2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE FRONT POST OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BROKE. THIS CAUSED HIM TO FALL INTO THE BACK SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED.*AK

PURCHASED THE VEHCILE (SECOND-HAND) FROM THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP ON VETERANS DRIVE IN METAIRIE,LA BACK IN MARCH 2004. HERE IS MY COMPLAINT: MY FAMILY EVACUATED FOR HURRICANE 'KATRINA' AND WE LEFT THE VW BEHIND AT THE HOUSE. WELL, IT SAT FOR ABOUT A MONTH. ONCE WE GOT BACK TO THE VEHICLE, WE NOTICED IT WAS NOT RUNNING GOOD AT ALL. VERY ROUGH. VERY DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE THE STORM. I CHECKED THE CAR OUT AND FOUND OUT IT WAS VERY LOW ON OIL. YET, WE HAVE NO OIL LEAKS. I COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHERE THE OIL HAD GONE. AND THE OIL IN THE CASE OF THE VEHICLE LOOKED "GRAINY" AND "SLUDGEY". WE THOUGHT IT WAS STORM RELATED AND FILED A CLAIM WITH STATE FARM. WE THEN TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL VW DEALER NEAR MY OFFICE TO HAVE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE VW SERVICE GUY SAID, YES, VOLKSWAGEN HAS IDENTIFIED A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH OUR MODEL VEHICLE WHERE THE TURBO CAN NOT HANDLE CONVENTIONAL MOTOR OIL. THEY WOULD FIX THAT FREE OF CHARGE....HOWEVER, THEY NEED THE LAST 12 MONTH HISTORY OF OUR OIL CHANGES. WELL, AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN OUR REGULAR OILL CHANGES SO THE RECEIPTS SHOULD BE HANDY. WELL, I DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR NEW ORLEANS HOME BY HURRICANE KATRINA. OUR HOUSE WAS A TOTAL LOSS AND SO WERE THOSE RECEIPTS. I THINK WE MANAGED TO GET OUR HANDS ON TWO OF THEM. WELL, THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR VW. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY WON'T EVEN TAKE HAND-WRITTEN RECEIPTS FROM THE OIL CHANGE PLACES. I AM EXTREMELY ANGRY THAT THEY WILL NOT FIX AN EXISTING PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLE WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION. THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT IT'S THE VEHICLE MECHANISMS BUT THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT WITHOUT COPIES OF RECEIPTS I CAN NEVER PRODUCE. ALL OF NEW ORLEANS WAS DESTROYED. NOW, MY WIFE, WHO HAS TO COMMUTE 50 MILES EACH WAY TO WORK, HAS TO DRIVE HER UNSAFE VEHICLE AND ENDANGER HER LIFE BECAUSE VW REFUSES TO FIX A PROBLEM THEY ADMIT THEIR CAR HAS. WE HAVE NO RECOURSE BUT TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA. *NM

2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAS PARKED, LOCKED AND SEALED FOR PERIOD OF ONE WEEK. DURING THIS PERIOD, HEAVY RAINS FELL AND INTERIOR OF CAR WAS FLOODED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIRS ON 10/21. VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DEFECTIVE SUNROOF FRAME AS SOURCE OF LEAK CAUSING DAMAGE TO "TRANSMISSION COMPUTER AND AIRBAG MODULE." MANUFACTURER AND DEALERSHIP DO NOT WANT TO ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEFECT AND I AM CONCERNED THAT THEY ARE AVOIDING AND OR CONCEALING INFORMATION ABOUT MORE THAN JUST MONETARY DAMAGES AND VEHICLE'S DEFECT. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS AIRBAG MODULE DAMAGE AND ANY OTHER COMPONENTS OF THIS SYSTEM THAT COULD BE DAMAGED OR DEFECTIVE ALSO. PLEASE ADVISE. *NM

OIL PUMP FAILURE: THE WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON "STOP, OIL PRESSURE LOW" CONTACTED VW AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR AN INSPECTION. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SLUDGE BUILD UP IN THE OIL WHICH CAUSED THE OIL PUMP TO FAIL. RECENTLY VW HAS ISSUED A NEW WARRANTY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE OIL PUMP DUE TO THIS PROBLEM, ONLY IF YOU HAVE YOUR OIL RECEIPTS FROM DAY ONE. I WISH TO KEEP MY VW FOR A LONG TIME AND YES OIL WAS CHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS, HOWEVER RECEIPTS ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND FROM DAY ONE. FROM MY FINDINGS AND WHAT MAKES SENSE IS THAT THE TURBO IS OVER HEATING THE OIL AND BUILDING UP A SLUDGE IN THE OIL. AS OF TODAY MY PUMP WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE CAM. THE DEALERSHIP DID THE NECESSARY WORK BUT HAS NOT REALLY INFORMED ME AS TO ANY FUTURE PROBLEMS THAT WILL ARISE. WHERE AS OTHER OIL REPAIR SHOPS KNOW OF VW WITH TURBO THAT HAVE FAILED AT 20,000 MILES AND THEN AGAIN AT 40,000 MILES. AS OF TODAY I QUESTION IF THE TURBO WAS INSPECTED FOR SLUDGE OR WAS AN OIL FLUSH DONE. *JB

A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO MY ABS, BRAKE AND ASR LIGHTS CAME ON NOT NECESSARILY TOGETHER. THE ABS AND BRAKE WOULD BE TOGETHER WITH THE MATRIX DISPLAY SHOWING STOP SERVICE MANUAL AND LATER THE ASR LIGHT WOULD BE ON WITH THE REST GOING OFF. FUNNY, I WAS GOING DOWN A SLOPE, NO BRAKING, THE ABS/BRAKE CAME ON AND WENT OFF IMMEDIATELY! ITS VERY RANDOM, COMES ON OR OFF AT ANY TIME. CHECKING ON THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS LIKE ITS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH VW CARS. *JB

I HAVE A 2001 PASSAT WITH 66,XXX MILES ON IT AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. IT IS GOING TO COST 4000.00-5000.00 TO HAVE THIS FIX. I DO NOT THINK A CAR WITH THIS MANY MILES SHOULD HAVE A TRANSMISSION GO OUT AND TO TOP IT OFF WHEN I PURCHASED THIS CAR 6 MONTHS AGO WITH 51,060 FROM WALSHER IN BLOOMINGTON, MN THEY SAID I HAD A 10YR/100,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY ON IT, WELL COME TO FIND OUT SINCE I AM A SECOND OWNER IT ONLY GOES TO 50,000 MILES WHICH MEANS *JBWHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE WARRANTY.

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THAT THE VEHICLE IS A 2001.5 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDOWS FOGGING. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS AROUND 50 DEGREES OR LESS. THE FOG WILL APPEAR ON THE WINDOW AFTER THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. SOMETIMES THE FOG WILL APPEAR AFTER THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING. IT WILL OCCUR WITHER OR NOT THE HEATER OR FAN TURNED ON. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE LESS SEVERE ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS HEATED . THE ONLY WAY THE FOG WILL GO AWAY IS IF THE AIR CONDITIONER IS TURNED ON HIGH. SHE HAS ALREADY TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE, EACH TIME THEY DID A PRESSURE CHECK TO THE HEATER CORE , BUT NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. SHE IS TAKING IT BACK AGAIN TO THE DEALER. THERE WAS A PREVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATOR LEAKING. THE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED ON OCTOBER 4, 2005. THE FOG PROBLEM APPEARS TO HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE THE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED. *AK

DT: 2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE PLUG IN THE BULB FAILED. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT WAS TO BUY A HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. ALL CONNECTORS DON'T RESIST HEAT. CALLED DEALER, CONSUMER DID NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. *AK *JB

THE FUEL GAUGE ON MY 2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT HAS BEEN MALFUNCTIONING FOR THE PAST FIVE WEEKS. THE GAUGE DISPLAYS A "FULL" READING FOR THE FIRST 100-150 MILES OF DRIVING, AFTER FILLING THE GAS TANK. AFTER 100-150 MILES, THE GAUGE DISPLAYS 7/8 FULL, AND THE NEEDLE DOES NOT MOVE UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 300-380 MILES HAVE BEEN DRIVEN, AT WHICH POINT THE NEEDLE DISPLAYS 1/2 TANK OF FUEL REMAINS. THIS VEHICLE WILL GENERALLY YIELD 400 TO 430 MILES ON A FULL TANK OF FUEL. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS VEHICLE DAILY, AND HAS NEARLY RUN OUT OF FUEL TWICE ON THE INTERSTATE DUE TO A FALSE READING ON THE FUEL GAUGE. THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP, AND VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA STATES THERE IS NO RECALL CAMPAIGN ON MY VEHICLE, AND REFUSES TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT AT THEIR EXPENSE. *NM

ENGINE OIL SLUDGE- I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT VOLKSWAGENS PROBLEM WITH 1.8 TURBO ENGINES CREATING A SLUDGE THAT RESULTS IN LOW TO NO OIL PRESSURE. I HAVE ONE OF THE CARS AFFECTED, A 2001 PASSAT. RECENTLY MY "STOP ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I DID STOP AND CHANGED THE OIL AND FILTER IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED A VOLKSWAGEN DEALER AND HE SAID THAT YES MY CAR WAS COVERED FOR 8 YEARS FROM IN SERVICE DATE. HE DID SAY HOWEVER THAT TRYING TO GET EVERYONE TO "SIGN OFF" MIGHT POSE SOME DIFFICULTY WHEN THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY ARISES. MY FRIEND HAS A 2003 AUDI WITH THE SAME 1.8 T AND HE HAS HAD HIS CAR IN FOR THIS PROBLEM TWICE. I THINK THERE NEED TO SOMETHING FROM A GOVERNMENT AGENCY TO DOCUMENT THIS PROBLEM AND HOLD VOLKSWAGEN ACCOUNTABLE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE STILL ALLOWED TO MAKE THESE SAME ENGINES. *JB