2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

MY 2003 PASSAT WITH 46,000 MILES AND REGULAR 5,000 MILES SERVICE VISITS RECENTLY HAD TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS. THE ALTERNATOR WENT BAD AND WAS PRODUCING NEARLY TWICE THE VOLTAGE. THERE WERE NO SERVICE BULLETINS OR RECALLS ON THIS ITEM AND WAS FIXED AT A SIGNIFICANT COST TO ME. NEXT WAS THE FUEL TANK. I FIRST EXPERIENCED AN ODOR WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A LEAK IN THE GAS TANK. I AM WORKING WITH AN EXCELLENT VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE BUSINESS WHICH IS NOT A DEALERSHIP. VW AMERICA WILL ONLY TAKE THE WORD OF A LICENSED DEALER. THE DEFECTIVE TANK IS CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED AT A VERY SIGNIFICANT COST TO ME. THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS OR RECALLS ON MY VIN. I UNDERSTAND THAT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAS HAD TO REPLACE A FEW OF THESE. THIS IS A VERY NICE CAR DEVELOPING A BAD REPUTATION. I HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THIS CAR AND WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD CONSTANTLY SHINE ON AND OFF AT RANDOM. THE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD DIM WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED RECALL NUMBER 07V063000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH). HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE AS NOTED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 67,085. UPDATED 02/01/08. *LJ UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH OR ATTEMPTING TO STOP, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND SHUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THE SPEED SENSOR WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO MALFUNCTION AND THE ELECTRICAL SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE'S WARRANTY HAS BEEN CHARGED FOR EACH REPLACEMENT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 57,006 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

I OWN A 2003 VW PASSAT V6 AWD THAT CURRENTLY HAS ~37000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS CAR USES AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2003. THE LAST ESTIMATE OF OIL CONSUMPTION (JULY 25, 2007), WAS ~0.75 QUART PER 600 MILES, WHICH IS WHAT THE DEALER AND VW HAVE SAID IS WITHIN THE FACTORY SPECIFICATION OF 1 QUART PER 1000 MILES. HOWEVER, NEITHER THE DEALER NOR VW WILL PROVIDE ME WITH WRITTEN EVIDENCE OR BULLETINS DESCRIBING THESE SPECIFICATIONS. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, WHICH REFLECTS AN UNDERLYING DEFECT IN THE DESIGN/FUNCTION OF VW ENGINES. APPARENTLY, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS COMPLAINT AS SEVERAL OF THE BULLETIN BOARDS AND INTERNET DISCUSSION GROUPS HAVE SIMILAR POSTINGS. THIS OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM MAY ALSO BE RELATED TO THE ACCUMULATION OF "ENGINE SLUDGE," WHICH APPARENTLY LED VW TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON CERTAIN MODELS. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM FALLS WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE NHSTA, BUT I AM FILING THIS AS A COMPLAINT AND REQUESTING FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *TR

I WAS DRIVING EAST ON ATLANTIC AVENUE IN DELRAY BEACH, FL., I MADE A LEFT TURN ONTO N.E. 4TH AVENUE AND WITHIN A FEW YARDS THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT TOO FAR FROM THE FOUNTAIN SQUARE PARKING LOT SO I PUSHED THE CAR INTO THE PARKING LOT TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT.

TWICE, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ON UNCONTROLLABLY - INTERMITTENTLY AT FIRST, THEN PERMANENTLY. THIS FAILURE WAS TROUBLE-SHOT AND REPAIRED BY THE DEALER BOTH TIMES. IN EACH CASE, THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAD FAILED. FROM STUDYING THE SWITCH PART NUMBERS, IT APPEARS THE SUFFIX HAS ALSO TWICE CHANGED TO A LATER VERSION - ALTHOUGH I DON'T BELIEVE THEY WERE INSTALLED IN THAT ORDER IN MY CAR (SEE PN'S BELOW). I BELIEVE I HAVE THE LATEST VERSION CURRENTLY INSTALLED. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE FAILURE MODE, AS IT NOT ONLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE (DRIVING AROUND WITH BRAKE LIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY ON, BUT IF LEFT ON FOR PROLONGED PERIOD, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT BULB SOCKETS GET EXTREMELY HOT AND IN MY OPINION HAVE A GOOD CHANCE TO MELT THE PLASTIC SOCKET/REFLECTORS AND POSSIBLY CATCH FIRE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ABS AND CRUISE CONTROL BECOME INOP, THE THROTTLE BODY ALIGNMENT IS DISTURBED CAUSING THE CAR TO BEHAVE TERRIBLY ON ACCELERATION AND MANY CEL-TYPE LIGHT ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. FAILURES OCCURRED: 1ST TIME: @ 34540MI, 4/7/2005. 2ND TIME: @ 49,746MI, 5/24/2006. ORIG S/W PN 3B094551A (FROM FACTORY). 2ND S/W/1ST REPLACEMENT PN 3B0945511_ (ASSUME BASIC PN), 3RD S/W/2ND REPLACEMENT PN 3B0945511B). I HAVE NEVER HAD TO CHANGE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON MY 1984 VW SCIROCCO - I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND HAD DRIVEN IT OVER 174K MILES! A FAILED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THIS PASSAT HAS MUCH GREATER IMPACT (LIGHTS, ABS, THROTTLE, CRUISE CONTROL) WHEN IT FAILS THAN IT WOULD ON THE SCIROCCO (JUST LIGHTS), AND IT WAS THE PASSAT BRAKE LIGHT S/W THAT FAILED TWICE - DUE TO POOR DESIGN/RELIABILITY. AMAZING AND UNACCEPTABLE. *TR

DRIVER WAS ON DAILY COMMUTE TO WORK, STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION. A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD BY THE DRIVER AND WHEN THE DRIVER EXITED THE CAR TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED, A BYSTANDER IMMEDIATELY YELLED TOWARD THE DRIVER TO WARN THEM THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT OF CAR SAFELY, WITH MINOR INJURIES INCURRED AS A RESULT OF TRYING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE ITSELF WAS LIMITED TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, HOWEVER AS A RESULT THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE DESTROYED AND THE CAR WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS BY INSURANCE. SINCE THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT(S) AND SURROUNDING AREA INVOLVED IN THE DEFECT WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED, THERE WAS NO PARTS TO REPAIR OR REPLACE. *JB

A WATER LEAK IN EITHER THE SUNROOF DRAINAGE TUBES OR POLLEN FILTER CAUSED 2" OF WATER TO FILL THE PASSENGER FRONT/REAR OF MY 2003 VW PASSAT. THERE IS CURRENTLY A TERRIBLE SMELL OF MOLD/MILDER IN THE VEHICLE. UPON RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, IT WAS FOUND THAT NUMEROUS VW OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

OIL SLUDGE BUILD UP. STOP ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IMMEDIATELY TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND LEARNED THAT IT WAS AN OIL PRESSURE ISSUE TO SLUDGE. VOLKSWAGEN HAD ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THEY REQUIREED COMPLETE RECORDS WHICH MOST PEOPLE DID NOT KEEP. THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH REGARD TO THIS ISSUE. WONDERING WHY A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN IMPOSED GIVEN THE EXPENSE TO CONSUMER'S FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. CONSUMER PROTECTION SHOULD BE FIRST PRIORITY.*AK

WAS TOLD BY VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA THAT THE PASSAT 2003 DID NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. THIS VEHICLE HAS THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRICATED IN GETTING THIS COVERED. ESULTS : | ALL RECORDS DISPLAYED AKE : VOLKSWAGEN MODEL : PASSAT YEAR : 2003 MANUFACTURER : VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 07V063000 MFR'S REPORT DATE : FEB 15, 2007 COMPONENT: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED : 1002000 . *AK