2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

ON APPROX. JUNE 20, 2008 I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM VW THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH HEAT SHIELDS AND FUEL SYSTEM OF MY 2003 PASSAT ( RECALL NOTICE- 26E5/R5 AND 66C8/P9. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE APPOINTMENT WITH MY DEALERSHIP (DONALDSON"S VW IN SAYVILLE, NY AND GOT AN APPOINTMENT FOR JUNE 27. BECAUSE I WAS VERY CONCERNED WITH THE RECALL AND THE FACT THAT THE NOTICE ADVISED OF A POSSIBILITY OF FIRE EXISTED, I TOOK MY VEHICLE RIGHT DOWN THERE. I WAS THEN ADVISED BY THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT THEY COULD NOT PERFORM THE NECESSARY REPAIRS BECAUSE THEY WERE BACK ORDERED ON THE PARTS. I WAS ALSO ALARMED WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA WHEN THEY COULD DO THE REPAIR OR WHEN THE PARTS WOULD COME IN. I AM WRITING THIS IN THE EVENT THAT MY VW PASSAT SHOULD MALFUNCTION BECAUSE OF A DEFECT THAT COULD BE EXPEDITIOUSLY REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. *TR

2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WITH COOLANT SYSTEM AND HEATED SEAT RECALL. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE COOLANT SYSTEM WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE HEATED SEATS WERE REPAIRED BUT NOW DON'T WORK AT ALL. SHE ALSO STATES THAT THE GAS HAS BEEN BURNING OUT VERY FAST. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS SMELLING FUMES INSIDE THE VEHICLE. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED SMOKE AND FELT A TINGLING FEELING ON HER BACK. SHE EXITED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED SMALL HOLES AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE CONTACT SENT THE RECEIPT FOR HER DAMAGED FUR COAT AND BLUE JEANS TO THE MANUFACTURER, BUT SHE HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY REIMBURSEMENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,949.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE THE CONSUMERS HUSBAND WAS DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED GASOLINE. HE APPROACHED A STOP SIGN AND HEARD A POP SOUND. THE CONTACT LOOKED OUT HER WINDOW AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM THE WHEEL WELL ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. SHE AND HER HUSBAND EXITED THE VEHICLE AND CALLED THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED AND BEGAN RESEARCHING AVAILABLE RECALLS. THE CONTACT FOUND A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE, BUT THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 71,000. UPDATED 07/15/08 *BF UPDATED

DRIVING ON I-87 UPSTATE NY AROUND ALBANY IN THE FAST LANE ABOUT 80 MILES AN HOUR THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER. WE PULLED OVER QUICKLY TO THE GRASSY AREA BETWEEN THE HIGHWAYS. WE HEARD A SOUND BUT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FROM THE ROAD WHEN WE PULLED OFF OR A BACKFIRE? THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. WE CALLED 911 AND A SHERIFF ARRIVED SOON AND TOLD US HOW DIFFICULT IT WOULD BE TO GET BACK ON THE HIGHWAY WITH TRAFFIC GOING 90-95 MILES AN HOUR. WE HAD TO GET INTO THE FAST LANE. WE DROVE A LITTLE ON THE GRASSY AREA TO SEE IF THE CAR WOULD WORK. WITH GREAT DIFFICULT AND TREMENDOUS FEAR WE MANAGED TO GET ONTO THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE THEN ABLE TO DRIVE TO NYC WITHOUT PROBLEMS IN THE SLOWER LANES. NO LIGHTS OR SOUNDS CAME ON TO WARN US OF THE LOSS OF POWER. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 WEEKS AGO AS WE WERE APPROACHING THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE IN MANHATTAN BUT GOING AT A MUCH SLOWER SPEED. WE PULLED OVER AND HAD TO RESTART THE CAR. WE HAVE HAD THE RECALLS FROM VW BUT NOT A RECENT ONE THAT MAY HAVE COME OUT IN MAY. IT SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE A FUEL TANK ISSUE. I WILL BE TAKING IT BACK TO VW IN BROOKLYN IN TWO WEEKS TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT SINCE I DID COME IN AND GET ALL THE RECALLS THAT IT COULD NOT BE THAT. I AM AFRAID OF THIS CAR AND ONLY HAVE ABOUT 27,000 MILES AFTER 5 YEARS. IT IS A 2003 PASSAT TURBO WAGON. IT WAS A HOT DAY ON JUNE 8TH AND WHEN WE TURNED ON THE CAR THE TEMP OUT SIDE LIGHT SAID 101 DEGREES. *TR

I DROVE ABOUT TEN MILES UP THE CANYON PARKED THE CAR. THEN GOT A CALL ABOUT 15 MIN LATER TELLING ME MY CAR WAS ON FIRE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD PUT IT OUT. I AM STILL WAITING TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE CAR FROM THE DEALER AND INSURANCE. IT LOOKED LIKE THE FIRE STARTED IN THE DASH. *TR

RADIO NOT FUNCTIONING, AIR CONDITIONING UNIT WORKS INTERMITTENTLY, AIRBAG MALFUNCTION RECOGNIZED, OPERATION UNIT IN STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTIONS, NO COMMUNICATIONS WITH BRAKE CONTROL UNIT, BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAUSES DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE LIGHT TO MALFUNCTION. HORN NOT FUNCTIONING NEARLY CAUSED 2 ACCIDENTS WITHIN A MONTH. I DROVE OVER AN ISLAND TO AVOID ONE COLLISION FROM THE OTHER NON-ATTENTIVE DRIVER AND ENDED UP SCRAPING THE TRANSMISSION PAN. COST OF REPLACEMENT: $550. AFTER THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND DIAGNOSTICS, VW DEALERSHIPS STILL UNABLE TO FIX ANY OF THE ABOVE! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE RADIO WAS MALFUNCTIONING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND A TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE STEREO FAILED DUE TO UNKNOWN CAUSES, AND THE ENTIRE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT HAS NOT HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT EXCEEDED ITS WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

I OWN A 2003 PASSAT 4-MOTION. I PURCHASED IT FROM THE DEALER IN JULY OF 2005 WHEN IT HAD 42,000 MILES ON IT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY I NOTICED TWO THINGS ABOUT THE CAR: FIRST, IT SOMETIMES HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND THEN WHEN IT DOES FINALLY TAKE OFF, IT "LEAPS" FORWARD. SECOND, WHEN SHIFTING DOWN SOMETIMES, IT DOES NOT DO SO NORMALLY BUT WILL ACTUALLY JERK THE CAR BADLY AND MAKE A "CLUNKY" SOUND, LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILING. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU DON'T COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN TRY AND ACCELERATE AGAIN, LIKE STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. I HAVE HAD THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS IS JUST A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE CAR AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. OVERALL I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE CAR. *TR

WHEN FILLING UP THE CAR WITH GASOLINE THERE IS A SEVERE FUEL ODOR. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THE "FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE" WAS LEAKING. THIS ALSO HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL TANK UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM UNLESS I PAID FOR IT. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THEY ARE ISSUING A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM BUT WHEN I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN THEY SAID MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE CAR OVERALL AND WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ONE TO ANYONE. *TR