REBUILDING OF THE COMPONENT AND WILL INSTALL IT WHEN IT ARRIVES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF THESE COMPLAINTS AT VARIOUS SITES ON THE INTERNET. ONE SIGHT HAS OVER 28 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *NM

I HAVE A 1999 VW PASSAT V6 GLS. I HAVE 74, 270 MILES ON THE CAR. MY ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT 1 1/2 WEEKS AGO, THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN MY ABS/ BRAKE AND OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AND WERE FLASHING. I BROUGHT IT TO VW DEALER TODAY, AND WAS TOLD MY ABS MODULE NEEDED REPLACEMENT FOR $975.00. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND AT VWVORTEX.COM THAT QUITE A FEW PEOPLE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR PASSAT IN MY YEAR RANGE. I DON'T FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE CHARGED FOR A DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS JEOPARDIZING MY SAFETY. IN ADDITION, I RECEIVED A RECALL IN 11/04 FOR VEHICLE CONTROL ARMS. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO VW DEALER ON 12/17/04, AND WAS TOLD THAT MY CONTROL ARMS DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. AT THAT TIME I HAD 61, 923 MILES ON THE CAR. TODAY, I AM TOLD ONLY 12,000 MILES LATER THAT MY CONTROL ARMS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT MY OWN EXPENSE BECAUSE THE RECALL IS CLOSED. I DON'T FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE CHARGED FOR THIS PART EITHER, THE DEFECTIVE PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN 12/04 BEFORE IT COULD POSE A HAZARD TO MY SAFETY. *JB

ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES - WAS TOLD ABS UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WHEN LIGHTS ARE ON DETERMINED THAT ABS AND THE PROPORTIONING SYSTEM OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT OPERATING AND FEEL THAT THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION. DEALER WANTS CRAZY AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR REPAIR WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD. I FOUND OUT ONLINE THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AS I DO AND WE ALL STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS DEFINITELY DESERVES TO BE A RECALL BY VW OF AMERICA. THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *JB

I OWN A 1999 VW PASSAT GLX WITH 72,000 MILES. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO, THE ABS LIGHT, THE BRAKE LIGHT, THE OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR, AND THE TACHOMETER BEGAN TO BEHAVE ERRATICALLY. TWO WEEKS AGO, THE RIGHT FRONT CALIPER STUCK IN THE EXTENDED POSITION, STARTING A WHEEL FIRE AT THE ROTOR. I REPLACED THE CALIPER, ROTOR, AND PADS. A NON-VW SERVICE CENTER REPLACED THE REMAINING ROTORS AND PADS, REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, AND FLUSHED/BLED THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. THE PROBLEM WITH THE LIGHTS AND ALARMS PERSISTS. THE LIGHTS AND ALARMS ARE USUALLY ABSENT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY COLD, THEN USUALLY APPEAR AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF DRIVING. THE LIGHTS AND ALARMS CAN DISAPPEAR WHILE DRIVING, THEN REAPPEAR DURING LATER DRIVING. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED VW DIRECTLY, BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED WHAT THE ESTIMATE MIGHT BE TO ATTEMPT REPAIR. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 20 MPH, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE IGNITION MODULE WAS REPLACED. THIS PROBLEM RETURNED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE SAME COMPONENT WAS REPLACED AGAIN. UPDATED 06/07/2006. *AK *TS