2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

FRONT HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED - REPLACED THEM BUT THEY COULDN'T MAKE THE ALIGNMENT OF THE BEAM. THE CAR RUNS TO THE RIGHT BUT THE WHEELS ARE CALIBRATED AND THE DIRECTION ALIGNMENT IS DONE. THE CAR INFILTRATED WATER INSIDE THE CAR AND TRUNK. SUNROOF MALFUNCTION - OPENS IN ALL POSITIONS BUT DON'T CLOSE. THE CAR AS THE FRONT GLASS IS FROM 2005 AND ALL THE OTHERS ARE FROM 2002, CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAR 2003. DIESEL ESCAPED FROM THE PUMP. CD CHANGER - 6 CDS AS MALFUNCTION THE RADIO DOESN'T EJECT THE CD'S. THE MOTOR GAG VARIOUS TIMES A CONSTANT ROTATION. THE TRUNK WAS HARD TO OPEN AND CLOSE. THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS.... THE COMPLAINTS BEGIN 15 DAYS FROM THE PURCHASE. *JB

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER BURNED HOLE THROUGH SEAT COVER. BURN THROUGH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN PERSONAL BURN, HOWEVER, I STOPPED PRIOR TO ANY INJURY. DEALER IS CONSIDERING REPLACEMENT OF ALL DAMAGED PARTS. *NM

A PROBLEM WITH THE MALFUNCTION OF THE COILS ON THE 03 ENGINES OF VW GL TURBO. THE PROBLEM CAUSES THE ENGINE TO MISFIRE, MAKING ACCELERATIONS DIFFICULT AND CONTINUATION OF THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE DANGEROUS. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING, HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND THEN WAS CHARGED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT AT THE DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE COILS, EVEN THOUGH THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN PREVALENT IN THESE ENGINES. *NM

TL*- WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE SEAT WARMER ON, IN A 2003 VOLKSWAGON PASSAT, IT BURNED A HOLE ON THE FRONT DRIVER SEAT. THE CONTACT HAD A SLIGHT BURN ON HER COAT AND HAD TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF COMPLETELY AND KEPT THE SEAT WARMER ON ZERO IN ORDER FOR THE SEAT NOT TO CONTINUE TO BURN. THE CONTACT CURRENTLY HAS VEHICLE AT DEALERSHIP. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 60543 MILES.

MY 2003 VW PASSAT GL SEDAN SPUTTERED, STALLED AND SUBSEQUENTLY CAUGHT FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AROUND 6:30 PM, JAN 26TH, 2007, IN HOLMDEL NJ, POLICE REPORT # 07-1914 HOLMDEL POLICE DEPT. THE CAR HAS BEEN MAINTAINED WELL BY A LOCAL VW DEALER SINCE PURCHASE AND THERE HAS BEEN NO MODIFICATIONS MADE, NOR ANY SIGNS OF TROUBLE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE FIRE WAS VERY EXTENSIVE AND PUT OUT BY HOLMDEL NJ FIRE DEPT AND THE CAR IS TOTALED. THE SYMPTOM JUST PRIOR TO STALLING IS CONSISTENT WITH IGNITION COIL FAILURE WHICH WAS RECALLED BY VW UNTIL 2002 MODEL YEAR, I.E., ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS, SPUTTERING, SMOKES UNDER HOOD AND THOUGH EXHAUST AND FINAL STALL. THE ENGINE STALL NEARLY CAUSED COLLISION DUE TO THE LOSS OF STEERING BOOST AND THE FIRE WAS RAPID AND LARGE. THUS, I FEAR A LESS FORTUNATE COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCE MAY LEAD TO INJURY OR WORSE TO OTHER PASSENGERS OF CARS WITH VW/AUDI 1.8T ENGINES SUCH AS PASSAT, ZETA, A4, GOLF, ETC.. *NM

ON THE 22 JANUARY I PICKED MY CAR UP FROM THE VW DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD IT REPAIRED. I HAD TOLD THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP, BELTS, SPARK PLUGS, BRAKES AND ROTORS AND THE 95,000 MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR. THIS COST ME WELL OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS, I SUPPLIED BRAKES AND ROTORS AND SPARK PLUGS. THE CAR RAN OKAY BUT I BEGAN TO SMELL OIL BURNING AND WHENEVER I UNLOCKED MY CAR TO GET IN IT WOULD LOCK AUTOMATIC AND THEN WHEN I STARTED IT THE ALARM WOULD GO OFF. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE OIL SMELL AND THEY HAD ME BRING IT BACK IN TO LOOK AT. AT THAT TIME THEY SAID THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK AND THEY WOULD CLEAN IT AND TIGHTEN THE BOLTS, THIS WAS ON FRIDAY JANUARY 26TH. ON MONDAY JANUARY 29TH I WAS TRAVELING AND WHEN I PULLED ON TO THE 4 LANE HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATED THE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF, SO I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR DIED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT BUT IT RAN VERY ROUGH. THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER. THE NEXT DAY THEY INFORMED ME THAT AN IGNITION MODULE HAD GONE OUT AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME 30 SOME DOLLARS A PIECE TO REPLACE THEM AND THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING THEM ALL. WHEN I ASK THEM ABOUT THE RECALL THEY TOLD ME THAT VOLKSWAGEN WAS INTO THE K'S ON THESE AND MY WAS BEFORE THAT. I HAD ASK THEM ABOUT THIS WHEN I RECEIVED THE RECALL LETTER FROM VWOFA, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CHECK IT. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THEY DID OR NOT. *NM

WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY GARAGE THIS MORNING, I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. I EXITED MY VEHICLE AND NOTICED MY FRONT HEATED SEAT BURNED THROUGH THE FABRIC AND CAUGHT FIRE (SMALL FLAME). I HAD TO PUT IT OUT WITH MY HAND. AFTERWARDS, I NOTICED THE SEAT SPARKING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN FOR REVIEW BY THE SERVICE MANAGER. IT WAS ON THE 2ND SETTING AND ALSO BURNED ON MY JACKET. *JB

AT 40K MILES THE LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, AT DEALERSHIP THE TECHNICIAN "COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN." AT 42K MILES THE CAR STOPPED WORKING WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. ONCE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE TECH TRIED TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, IN THE INVOICE WAS NOTED THAT HE REMOVED THE OIL CAP AND NOTED "A LOT OF BURNED OIL ON UNDER-SIDE OF CAP AND ON OIL DEFLECTOR TRAY." YET, THAT WAS NOT PURSUED AS THE TECHNICIAN NOTES ON THE FOLLOWING LINE THAT "CHECKED FURTHER AND FOUND NO FUEL DELIVERY." OIL CHANGE WAS ALSO DONE ON THE CAR W/ A NEW OIL FILTER AND CAR WAS RETURNED. AT 50K MILES LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON. STATED IN INVOICE THAT "DID NOT PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC." TECHNICIAN NOTES IN INVOICE, BASED ON A VISUAL INSPECTION THROUGH OIL CAP YET, THERE APPEARS TO BE OIL SLUDGE BUILD UP. NO DIAGNOSTICS WERE RAN AND NO MENTION OF OIL SLUDGE BEING A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 1.8L TURBO ENGINE IN THE 2003 PASSAT. AT 52K MILES, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT YET AGAIN CAME ON, THIS TIME CAR WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT SHOP. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS ON OIL PUMP, BASED ON LOW PRESSURE RESULTS, PUMP WAS REPLACED. 16K MILES LATER, LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON, OIL PUMP IDENTIFIED AS PROBLEM AND REPLACED UNDER PART WARRANTY AT NO COST. ANOTHER 16K MILES LATER, THIS OIL PUMP ALSO FAILED. GARAGE REMOVED VALVE COVER REVEALING EXTENSIVE AMOUNTS OF BURNT OIL CARBON DEPOSITS THAT AS PER THEIR MECHANICS ARE ONLY POSSIBLE FROM A PETROLEUM BASED OIL. I SEEKED A SECOND OPINION ON THE ENGINE AND SECOND GARAGE CONFIRMED THAT DAMAGE SEEN WAS ONLY POSSIBLE FROM THE USE OF A PETROLEUM BASED OIL. VOLKSWAGEN CHANGED THEIR ENGINE OIL SPECIFICATIONS IN AUGUST OF 2004. WHEN I RECEIVED MY CAR IN NOVEMBER OF 2002 AND ALL OIL CHANGES PERFORMED ON THE CAR BY THE VW DEALERSHIP UNTIL AUGUST OF 2004 WERE DONE SO WITH PETROLEUM BASED OIL. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS CREATED FROM NOVEMBER 2002-AUGUST 2004, ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT AWARE OF IT UNTIL 1/5/2007. *NM

LAST SUMMER THE FUEL PUMP FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT VIN #[XXX]. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO VW AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. DURING A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET FOR RECALLS I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP ON THE CAR. WHEN I LOOKED DEEPER INTO THE RECALL I FOUND THAT MY CAR IS BARELY OUT OF THE VIN # RECALL RANGE. I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THIS IS A LARGE PROBLEM WITH OTHER PEOPLE BEING BARELY OUT OF RECALL RANGE. I THINK THAT THE VIN # RECALL RANGE IS OBVIOUSLY SHORT OF WHAT IT SHOULD BE SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE.. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. VWOA WAS NOT WILLING TO HELP IN THIS MATTER AND I THOUGHT I SHOULD REPORT IT...*NM UPDATED 07/11/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AS HAVING A BAD FUEL PUMP AND REPLACED THE PART. THE REPAIR SHOP ADVISED THE CONTACT THERE WAS A RECENT RECALL ON FUEL PUMP. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. *AK UPDATED 2/22/2007- *NM