2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

AT 60,025 MILES AND TRAVELING AT 65MPH MY 2005 VW PASSAT LOST POWER AND BEGAN TO SPUTTER. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE I WAS TOLD THE IGNITION COILS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $500+. *TR

I DROVE ON A COLD DAY TO A MEETING AND AS A RESULT I GOT A 2ND DEGREE BURN ON LEFT BUTTOCK AFTER LEAVING SEAT HEATER ON NUMBER FIVE FOR ONE HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTE DRIVE. I AM A PARTIAL PARAPLEGIC THUS, I WAS UNAWARE OF TEMPERATURE AND UNAWARE OF INCREASED TEMPERATURE. *TR

THE CAR (VW PASSAT TDI 2005) BEGAN ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. THE GAS PEDAL WOULD DEPRESS BENEATH MY FOOT (WITHOUT MY PUSHING IT) AND THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE WITHOUT STOPPING. WHEN I HIT THE BRAKE, SOMETIMES IT WOULD JERK OUT OF THE "ACCELERATING MODE" (AS IF I HAD PUSHED THE BRAKE IN CRUISE CONTROL), BUT THEN IT WOULD RESUME ITS ACCELERATION WITHIN 30-60 SECONDS. SOMETIMES WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE IT WOULD REV AGAINST THE BRAKE AND I WOULD HAVE TO SHIFT IT INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN BRAKE TO GET IT TO SLOW DOWN AND KEEP IT FROM REVVING. THIS HAPPENED 3-4 TIMES IN THE PAST 1-2 WEEKS. I MADE SURE THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS OFF DURING EACH OF THESE EPISODES (SINCE THE CAR SEEMED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO GO INTO CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED, BUT WITH NO MAXIMUM SPEED SET -- I.E., ACCELERATING INDEFINITELY). SOME THINGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELATED: THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON FULL BLAST. EACH TIME IT HAPPENED, I HAD BEEN ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOVE 60 MPH FOR AT LEAST 5-10 MILES. AT THE END OF THE LAST EPISODE, THE CAR WAS PRODUCING SMOKE FROM THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS (LIKELY BECAUSE OF BRAKING AGAINST THE ACCELERATION). THE DEALERSHIP IS EXAMINING THE CAR RIGHT NOW, SO I CAN'T REPORT WHAT REPAIR WAS DONE YET. (RIGHT AFTER THE LAST INCIDENT I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL VW SHOP, BUT THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM, SO I'M HAVING THE CAR BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW - 6/28/2010). *TR

DRIVING MY 2005 VW PASSAT WAGON WITH 50K MILES. ENGINE DIED SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NO WARNING LIGHTS OF ANY KIND APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP. PROBLEM WAS STATED AS FAILURE OF THE FUEL PUMP AND REPLACEMENT WOULD RUN $550.00. THIS ITEM WAS RECALLED ON PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS BUT NOT ON THE 2005 1.8T ENGINES. I FEEL THAT THIS ITEM SHOULD NOT FAIL ON A LOW MILEAGE ENGINE. DEALER NOTATED THAT NUMEROUS OTHER VEHICLES HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM FAILING FUEL PUMPS AS THE SUMMER HEAT SETS IN. *TR

IN 2007 I HEARD A NOISE FROM UNDER MY VEHICLE. IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS LOOSE AND AT TIMES DRAGGING THE GROUND. I WAS ADVISED BY A CO-WORKER THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE UNDER COVER AND TO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ON OCTOBER 27TH 2007 I TOOK MY CAR TO DARCARS VOLKSWAGEN. I WAS ADVISED THE UNDERSHIELD WAS DAMAGED AND I AUTHORIZED THE DEALER TO REPLACE IT. I CONTACTED VOLKWAGEN OF AMERICA BY PHONE IN NOVEMBER 2008 FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF REPAIR COSTS FOR A DEFECTIVE UNDERBODY HEAT SHIELDS THAT I PAID IN OCTOBER 2007 PRIOR TO THE SAFETY RECALL #26E5/R5 ISSUED IN JUNE 2008. I WAS TOLD THE SAME DAY THAT MY REPAIRS WERE NOT RELATED TO THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. RECENTLY, AFTER I OBTAINED LOST RECEIPTS FROM VOLKSWAGEN AND EXAMINED THEM AGAINST ALL RECALLS--IN HINDSIGHT SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME. I JUST COULDN'T FATHOM THAT THE REPAIR AND THE RECALL WERE NOT THE SAME ISSUE. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AGAIN ABOUT THIS RECALL AND WAS TOLD 1) THERE HAD BEEN AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION ON MY INITIAL CLAIM 2) THEY HAD SPOKEN WITH THE MECHANIC THAT SERVICED MY VEHICLE 3) THAT BECAUSE I REQUESTED THE HEAT SHIELD TO BE REPLACED THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST. I DISPUTE THAT THERE WAS ANY INVESTIGATION ON MY CLAIM; THAT ANYONE SPOKE WITH THE MECHANIC WHO SERVICED MY VEHICLE; AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THAT SINCE I AUTHORIZED REPLACEMENT THAT I AM LIABLE FOR THE ASSOCIATED COST OF THE DAMAGED HEAT SHIELD. IT IS MY POSITION THAT VOLKSWAGEN IS AVOIDING RESPONSIBILITY FOR REIMBURSEMENT THROUGH DECEPTION AND THAT THEY ATTEMPTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF AUTOMOTIVE SPECIFICS. I BID YOUR INTERVENTION IN THIS MATTER. *TR

WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY MY 2005 PASSAT (1.8T) SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY TO THE BREAK DOWN LANE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE CARS BEHIND ME. THE PASSAT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DISCOVER THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. SO THEN I PAID THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, SINCE THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR THE 2005 MODEL (ONLY 2003).

DASHBOARD SHOWS AIRBAG FAULT. GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR VW PASSAT. YET, VW HAS NOT ISSUED ANY RECALL. *TR*TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INTERIOR OF THE HEADLIGHT LENSES BECAME FOGGY. AN UNKNOWN PRODUCT WAS PURCHASED TO PREVENT THE HEADLIGHTS FROM CLOUDING BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE OCCURRENCE WAS NORMAL BASED ON THE AGE OF THE LENS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT HE PREVIOUSLY OWNED AN OLDER MODEL VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT AND EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

OIL SLUDGE, OIL PUMP FAILURE, ENGINE FAILURE, NOW MY 2005 VW PASSAT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE , THIS IS A VW MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE 4 CYLINDER 1.8 TURBO ENGINE BECAUSE THE TURBOCHARGER GETS TO HOT AND CAUSE THE EXPENSIVE SYNTHETIC OIL BREAKDOWN AND IT SITS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL PAN UNTIL IT GETS SUCKED UP BY THE OIL PUMP AND THIS CAUSES YOUR ENGINE TO FAIL. *TR

I OWN A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GLS. THE FACTORY INSTALLED SEAT HEATER MALFUNCTIONED THE OTHER DAY PRODUCING SMOKE, BURNING MY BUTTOCK (AND FINGER WHEN I REACHED DOWN) AND BURNING TWO PEA SIZED HOLES ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE LOCAL VW DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. I ALSO CALLED THE DISTRICT VW OFFICE AT 1-800-822-8987 AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY VW IS COVERING THE COST OF REPAIR ON SOME BUT NOT ALL VWS. I WAS TOLD THE 2005 PASSAT IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY KIND OF EXTENDED WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE DISTRICT OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE AND PROMISED TO GET BACK TO ME BY DAY'S END TOMORROW. TO ME THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. OTHER THEN MINOR BURNS TO MY BUTTOCKS AND FINGERS, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE SEAT HEATER. THE HEAT AND SMOKE WENT RIGHT AWAY. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE SAFETY, THE VW DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUGGESTED I NOT USE THE HEATERS UNTIL THEY ARE REPAIRED. I ASKED ABOUT DISABLING THEM VIA A FUSE OF SOMETHING BUT THEY SAID UNFORTUNATE THE FUSE CONTROLLED OTHER FUNCTIONS IN THE CAR. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE 2005 PASSAT GLS. I'M OKAY BUT OTHERS MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. ALSO, I'M CONCERNED HOW THE VW DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUGGESTED I JUST NOT USE IT AGAIN. WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE USES THE CAR AND I FORGET TO TELL THEM? THE REPAIR BILL WAS ESTIMATED AT $900+ FOR THE DRIVER'S SEAT ONLY. *TR