2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

AT APPROX 60K CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON READ "EMISSIONS WORKSHOP". DEALER HOOKED UP COMPUTER AND TOLD ME IT WAS AN OXYGEN SENSOR AND SOME OF THE VACUUM HOSES HAD TO BE REPLACED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A VW SPECIALTY SHOP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE O2 SENSOR PROBLEM AND REPLACED A FEW VACUUM HOSES. THE CARS COMPUTER WAS CLEARED AND TWO MONTHS LATER BOTH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EMISSIONS WORKSHOP INDICATORS WERE BACK. SHOP HOOKED UP TO THEIR COMPUTER AND CONFIRMED THAT NOW A PRE CAT O2 SENSOR WAS BAD. TWO SENSORS IN THREE MONTHS, BOTH MORE THAN $200 TO REPLACE IS UNACCEPTABLE. VW IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE EXTENDED PORTIONS OF ITS WARRANTIES BUT THE DEALER CLAIMS IT DOESN'T COVER THESE PARTS OR REPAIRS. THE CAR HAS APPROX. 62,000 MILES. FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT VW SHOULD BE HELP ACCOUNTABLE FOR. *JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON THE DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SLUDGE WAS INSIDE OF THE ENGINE, AND ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

IDENTICAL TO COMPLAINTS 10089069 AND 10097846. SUDDEN WARNING LIGHT APPEARANCE WHILE DRIVING IN HIGHWAY. INDICATED "LOW OIL PRESSURE -- STOP MOTOR". BY THE TIME AN EXIT WAS REACHED ENGINE WAS SPUTTERING AND KNOCKING. MILEAGE IS APPROXIMATE -- CAR IS AT DEALER ABOUT 50 MILES DISTANT. AR IS WITHIN WARRANTY MILEAGE AND YEARS (7 YEARS/70,000 MILES FOR POWER TRAIN). VOLKSWAGEN IS REFUSING TO PROVIDE WARRANTY COVERAGE BECAUSE MILEAGE WAS NOT RECORDED ON RECEIPTS AT TIME OF OIL CHANGES. HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH BOTH THE VW DEALER RECEIVING THE CAR AS TOWED, AND VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE. *AK

THE HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2001.5 PASSAT HAVE BURNED OUT AT A RATE THAT IS MUCH HIGHER THAN NORMAL. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ONE HEADLIGHT TWICE AND THE OTHER FOUR TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED MY CAR. BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS THAT ONLY A DEALER REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT THERE ARE MANY TIMES WHEN I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH ONE OR THE OTHER LAMP OUT. FORTUNATELY THEY HAVE NOT FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. DURING A VISIT TO MY LOCAL DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AT THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR HEADLIGHTS TO BE REPLACED THIS FREQUENTLY. SINCE THAT VISIT, AND SEVERAL MORE LIGHT REPLACEMENTS, THEY HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE WIRING TO THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS FAULTY AND HAVE SINCE REPLACED IT, ALTHOUGH THEY CHARGED ME FOR THE REPAIR. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF PASSATS THAT I SEE WITH ONE HEADLIGHT OUT, I SUSPECT THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AND THIS PROBLEM IS CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

AT 13,000 MILES, STEERING COLUMN BEGAN TO "CLUNK" WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL. NEW STEERING COLUMN INSTALLED UNDER WARRANTY. AT 27,000 MILES, SAME PROBLEM RETURNED. INFORMED BY A MECHANIC THAT ISSUE MAY BE DUE TO DESIGN OF COLUMN UNIVERSAL JOINT WHEN PASSING THROUGH FIREWALL (SHARP ANGLE LEADS TO MORE STRESS AND LIKELY FAILURE OVER TIME.) WHEN WARRANTY EXPIRES, THIS WILL BECOME MY ISSUE.*AK

THE CONSUMER REPLACED THE OIL PUMP ON THE VEHICLE THREE TIMES. THE OIL PUMP HAS DAMAGED THE ENGINE AND THE DEALER HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE THE OIL PUMP BECAUSE IT DAMAGED THE ENGINE. *JB

OIL SLUDGE BUILDS UP IN THE ENGINE. THE OIL IS BREAKING DOWN WHICH IS CLOGGING THE ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING A LIGHT ILLUMINATED THE DASHBOARD, STATING STOP DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE OIL PRESSURE PROBLEM, AND COULD DAMAGE THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING UNTIL IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. CONSUMER CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLAMP ("PROJECTOR TYPE") FAILED WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF REPLACEMENT. ASKED DEALER TO FIND SOURCE OF PROBLEM. DEALER FOUND LAMP SOCKET MELTED AND WIRING BURNED. REPLACED WIRE HARNESS AND SOCKET AND BULB. VW TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 9404-01, "HEADLAMP ELECTRICAL CONNECTION REPAIR", ISSUED 3/11/04, SUGGESTS THIS IS A RECOGNIZED DEFECT IN AFFECTED CARS. THIS ALSO SUGGESTS THAT REPLACEMENT HARNESSES MAY BE A REDESIGNED PART (E.G. HEAVIER WIRE, IMPROVED MATERIALS, ETC.). IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE HARNESS USED RESOLVES THE PROBLEM FOR BOTH SIDES OF CAR OR NOT. CHARGED $54.45 FOR HARNESS, $188.30 FOR ENTIRE JOB. THIS WAS PARTIALLY COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY. REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FROM BOTH DEALER AND VWOA FOR OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES FOR REPAIRS TO APPARENT DEFECTIVE COMPONENT, BUT WAS DENIED BASED ON AGE / MILEAGE (86,485) OF VEHICLE. CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECT: POTENTIAL UNDERHOOD FIRE HAZARD. LOSS OF VISIBILITY FOR DRIVER/ONCOMING VEHICLES.*AK

THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS HAVE FAILED AND THE VW DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT AT JUST 67000 MILES. THIS IS PREMATURE. I UNDERSTAND IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND A SAFETY RISK.*AK

2001 PASSAT GLS V6. WATER COLLECTED IN THE ENGINE DUE TO FAULTY DRAINAGE PLUGS AND RUINED THE COMPUTER. WATER ALSO ENTERED INTO CABIN AND SOAKED THE RUGS. THE POLLEN FILTER ALSO DID NOT WORK. COMPUTER AND POLLEN FILTER WERE REPLACED. *AK ALSO DOOR ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HAS BECOME UNALIGNED. ALSO BRAKES NEEDED TO BE TOTALLY REPLACED AFTER 24,000 MILES BECAUSE ROTORS GOT WARPED. ALSO FAULTY IGNITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. ALSO CV JOINTS ARE RIPPIING AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. ONLY HAVE 25,000 MILES ON CAR AND SERVICE IT REGULARLY.