2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

2003 VW PASSAT HEATED SEAT BURNT THROUGH THE LEATHER. I HAD BURNT SENSATIONS WHILE DRIVING AND SMELLED BURNING..VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS. GOOD THING I WAS QUICK THINKING AND TURNED OFF THE HEATED SEAT IMMEDIATELY. *NM

WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING OUR 2003 AWD PASSAT WAGON WITH MYSELF AND TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR, THE DRIVER SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. AT THE TIME IT CAUGHT FIRE, THE HEATED SEAT WAS ON SETTING 3 FOR NO MORE THAN 5 MINUTES. LUCKILY, MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, EXIT THE VEHICLE, AND TURN OFF THE HEATED SEAT BEFORE HE WAS BURNED AND/OR A LARGE FIRE ERUPTED. *NM

MY PASSAT HAD TWO PREVIOUS INSTANCES OF WATER LEAKAGE IN THE FLOOR OF THE BACK SEAT, WHERE THE COMPUTER IS HOUSED. THIS RESULTED IN A SHORT-CIRCUIT IN THE CARS COMPUTER IN THE FALL OF 2005, CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOW IN TRAFFIC AND ULTIMATELY STOP WHEN I REACHED DEALERSHIP. MAROONE VOLKSWAGEN OF DELRAY BEACH ADDRESSED THESE TWO INSTANCES UNDER WARRANTY BY FOCUSING ON THE POLLEN FILTER AND POLLEN FILTER CAGING. ON THE THIRD OCCASION, I AGAIN TOOK IT TO MAROONE VOLKSWAGEN ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2006 SINCE THIS SEEMED TO BE ANOTHER RECURRENCE OF THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER WOULD NOT FIX UNDER WARRANTY. SERVICE ADVISOR SAID COWL HAD A HAIRLINE FRACTURE, WHICH WAS ALLOWING WATER UNDER MY HOOD AND INTO THE CAR. HOWEVER, COWL WAS INTACT ON PREVIOUS VISITS FOR SAME PROBLEM. CONTACTED VW OF AMERICA WHO ACCEPTED DEALERS DIAGNOSIS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TROUBLING GIVEN THERE IS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ONLINE POSTED BY PASSAT OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME LEAKAGE PROBLEM THAT I DESCRIBE ABOVE, AND IT IS NOT DUE TO COWL. PLEASE REFER TO AUTOBAHN.COM. *JB

I TURNED ON THE DRIVER'S HEATED SEATS WHEN I FELT THEM HOTTER THAN USUAL, SECONDS LATER I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING AND THEN I SAW SMOKE COMING UP FROM THE LEFT SIDE BY MY SEAT. I JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND FOUND FLAMES VISIBLE COMING FROM INSIDE THE SEAT. I PUT THE FIRE OUT. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO FIX IT. *NM

ON OCTOBER 2ND, I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 85 IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA WHEN I HEARD A FAINT POP AND THEN FELT MY CAR TRANSFER WEIGHT FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT. AS I LOOKED IN MY REVIEW I SAW A TIRE WITHOUT A RIM ROLLING BEHIND ME. I MERGED TO THE LEFT SHOULDER AND STOPPED UNDER AN UNDERPASS. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED MY LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD BELT HAD BLOWN AWAY FROM BOTH THE INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS. THE TREAD BELT WAS STILL COMPLETELY INTACT, MAKING IT LOOK AS IF IT WERE A DONUT. THE INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS HAD REMAINED INTACT TO THE RIM. SOME MINOR DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL WELL OF THE VEHICLE HAD OCCURRED. SEEING AS THESE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN DECEMBER OF 2005, AND HAD LESS THAN 40,000 AND THEY'RE RATED FOR 80,000 MILES, I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS. THE TIRE BRAND IS GOODYEAR TRIPLE TREAD ASSURANCE. CURRENTLY THE CAR'S REAR TIRE HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A FULL SIZE SPARE TIRE AND WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE TIRE DEALER TOMORROW TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. *JB

MY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WENT OUT AND I DIDN'T KNOW I DIDN'T HAVE BRAKES UNTIL SOMEONE AT A LIGHT TOLD ME. WHO KNOWS HOW LONG I'VE DROVE AROUND LIKE THAT. AND IT SEEMS VERY ODD THAT SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TOO. I OWN TWO VW'S (2003 PASSAT & 2004 GOLF), BOTH HAVE HAD THIS SWITCH FAILURE. THE 2004 WAS REPLACED/FIXED UNDER WARRANTY; THE 2003 WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY & COSTS WERE EXORBITANT. THE SERVICE DEPT AND SERVICE MANAGERS BOTH ADMITTED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND OFTENTIMES THEIR MECHANICS WILL BREAK THE NEW SWITCH WHILE INSTALLING IT. I BROKE TWO SWITCHES MYSELF ATTEMPTING A SIMPLE INSTALL. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE WAS THAT THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED & YES I HAVE BOTH THE ORIGINAL BROKEN PART, PLUS ANOTHER NEWER REVISION OF THE SWITCH THAT I PERSONALLY BROKE, PLUS THE NOW WORKING SWITCH INSTALLED IN BOTH VW'S. *NM

MY 2003 PASSAT HAS APPROX. 34,000 MILES. THE BRAKE ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE -- ONCE AT SOMEWHAT OVER 12K MILES AGO, AND THE OTHER VERY RECENTLY. THE MOST RECENT TIME, WE WERE TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY FURTHER (BY THE DEALER) BECAUSE IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE FIRST TIME, VW PAID FOR THE REPAIR, THIS TIME THEY WOULD NOT. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SAFETY PROBLEM, ONE WHICH I AM AFRAID WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. PLEASE NOTE...I DO NOT HAVE THE EXACT DATE IN THE FIELD BELOW. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A CLANGING NOISE WHILE PULLING INTO A GARAGE. WHEN THE BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND DID NOT ENGAGE COMPLETELY. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP WAS CONSULTED, AND DETERMINED THE REAR BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED, THE TIRES WERE ROTATED, AND THE OIL WAS CHANGED. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT TEST DRIVE, THE VEHICLE STALLED COMPLETELY WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH. A SERVICE DEALER WAS CONSULTED BY THE PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, AND DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL # 06V017000 WHICH PERTAINED TO THE FUEL PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED . THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER DETERMINED THIS WAS HOW THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED, RECALL # 06V017000; FUEL PUMP (VW #M7) WAS RECEIVED IN THE 2ND WEEK OF MARCH 2006. WHEN THE SERVICE DEALER WAS CONTACTED FOR AN APPOINTMENT, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE FUEL PUMP WAS BACK ORDERED AND THE CONTACT WOULD BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE PART WAS AVAILABLE. IN MAY 2006 THE PART WAS STILL ON BACK ORDER. WHEN THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED BACK TO DEALER.