Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
03/04/2008101630211/07/2007
 3 1/2 months after purchasing my 2002 vw passat, i was driving on the highway went my oil pressure light came on with a grinding noise and the computer advised me to shut down my engine immediately. i though my oil was low since i missed my last oil change and was planning on getting one done that weekend and added more oil to my car. the problem never went away and i had to tow my car to the vw dealer (heritage vw). i was charged $1178 for a desludge because the warranty was no good since my oil changed was overdue. after the desludge my check engine light came on and the dealer told me that my timing was off and would require me to pay another $1100 to repair the problem. i removed my car from their shop because i did not have this issue when i brought my car to the dealer and now i have to pay to repair, their error. i would like vw to pay for their faulty engineering or poor workmanship, since the sludge buildup seems to be a defect and not a maintenance issue has they claim. *tr
12/28/2002
 Consumer states that while driving at any speed and without warning the vehicle will not accelerate causing a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. ts
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
01/15/2010660001
 About 9 months ago i was caught in a heavy rainstorm with my 2002 passat 1.8t. water flooded the battery compartment due to drainage hole located under the battery clogged with leaf debris. all power (steering, brakes, etc.) was lost and car stalled out on the highway. now the car's brakes are malfunctioning in freezing weather. the brake pedal sticks to the floor at times; other times the pedal is very hard and must be stomped on to stop the car. i cannot use the car under these circumstances as it is too dangerous. vw dealership confirmed diagnosis of problem as resulting from freezing water in brake booster. i reported the problem to vw customer care. they refuse to reimburse me for the dealer's $1600 fee to replace the booster, booster lines and vacuum pump. why hasn't nhtsa forced vw to issue a recall as i've discovered there have been numerous other similar complaints? vw's stance on this was that the problem would be noticed in the driveway or at low speeds and therefore doesn't pose a safety hazard. this is totally unacceptable as temperatures can change quickly during a journey. why has nhtsa backed down in the face of such a lame response? i will never again buy another vw car since their vaulted safety reputation is not deserved and their customer service stinks. *tw
06/01/2008490001
 My car has suddenly started to downshift on it's own , rpm's will also continue to increase when taking foot off accelerator, and then suddenly when attempting to accelerate from a stop the car will not react at all for several seconds and then rapidly surges forward uncontrollably. this all in conjunction with a continued complaint of a burning smell from my central dashboard vent. ( this burning was supposed to have been remedied by a recent recall. the mechanic and service advisor were able to duplicate this , but it was deemed normal and without duplication by the head mechanic. the service manager later investigated this and decided a new catalytic converter may remedy the situation. this has not helped and the car continues to react inconsistently with sudden downshifting while accelerating and then sudden rapid acceleration surges forward which seem very unsafe when negotiating busy city streets. my car has only 49,000 miles on it! *tr
09/11/200745540107/31/2002
 2002 passat began thumping and lurching while in motion and while idling. check engine light came on. acceleration was abnormally slow. three inches of standing water appeared in right rear footwell. dealer informed me acceleration problem was due to water in tcm. tcm short circuited and then powertrain dropped. water damage was due to leaking pollen filter seal, which was subject to p9 recall. car was past warranty on time, but not miles. they fixed pollen filter seal and told me they couldn't do anything about the $4,000-$5000 damage from the leaking water. the car is not safe to drive. my car is parked outside. we had several rainy days in the week before the problem. the service manager suggested i must have left the window open. i contacted vw corp and they suggested i take it to a dealer for repair at my own expense. *tr
09/06/200692350112/12/2001
 2002 volkswagen passat wagon / 92350 miles placed in park on a slight incline (parking brake not used). engine was turned off and the keys were removed. driver stepped out of the car and a few seconds later car started rolling backwards with children (ages 3 and 10 mo) in the car. driver jumped in car to set the brake, but fell on street as car rolled. car crossed street and headed down a steeper incline hitting bushes, crossing another driveway, and finally hitting a rock wall coming to a stop. children were ok. driver had bruises / scratches from falling on pavement. car sustained $3,400 in damage. neighbors verified car was in park, and owner manual states that keys cannot be removed without the car being in park ( keys were observed by several neighbors to be out of the car). volkswagen of america asked me to go to a dealer for problem determination. dealer tried parking the car 5 times on uphill and downhill inclines, and park held. they also checked the computer and found no faults. no attempt was made to check the internals of the transmission, to determine whether the incline was the same as the driveway where it occurred, or to determine whether there was a reason for an intermittent problem. vw of america stated that the dealer had found the car was in spec (with the 5 hill tests and computer check), and no further action would be taken. vw stated that we should also have been using the parking brake any time we park (we do on steeper hills, but not on hills as slight as our driveway). nobody has explained why park failed even though the keys were out of the ignition (and observed to be by others) -- i concede the parking brake should always be used out of extreme caution, but most people do not on slight hills -- park should not fail in any case. we feel we have to get rid of the car asap because this has not been explained / addressed. other cars (like 2006 bmw) have recalls on the parking pawl, but vw will not investigate further. *nm
06/16/200557000504/01/2002
 Dt: the check engine light came on while vehicle still under warranty, but the dealer said there was nothing wrong. after owning the car for one year the transmission had to be replaced. but it still transmission not work properly. . it jumped into gear. also, the engine air bag, and thermostat lights kept coming on. one week ago, the car wouldn't start. replaced the battery, and a few days after that it wouldn't start again. currently, the dealer insisted it needed a new alternator, and f warranty expired. in order to get to the original problem, it would cost $1100.00.*ak
10/01/2002306/18/2002
 I purchased a brand new vw passat gls 2002, on june 18, 2002 at commonwealth vw audi, 1450 auto mall drive, santa ana ca 92705. unfortunately, the vw passat gls 2002 has not held up to its promise of being a well-engineered car. after less than 9 months of ownership, i had to bring the car to the dealership for repairs 3 times, which is a far drive from my present residence in highland, ca. i purchased a brand new car with the intention of having a reliable mode of transportation for the two-hour trip back and fourth from tustin to ontario on a daily basis for work. i had confidence in volkswagen because of its prestigious reputation. having successive car problems has made me reluctant to drive this car. the first breakdown was in oct. 2002, the mil (malfunction indicator lamp) light came on, the car started to shake, and it lost power on my way to work. i was able to make it and i had the car towed to the dealership. the dealership replaced the defective ignition coil, and set the readiness code. i did not get a loaner car, and the car was left at the dealership for two days. the second time, was in dec. 2003. the exact same problem arose. this time they had replaced all four ignition coils, set the readiness code, and supplied me with a vw rental. the car was in the shop for two days as well. i had lost all confidence in the passat i purchased. the third occasion, as i exited the freeway to get to work, the mil light came on again. i was at a complete stop. when i pressed on the gas, the car jerked two times. i made it to the parking lot of my job, and had the car towed yet another time. this was march 18, 2003. the dealership removed and installed the automatic transmission fluid pan, the transmission speed sender, and the vehicle speed sensor. they supplied me with a 3-day loaner car. the passat stayed in the shop for 4 days. *jb
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
10/10/200665253102/18/2002
 Took car (2002 volkswagen passat) to local dealer for 65,000 mile service at which time they found a deteriorating axle problem. informed by dealer that usually this issue is associated with a design flaw. car out of warranty and repair was performed. in turn contacted volkswagan customer service department and was told that their was nothing they could do since the care was out of warranty. i in turn wrote a letter to the president of volkswagen and received a phone call (i am sure he did not see it)reinforcing what their customer service department told me. if this in fact is a design issue i do not feel you should be having problems with axle's @ 65,000 miles since the car has been serviced every 5,000 miles per manufacturers recommendations and is in excellent condition. mileage should have nothing to do with it. *jb
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL
05/23/200652000212/23/2005
 Had to replace both cv boots with less than 55,000 miles on car. *tr
02/06/200541854201/09/2002
 Failed of both left and right outer cv boots.
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
08/06/20071
 The clutch on my 2002 vw passat failed at 47k miles! my wife and i are both in our mid-forties and are very experienced and gentle clutch drivers. we haven't owned cars without a clutch for over 20 years. in addition the repair cost to replace the clutch on this car is outrageous. i am writing because i noticed several people with the same problem on a number of chat boards. has this ever been investigated? thanks,
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
07/26/2002500301/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that her vehicle was a lemon when she purchased it in 2002. water enters the vehicle from the sun roof whenever it rains. she received a recall notice, but the vehicle was not repaired according to the recall. the vehicle was taken to the dealer more than fifteen times, but it has never been repaired. the failure mileage was 500 miles. updated 8/24/09 *cn the consumer was told the water leak was coming from the after market speaker. the headlight tail light and fog light bulbs were replaced. the check engine light illuminated and the coolant bottle had a hairline crack. the heat in the vehicle was not working properly. the technician discovered the heater core had a blockage. the water pump was leaking. both outer cv boots were replaced. there was a large evap leak at the purge valve which was replaced. the cruise control light was on. the right side valve cover gasket was leaking oil and the alternator was replaced. updated 08/26/09. *jb
09/19/200640000108/31/2001
 I had the check engine light on and took it to the dealer. he said there was problem with combi valve, vacuum hose and secondary air pump which costs a total of >1200$ in total. luckily, i had the extended warranty and i have to pay 700$. the car is 2002 vw passat gls (1.8) and have only 40k on it. this is the second major repair and the previous one was some kind of cv joint issue. all this problems seems to be a common problem for all passat owners and i wonder why there is not even a recall for this. may be they know this problem and want people to go and pay money. one thing is sure. this will be my first and last vw. i don't recommend any one to buy vw, but better buy cheap japanese cars like mitsubhishi which runs for years and years without any problem. *jb
10/03/200544000104/18/2005
 I have a 2002 volkswagen passat. since september, i've been having problems with the abs light coming on and staying on. twice, i've also had brake fault warnings to stop the vehicle. it's been in for service four times since october 3 to fix the problem. the cv joint was replaced yesterday, which was supposed to fix the problem. first thing this morning, the abs light is on again. i have a fifth service appointment with bachman volkswagen on monday. i've been reading about quite a few abs problems on various online forums, so i don't seem to be alone with this particular problem. *jb
10/07/200266810109/08/2000
 My 2002 passat has had the turbo replaced twice, the comfort control module replaced twice, and numerous other recalls. thursday, 10/7/04 my car was at the dealer to replace the comfort control module for the second time. i drove home (8 miles, low speed). the next morning while driving to a meeting i noticed a strong petroleum smell, i thought it was the truck ahead of me. sunday 10/10/04 i noticed spots on the side of my car, and after crawling under it i noticed that my cv joint boot had split. this is after 67000 miles. i feel that this is very premature and think that vw should absorb the cost for repair. i am currently fighting with vw for this correction.
09/29/2001109/01/2001
 This was pretty straightforward. i heard a grinding noise whenever i turned right in my passat. with less than 800 miles on my car, i drove it back to the dealer. within an hour they determined that the cv joint was bad. what surprised me was there nonchalance. no offer of a loaner car (they're paying for the rental of a much cheaper car), no attempt to rush delivery on the needed part (at the earliest, it will arrive 4 days after it was ordered), not even the simpliest apology.
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
01/19/200212/01/2001
 Lack of information provided to customers on special nature of 4 motion passat driving during a skid in winter conditions. *ak
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT
10/09/2001112/07/2001
 The vehicle exhibits excessive vibration and noise primarily between 40-45 mph. the owners backround is an automotive engineer and has measured the problem and identified issue to be driveline inbalance. dealers first acknowledge issue while driving with owner then claim non-verifiability to a condition which occurs 100% of the time. owner has measured similar vehicles from dealer lot and has verified that the condition is not inherant to all like vehicles.
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - UNIVERSAL JOINT
10/07/200266810109/08/2000
 My 2002 passat has had the turbo replaced twice, the comfort control module replaced twice, and numerous other recalls. thursday, 10/7/04 my car was at the dealer to replace the comfort control module for the second time. i drove home (8 miles, low speed). the next morning while driving to a meeting i noticed a strong petroleum smell, i thought it was the truck ahead of me. sunday 10/10/04 i noticed spots on the side of my car, and after crawling under it i noticed that my cv joint boot had split. this is after 67000 miles. i feel that this is very premature and think that vw should absorb the cost for repair. i am currently fighting with vw for this correction. *nm
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
08/01/20021
 Consumer states while driving all the warning lights on the dash board came on , vehicle will not accelerated over 40mph. had vehicle service 3 times for same problem, dealer cannot fix problem, cause unknow. nlm