Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||||
| 101703 | 10/17/2003 | 10004525 | Ignition switch special warranty extension question and answer sheet to volkswagen owners. *tt | 12/17/2003 | |
| 0328 | 10/17/2003 | 10004521 | Ignition switch limited warranty extension 1996-1997 vehicles. *tt | 12/17/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 05/05/2012 | 200000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 1997 volkswagen passat tdi. the contact stated that a fire erupted spontaneously inside the dashboard which caused all of the wires to melt and the windshield to fracture. the fire department was contacted who determined that the fire started in the area where the ignition was located. no injuries were reported. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 200,000. kmj | |||
| 05/05/2012 | 200000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 1997 volkswagen passat tdi. the contact stated that a fire erupted spontaneously inside the dash board which cause all of the wires to melt and the windshield to brake. the fire department was contacted who determined that the fire started in the area where the ignition was located. no injuries were reported. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 200,000. pm | |||
| 07/21/2008 | 60000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 volkswagen passat. whenever the contact attempted to activate the windshield wipers or headlights, they failed to turn on. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. there were no warnings prior to the failures. the current mileage was 62,000 and failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 06/01/2003 | 1000 | 5000 | 05/15/1997 |
| 1997 vw passat tdi. the car had a tv-12 recall, in which the ecm and intake manifold was replaced. within six (6) months, the ecm went out again, and vw refuses to live up to the warranty. 2) failure of this, does not diminish it's crusing capacity down the highway. however, there will be no power to pass safely, and much loss of power, when entering the 'exits'. consequently, a very possible situation results to have a terrible crash. vw knows about this, and only fixes it when the customer complains. 3) the original intake was replaced, and ecm. however, vw will not put a 'new' ecm in, rather, they put in a rebuilt one. this is prone to human error, and that's why mine failed within five (5) to six (6) months. it 'goes out' constantly. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 1 | ||
| 1996 volkswagen passat with 40,000 exspeienced sudden alternator failure. new battery previously installed. no explanation regarding failure. replacement cost exceeded $700.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 06/01/2001 | |||
| Started with airbag light turning on. a week or so later the parking brake and abs lights turned on but only for the first few miles of driving. while these were on, the ac fan, wipers, and headlights do not operate. these lights now stay on most of the time. | |||
| 08/31/2000 | 8 | ||
| Ignition switch wore out prematurely. while driving headlights and other electrical portions had turned off, affecting consumer visibility while driving late at night. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 10/18/2006 | 100600 | 1 | 04/16/1997 |
| Various electronic components failed while driving--windshield wipers, lights, defrost motor--on a very dark, rainy morning, causing a dangerous situation and a near-accident. manufacturer previously warned of 'ignition switch failure', but would only repair after failure and before 10 yrs or 100,000 miles. my car has 100,600 miles. manufacturer refuses to bear the repair cost for this known defect that could have caused a serious accident. *nm | |||
| 08/13/2006 | 85100 | 1 | 05/19/2006 |
| Ignition switch failure while vehicle operational. same condition was covered under recall on 1996 vw passat models, manufacturer is not offering coverage on same body style under 1997 and 1995 designation. impacted vehicle is a 1997 vw passat wagon. *jb | |||
| 05/02/2005 | 295950 | 1 | 01/20/2005 |
| 1. ignition switch failed. 2. caused loss of electrical power and temporary engine failure. electrical system damage. 3. replaced electrical portion of ignition switch, headlight relay. | |||
| 12/13/2004 | 125000 | 4 | 05/17/2004 |
| Consumer complained about ignition switch and headlights problems. while driving on a winding road the headlights just turned off, and consumer would have to wiggle the ignition to get the lights to turn back on. currently, manufacturer was recalling vehicles with this defect. however, because this vehicle had an excess of 125,000 miles it was 25,000 miles past the cut off point. *ak also, headlights will sometimes go out while driving. dealer replaced ignition switch. consumer felt that this problem should be a definitive recall without mileage limitations. *ak | |||
| 05/07/2004 | 80000 | 20 | 09/13/2001 |
| Numerous ocassions my passat will shut down while driving. lose all power, a/c, headlights, windshield wipers, and numerous other power related items. this has happened while driving on the interstate and luckily i was able to pull over before being hit, or hitting someone.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 11/02/2003 |
| The windshield wipers, air conditioner and headlights stopped working. the consumer staed the ignition switch needs replacing. *jb | |||
| 11/20/2002 | 42003 | 1 | |
| Lights, wipers and heater fan lose power while driving. the ignition switch was replaced by the dealer at the owner's expense, fixing the problem. the ignition switch part number as listed on the invoice (6no-905-865) is similar, if not identical, to part number 357-905-865 that fails in the 1996 vw passat & jetta, a vehicle subject to a recall campaign for the same symptoms | |||
| 05/01/2002 | |||
| Consumer states vehicle would intermittenly not start. dlr determined the ignition switch is defective. ts | |||
| 08/31/2000 | 8 | ||
| Ignition switch wore out prematurely. while driving headlights and other electrical portions had turned off, affecting consumer visibility while driving late at night. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 05/07/2004 | 80000 | 20 | 09/13/2001 |
| Numerous ocassions my passat will shut down while driving. lose all power, a/c, headlights, windshield wipers, and numerous other power related items. this has happened while driving on the interstate and luckily i was able to pull over before being hit, or hitting someone.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 07/15/2004 | 100000 | 4 | 06/24/2004 |
| I purchased a 1997 volkswagen passat vr6 at checkered flag bmw in june 2004, and since have discovered that the electrical system is horrible. first, the air conditioner( a/c) quit working, then the airbag light came on, and the ac started working for a day, then blew a chemical cloud into the vehicle, while i was on the highway. my eyes were burning (as well as my face) for the rest of the day. finally, i have already had to replace the battery, and there's a slow coolant leak. may i suggest that we remove all vw's from america's streets? they are a total menace to anyone who owns them! i went to checkered flag vw, to have it serviced, and they wanted to charge 89 dollars a problem, just to look, then they said i could trade it for a new one. why would i want a new one? i don't need to trade an old problem for a new, more expensive one, i just want a reliable work vehicle, and i wish i had stuck to my guns and bought another prelude. this thing will see the crusher when i'm done paying it off! four problems in not so many months. only another vw owner would know that kind of frustration!*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 12/24/2005 | 215000 | 1 | 08/10/2001 |
| While en-route between dexter, michigan and grand rapids, michigan, cabin began to smell of smoke. shortly thereafter, the cigarette lighter caught fire. fire was extinguished with a halon extinguisher promptly. examination of the components post-fire revealed a defective center conductor. circuit was fused at 10 amps which was found to be blown, post fire. no injuries, no damage to personal goods, damage was confined to cigarette lighter assembly, which is poorly designed. *nm | |||
| 07/15/2004 | 100000 | 4 | 06/24/2004 |
| I purchased a 1997 volkswagen passat vr6 at checkered flag bmw in june 2004, and since have discovered that the electrical system is horrible. first, the air conditioner( a/c) quit working, then the airbag light came on, and the ac started working for a day, then blew a chemical cloud into the vehicle, while i was on the highway. my eyes were burning (as well as my face) for the rest of the day. finally, i have already had to replace the battery, and there's a slow coolant leak. may i suggest that we remove all vw's from america's streets? they are a total menace to anyone who owns them! i went to checkered flag vw, to have it serviced, and they wanted to charge 89 dollars a problem, just to look, then they said i could trade it for a new one. why would i want a new one? i don't need to trade an old problem for a new, more expensive one, i just want a reliable work vehicle, and i wish i had stuck to my guns and bought another prelude. this thing will see the crusher when i'm done paying it off! four problems in not so many months. only another vw owner would know that kind of frustration!*ak | |||