1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

1. EARLY ON BRAKING (INTERMITTENT) AND NOW ALWAYS AT ENGINE STARTUP 2. THE ABS BRAKE COMES ON SOLID, THE BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES, AND THREE BEEPS ON ENGINE STARTUP. THIS INDICATES THAT THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM HAS FAILED. AND INDEED I CURRENTLY HAVE NO ABS, ALTHOUGH THE BRAKES WORK, AND THE CAR CANNOT PASS DC INSPECTION BECAUSE OF THE WARINING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD. 3. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BY RUNNING THE VAG-COM DIAGNOSTICS ON IT. VAG-COM CANNOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WHICH INDICATES THE ABS CONTROL MODULE MUST BE REPLACED. I AM CURRENTLY IN PURSUIT OF A USED REPLACEMENT PART OR A REBUILD OF THE CURRENT MODULE DUE TO THE HIGH PRICE OF THIS PART FROM VW AND THE FACT THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. I HAVE ALSO SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT TO VW OF AMERICA.*AK

I WAS JUST TOLD BY THE VW DEALER THAT MY 1998 VW PASSAT WITH 1.8T ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF SLUDGE PROBLEMS. I CHANGE THE OIL MORE FREQUENTLY THAN THE REQUIRED 5000 MILES (USUALLY BETWEEN 3000 AND 3500), BUT DON'T HAVE EVERY RECEIPT, AND DON'T HAVE THE OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER, SO THEY WON'T HONOR THEIR WARRANTY. THEY WANT ME TO PAY $8000 WHEN IT IS THEIR RECOGNIZED DESIGN FLAW. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT IT YET. *NM

VW PASSAT 1998 HAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE ABS LIGHT STAYS SOLID AND BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES. THIS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE MANUFACTURER HAS TAKEN NO MEASURES TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM. THEY HAVE SHIFTED RESPONSIBILITY ON THE CONSUMER TO PAY THEM EXTRA $ 2000.00 TO FIX THEIR PROBLEM. *JB

WATER LEAKS INTO DRIVERS SIDE FLOOR, RELAY FAILURE AND RESULTANT DEFROSTER FAILURE. MILDEW, RESPIRATORY DISTRESS, UNCONTROLABLE SNEEZING, AND RESULTANT DIFFICULTY WITH VEHICLE CONTROL. ENTIRE CARPET REPLACEMENT. COST OVER $1000 WITH LABOR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE ABS MODULE PUMP.*AK

ABS LIGHT BLINKING CONSTANTLY ON MY 98 VW PASSAT FOR PAST 19 MONTHS. DEALER INDICATES NO FAULT CODE ANUNNCIATED WITH COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS. QUOTES $1300. CONTROL UNIT NEEDED. ABS SYSTEM NOT FUNCTIONAL.*AK

LIKE MANY, MANY OTHERS, MY 1998 VW PASSAT 2.8 LITER WITH TIPTRONIC (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSION HAS THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: 1) ABS LIGHT ON (ABS NOT WORKING); 2) BRAKE LIGHT ON (BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER ALL ROTORS & PADS WERE REPLACED AND FLUID CHANGED); 3) TACHOMETER NOT WORKING; 4) OIL LIGHT ON (BUT OIL LEVEL AND PRESSURE ARE OKAY). THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT BEGAN EARLY THIS YEAR BUT IS NOW ALMOST CONSTANT. ALL PROBLEMS APPEAR TO BE CAUSED BY A BAD ABS CONTROLLER, WHICH IS ALSO USED IN AUDI A4 MODELS (PART # 8E0 614 111R). VW DEALERSHIP QUOTES OVER $1000 FOR THE PART ALONE. SOMETIMES, IF THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING A FEW DAYS OR IF IT IS COLD OUTSIDE, THE LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON AND THE TACHOMETER WORKS CORRECTLY FOR AWHILE. THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL THE ABOVE-MENTIONED PROBLEMS HAPPEN. OR, I WILL BE DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE PROBLEMS, THEN THE TACH JUMPS TO LIFE AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS GO OUT. AS I SAID BEFORE: THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE (NO ABS COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS) AS WELL AS A QUALITY ISSUE: ABS CONTROLLERS SHOULD NOT FAIL SO FREQUENTLY ON SUCH RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLES. A RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED BY VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDI TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE ABS CONTROLLERS IN THEIR 1998-ON PASSAT AND 1996-ON A4 MODELS. THANK YOU, [XXX]. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I OWE A 1998 VW PASSAT GLS( 77,000 MILES). ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON A MONTH AGO. I CONTACTED VW DEALER AND THEY ASKED ME TO BRING THE CAR IN. BUT BEFORE I DID THAT I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH THAT CAR BECAUSE OF THE ABS PROBLEM. IT WAS RAINING AND I HAD TO BRAKE SO THE ABS TURNED ON. IT BLOCKED BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL AND THE CAR KEPT SLIDING. ABS WAS CLEARLY NOT WORKING. THE CAR KEPT SLIDING FOR ABOUT 30 YARDS AND I ALMOST RAN TROUGH THE RED LIGHT AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED I'VE NOTICED THAT THE CAR HAD SHUT ITSELF DOWN. SEVEN MONTH PREGNANT WIFE AND MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WERE WITH ME IN THE CAR AND WE ALMOST LOST OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS MODULE MUST BE REPLACED AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT $2000.00. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE AND I FOUND THAT THERE IS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM, BUT APPARENTLY VW OF AMERICA DO NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM HTTP://WWW.MYVWLEMON.COM/UBB/FORUM2/HTML/000120.HTML. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BECAUSE THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING BECAUSE BEFORE YOU HEAR ABOUT DOZENS OF PEOPLE LOOSING THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF THIS. THANK YOU, ENES SKOPLJAK. *JB

FAILURE OF COMPUTER MODUAL FOR ABS (AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM). ABS SYSTEM NO LONGER WORKS.*AK

EARLIER THIS MONTH (10/2004), THE ABS BRAKE FAILURE WARNING (LIGHT AND SOUND) ON OUR 1998 VW PASSAT GLS STARTED COMING ON SPORADICALLY.*AK ON OCT. 20, I TOOK THE CAR TO WHEATON SERVICE CENTER, A VW-ONLY INDEPENDENT SHOP. THEY HOOKED THE UNIT UP TO THE DIAGANOSTIC COMPUTER AND GOT NO SIGNAL. THEY ALSO GOT NOT SIGNAL WHEN THEY TRIED TO ACCESS TO ENGINE COMPUTER, INDICATING THAT THE ABS COMPUTER HAS A SHORT (THE ENGINE COMPUTER WORKED FINE AFTER THEY DISCONNECTED THE ABS COMPUTER.) I CONFIRMED THIS DIAGNOSIS OVER THE PHONE WITH FTIZGERALD VW IN FREDERICK, MD. I LATER TESTED THE BRAKING ON A WET ROAD -- THERE WAS NO ABS, ALTHOUGH THE CONVENTIONAL BRAKES WORKED FINE. THE 1998 CAR, WHICH WE HAVE OWNED SINCE NEW, HAS BEEN SCRUPULOUSLY MAINTAINED, AS THE REGIONAL VW FACTORY REP CAN ATTEST (FROM A DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY REPAIR DONE 5,000 MILES AGO). THE CAR NOW HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT. THE WSC MECHANICS TELL ME THAT THEY SEE NUMEROUS ABS FAILURES IN LATE '90S PASSATS, THE WEB SEEMS TO CONFIRM THIS. THE WIDESPREAD, PREMATURE FAILURE OF ABS SYSTEMS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. SINCE THE REPAIR COSTS $2,500, MANY OWNERS WILL SIMPLY DISCONNECT THE ABS COMPUTER TO AVOID THE ANNOYING LIGHTS AND SOUNDS, AND AVOID THE EXPENSIVE FIX. HAVING BECOME ACCOSTOMED TO ABS, HOW MANY WILL ADJUST THEIR BRAKING ACCORDINGLY, ESPECIALLY THE NEED TO PUMP THE BRAKES TO AVOID SKIDDING?