Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 07/09/2002 | 14362 | 1 | 09/14/2001 |
| Car died while driving on 55 mph road. starter worked and engine would turn, but would not run. dealer found no codes in computer. engine and horn fuses blown and dealer replaced horn relay. i asked the dealer why there were no codes in the computer and they didn't know the answer. they would not replace the computer. car was in the shop for 7 days. incident happened over 100 miles from home and dealer finally authorized loaner after 2 days. dealer was very rude during the whole incident and construction made it difficult to communicate. phone lines were disconnected part of the time. | |||
| 26000 | 1 | 04/01/2001 | |
| This issue caused my car to misfire so bad i was unable to get my car to accelerate and nearly caused an accident. this issue could leave many stranded and has already caused major problems for hundreds of owners. *ph *jb **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**770852 | |||
| 09/13/2002 | 22000 | 0 | |
| Safety: operation of the drive by wire throttle on my v6/tiptronic 2001.5 vw passat. the throttle does not operate in a linear manner. it may struggle to move out from a stop (sounds as if the engine is working very hard to move the car) one moment and then it may leap ahead under light throttle application from the next stop. (this can leave you struggling to cross a busy interesction) the dealer says vw says this is normal operation. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/12/2009 | 35000 | 1 | |
| Front ball joint failure at approx. 35,000 miles. then a lower control arm failure at 95,000 miles. old control arm is available. *tr | |||
| 12/12/2008 | 64445 | 1 | |
| Dec 12th 2008 the interior of my passt was flooded with water, vw service removed 10 + gallons of water which entered from air plenum /pollen filter hosing(cabin area). service informed me of the p9 recall for the passats manufactured nov '00 to dec '05. but, vw of america will not help me they said my vin # is not in the recall. the computers are on the floor of car. air bag is in default damage from electrical damage from water damage.. my trans mod is wrecked from the water damage, just the part alone will cost $1,300. i have lost work and can not drive. the make of car & year is in recall so why is my vin not included?! someone please, please help me. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2005 | 36000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 55 mph, the stop vehicle do not drive, and oil pressure warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and they repaired the engine. the previous repair required the vehicle to remain at the dealer for one month. on three separate occasions, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. in addition, during rainy weather conditions, five inches of water leaked onto the front passenger side floor panel. there was electrical failure due to the water leakage that caused gear component damage. recently, the contact received a recall notice that consists of installation of a drainage filter and fuel system component repair. the vehicle has not been repaired for these malfunctions. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the failure mileage was 36,000 and current mileage was 85,000. | |||
| 01/27/2008 | 1 | ||
| My car is a 2001 v6, we had heavy rain during the past week and one morning my car had a puddle in the passenger side and failed to start or even put in gear the mechanic explained the transmission computer was flooded and it took 4 days for them to take all water out of the car and test all sensors . *tr | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 66000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2001 passat with 66,xxx miles on it and the transmission went out. it is going to cost 4000.00-5000.00 to have this fix. i do not think a car with this many miles should have a transmission go out and to top it off when i purchased this car 6 months ago with 51,060 from walsher in bloomington, mn they said i had a 10yr/100,000 mile power train warranty on it, well come to find out since i am a second owner it only goes to 50,000 miles which means *jbwhen i purchased the car it didn't even have the warranty. | |||
| 08/09/2005 | 33152 | 1 | 06/05/2005 |
| Lack of power when pressing the accelerator may have caused an accident, pulling out in traffic. this was due to water leak in pollen filter box (cracked) which affected the shift lock solenoid, affecting the transmission control module. *nm | |||
| 06/06/2004 | 18000 | 100 | 10/08/2002 |
| I have a 2001 new passat glx awd sedan with 23,000 miles. the automatic transmission has multiple problems, at least two with safety ramifications: (1) from a standstill start, the transmission will often produce a several second lag before synchronizing with the engine - the safety concern is that the car does not move at a rate of speed the driver could normally expect and may leave the driver and occupants exposed to collision from on-coming cars at difficult traffic intersections and merges; (2) at low speeds, 15 mph and lower, the transmission often clunks into gear causing a forward surge of the vehicle, creating the risk of the vw rear ending a vehicle in stop and go traffic. vw has been unable to fix the problems.*ak | |||
| 07/08/2004 | 59000 | 1 | |
| While driving 70 mph the vehicle decelerated without warning. the consumer was able to coast to the side of the road. please provide additional information. *jb | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 39000 | 1 | |
| While at a stop vehicle jerked forward.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2001 | 2900 | 1 | 03/22/2001 |
| Transmission replaced at 3000 miles. car was stuck in first gear. now there is an extreme turbo lag hesitation on acceleration. there is a good 1-2 second hesitation when accelerating from a complete stop. *nlm | |||
| 08/02/2001 | |||
| While driving vehicle will not change gears due to metal flaking in transmission. dealer contacted.*ak | |||
| 09/15/2001 | |||
| When at a stop or driving transmission will not shift to higher gear. engine will race, rpm's go up, and vehicle will not accelerate. vehicle has been taken to dealer 4 times, cannot remedy the problem.*ak | |||
| 4 | 07/01/2001 | ||
| Acceleration hesitation especially in low gear - transmission winds into gear - *ak | |||
| 06/01/2001 | |||
| When cold, difficulty shifting into 1st or 2nd gears while rolling. *ak | |||
| 09/03/2001 | 4 | 08/01/2001 | |
| I purchased a 2001 vw passat on august 21,2001 from patrick motors in auburn, mass. in the 5 weeks i have owed the car it has had been returned to the dealership 4 times ( 2 x towed) for the same related problem. malfunction light has gone on each of those times. car has driven in low gear and there is a problem with hesitation of the vehicle when you press on the gas. the transmission control module has been replaced as well as frayed wires repaired that came from the manufacturer. the car has be undriveable per the dealership during these times. i have safety concerns with the type of commute i do every day to work. i drive 50 mins one way down rt 2, 495 and rt 3. i have been in the position of concern if my car will make it home, to work, will i cause an accident with the cars continued problem with the hesitation when stepping on the gas. to me this has created a safety issue. further info can be provided with more detailed information as well as copies of service repair order. thank you. *ak | |||
| 07/16/2001 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was traveling outiside of driveway and the red light displayed on dashboard saying stop check cooliant, don't drive. she took the vehicle back to dealership, and kept vehicle over night. mechanic told consumer that transmission had to be replaced. but, problem still exists. *ak | |||
| 03/22/2001 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Airbag warning light turned on starting 02/12/2001. it was check by the dealer on 03/06/2001 but no problem was found and cleared code. three days later airbag warning light turned on again with airbag fault sign was also on. took to dealer on 03/22/2001 along with the new transmission problem. the car was towed in because of the transmission pan, gasket punctured and oil leaking. the dealer service replace the airbag and upper harness under warranty of the car, while transmission repair was charge to my insurance. my safety complaint is that the transmission pan is maybe too low to the ground that it can easily be punctured, which may cause serious transmission problem. and for the airbag warning sign turned on, the airbag will not deploy if accident occurs or may accidentally deploy while driving.*ak | |||
| 01/05/2001 | 1 | 12/08/2000 | |
| The vehicle exhibited a transmission problem in which the automatic transmission dropped out of gear resulting in a total loss of power transmission to the drive wheels, upon depression of the accelerator pedal the rpm's would increase but the car would not move. nlm | |||
| 01/05/2001 | 3 | 12/08/2000 | |
| Transmission was dropping out of gear at 2036 miles. had it repaired. currently, vehicle back in repair shop for same problem.*ak the transmission had been failing even though the dealer kept puting in new one. *yh | |||
| 12/18/2000 | 1 | ||
| Transmission makes vibration noise when upshifting, the noise seems to be coming from the left rear, dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. nlm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 12/03/2005 | 21300 | 1 | 05/05/2001 |
| 2001 volkswagen passat low mileage of 21,000 miles. normally garaged and maintained according to schedule. after rain, found an inch of water in rear passenger floor. transmission non-functional, air bag warning light and other warning lights on. dealer said the pollen filter seal was no good and that water leaked in and destroyed the transmission control unit which is located in the floor behind the passenger seat. cost of repair in excess of $3,100. vw refuses to compensate in any way because warranty was only for two years. transmission and power train are covered for 5 years, but vw says the failure was due to outside influence. i have read many accounts on the internet from many angry owners of similar problems where leaks from this seal have caused catastrophic repairs. the service manager at the vw dealer told me that checking the pollen filter seal is not part of any regular maintenance and that in order to check it, you'd need to disassemble quite a few things in the engine compartment. when i asked him how an owner could possibly know if the seal needed replacement and he replied you found out how. i am clearly not alone in having experienced a failure from a part that is not in any way maintainable (the pollen filter seal) and that has caused major damage to the car. i feel this is a consumer issue and that this is a design defect in the passat that vw should compensate owners for. there is no way for an owner to be able to avoid this situation -- it is not a matter of maintenance. it got to do with the passat leaking water and the location of an extremely expensive component in the rear passenger floor, the area where any water that leaks migrates to. if this failure had occurred during driving, i might have had an accident. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 06/28/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 10 mph vehicle stalled, vehicle was towed to independent shop, and mechanic determined that clutch pressure plate broke in two parts. the part was replaced at the consumer's expense of $1055. *ak *nm | |||
| 01/22/2003 | 30000 | 10 | 02/10/2001 |
| I have vw passat, 2001. it has around 30 000 miles on it. the clutch has gone down on this car and it needs to be replaced. parts and labor for this repair are more than $2200. this car has electrical problems also. the warranty is gone after 24000k or 2 years. i have extended warranty on this car, but they don't cover anything from the long list of repair. i called to vw customer care and ask to reimburse me for clutch repair, since it must be after 10 years/100 000 miles power train warranty. they refused to participate. i complain about vw quality ( i have friends having trouble with vw as well). i believe that manufacture has to take care of bad product and cover the repair cost. i purchased this car brand new and i expect to have a quality item, not the junk for more than $25k. i also completely dissatisfied with vw service!!!! | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | |||
| 03/30/2009 | 1 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen passat. the vehicle was serviced for a routine tune-up and a honda dealer wrote on the invoice that the control valve joints and boots were torn, in addition to the shaft. the contact stated that the failures were related to several complaints on the nhtsa website. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 56,511. updated 05/08/09. *lj the consumer stated the cv joints were replaced. updated 05/08/09.*jb | |||
| 04/03/2008 | 2 | 07/16/2001 | |
| 1. front and rear brakes inadequate for vehicle--had to have brake work at ~20,000 miles and again at just under 42,000 miles (this has never been a problem with any other car). brakes repaired/parts replaced twice. car should be recalled by manufacturer for brakes 2. sunroof +/- windshield drain(s) became blocked and leaked and flooded passenger footwells, with risk of damage to transmission. this is a manufacturing defect with this make and model and has been widely reported on the web. vw needs to recall cars for the problem with blocked drains/leakage and damage to vehicles. cost to vacuum water out of footwells below the carpet > $600 with no guarantee that problem will not recur 3. vw passat has a known problem with sludge build up in engine and consequent engine failure--i have not (?yet) had the problem but feel that vw guarantee to repair problem only if owner can prove oil changes every 3000 miles in an unreasonable abnegation of duty. this is a design flaw and the company should have to recall all cars with the problem and repair at no charge without being able to shift blame to consumer. now having to use expensive synthetic oil for oil changes on a very frequent basis. *tr | |||
| 01/29/2007 | 79200 | 2 | 10/01/2001 |
| Tl*- the contact took the 2001 volkswagen passat to a dealer, and they stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. all 8 tie rods and the one link arm were showing excessive wear. the dealer and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty so the repair would be at contacts expense. the current and failure mileage were both 79200.*ak the right outer cv boot was torn and the left outer tie rod end was worn. the abs control module was replaced. updated 03/30/07. *jb | |||
| 09/21/2005 | 40000 | 1 | 11/30/2000 |
| I own 2001 vw passat with 43200 miles. this past year i noticed failures of outer cv joint boot both sides and rubber dust boots on all ball joints which causes a dirt and water to destroy ball joints. i changed outer cv join boot both sides and one upper control arm ball joint and others will fail soon. *jb | |||
| 08/31/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2001 | |
| After the car has been picked up for 6 days, the front left cv boot wore out due to loose installation. this problem was not found by dealer before delivery. the cv boot is now replaced by dealer.*ak | |||