Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 400101 | 05/31/2001 | 621617 | A condition may exist with noise from the front suspension. *tt | 09/27/2001 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||||
| VM | 12/01/2004 | VM | 10011593 | Check/replace front suspension lower control arms. *tc this supercedes the vm service action dated november 2004. *tt | 01/27/2005 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 07/20/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Noise from left side control arm of a 1998 vw passat 1.8t. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2003 | 1 | 03/18/1998 | |
| Problems with left side upper control arms link, sway bar links and lower control arm. *mr *ts also the tie rod ends were replaced, there was a recall regarding the issue, however the consumer's vehicle was not affected. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2001 | 4 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Creaking clunking in front end, will probably replace most suspension components on this car.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Catalytic converter replaced early on in ownership. water pump, oil pump, timing belt replaced two months ago. turbo replaced twice and still defective. electrical problems with driver's side window, heated seat, trunk light. suspension system bushings need replacement @ only 56,000 miles. steering column replaced early on. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 07/26/2007 | 1 | ||
| The lower control arms on my 1998 vw passat are defective and dangerous according to my mechanic. vw refuses to replace them even though there was a recall for these parts. the reasoning is that: - i brought my car in for the recall at their dealer in 2005 and at the time the parts seemed ok. - at this time, their dealer has reinspected the car. the vw dealer thinks that both lower front control arms on the car need replacement. however the parts are not about to fail and the car is still drivable and thus vw will not pay for their replacement. my mechanic states that the car need to be replaced and the car is dangerous to drive in this condition. please advise whether vw is responsible under the revised-vm (40g3) - december 2004 recall campaign to fix these. thanks *tr | |||
| 02/08/2005 | 1 | 03/31/1999 | |
| Groaning and moaning noise emanating from the front of the car when turning. *jb | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 71315 | 2 | 11/12/2002 |
| I purchased a pre-owned 1998 vw passat sedan with 36,000 miles on it in 2002 which was a great deal!! or so i thought. since that time i have started hearing a noise coming from the front right tire.. or suspension .. like a creaking, crunching, knocking noise. i took it to a vw dealership and was told that the control arms on the right and the tie rods needed to be replaced. i found out that the tie rods had been recalled and the ones on my vehicle had been replaced under that recall in 2001, but had again worn out. i find it hard to believe that tie rods would wear out over a 3 year period since the car barely has 70,000 miles on it. i have viewed this website and found over 200 complaints concerning this problem and am curious what vw plans to do.. wait until someone dies when a control arm snaps? vw needs to recall this item now!*ak | |||
| 01/11/2004 | 98000 | 1 | 04/15/1998 |
| I took my car to jim ellis volkswagen of atlanta to get the tie rods replaced as part of the recall campaign on my 98 volkswagen passat. the dealer tells me that this work has already been marked as completed in their system by another dealer . i have never taken my car to the other dealer. please advice. | |||
| 11/07/2002 | 2 | 08/01/2001 | |
| This is the 2nd time in less than 6 months that my control arms have failed. i have a stock car, with stock suspension. this is mind-boggling that control arms on a 1998 car would fail twice in 1 year. i'm not the only one. please, my wallet and my kids christmas begs you, recall these control arms. please before someone is killed. i have contacted vw of america 4 times on this and they do not care. i have written vw in germany, all i got was a gift certificate. please, do something!! dt | |||
| 1 | 10/01/2097 | ||
| The right front suspensions is very noisy over bumps, including just pushing down on the right front fender. after taking this to our local vw dealer here in fort collins we were told the fix is to replace the control arms at a cost of $750. i called vw of north america to complain saying this was way below industry standards for durability of this type of component. vw's response was sorry it's out of warranty. this is ridiculous. i have since done a search on the nhtsa site and found this is a common complaint for the passat. vw should recall the part & provide an improved replacement that meets industry standards.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2097 | |||
| Clunking noise from front suspension. occurs when accelerating and braking. also general looseness in steering that was not there when car was new. car hard to steer straight and very susceptible to cross winds and turbulence. dealership continues to claim that they cannot find anything wrong.*ak | |||
| 01/20/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| The handling of the vehicle became erratic and noisy. the dealership informed me that this was a common problem with these vehicles and with audis on the same (b5) platform. i cannot believe if this is as serious a safety issue as i was led to believe, that there has not been a recall on these parts or a redesign.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2002 | 08/01/2001 | ||
| Several suspension components have required replacement within 70,000 miles. none have yet been catastrophic. but possibly because as a car guy i am able to detect them early.*ak | |||
| 06/22/2001 | 1 | 03/01/2098 | |
| Front suspension made very annoying creaking sound. *ak | |||
| 06/19/2002 | 1 | 08/01/2001 | |
| There are a large number of these failures-check www.clubb5.com. lots of these are being replaced out of pocket by owners. please help us and order a recall on these. my family's lives depend on it. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 03/01/2098 | ||
| 1)trunk light stopped working just past the warranty period, wiring problem, cost to repair $200. 2)abs light flashes continuously, about 1 year now,dealer gets 3 pages of diagnostic error messages. can't determine problem with light but abs is supposedly working. cost: 3days car rental, and $300 out of pocket. 3)front end suspension: crunching noise and bounce. bounce corrected-dealer replaced stablizer bar, $284. noise continues(6 months), dealer can't determine problem. getting worse, afraid front end will crash into ground. 4)timing belt broke, dealer replaced engine at no cost. 5)engine replacement caused problem with radio. radio will not accept code. needs to be replaced. 6)rear driver side window will not go down when indicated, falls down a few minutes later. also, door will not open when unlocked. 7)sometimes the ignition switch will not turn when starting car.*ak | |||
| 04/20/2001 | 1 | 10/01/2097 | |
| No description given. nlm | |||
| 02/01/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| While driving, there is a looseness in the front end, consumer could hear knocking noise like metal banging against something, took to a mechanic and they replaced struts on the left side bottom of front end. then 2 weeks later mechanic changed right side bottom, 3 weeks later the top struts were loose. consumer feels very unsafe.*ak consumer had to replace the entire front suspension system.*jb | |||
| 12/28/2001 | 2 | 06/01/1998 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 04/16/2001 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Cost of repairs = $729.08. no safety defect mentioned. *ak | |||
| 04/15/2000 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| The front suspension problem has happened to many passat owners, vw has failed to issue a recall. this is a clear workmanship failure and should be covered under warranty or recall. many complaints have been made to vw and no resolve has been taken. *ak | |||
| 12/15/2000 | 1 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Quadra-link suspension produces metalic rubbing noise with vehicle motion. dealer has diagnosed problem as quadra-link suspension failure based on inspection and previous experience. dealer has indicated that left side is also likely to fail and that any repair does not guarantee a recurent future failure. vw corporation has refused financial assistance in repairing problem. nhtsa lists numerous customer complaints for this same problem. customers position is that a part as basic as this should never fail and this represents a faulty original design. | |||
| 03/02/2001 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| Squeaking noise from front end. out-of town vw dealer said ball joints $800 to repair. dangerous to drive. contacted vw customer service, they said it must be checked by dealer used for regular maintenance. that dealer said lower control arms need replacing safe to drive $1200 to repair. took to 3rd mechanic, who said nothing was wrong, just noisy. it continues to get worse, and i am concerned with safety. | |||
| 01/29/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| Vehicle has a squeaking noise coming from suspension when steering or going over bumps or braking. *ak consumer stated the cause of the problem was failure of the bushings in the front lower control arms.*jb | |||
| 03/15/2001 | 1 | ||
| There is a creaking sound when turning wheel in both directions.*ak consumer states that the creaks are also happening when going over bumps. *slc | |||
| 04/10/2000 | 3 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Vechicle was at dealer for 30 days on final attempt to repair the suspension noise. noise was duplicated by shop foreman, service advisor and tech. comment from them was.......we hear it but we don't know how to fix it. come back when it gets worse. only on threat of a buy back did they finally resolve the problem.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2000 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Heard suspension type noise when exiting vehicle and pushing on front end. dealer only charged me 50% on parts since it shouldn't have failed so soon. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 05/01/1998 | ||
| Suspension now makes loud noises, indicating imminent failure. *ak | |||
| 01/04/1999 | 2 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Vwofa does not acknowledge that this is a widespread problem on both audi a4 and vw passats even though there is overwhelming evidence that there is a design flaw. this problem should be covered under warranty since it is a defect in design/workmanship. no safety defect. | |||
| 06/13/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| This issue was a recall for all audi a-4's (same as vw passat) as well as for many passats. my vin number did not fall into the recall #'s. will soon, i feel constitute a danger on the roadways.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 05/12/2007 | 197000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 volkswagen passat. the contact heard a popping noise while driving 3 mph in reverse. the front end of the vehicle slammed to the ground without warning. the vehicle was towed and a local mechanic replaced the lower right control arm. the contact has the failed component along with pictures. the manufacturer would not perform the repair for free. the purchase date was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 197,000. | |||
| 04/10/2005 | 72000 | 2 | 05/23/2001 |
| I am the second owner of a passat that had been driven 72000 miles. at that time the following defects were noted and had to be repaired: 1. outer tie rod and cv boot. 2. cooling system: all cooling hoses, oil cooler, water pump, radiator, & associated items. vw of america refused to reimburse for the cost of these untimely repairs that were due in part to faulty information in the owners manual, that states that the cooling system was sealed and did not need any maintenance. these enormous and costly repairs at a mileage when comparable cars of other manufacturers need little or no repairs up to and way past 100,000 miles, are excessive in my opinion. (the first owner gets a warranty of 100,000 miles and 10 years, something that for the second owner is reduced to 50,000 miles/5 years. i wonder if the car is suddenly not as good anymore when somebody buys it from a previous owner?) consumer reports magazine lists repair records for engines and suspension systems of that year and model as being worse than average, and i can see why. i would welcome to join others with similar experiences for a possible class action against vw. *nm | |||
| 04/01/2004 | 60000 | 2 | 07/15/1998 |
| No accidents ever, severe creaking in front left and right suspension. left control arm replaced (at my cost although under warranty), creaking stopped from left side, but right side still creaks severely. | |||
| 05/20/2004 | 1000 | ||
| Daily driving conditions the abs light comes on with audible warning and the brake light blinks continuously. root problem is the abs electronic module that is malfunctioning. this is a very common problem as much web research has been conducted through online passat forums. | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| 1998 passat both front control arms needed to be replaced due to defective. *bf *sc | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Both front control arms defective which caused the vehicle to fail inspection. *bf the consumer's daughter received a recall notice but the dealer refused to repair the vehicle until she provided them with maintenance records. *nm | |||
| 07/09/2004 | 90500 | 2 | 09/30/1997 |
| I own a 1998 volkswagen passat and i'm the original owner. i have done all [even more than] the recommended maintenance on the passat. i had the control arms replaced once already 2 years ago [not under recall or reimbursed for this procedure]. i am once again getting considerable craking noises from my control arms in my front suspension. i do not drive my passat abnormally nor had any accidents with it. i feel that this happening to my passat is not a normal wear and tear issue, but something else - bad design or materials? *la | |||
| 06/15/2004 | 84000 | 2 | 12/06/2003 |
| Contlor arms on my car have been damaged. the rubber used to produce tie rods is too soft and the car makes noise while driving over bumps. the failure also does not allow to perform aligment on my vehicle until fixed. cost of repair over $600.*ak this is a well known problem on the suspension for vw, audi and car owners. | |||
| 06/15/2004 | 184500 | 1 | |
| The consumer stated that the control arm broke and it was noticed when the vehicle was being towed. the consumer was unable to drive the vehicle and it was no longer under warranty. the consumer was told by the dealer that he would have to wait until this problem was under recall before they would do anything. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 50000 | 4 | 01/20/2004 |
| Our 1998 passat has only 50,000 miles on it, and yet all of the expensive front control arms are starting to go bad. they are getting play in the ball joints, which are only replaceable by replacing the whole control arms. since there are a total of 8 control arms, the cost of repair is potentially very high. and if they are not replaced, the potential for hazard and injury becomes very great if the joints get so sloppy that they affect the handling of the car and eventually come apart. vw should not be allowed to get away with building such an under-engineered suspension system.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2004 | 85000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| Mechanic is telling me all four tie rod assemlbies and control arms need replaced. i have been hearin a loud crunching noice everytime i go over a small bump or turn a corner. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 55000 | 0 | 06/19/2002 |
| Upper control arm failure on my 1998 vw passat. dealer quoted me $1200 repair, even though i bought the car certified. my passat had only 55,xxx miles on it at time of failure. my concern is the repair- i don't have the money, so the parts wear more and more becoming more and more unsafe. why isn't there a recall? *nlm | |||
| 07/01/1998 | 111000 | 3 | 02/01/1998 |
| Premature failure of upper and lower control arms in 1998 vw passat. had right control arm replaced at 43,000 all four replaced at 68,000 and now at 111,000 need to be replaced for the third time. *jb | |||
| 06/30/2003 | 1 | 08/30/2002 | |
| Constant noise seems to be coming from front end suspension. *ak | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 65000 | 1 | 02/21/1998 |
| Front control arm bushings torn and creaking. possible safety issue if bushings deteriorate further.*ak | |||
| 04/08/2003 | 1 | ||
| I own a 1998 volkswagen passat. i am getting considerable creaking noises from my control arms in my front suspension. i have not driven the car abnormally or had any accidents with it. *nlm | |||
| 04/01/2000 | 11/01/2098 | ||
| It is very common with the passats 1998'-1999', that all the front control arms fail within a short period of time. this problem also occurs with audi a4, because they both share the same suspension. please investigate, and issue a recall as soon as possible.*ak | |||
| 07/04/2002 | 1 | 01/01/2098 | |
| Please investigate 1998-2001 volkswagen passats for control arm issues in front suspension. i had to replace mine at only 45000 for over $1,000!*ak | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 1 | 05/01/2098 | |
| Suspension was creaking from the front. pulled wheel off of car and discovered the control arm bushing is destroyed. i took the car to the dealerhship and they will not repair under warranty.*ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 2 | 01/01/2098 | |
| I have had two failures of the control arms. the first one was covered under warranty. the second one was never recreated and accepted by the dealer until a year or so after it was reported in september of 1999. the manufacturer will only pay for the replacement of the parts. the issue with the control arms failure is it affects the ability to maintain an alighnment and causes the car to wander on the road. *ak | |||
| 06/24/2002 | 2 | 11/01/2001 | |
| Upper and lower control arm failure. noises, creaking. could lead to accident if not repaired immediately. this is a known problem on my year and make vehicle but the manufacturer refuses to recall the parts involved.*ak | |||
| 05/01/2098 | |||
| Control arms need to be recalled by mfg. for free replacement - safety issue. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2098 | |
| Both front ball joint/lower control arm assemblies had to be replaced at 33000 miles, which is far earlier than it should be. it's also an extremely common problem with 1998 passats. aside from the $900 cost to replace these components, the complete failure of the assembly would be a serious safety hazard if the car were in motion. although vw has redesigned these components for later model year passats, they've done nothing to address the problem with 1998 models. a safety recall should be issued on these components so nobody dies due to their faulty design. *ak | |||
| 11/25/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Lower and upper control arms failed after 3 years of ownership. vw has a technical service bulletin for the lower control arms that covers the payment if under warranty, otherwise vw would pay 50% of the job. however the upper control arm is not covered in the tsb. i feel that this is a critical safety issue if both control arms failed while i was driving. there should be a safety recall.*ak | |||
| 01/10/2000 | 8 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Loose steering there is noise everytime i hit the brakes and accelerate also when i go over bumps.the bushing of the all the control arms are gone. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle was making a metal-to-metal squeaking noise. consumer took vehicle to the dealership for examination. dealership informed consumer that both upper and lower control arms needed to be replaced with only 53,000 miles on vehicle. *ak *jb | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 0 | ||
| Consumer took vehicle to dealer because steering column was making some noise. dealer said control arms and tie rod end needed to be replaced, and wheels needed to be aligned. *ak | |||
| 03/30/2000 | 1 | ||
| Control arm ball joints and tie rods faulty causing noise in the front end of the vehicle. nlm | |||
| While driving consumer heard a noise coming from the front end. also, poor steering control. consumer contacted vw, dealer noted that tie rod end and control arm needed replacing. in addition, recall 99v248000/ tie rods dealt with the same problem. but,this vehicle was not included due to vin. *ak *ml | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 05/16/2005 | 930000 | 1 | 03/11/1998 |
| The lower control arms on my 1998 vw passat are defective and dangerous according to my mechanic. vw refuses to replace them even though there was a recall for these parts. the reasoning is that: - i brought my car in for the recall at their dealer in february 2005 and at the time the parts seemed ok. - at this time, their dealer has reinspected the car. the vw dealer thinks that both lower front control arms on the car need replacement. however the parts are not about to fail and the car is still driveable and thus vw will not pay for their replacement. my mechanic states that the car need to be replaced and the car is dangerous to drive in this condition. please advise whether vw is responsible under the revised-vm (40g3) - december 2004 recall campaign to fix these. thanks. | |||
| 03/01/2005 | |||
| 'recall campaign' for volkswagen passats front suspension lower control arms. *bf this problem had caused extensive damage. *sc | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 80000 | 4 | 01/01/2000 |
| My lower front control armes are very squiky and bolt joint boots are ripper. i was about to replace the myself but just before i called vw and found out about the recall on front lower control arms.*ak after 5 hours with my car they told me to come and pick it up. i discovered that only vacuum line was replaced and nothing was done to my control arms. i went over water and the squik was gone at the time the car was at the dealer. so they didn't hear anything. but the rubber boots are still turned appart!!! the manager and the guy who worked on it told me that we didn't see any problem with your control arms. and the recall has been performed. the squik came back the next day, and i know that ruber boots are still ripped on the control arms. called vwoa and explained the problem. they said that they trust the diagnostic made by their authorised dealer. because the dealier didn't see any problems with control arms the recall is closed now. they wouldn't reimberse the cost of replacement of control arms even if i go to the different dealer. | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| Faulty lower control arm . *mr the consumer heard a noise coming from the front suspension. *jb | |||
| 12/18/2003 | 103500 | 1 | 12/01/2001 |
| Dec 2004, the driver side lower control arm snapped in two, sending the front end of my car to the ground. luckily, i was in the driveway as many are telling me (even the dealer) that it would have been deadly at higher speeds. 2 years prior i had eeking/moaning/groaning in front suspension. dealer said nothing was wrong, as i paid to have the sound checked out. i've seen many many complaints about these sounds being related to lower control arm failure, although i haven't seen anyone w/ one that actually broke like mine! very scarey... after some fighting (my car as 103k miles) with the dealer and vwoa, they ended up replacing lower control arms at no cost to me. however, i did end up with a $1250 bill for other suspension parts in the front (tie rod, sway bars, link arms). damage was also done to under side of my car from slamming to the concrete.*ak | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 39200 | 1 | 05/15/2002 |
| 1998 volkswagon passat 1.8 turbo 39, 250 mileage. front end noise, reduced control in handling, resulted in the replacement of all control arms & tie rod ends on driver side- the lower found to have corrosion in the socket.*ak | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 71315 | 2 | 11/12/2002 |
| I purchased a pre-owned 1998 vw passat sedan with 36,000 miles on it in 2002 which was a great deal!! or so i thought. since that time i have started hearing a noise coming from the front right tire.. or suspension .. like a creaking, crunching, knocking noise. i took it to a vw dealership and was told that the control arms on the right and the tie rods needed to be replaced. i found out that the tie rods had been recalled and the ones on my vehicle had been replaced under that recall in 2001, but had again worn out. i find it hard to believe that tie rods would wear out over a 3 year period since the car barely has 70,000 miles on it. i have viewed this website and found over 200 complaints concerning this problem and am curious what vw plans to do.. wait until someone dies when a control arm snaps? vw needs to recall this item now!*ak | |||
| 02/17/2003 | 08/01/1997 | ||
| Defective tie rod assembly and lower ink arm-n and lower control arm-n caused potentially dangerous steering condition and made loud grinding noises. | |||
| 07/10/2002 | 1 | 11/01/2099 | |
| Lower control arms creak - cause for a safety concern. *ak | |||
| 07/08/2002 | 1 | 09/01/2099 | |
| Lower control arms and sway bar links failed at less than 50,000 miles. this severely reduces steering capabilities and poses an imminent threat. volkswagen of america knows of this problem and has redesigned the arms in later model passats. however, they have not issued a safety recall.*ak | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| When turning wheel there was noise at the front of vehicle, dealer determined that the bushings needed to be replaced.*ak. consumer states he replaced the tie rod end. *tt | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2098 | |
| Head gaske leaking oil can cause slick freeways causing accidents. lower control arm failure can cause sudden death of vehicle in motion. *ak | |||
| 12/20/2001 | 1 | 09/01/2001 | |
| The lower control arms on the 1998 vw passat have failed, something that was known under a technical service bulletin from volkswagen on may 31, 2001 (tsb: c 40-01-01). volkswagen has not responded to me as to whether they will pay for this known problem in their vehicles yet.*ak | |||
| 10/02/2000 | 2 | 03/01/1998 | |
| After approximately 23,000 miles, the lower control arms on my 1998 volkswagen passat failed. symptoms of the failure are squeaking and/or clunking noises from the front suspension. my dealer determined that the ball joints on both front passenger-side lower control arms had failed, requiring replacement of both control arm assemblies. the cost of replacement is approximately $900. the lower control arms are not normal wear items. volkswagen should recall the affected cars and pay for the replacement of the lower control arms. | |||
| 10/15/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Creaking/grinding from front end. vw service determined that lower control arm bushing(s) are faulty. $950 to repair. contacted vw customer relations, after investigation, vw to pay 1/2 of parts and labour.*ak | |||
| 10/31/2001 | 3 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Lower control arms have been replaced 3 times already and started banging again after third repair. part previously on recall but new part also does same problem. many passat owners have the same complaint. thank you for your time. *ak | |||
| 08/15/2001 | 2 | 11/01/1997 | |
| Lower control arm failures are very common on the volkswagen passat, causing unpredictable handeling. volkswagen of america is aware of this. they have release updated parts and a tsb on this issue, yet refuse to pay for this important safety related defect. please investigate and issue a safety recall campaign.*ak | |||
| 03/15/2001 | 1 | ||
| There is a creaking sound when turning wheel in both directions.*ak consumer states that the creaks are also happening when going over bumps. *slc | |||
| 03/15/2001 | |||
| There is a creaking sound when turning the wheel both directions. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 4 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Lower control arms need to be replaced due to corrosion/rust even though the car is only 2 and 1/2 years old! makes horrible creaking/grinding sound. dealer/service dept. said it wouldn't affect my driving and was safe but after reading information on this website and others i'm not so sure. read that this is a faulty/defective part and i should think that vw would replace it without me having to pay $300 per arm! | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| A creaking noise that has steadily become worse. i waited until my 25k mileage checkup for dealer to look at it,and he informed me of the weakened lower control arms. mechanic tells me it will steadily get worse and will need to be replaced. cost $940. warranty expired at 24k miles and 5/30/00. i had brought my car in at 24,498 miles on 6/7/00..again because i didn't realize the extent of the problem (this has never happened to me before) and thought it would be an easy fix at the 25k checkup. dealer will not cover cost unless vw america authorizes it since it is 'officially' past the warranty dates & mileage when i brought it in. i've researched this problem with other '98 passat owners on the internet (vw vortex forums) and this is a recurring problem among many owners. i plan to call vw america to lobby an exception to my warranty. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 08/28/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Left front lower ball joint had sheared off while coming to a stop, and caused loss of steering. manufacturer notified.*ak *jb | |||
| 06/01/1999 | 2 | 12/01/1998 | |
| I hear the nosie before my warranty expire and i can't tell what that was. so i brought it to the dealership to check and they said the computer show nothing wrong. but the noise still there and they knew that but they said if the computer show nothing wrong, they can't help me for that. until my warranty expired they said is coming from lower arm controller(left & right). it costs $800-900+ to replace. i feel that they knew all along and use that computer to against me. of course it operate ok but that nosie is so border me. i think they should have that parts recall. i also talk to vw headquarter and they can't help me. i do have that record during 40+ miles and i believe that i shouldn't pay for that replacement. pls help- my email address: jwcs_2000@yahoo.com | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Control arm: noticed a loud grinding sound coming from front suspension area. dealer diagnosed as defective lowe rcontrol arm/ ball joints. lower control arms and ball joints were replaced. complained to volkswagen, who covered cost of parts but not labor. after repair learned that a friend had the identical problem in a 1999 passat at almost the identical mileage. then saw on this website that about 17 of 160 complaints relating to the 1998 passat are for exactly this problem. this is clearly an engineering or manufacturing defect. vw should replace this part for all passat owners and reimburse those who have already had it replaced. sunroof: sunroof opens spontaneously when switch is in the off position. problem is most pronounced on warm days when car is driven over sharp bumps. problem occurs without warning and is alarming to driver and could pose a safety risk. observed that this problem has been reported by several others already. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER ARM | |||
| 11/05/2005 | 135500 | 1 | 04/20/2001 |
| Had a creaking sound in the front end of my 1998 vw passat 1.8t. took it in to the dealer and was told the left front upper control arm tie rods were bad (and dangerous) and had to be replaced at my cost. did this and 6 weeks later the upper control arm on the right front side failed while driving and caused me to have an accident. dealer fixed this problem at no charge and now 4 months later the same sound is back and now the dealer tells me that the majority of the front suspension must be replaced and expects me to pay for it. *jb | |||
| 09/16/2003 | 12000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle made a loud noise. the dealer stated it was the control arm bushings. *jb | |||
| 07/26/2004 | 3 | 01/06/2002 | |
| 1998 vw passat: heard loud clanking noises especially when turning vehicle. reported to vw service department local dealership. advised the the upper control arm joint is worn and need replacement. further, both left and right tie rods are totally shot and need replacing. checked and found that the tie rod problem was recalled by nhtsa sep. 1999 (99v-248) but that my vehicle was not included in recall. do not know why as the problem described is the same. additionally, numerous complaints about the control arms have been noted on this site, yet vw of america, who advised me are aware and sensitive to the problem, refused assistance in repairing the vehicle. also the recalled tie rods replacement was refused to be fixed by them. please follow up and investigate vw of america for these very important safety issues since i was told that they can cause serious driver accidents. i am also wondering why the brake rotors needed replacement when new brakes were installed. do not trust vw to be a safe vehicle at this time. *ak | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 71315 | 2 | 11/12/2002 |
| I purchased a pre-owned 1998 vw passat sedan with 36,000 miles on it in 2002 which was a great deal!! or so i thought. since that time i have started hearing a noise coming from the front right tire.. or suspension .. like a creaking, crunching, knocking noise. i took it to a vw dealership and was told that the control arms on the right and the tie rods needed to be replaced. i found out that the tie rods had been recalled and the ones on my vehicle had been replaced under that recall in 2001, but had again worn out. i find it hard to believe that tie rods would wear out over a 3 year period since the car barely has 70,000 miles on it. i have viewed this website and found over 200 complaints concerning this problem and am curious what vw plans to do.. wait until someone dies when a control arm snaps? vw needs to recall this item now!*ak | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| When turning wheel there was noise at the front of vehicle, dealer determined that the bushings needed to be replaced.*ak. consumer states he replaced the tie rod end. *tt | |||
| 03/23/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2099 | |
| The authorized vw dealer was aware of the problem on 03/23/2001 and recommended 2 upper control arms be replaced. i contacted vw with this information during this time (vw case case# 10272316). instead of repairing the upper control arms vw replaced the lower control arms. the car is still in need of upper control arms and vw will not cover it. | |||
| 11/10/1999 | 12/01/1998 | ||
| Front suspension is making crunching noises, esp. at lower speed. the right steering control arm was changed under warranty and squeeking noises dissappeared, but still very noisy when driving at low speed. car was serviced by an authorized vw service station, but different from dealership. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 39200 | 1 | 05/15/2002 |
| 1998 volkswagon passat 1.8 turbo 39, 250 mileage. front end noise, reduced control in handling, resulted in the replacement of all control arms & tie rod ends on driver side- the lower found to have corrosion in the socket.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 02/01/2000 | |||
| While driving tie rods are making noise due to a defective tie rod seal not being properly applied. recall 99v248 deals with this problem. but this vehicle is not included. also, replaced the struts. dealer said that consumer would need to replace the tie rod seals. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| When turning wheel there was noise at the front of vehicle, dealer determined that the bushings needed to be replaced.*ak. consumer states he replaced the tie rod end. *tt | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 2 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Wheel bearings malfunctioned, requiring new parts - premature wear. *ak | |||
| 01/29/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| Vehicle has a squeaking noise coming from suspension when steering or going over bumps or braking. *ak consumer stated the cause of the problem was failure of the bushings in the front lower control arms.*jb | |||
| 11/24/2000 | 1 | 07/29/1998 | |
| Lower control arm has worn out, and front end needs to be realigned. dealer has inspected vehicle. *ak control arms worn out due to defective bushings. *slc | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 07/08/2002 | 1 | 09/01/2099 | |
| Lower control arms and sway bar links failed at less than 50,000 miles. this severely reduces steering capabilities and poses an imminent threat. volkswagen of america knows of this problem and has redesigned the arms in later model passats. however, they have not issued a safety recall.*ak | |||