Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 0502 | 01/14/2005 | 10012457 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1603 (18011) stored in dtc memory. *tt | 03/02/2005 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||||
| 0103 | 08/15/2001 | 0102 | 626970 | Some vehicles may experience instrument cluster malfunction. *slc | 02/04/2002 |
| 900101 | 06/27/2001 | 621623 | Subject regarding malfunctioning instrument cluster. *tt | 09/27/2001 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | ||||||
| PE07024 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 05/10/2007 | 09/28/2007 | PASSENGER/ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | ||
| Many of the fire reports allege that the vehicle fire was attributed to ignition coil failure.vw provided additional data regarding its analysis of vehicle fires and a detailed description of the three different engines and ignition systems for the subject vehicles.odifinds the need to further investigate this issue.to facilitate acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigationhas been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea07-014). | ||||||
| EA07014 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 09/28/2007 | 07/07/2008 | PASSENGER ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | 08V156000 | |
| The manufacturer notified nhtsa on 04-apr-08 that a safety recall action would be initiated to remedy the issue.in june 2008, the manufacturer issued a technical service bulletin (code 26e5/r5) regarding the specific procedures to be employed in this campaign.vehicle owner notification letters were sent beginning approximately june 13, 2008.the campaign was assigned nhtsa no. 08v-156.this recall affects all my 1999-2005, 5th generation gasoline-powered passat sedans and station wagons.approximately 412,000 vehicles are affected.corrective action will consist of installing additional exhaust system heat shielding to mitigate the potential thermal effects of engine ignition problems.based on this action, the subject ea has been closed. | ||||||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | ||||||
| DP05004 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 08/11/2005 | 12/08/2005 | ENGINE STALLING | ||
| By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. ronald m. strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling events as a result of one or more ignition coil plugs malfunctioning on his 2002 vw jetta sedan.as a result of the engine stalling, the petitioner experienced a loss of power steering and increased braking efforts when he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to control the vehicle.after a few minutes parked on the shoulder he was able to restart the vehicle although the engine operated at reduced power.vw issued a customer satisfaction campaign (csc) on january 31, 2003 to instruct their dealerships to inspect the vehicles for any malfunctioning ignition coil packs and to replace them at no cost to the consumer.consumers were notified to bring their vehicles to their dealerships via owner letters mailed out on june 6, 2003.while vw initially instructed the dealerships to only replace the malfunctioning ignition coil packs, a revised csc was issued to dealerships in december 2003 and january 2004, instructing dealerships to replace all ignition coil packs regardless of their performance.a reminder to the dealerships was sent by vw on april of 2004.although the concerns of the petitioner could theoretically create a safety problem, the risk is very small, due to the engine still running on either 3, 5, or 7 cylinders.there are no reported crashes or injuries due to the alleged defect.once drivers are aware of the problem (loss of power due to one of the ignition coil packs malfunctioning), drivers are able to take precautionary and compensatory measures and still maintain control of their vehicles.in addition, four fires were reported to odi.these were ignition coil burnouts with no additional damage to the vehicle and were localized on top of the engine. during the last 24 months the number of stall and drivability complaints reported to odi has greatly diminished from a peak of 195 in january of 2003 to only 3 in august of 2005.this coincides with the csc released by vw.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 11/27/2011 | 1 | ||
| The car was parked. i attempted to start the engine, but it did not turn over. i tried a second time and noticed white smoke coming from under the engine hood. by the time i went inside to call for road service and returned to the parking lot, there were flames shooting from under the hood. the car was destroyed. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2011 | |||
| The car was parked. i attempted to start the engine, but it did not turn over. i tried a second time and noticed white smoke coming from under the engine hood. by the time i went inside to call for road service and returned to the parking lot, there were flames shooting from under the hood. the car was destroyed. | |||
| 08/15/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| 2000 vw passat abs/brake lights on. probably bad abs module. *tr | |||
| 05/18/2009 | 89000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 vw passat was parked for approx. 45 minutes then the engine caught on fire. the only problem i had with the vehicle was when i was trying to lock it with the electronic key it would not beep. i moved closer to the vehicle two times and only the rear tail lights faintly flickered. no beep. other than that there were not problems whatsoever. the fire was in the engine. the interior of the car was not damaged except for when the fire department came and broke out the windows. tires and engine melted. i have pictures i can send. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2008 | 74000 | 1 | |
| Abs control module failure. intermittent but often. seems a systemic safety issue in vw passat. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 65000 | 1 | |
| 1. i have a 2000 vw passat and have been driving it since 2000 without issues. 2. in march 2004, soon after the warranty expired, the abs light went on and didn't turn off. 3. the dealer said it was a faulty abs control module and replaced it for $1500. i did some research and found a lot of other people with faulty abs control modules. i asked the dealer about this and they said that they do get a lot of them but vw hasn't yet issued a recall for the part. i also called vw and they declined to cover the part. i've recently looked into this and appears that it's happening to more and more passats. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2007 | 45232 | 1 | |
| My car has been recalled 3 times, to which i adhered. two months after my extended warranty expired, with 45,000, the abs sensor module failed. i don't believe it's failed as the dash board lights infrequently return to normal state; with no indication of problem, only to return to abs, brake failure, stop, service manual, lights flashing. vw of america offered $300 towards a $1024.00 repair only to retract offer when i voiced i could not buy another vw nor recommend to anyone. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2008 | 102000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 volkswagen passat. the contact experienced issues with the electrical system. the alarm in her vehicle would go off unexpectedly. she had to unplug the battery in order to shut off the alarm. in addition, the contact could not control the locking and unlocking of the doors or the windows going up and down. the only window she could control was the driver's side window. there was also approximately four inches of water under the driver's seat. she believed that it was collective rain water that did not drain, but rather escaped into the vehicle. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the repairs would cost over $4,000. the manufacturer called the dealer and asked them why it would cost so much for the repairs. the contact's case was filed by the manufacturer. she also took the vehicle to an outside mechanic and they stated that the issues were common among volkswagen owners. the current mileage was approximately 103,000 and failure mileage was approximately 102,000. | |||
| 06/30/2006 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Heat shield caught fire while driving down the road. i had bought the car from carmax who had lied about the auto from the broken seatbelts forward on the day of sale. vw dealership repaired auto after fire but another mishap with heatshield when it fell off and under the passenger front tire @ 65 mile per hr, while driving down turnpike. i was not injured thanks to a truck driver who assisted my navigation to the side of the road and cut off the shield so i could return home. the tie rod was damaged and had to be replaced, since the fire the car has never been the same and has been a hazard, stalling on a beltway, etc... no apparent reason for this was found on a diagnostic machine as it has been checked several times..it is when the emission light comes on and a bad sensor needs replaced or switch. but nothing fixes this car for long. *tr | |||
| 06/03/2008 | 92000 | 1 | |
| At just over 90,000 miles, a warning message came up stating: stop! brake failure. see service manual. the abs and brake light also came on and stayed on. i immediately had my brake system checked at an independent mechanic. he found nothing wrong with the brakes or the abs. according to vw it is a abs central module failure. replacing it will cost over $1000. this is outrageous! this is clearly a defect that vw should correct. it is incredible that vw is allowed to scare its customers into thinking they are in serious danger of brake failure just to get them to correct an electronic defect. checking the internet i discovered this is a common problem with the 2000 passat. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 78 | 15 | 05/25/2006 |
| Bought a vw passat used from private dealer~i owned the car for exactly 1 year, turbo failed ~ check engine light has been on since owning vehicle. car has been diagnosed with oil sludge issues from previous owners. just paid for turbo and two oil lines to be replaced. vw of america stated they would take responsibility ~ never heard from them, i keep calling ~ check engine light has been on since day one ~ no one wants to help me on this quest to seek action. i owe 11,000.00 more on the vehicle car was smoking severely ~thought it was an undercarriage~but it is near the turbo line so it could be mistaken. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2007 | 10 | 07/26/2005 | |
| I have had my 2000 vw passat for a little over two years and it has been a money pit! i have had so many problems since a month or so after i bought my car. i bought the car from a private party, test drove the car, had it checked out by a mechanic, and i have put thousands of dollars into the car. i bought the car just before my senior year in high school thinking i made a wonderful choice, and i had to replace a new right side boot just after a month of owning the car. the check engine light/abs/airbag kept coming on and beeping at me, and i had to buy a whole new brain to the car over $1500. i had to replace the timing belt way before the mile warranty, oil leaks which ruined some wires, new shocks/shock absorbers, now the window will go part way down, but will no longer go up... and my headlights are fogged up which i have noticed on all other 2000 passats...! many things have gone wrong with this car. i am so frustrated with the car. i do not recommend a vw to anyone! i am going into the second year of college and have spent most of my savings on this piece of junk. i think after fixing a part of the car that it should run without any problems. since i have put so much money into this car i cannot afford to get a reliable car. there is something seriously wrong with vw and the recalls! as far as i am concerned the whole car should be recalled!!!! *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 80000 | 1 | 02/01/2000 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 volkswagen passat. while driving 60 mph the vehicle hesitated and there was a loss of power. he noticed smoke coming from the hood. approximately five minutes later he noticed fire in the engine compartment. the dealer has not been inspected the vehicle to determine the cause of the fire. there is a defect investigation open for the ignition switch (nhtsa action # pe07024). the fire destroyed the vehicle. there is a police report available. the failure and current mileages were 80,000. | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 1 | 03/03/2003 | |
| I've had my 2000 passat now for 3 years, my husband and myself see to it that our cars have annual tune-ups and regular oil changes. for the past month the abs and brake light has been flashing non-stop. during my most recent tune up, i was informed that the catalytic converters have to be replaced. my mechanic was convinced that a recall had to be in place because he was seeing this problem occurring frequently. i called the vw dealership where i purchased the vehicle and was informed that $100 was needed to even look at the car. all of this has me furious. a recall is needed--right a way!!!!! *jb | |||
| 06/14/2006 | 50000 | 12 | |
| 9/2003: headlights aimed incorrectly; road wasn't illuminated. within 2 wks, 1 of the bulbs burned out. within a week of the 1st, the 2nd bulb burned out. cost to have headlights repositioned & bulbs replaced: $267. 9/2003: rear tail light out. cost to have bulb replaced by mechanic: $32.50. 11/2003: both rear windows off track. cost to tear doors apart & fix: $159.75. 12/2003: electrical problems with front power windows. never know if window will go up or down. 2004: had car in for (at least) 3 different dashboard warning codes. one had something to do with fuel, or the fuel tank or something. after some trial and error on my mechanic's part, discovered that unscrewing and tightly rescrewing gas cap fixed the problem. cost to diagnose and fix: $165. had (at least) two other warning codes in 2004 that required me to take the car in. 6/24/2005: had been hearing crunching sound from front right portion of car that was particularly apparent when hitting a pothole, a dip in the road or attempting a tight 360 turn. mechanic (specializing in european cars) identified a bad control arm. cost of repair & alignment: $713.70. cost of rental car: $100.88. total: $814.58. note: the left side has been making the same sound since 12/2005. have not yet repaired it. 10/24/05: car started going dead intermittently. the car had less than 60000 miles on it. replaced battery for $106.50. 1/2006: temp gauge maxed out, coolant boiled over, smoke & steam issued from hood in less than 8 minutes at idle. cooled car for 2l hours, replaced coolant and drove to mechanic, who replaced thermostat, water pump & timing belt. cost: $725. 2/2006: brakes are spongy and provide no resistance until nearing the floor. mechanic says rotors and brake pads are fine. 6/2006: transmission gets stuck in 1st gear. must stop the car, turn it off and then restart. this is an electrical problem and is governed by the computer. cost to fix: unknown. 6/2006: front window now off track. have not yet fixed it. *nm | |||
| 11/17/2005 | 135000 | 1 | 04/15/2000 |
| For no apparent reason the car caught fire on the right (passenger) side of the engine compartment. the garage where the car is serviced investigated and said that they cannot seem to find a cause other than it may have been electrical. the car is a complete loss. *nm | |||
| 12/02/2002 | 19000 | 2 | |
| Nar 1/15/2003. the instrument cluster failed at a low mileage. the first sign of a problem was the air bag light which had come on and did so sporadically. the problem progressed to the tachometer and speedometer which began moving erratically, to the point the vehicle began stall. the instrument cluster failed again and the mechanic thought the problem was with the ignition. the problem continued and after performing a diagnostic there was a reading that there was a problem with the starter. as of now the problem has not been resolved. *jb | |||
| 03/27/2004 | 68000 | 01/05/2001 | |
| 2000 vw passat- when you try to lock the drivers side door it will not lock with the door control unless you open all the doors and then push the lock button. this does not concern me as much as when you push the unlock button and open the drivers door and close it beind you. the door will lock you in and the panic alarm starts going off. if you only have one key it will lock you or your children in the car and will set the panic alarm off. | |||
| 11/17/2003 | 20000 | 1 | 07/21/2000 |
| My husband and i purchased a 2000 passat with 927 miles on the odometer on july 21, 2000 (ancira, san antonio, tx). three visits to the dealer three for a fluid leak (3/29/01, 2/13/02, 1/17/03). each time, we were told that nothing was wrong. four months ago- emission control, check engine light came on. also the following quit working: power mirrors, the travel computer, temperature sensor was erratic, fuel door quit and the fuel mileage gauge malfunctioned. most recently, the car started running rough and a clear, viscous fluid appeared on my garage floor. the car has 25,000 miles. we change the oil regularly. it had a 15,000-mile check-up. we took the car to a reputable mechanic (mander automotive in helotes, texas). the owner of mander (bob mander) was very concerned that this car had so many electrical and computer problems. ancira informed (mander) that the car's warranty had expired by 900 miles (24,990) that visit (11/6/03). computer scan and analysis showed several codes related to misfires and running lean. also: transaxle seal leak and battery failed the load test-would not hold acharge. mander fixed: seal leak, replaced the battery, changed the oil, replaced the actuator (fuel door), repaired vacuum leaks, reset the t.e.h. computer and corrected the faulty wiring to the mirrors. we spent $649. 24 hours later-check engine light re-appeared. the car began to vibrate hard. we took the car back to mr. mander (11/14/03). he found a defective oxygen sensor and problem with the coolant sensor- both replaced. that time we spent $358. my husband and i have an established relationship with mander automotive and trust their work and analysis. the check engine light and emissions control light is back on. the car is running hard, again. i have contacted vw (reference #30522917) and my husband was advised to take the car to a different dealer here in san antonio (rod east). *la | |||
| 03/25/2003 | 37500 | 1 | 07/29/2000 |
| Fire: 2000 vw passat gl - sedan/v6. spontaneously combusted. car had not been driven for 3 hours. fire started in engine compartment on right side and destroyed major components. fire was not discovered until fuel line breached at which time fire consumed vehicle. subsequent investigation by insurance company indicated failure of an electrical component, however exact cause remains undetermined.*ak | |||
| 03/24/2003 | 45000 | 3 | 06/30/2002 |
| This is regarding a 2000 volkwagen passat. i have read that there is an action plan by volkswagen for 2001 and newer passats for coil wires. i feel that volkswagen should include the 2000 as well. although my car is not included i have already had two coil failures. unlike cars which are covered by the recall i have to get them replaced as they fail. i believe vw is just trying to save money by not including the 2000 cars. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| Only the drivers door and trunk lid have a dash light and chime indicator to let the consumer know that these doors are open, on one occasion the consumer was driving with three small children when he noticed that the interior light was on, only then did the driver realized that a rear door was ajar, the consumer feels this is a safety hazard. nlm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 08/25/2003 | 111000 | 1 | 11/17/1999 |
| I was dirivng the car when smoke started entering the cabin area. pulled over, and the engine compartment was englufed in smoke. had to call the fire department to extinguish the fire. there was no flames, but the firefighters had to use a hose to kill the smoke. volkswagen dealer in tallahassee indicated that the alternator malfunctioned. i'd like an investigation into how a malfucntion int he alternator could cause a near fire hazard, and if it was a malfucntion -- what caused it, and a bulletin posted as to how to avoid it. this is a very serious matter as the car was paractically in flames.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 10 | 10/01/2002 | |
| Fax from congressman on behalf of constituent regarding a safety problem with her vw passat. *kb immediately after the consumer purchased the vehicle, the air bag light illuminated. the consumer took the vehicle back to the dealership. she was told the problem had been fixed, however the air bag light continued to illuminated on a regular basis. the consumer has been to the dealer 8-10 times for the same problem. the battery was replaced. *jb updated 09/18/07 *tr | |||
| 05/13/2005 | 61336 | 1 | 05/28/2000 |
| I own a 2000 v6 passat, which i have serviced regularly at a vw dealership. on march 25, 2005, the dealership performed a 60k mile maintenance check on my passat. this service included a check of my original vw battery. the battery readouts indicated that the battery was fine. on may 13, 2005 (mileage 61336), my battery completely exploded like a bomb when i went to restart my car after refueling at a petrol station. i contacted vw usa and they not only did not care about the situation but did not see that any resulting damage should be covered by them. ultimately, i paid for the new battery, my insurance carrier covered windshield replacement and my vw dealership covered the remaining damage to the vehicle. my dealership informed me that i was the 2nd customer to experience this problem at their dealership. | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 2 | 12/01/1999 | |
| Consumer stated on 2 occasions the vehicle would not start, it was finally determined that the battery needed to be replaced.*jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 37400 | 5 | 08/01/2000 |
| The engine shook violently and continued during the entire time the engine was on. it seemed to start at every ignition activation, the problems does not occur while driving or idle. it happened every time i am ready to go to work!! i took the car three times to the dealership while warranty was still good - they could not find anything wrong in all three times. the main indicator has always been the engine symbol w/the volt symbol that goes on in the dashboard. the fourth time it happened (past the warranty period, now), it went away while the dealer was checking it out. again the mechanics could not detect the source of the problem. on july 11, as i was coming home the problem again showed up. this time the dealer changed an engine part coil and said that the coil was the problem and these passat cars had the same problem all the time. i am really mad because i did not expect the added expense $620 total, the time lost, the inconvenience, and the lack of respect by the dealers (these guys behave as if they are doing me a favor, i am paying dearly by choosing wv brand). *jb | |||
| 01/01/2000 | |||
| I owned a 2000 vw passat. my car failed several times upon acceleration during passing or accelerating onto the expressway. i had it into the shop at least eight times. the vw rep insinuated that i was doing something to the vehicle. they finally allowed me to trade for a 2003. there is now a recall on the ignition coil starting with 2001. i think you had better include 2000 on that recall. *nlm | |||
| 03/10/2003 | 42000 | 3 | |
| Intermittently car will not start. usually i can maneuver the automatic shifter from the park position down through the gears, (neutral, drive, etc...) then back to the park position & then the car will start. vw dealer is unable to isolate the problem but offered to replace a part for a fee of $400.00 because the vehicle is now out of warranty. *jb | |||
| Consumer states while driving the ignition coil broke causing lost of acceleration. please provide any additional information. ts | |||
| 11/28/2002 | |||
| While driving the malfunction light came on and stayed on. in the owner manual it states when this light comes on don't drive vehicle. consumer took vehicle to the dealership to have service. the dealership indicated theirs a problem with the ignition switch coil, and it needs to be replace. this is a common problem per dealership. ts | |||
| 05/15/2000 | |||
| Intermittently vehicle will not start up. dealer has repaired and replaced various parts, and the problem still exists. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||
| 01/07/2008 | 113 | 4 | 04/13/2007 |
| Events leading to failure. first the fuel tank door switch became inoperable forcing me to remove the opening mechanism which allowed me to open it manually. two days later the alarm began to sound on it's own, and did so for at least 8 hours or more. by the end of the night the car would not turn over and all the functions in the drivers side door as well as the alarm, ceased to operate apart from the locks. i had to remove the drivers side seat and carpet to access the convenience control module and subsequent wiring, while underneath the carpet i tried to suction up as much moisture as i could off the bottom of the floor and out of the padding. as of know i am quoted to purchase a new convenience control module to correct the situation. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 1 | |||
| After parking the vehicle 5 to 10 minutes consumer noticed smoke, then flames coming from the hood. the fire consumed the vehicle,it was totally damaged. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 44270 | 2 | |
| Defective fuel gauge and temp. gauge causing to replace entire instrument cluster. *ak | |||