Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 004 | 11/09/2004 | 10011567 | Engine coolant temperature (ect) sensor. *tc | 01/26/2005 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||||
| 010702 | 01/11/2007 | 10021315 | Dtc's p1297 (17705) or p1557 (17965) stored in dtc memory. this may be caused by intake hoses leaking (during boost conditions) due to incorrect torque on clamps or improper placement, worn or torn intake hoses. *kb | 04/03/2007 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| TB-01-12-04 | 02/10/2012 | 10043602 | Volkswagen: gasoline engines have rough idle, have significant loss of power or stalling with reduced performance. *pe | 04/13/2012 | |
| SAC-28F3/P1-REV | 08/01/2010 | 10036496 | Volkswagen: gasoline engine vehicles inspect, and if necessary, replace ignition coils. vehicles affected by this action may have ignition coils that could malfunction under certain conditions. models passat and wagon; golf; gti; jetta a | 03/23/2011 | |
| TB-07-09-06 | 05/18/2009 | 10030369 | Volkswagen: engine oil pressure too low, light is on, engine flush. the low engine oil pressure condition may be caused by a restriction of the oil pump suction line strainer. *pe | 09/25/2009 | |
| 2013233 | 03/30/2007 | 10021437 | Engine oil pressure too low, light is on, engine flush. *kb | 04/26/2007 | |
| 0403 | 10/01/2004 | 10010539 | Valve cover, diagnosing oil leakage from gaskets. *tt | 11/30/2004 | |
| 0421 | 08/01/2004 | 10009873 | Warranty extension covering certain oil sludge related repairs. *tt | 11/01/2004 | |
| 0401 | 08/26/2005 | 0503 | 10009887 | Engine oil specifications, oil capacity, oil filter. *tt | 11/01/2004 |
| 0402 | 08/05/2004 | 10009888 | Low engine oil pressure light is on. *tt | 11/01/2004 | |
| 0421 | 08/04/2004 | 10009874 | Oil sludge - warranty extension for 1998-2004 model year volkswagen passat with 1.8l turbo engine us and canadian dealers. service circular. *tt | 11/01/2004 | |
| 0403 | 07/12/2004 | 10008913 | Engine, fluctuating idle or idle speed too low. *mj | 08/31/2004 | |
| 0409 | 05/10/2004 | 10007711 | Evaluating fuel mixture diagnostic trouble codes- how to perform effective diagnosis related to fuel system adaptation - system too rich/too lean. volkswagen. *mj | 07/08/2004 | |
| 0303 | 04/15/2003 | 10001568 | Update programming (flashing) engine control module (ecm) and transmission control module (tcm). *tt | 06/06/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 2015831 | 08/28/2008 | 10026848 | Volkswagen: exhaust heat shield, replacement guidelines. heat shields are to be inspected after completion o any type of repair to the underbody (exhaust system transmission, etc.), and if damaged, replaced. *pe | 12/29/2008 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| SAC-28F3/P1-REV | 08/01/2010 | 10036496 | Volkswagen: gasoline engine vehicles inspect, and if necessary, replace ignition coils. vehicles affected by this action may have ignition coils that could malfunction under certain conditions. models passat and wagon; golf; gti; jetta a | 03/23/2011 | |
| 0419 | 10/27/2004 | 10010537 | Update programming - evaporative emissions (evap) self-test revision. *tt | 11/30/2004 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| EA11002 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 01/26/2011 | 02/17/2012 | Engine Compartment Fire | ||
| In july 2010, the agency opened pe10-027 to investigate allegations of coil on plug (cop) ignition coil fires in my2002-2003 vw passat vehicles.the investigation was upgraded in january 2011 to include all my2001-2007 4-cylinder vw passat, gasoline, turbo-charged vehicles.based on the analysis of vw's response, and including odi's consumer complaints, odi has since identified 135 unique engine fire reports attributable to the cop coils.after further review of the details as contained in each report, odi determined that 43 of the 135 fire reports were actual fire/flame incidents, 83 fire reports were thermal events (smoke, spark, heat or wire melt), and another 9 fire reports were undetermined in severity due to the lack of information.these cop coil fires were characterized as initiated from within the cop coil circuit located at the top of the engine block and below the plastic engine cover.the fires observed were contained in the engine compartment and did not reach into the passenger compartment in contrast to those caused by an overheated catalytic converter examined in odi | ||||||
| PE10027 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 07/26/2010 | 02/07/2011 | Engine Compartment Fire | ||
| Odi has received 11 complaints alleging that a fire started in the engine compartment of the vehicle that may be related to ignition coil failure, and 9 complaints of ignition coil failure that did not result in a fire.reports state that the vehicle hesitated or lost power, and the check engine or dashboard lights illuminated.the vehicles were repaired by replacing the faulty ignition coil(s). some of the complaints indicated that the ignition coils were replaced more than once.the scope of pe10-027 focused on model years (my)2002-2003 passat vehicles.volkswagen provided data regarding their analysis of the vehicle fires and faulty ignition coils for these vehicles as well as other my passat vehicles.odi needs to further investigate this issue.to facilitate the acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis, ea11-002. | ||||||
| EA11002 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 01/26/2011 | Engine Compartment Fire | |||
| Odi has received 14 complaints alleging that a fire started in the engine compartment of the vehicle that may be related to ignition coil failure, and 21 complaints of ignition coil failure that did not result in a fire.reports state that the vehicle hesitated or lost power, and the check engine or dashboard lights illuminated.the vehicles were repaired by replacing the faulty ignition coil(s). some of the complaints indicated that the ignition coils were replaced more than once.the scope of pe10-027 focused on model years (my) 2002-2003 passat vehicles and volkswagen provided data regarding their analysis of the vehicle fires and faulty ignition coils for these vehicles.however, based on consumer complaints, odi also requested and received data from volkswagen regarding my2006-2007 passat vehicles.the failure report for this engineering analysis contains data for my 2002-2003 and my 2006-2007 vehicles.odi needs to further investigate this issue.to facilitate the acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis.odi is expanding the scope to include my 2001-2007 passat vehicles. | ||||||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 12/05/2012 | 137000 | 1 | |
| While driving the on the capitol beltway (495 inner loop) i started to smell a burning smell. moments later within about 30 seconds the engine burst into flames. i was able to stop the vehicle safely and exited the car. needless to say the vehicle is totaled. i would describe the incident as a spontaneous engine fire. there was no warning. thank you. *tr | |||
| 12/05/2012 | 137000 | ||
| While driving the on the capitol beltway (495 inner loop) i started to smell a burning smell. moments later within about 30 seconds the engine burst into flames. i was able to stop the vehicle safely and exited the car. needless to say the vehicle is totaled. i would describe the incident as a spontaneous engine fire. there was no warning. thank you. | |||
| 03/18/2012 | 174256 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 20 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood and pouring inside the vehicle. the contact found water and coolant leaking from the dashboard and onto the driver's side of the vehicle. the vehicle was also overheating. after exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed flames coming from under the hood. the contact was able to extinguish the fire however, the contact sustained burns to her legs due to the hot leaking coolant. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the engine blew and the instrument panel cluster was damaged. the contact was unaware of what caused the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 174,256. kmj | |||
| 03/18/2012 | 174256 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 20 mph the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood and inside the vehicle. there was water and coolant leaking from the dashboard on the drivers side of the vehicle. the vehicle was overheating. after exiting the vehicle the contact noticed flames underneath the hood. the contact was able to put out the fire. the contact sustained burns to her legs due to the leaking coolant. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the engine blew and the instrument panel cluster was damaged. the contact was unaware what caused the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 174,256. da | |||
| 07/23/2012 | 1 | ||
| I was driving 45miles on the road when my 2003 vw passat 1.8t started to shake like crazy. then the engine started to feel like it was going out..smoke came from my hood. my car stopped and the driver behind me swerved out the way but clipped me on the right side of my vehicle. no damage to the car or my own. *tr | |||
| 07/23/2012 | |||
| I was driving 45miles on the road when my 2003 vw passat 1.8t started to shake like crazy. then the engine started to feel like it was going out..smoke came from my hood. my car stopped and the driver behind me swirved out the way but clipped me on the right side of my vehicle. no damage to the car or my own. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/21/2012 | 135652 | 1 | |
| Fuel supply line began leaking at mounting point on firewall above catalytic converter. break/crack in line was significant and posed a high probability of fire, as any fuel leak, but substantially more so due to the location above the catalytic converter. *tr | |||
| 05/08/2012 | 113008 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. the contact also stated that the vehicle emitted a noise in which it sounded like it was low on fuel. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. the manufacturer also stated that they were not responsible for repairs. the failure and current mileages were 113,008. sm. | |||
| 05/08/2012 | 113008 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated while she went to start up her vehicle the vehicle would not start. she said when she started up her vehicle it sound like it needed gas but the vehicle had gas. the vehicle has not be taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted, they stated that the vehicle was not under no recall and that they was not hold responsible for any repair. the failure and current mileage 113,008.jp | |||
| 11/05/2011 | |||
| Owner drove the 2003 volkswagen passat (2.8 v6 engine) home and parked it. he came back out to the driveway approximately 2 hours later and found the vehicle smoking. small fire at right front floor pan/minor melting of dash plastics caused by heat from right side exhaust pipe/catalytic converter. heat shield melted, rubber body plug ignited and consumed, carpet just above body plug was charred. car just had right side catalytic converter and pipe replaced. | |||
| 03/28/2011 | 77908 | ||
| I have a 2003 volkswagon passat with 77,650 miles with problems with the oilpump and engine problems that is unknow. the automobile will stall not start it hasn't been driven in over 6 monthe due to the rattling noise in the engine and i believe slugged is build up in the engine but since then i have replaced two oilpumps in the vehicle and the sensors. engine oil pressure failure and defective coils on each cylinder. | |||
| 11/21/2010 | 98000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the timing for the vehicle is unable to be adjusted. the contact stated the check engine light is on because of the timing issue and a problem with the ignition coil. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the timing was designed to be a lifetime timing system and cannot be adjusted. the contact stated the vehicle cannot be registered because the check engine light is on and the light is on because of the timing being off and the ignition coil failing. the contact spoke to the manufacturer and was told the only thing that can be done is to replace all four cam gear adjusters, control housing cylynoid, adjuster bolts and timing chains, the valve cover gasket and seals, torque convertor bolts, exhaust gaskets, intake manifold gaskets, injector seals, chain cover, chain tensioners, rear main seal and throttle body gaskets. the failure mileage of the vehicle was 98,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.rl | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 86523 | ||
| I own a 2003 vw passatt 1.8l turbo. i purchased this car brand new, and have used fully synthetic oil for the entire life of the vehicle. from reading several forums on the issue i am going to report, i do not have a gold plated record of all oil changes and maintenance. i have changed my oil every 3000-5000 miles. two months ago, i was driving my car when the stop engine oil pressure light came on. i immediately pulled over and had the car towed to my mechanic, who is a master mechanic. the cause of the problem was the oil intake tube in the oil pan....it was completely clogged up and no oil was getting through it. i paid for parts and labor for him to make the repairs and it cost me $2500 dollars. i would like to be reimbursed for my cost, and find out what vw has done to cover owners for these repairs? thank you very much. | |||
| 03/19/2011 | 125600 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact was driving approximately 55 mph when the oil warning light illuminated. the contact moved off the roadway and shut the vehicle off. the vehicle was restarted and driven a short distance before the failure recurred. the vehicle was later taken to the dealer for the failure and she was advised to call back and schedule an appointment. she stated that the dealer advised her that there was a warranty repair dealing with the oil sludge. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 125,600. | |||
| 03/19/2011 | 125690 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 55 mph on the freeway the oil light illuminated on the dashboard. she pulled over to the side of the road immediately and turn off the vehicle. the contact restarted the vehicle and drove a short distance and the failure happen again. the vehicle was later taken to the dealer for the failure and she was advised to call back and schedule an appointment. she stated that the dealer advised her that there was a warranty repair dealing with the oil sludge. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage were 125,600. vwb | |||
| 12/03/2010 | 82000 | ||
| The vw 1.8t engine has know sledge issues that lead to engine failure. when the engine fails the driver looses all power functions associated with the vehicle. this includes steering and brakes. this is exactly what happened to me and i was lucky enough to be in the left hand lane and was able to pull over and park. had this happened when i was on an interstate it could have been a completly different outcome. | |||
| 04/01/2010 | 96000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 65 mph the accelerator pedal stuck in the depressed position. the vehicle was pulled over and shut off. upon restart the vehicle operated as normal. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to diagnose the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure has since recurred intermittently. she also stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the oil pressure light began illuminating on the dashboard. the vehicle was pulled over then towed to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. the failure continued so the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where she was informed the head gasket needed to be replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the failure mileage was 96,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. sm. | |||
| 01/12/2010 | 1 | ||
| I purchased an 03 vw passat from a vw dealer as a certified pre-owned vehicle back in 2/07. within the first week of purchase i had brake problems. the next couple years were followed by valve cover leaks, engine leaks, auto window problems, battery problems, recall issues, water intrusion issues, ignition coil recall and the list goes on. after a water intrusion just days after the replacement of faulty ignition coils i contacted the manufacture notifying them of the problems. the manufacture had held their foot to the ground that my car is out of warranty (that i was told at time of sale i did not have) and so they are able to do nothing about any of the problems with this vehicle. however as it stands i have nearly $3000 in repairs needed to this vehicle. not to mention the water leak/damage from what i understand may actually mean my vehicle is considered a total loss at this point. i have expressed to the manufacture that i am concerned for the safety of myself but my small children as well ever time we are in this vehicle. among the several things that are potential to occur while i am driving i also worry about the potential for mold exposure from the water damage. due to cost i am unable to get any of this corrected and can not afford to go thru my insurance only to be told that it is a manufacture issue and so i am stuck. i feel that at this point i am driving around in a safety hazard and don't know what to do. every time i receive a replay from anyone i just end up back at the same place....contact the bbb, etc. i am getting no where and don't know what to do therefore am looking into any and all resources so any information would be useful. thank you for your time. *tr | |||
| 01/05/2010 | 96000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the vehicle started to make noises while driving 40mph. he stated that the oil function light also came on. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic and they stated that they have seen this before and should take the vehicle to the manufacturer. the contact took the vehicle to the manufacturer and they refused to repair the vehicle because he didn't have all his records for the oil changes. the failure and current mileages was 96,000. | |||
| 09/18/2004 | 26000 | 1 | |
| Volkswagen passat 2003 engine was ruined and had to be replaced with 26,000 miles on it. i was told by my purchase dealer that they would not cover the cost of replacement and my insurance company replied the same. my incident occurred during a rainy day in middlebury, in. the engine stopped working when i was on a bridge and in a 2 puddle. both vw and my insurance company said they do not cover anything related to water damage. an engine should not be ruined in a 2 puddle. i wrote to click and clack eventually about the damage. they told me other vs passat owners had their engines damaged and needing to be replaced but it was by other events. the loss of the engine happened in the passat because the air intake was the lowest part of the engine and was affected by anything near the intake. this happened in 2004 in my car and my replacement was over $11,000 and had to be paid personally by me. i did not know that i could complain to the government at that time. i would still like to file the complaint and ask for investigation into the number of cars involved with the loss of the engine. mine is the vs passat glx, 4 motion. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2010 | 90000 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw passat spontaneously combusted in the garage of our home. there are no events of concern leading up to the fire. the car had been parked in the garage since 5:00 pm on january 9, 2010 and the fire was discovered at about 3:00 am on january 10, 2010. a noise from the car alerted us and upon looking in the garage there were flames coming from the engine under the car. the fire totaled the car and caused over $100,000. damages to the structure of our home. the cost to replace and repair contents is not yet known. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 1 | ||
| Driving at 65mph and oil pressure light comes on -takes us 15 minutes to find a safe spot to pull over- get car to dealer -'sludge in the engine- regularly serviced car for 7 years. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 104000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 passat has 104,000 miles and is currently being fixed due to oil sludge in my engine. 2 years ago my mechanic warned me of this issue; however, a faithful volkswagen owner i decided to keep my car and faithfully change my oil every 3,000 miles while the owner's manual say every 5,000 miles. friday, january 15, 2010 i found myself stranded off the highway, on a trip, due to oil sludge. i am firm believer in taking care of your car and feel as though this is a volkswagen issue. it seems as though there are several issues with this and volkswagen and would like for an action to be considered. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Had my ignition coils in my vw 2003 passat go out. went to auto repair had repairs done at 340.00. 2 months later got letter of recall for exact problem, letter said to send in receipts for reimbursement. sent forms, followed up with call and got check this week...for 78.00. called # on form and they said they refund what the us average cost would be and in this case that was it. i went back to the dealer to ask them and they said they would have done the repairs for 320.00 and that i was being ripped off. after talking with the recall agency and being put on hold 4 times they said that was it and all i would receive. *tr | |||
| 12/31/2009 | 119000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 vw passat 1.8t has the well documented sludge issue that thousands of vw/audi owners are experiencing. initially i had to have the car towed b/c a gasket was leaking oil into the spark plugs, and my engine coil pack was bad. i paid $700 to repair and replace the parts. 80 miles after leaving the mechanic shop, the oil light and stop engine lights came on. towed the car again; no oil pressure. collected all of my maintenance records and took them to vw to get approval of the warranty issue before letting them confirm engine sludge ($500 diagnosis fee for dropping the oil pan). if the issue is engine sludge, the engine is a lost cause because the low oil pressure starved the engine head for oil. the vw dealership is waiting for my money before they'll diagnose the engine sludge- which you can see in the engine head with your eyes. vwoa has issued an extended warranty, unlimited mileage, 8 years from sale date, to owners with all of their oil change/maintenance receipts. yet, despite the effort by vw, they deny all the claims i've researched- saying everyone was irresponsible with their maintenance- no one took care of their engine. loopholes left and right to blame the consumer, while we sit powerless to get our cars back on the road. yet, this issue leaves me with no car. all of us sludge owners are left with cars dead on the side of the road, all with the same problem and vw turning their heads the other way. *tr | |||
| 04/12/2007 | 80000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions when the oil pressure warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and suddenly, the engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure was contributed to oil sludge. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired for the malfunction. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 80,000. | |||
| 12/30/2009 | 86320 | 1 | |
| While driving or idling, an engine warning light appears telling the driver to stop immediately due to no oil pressure. this can happen at any time. the problem is due to a known issue by vw of oil sludge buildup. the consequence is the engine will seize up and need to be replaced along with but not always including the turbocharger. vw has extended the warranty to 8 years unlimited miles for those engines, but unreasonably requires production of all oil change receipts for the entire history of the car. *tr | |||
| 11/06/2009 | 1 | ||
| Vw issued a voluntary safety recall for replacement of the underbody heat shield on my 2003 passat wagon. (open campaign: 26e5/r5). i took the car to the local dealer to address the recall but was told my car could not be serviced without potential damage to the flexible joints behind the catalytic converter. both joints were said to have small fractures in the metal and braided steel. i was told that the heat shield replacement required the exhaust line to be dropped via the flexible joints and that they could be broken in the process. if damage to the joints occurred, the charge for the parts (excluding labor) would be $1500 and that the full bill for parts/labor would be my responsibility. because of the excessive cost, i was not able to have the heat shields replaced. i am concerned about the potential safety hazard for continued use of the vehicle without addressing the recall. i would like volkswagen to be responsible for the full cost of replacing the heat shield up to and including the replacement of the flexible joints, should that be necessary. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2009 | 84000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 55 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to a side road. a technician from the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced because of an oil/sludge problem. no repairs were made. a representative from the manufacturer stated that they would not provide her with any assistance. the current mileage was 84,167. the failure mileage was approximately 84,000. | |||
| 11/23/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 vw passat was having problems with coils and valve covers. my car caught on fire! luckily the fire went out about 10 minutes after i stopped the car! i can't believe this happened! is there anything i can do? are there any recalls out there?! *tr | |||
| 12/08/2008 | 98000 | 1 | |
| 9/2002 purchased 2003 volkswagen passat 1.8 turbo. 2005- 48,000 engine failed due to sludge. towed to commonwealth motors santa ana, ca after 2 mos installed new oil pump, we each paid half even though it is a known design flaw with oil pump. 2007 same thing happened( but i was away and car towed to local garage) mechanic stated that no warranty would cover problem. estimated 95. final $2,569 to replace oil pump and turbo picked up car in march 2008, in dec 2008 engine failed again towed to mesa west who suggested dealer should be called. dealer accepted responsibility on phone since they had done original repair, 4 months later car needs new engine is still at dealer. oil pump cannot process properly. vw aware of chronic problem but won't stand by product unless all receipts from oil changes are available. car need $6000.00 of work and dealer doing nothing to assist regardless of promises made. *tr | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 78000 | 1 | |
| I have had my 2003 vw passat for 7 months now and have already had it in the shop 3 times. right after i bought it used from a vw dealership the turbo went out. i had to pay for that. i then drove the car about 150 miles for a tournament and when almost there a light came on saying to stop and turn off the engine. took it to vw dealership and it was covered by vw. it had something to do with sludge from oil. got it back and 3 days later a light came on. it was the mil light. i took it in to the vw dealership. still waiting to hear what the problem is this time. i have now had my oil changed 3 times in 5 thousand miles due to repairs. it has been one thing after another with this car so far. *tr | |||
| 02/07/2009 | 95100 | 4 | 07/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that a new pair of rare brakes failed on her vehicle after 14,952 miles. she usually gets over 36,000 miles on a pair of brakes. she stated that the brake pads failed and damaged the rotors. the contact feels that the pads are defective and should have lasted longer than 14,000 miles. she also feels that the dealer should cover the cost of the new pads. the current and failure mileages were 95,100. updated 04/21/09. *lj the serpentine belt was cracked, the power steering fluid was low, the vc boot and hood strut was replaced.. updated 04/21/09.*jb | |||
| 08/02/2003 | 2300 | 1 | |
| Brake failure light appears even after multiple brake repairs. driver?s side rear upper brake light replaced for 29th time in less than 2 yrs. multiple coolant leaks still present even after repair and water pump replacement. radio/amplifier not functioning even after replacement (radio was only used twice in vehicle?s lifetime). diagnostics show airbag malfunction. regulator pin on rear passenger side window keeps breaking (3rd replacement since 2003). engine cover below car keeps falling off due to rusted bolts. homelink system keeps malfunctioning. fuses keep blowing out. dashboard panel lights out (odometer, fuel gauge, etc.). ccm module keeps breaking down. car needs to be jumpstarted when not in use for over 48 hrs. climate control (a/c and heater) works only sporadically. all repairs performed by vw dealership, yet same issues keep reappearing just a few weeks after repairs. repairs performed in past 2 years: ecu unit replaced, brake light switch replaced 3 times, a/c compressor unit replaced, abs module replaced, alternator replaced, brakes replaced 3 times. *tr | |||
| 10/07/2004 | 29143 | 1 | |
| Vw passat 2003, purchased01/09/03, 4 motion sedan, for $32,766.50. on 10/7/2004, i went through a 2 or less, rain puddle. because of the air intake on the passat location being very low, the engine was damaged due to the water intake in the air intake portion of the vehicle. the engine had to be replaced and cost $11,077.53. the car mileage was 29,143. vw refused to pay, saying it was not their fault. my insurance company refused to pay because they said it was a default in the vehicle. as a result, i had to pay the $11,077.53 to keep a vehicle that i had purchased new in 2003. it was 1/3 the cost of the new vehicle with only 29,143 mileage. the amount of rain can be determined on the day it happened, in middlebury, in. i did contact cartalk, after no result from vw, and they stated that they had been contacted by other people experiencing the same problem. it obviously was not enough to post a recall, but it is still something i should be reimbursed, even though it happened in 2004. i do still own the car, because of my investment, which would have been over $44,000, because i cannot afford another vehicle compared to this one. *tr | |||
| 08/16/2008 | 80000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. on two separate occasions, once while driving 50 mph, the contact made a sudden stop and the engine shut off. on the second occasion, while driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled. on both occasions the vehicle immediately restarted. the dealer informed the contact that the failure would have to repeat itself in order for them to diagnose the vehicle. she was advised not to restart the vehicle and have it towed to the dealer. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 80,000. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen passat with an oil sludge problem. consumer states that there is an extended warranty due to this oil sludge problem. *kb the vehicle had a slight engine knock, before the oil was changed. the dealer stated the low oil pressure was probably caused by the pick up tube in the oil pan blocked by oil sludge. *jb | |||
| 07/24/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I have owned 3 vws and have always made sure to stay up to date on scheduled maintenance. recent knocking noise in engine lead us to take the car in for a repair at which time we were informed that we had a major sludge problem and it would cost me $6900 to replace the engine. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen passat with recall for faulty seal and heat shield. consumer had the problem repaired and then received the recalls. he would like reimbursement for these repairs. *kb the consumer stated there was a burning smell coming from the vehicle. the dealer discovered oil leaking from the valve cover and cleaned it. the sunroof tubes and drain plug were replaced. *jb | |||
| 06/08/2008 | 27314 | 1 | |
| Driving on i-87 upstate ny around albany in the fast lane about 80 miles an hour the car completely lost power. we pulled over quickly to the grassy area between the highways. we heard a sound but it might have been from the road when we pulled off or a backfire? the car was completely dead. we called 911 and a sheriff arrived soon and told us how difficult it would be to get back on the highway with traffic going 90-95 miles an hour. we had to get into the fast lane. we drove a little on the grassy area to see if the car would work. with great difficult and tremendous fear we managed to get onto the highway. we were then able to drive to nyc without problems in the slower lanes. no lights or sounds came on to warn us of the loss of power. this happened about 6 weeks ago as we were approaching the williamsburg bridge in manhattan but going at a much slower speed. we pulled over and had to restart the car. we have had the recalls from vw but not a recent one that may have come out in may. it seems like it could be a fuel tank issue. i will be taking it back to vw in brooklyn in two weeks to have them look at it. they have told me that since i did come in and get all the recalls that it could not be that. i am afraid of this car and only have about 27,000 miles after 5 years. it is a 2003 passat turbo wagon. it was a hot day on june 8th and when we turned on the car the temp out side light said 101 degrees. *tr | |||
| 03/05/2005 | 32251 | 2 | 05/01/2003 |
| 2003 volkswagen gls passat with several problems. consumer states that they have had problems with the fuel pump, cam shaft sensor and more. *kb the vehicle stalled on 2 occasions due to a faulty fuel pump. the consumer soon discovered there was a recall on the fuel pump, however the consumers vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. the front cv boot and timing belt were replaced. the vehicle also had a transmission leak. the drivers heated seat malfunctioned. *jb | |||
| 11/25/2007 | 82000 | 1 | 08/13/2002 |
| We were driving up to the base of the palm springs tram on a cool day at a relatively slow rate of speed and parked at the valley station. the temperature gauge was apparently operating normally during the entire drive. a few minutes after parking, we noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the car, and upon opening the hood discovered the fire. since tram security was there with a fire extinguisher, the fire was extinguished relatively quickly. the insulation was burned and the car was not able to be driven any further. it was towed to indio, ca. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 51000 | 2 | 03/05/2003 |
| 1.8l turbo engine with 51,000 miles, still under power train warranty. oil press/stop engine light illuminated momentarily. first time was the summer 07. i called the dealership and they advised changing the oil, which i had done 2k miles and 2 months previous, but did again. that worked, no other advise by dealer. no occurrence again until nov 07. dealership inspection revealed sludge and coking. vw of america will not pay for any type of repair without receipts proving maintenance in accordance with the owners manual. i did all my own oil changes on schedule but did not keep receipts for oil/filter. the $130+ diagnostic charge was not covered by the warranty either. additionally, dealer said the warranty was void because i had an other than vw oil filter on. repair estimate is $3,000 to rebuild engine. *tr | |||
| 10/18/2007 | 62000 | 1 | 04/24/2003 |
| I have a vw passat 1.8 liter turbo engine that has sludge in it causing my oil pressure to be low which threw my timing off. luckily stopped driving the car before it lock up. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2003 volkswagon passet caught fire went from engine compartment, the instrument-panel area and on the underside of the cars near the catalytic converter and along the passenger side of vehicle. *jb | |||
| 08/05/2007 | 57000 | 1 | 11/27/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat wagon. the vehicle caught fire under the hood while it was parked. the fire destroyed the vehicle. there were no warning indicator lights present prior to the fire. there is a fire report available; however, the fire department was unable determine the cause of the fire. the contact has photos and a video tape. the manufacturer had an investigator inspect the vehicle to determine the cause of fire. the failure and current mileages were 57,000. | |||
| 08/01/2006 | 47000 | 50 | 06/09/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 65 mph or attempting to stop, the vehicle loses power and shuts off without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the speed sensor was replaced. however, the vehicle continues to shut off. the contact stated that the brake lights also malfunction and the electrical switch was replaced. the vehicle is currently at the dealer and they are unable to determine the cause of failure. the vehicle's warranty has been charged for each replacement. the current mileage was 57,006 and failure mileage was 47,000. | |||
| 06/29/2007 | 35000 | 1 | 11/01/2002 |
| Driver was on daily commute to work, stopped at an intersection. a loud bang was heard by the driver and when the driver exited the car to see what had happened, a bystander immediately yelled toward the driver to warn them that the car was on fire. driver was able to make it out of car safely, with minor injuries incurred as a result of trying to put out the fire. the fire itself was limited to the engine compartment, however as a result the entire engine and engine compartment were destroyed and the car was considered a total loss by insurance. since the defective component(s) and surrounding area involved in the defect were completely destroyed, there was no parts to repair or replace. *jb | |||
| 07/13/2007 | 70000 | 1 | 09/05/2003 |
| Oil sludge build up. stop engine light came on. immediately took car to dealership and learned that it was an oil pressure issue to sludge. volkswagen had issued an extended warranty. however, they requireed complete records which most people did not keep. there were numerous complaints with regard to this issue. wondering why a recall has not been imposed given the expense to consumer's for something that was obviously a manufacturer's defect. consumer protection should be first priority.*ak | |||
| 01/22/2006 | 57500 | 1 | 01/08/2005 |
| I financed a 03 passat gls 1.8t in jan of 05 a year later it stopped running. when i took it to the dealer it was oil sludge. the engine has a warranty for sludge for unlimited mileage for 8yrs. the car needed a new engine due to the sludge. vw refused to replace the engine stating that i did not have enough proof of maintenance done to the vehicle. which statement is false. the vehicle had all maintenance done in the time that corresponded, i had proof of them which i submitted. therefore i have spent 4 months making payments towards a vehicle that can not be used. now i had no choice but to replace the engine myself since vw refused to solve the situation. *tr | |||
| 11/11/2006 | |||
| Owner was driving volkswagen when it started to hesitate and the engine caught on fire. fire burned most severely in center rear and right side of the compartment. | |||
| 06/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| Owner was driving the volkswagen and smelled a weird odor, so he pulled over to the side of the road. he opened the hood and looked toward the back of the engine and observed smoke and smelled something burning. he stated he observed fire from the bottom part of a wire harness. a subsequent examination revealed the spark plugs showed a slightly rich fuel/air mixture in the cylinders, resulting in possible overheated exhaust components. cause of fire undetermined. *nm | |||
| 12/11/2006 | 36000 | 1 | 07/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65 mph on the highway, an oil pressure warning light illuminated. the contact pulled over to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined the oil pump needed to be replaced, and failed due to maintenance negligence. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 05/30/2006 | 70 | 1 | |
| Vw passat 2003 62,000 miles with oil pressure stop driving light at 70 mph. car stopped and towed to dealer. told by dealer that this was an engine sludge issue which was a very common problem with this car. still awaiting engine analysis. was told engine could have potentially seized if i did not stop driving. *jb | |||
| 07/10/2005 | 30000 | 7 | 09/08/2003 |
| Dt: 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the vehicle stalled at highway speeds. there was no warning lights that came on before this occurred. the vehicle was pulled over, and it started up immediately. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, and they had it for 77 days. the vehicle was returned to the contact twice. the dealership replaced a coil pack, spark plugs, and four brake light bulbs. the dealership told the contact the vehicle was ready, he picked it up and drove 3 miles and the vehicle stalled. he immediately took the vehicle back to the dealership. they contacted technical support, who told the dealership to check for the electrical grounds. the dealership then took the vehicle on a test drive and it stalled again. the factory service engineers said to put every electrical wire on the car through an ohm test. all of the wires checked out, and no out of tolerance ratings were found. they told the dealership to check the ignition key adaptation, and the security system for proper function. no problems were found. they found nothing definitive at that point. the technician told the dealership to replace the engine wire harness that was replaced august 8, 2005. the vehicle was then picked up on august 10, 2005. the contact went on vacation, and 175 miles later the vehicle stalled again on the interstate. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership; they found 20 fault codes in the engine computer. they replaced the vacuum pump on august 25, 2005. they road tested it and it stalled. the contact was trying to get volkswagen to take the vehicle back. the vehicle is still at the dealership, and they are still working on it. the dealership is now going to replace cylinder heads. *ak it was finally determined that the fuel pump relay was the problem and the reason why the dealer could not determine the problem the first seven times was because they were relying on the computer to display codes. updated 01/11/06.*jb | |||
| 05/13/2004 | 7 | 08/02/2002 | |
| 2003 volkswagen passat consumer request for early termination of the lease.***no answer required***. *mr the consumer made the request due to the numerous mechanical problems such as a defective purge valve, right front head light, the vehicle overheated and started t o smoke due to a faulty water pump. the brake light would not shut off and the right head light went out for the second time. the brake light switch was replaced. the cruise control would not disengage. the vehicle would not start at times. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 40000 | 5 | 01/25/2003 |
| Have had nothing but problems with this lemon. * 500 miles cruise control fails, has to be replaced. * 16,000 miles ignition coil fails, replaced coil and mass air flow sensor. * 28,000 miles fan in dash diagnosed as faulty and needing to be replaced. parts ordered, never installed. * 40,000 miles oil pump and oil hoses are replaced due to oil pressure failures. car broke down on road. * 44,159 miles oil pressure switch replaced due to oil pressure failures. * 46,000 miles fuel pump failure, replaced under warranty. car broke down on road. volkswagen has a problem with these cars and oil sludge. vw refuses to fix my car under warranty. last word was we reserve the right to refuse any warrany claim, regardless of documentation of oil changes. i've talked to several dealerships and it's a #1 problem with these cars comming in for ruined engines and oil sludge. vw is refusing to pay for fixing the problems in most cases. i've got all documentation, original paperwork when purchased, etc. *jb | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 39000 | 2 | |
| I have a 2003 volkswagon passot 1.8 turbo and i have had it at the volkswagon dealership 3 times in the past 6 months and it is still there.the light in the car saying stop oil pressure low kept coming on so we had it towed to the dealership now for the second time.and they were the last ones to change the oil. they are refusing to fix the car under warranty. they say i need a new engine because of oil sludge on the engine.i have provided them with all the reciepts stating the car was properly maintained. and they are still refusing to cover it under warranty. they told me there is no other recourse. i don't feel i should have to put out the expense for something that seems to be a problem with this make and model. please help. | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 45000 | 1 | 11/23/2002 |
| Engine sludge in 2003 vw passat. engine is shot. vw customer service agent told me he personally gets 3 to 5 calls a day on this issue. vw won't pay unless you produce every service receipt. vw dealers via vw directive now only use synthetic oil for oil changes on the 1.8 liter passat engine. its a passat not a ferrari. this is clearly an indication of a design flaw. *nm | |||
| 08/26/2004 | 1 | ||
| The vehicle's engine oil pressure warning light illuminated occasionally. *nm *sc | |||
| 10/07/2004 | 24000 | 1 | 10/11/2002 |
| The vehicle 1.8l engine sized while driving 60 mph. vehicle was tow to the dealer. dealer informed the consumer that the cause of the problem was engine sludge build up. *nm | |||
| 09/29/2003 | 10 | ||
| Problems with engine shut down on 2003 volkswagen passat. *mr there was a problem with the odometer reading. the ecp light would constantly come on, the engine would go out intermittently, and there was rough idling. *sc *jb | |||
| 06/24/2004 | 86000 | 2 | 10/01/2002 |
| While driving at low speeds, the vehicle stalled. the dealership informed the consumer that the problem pertained to the engine cylinder. *ak the vehicle stalled at the stop sign 3-4 times. the ignition coil was replaced but the vehicle stalled the next day. the vehicle was towed and the ec module/fuel pump relay was replaced. *sc *jb | |||
| 05/28/2004 | 9500 | 1 | 01/14/2003 |
| 2003 passat with 1.8t engine. driving in heavy rain on nieghborhood streets, came to standing water (approx 2 inches deep), witnessed other passenger cars passing through water and proceeded at approx 2-3 mph, car stalls and will not start, car towed to dealer where purchased, told a rod was thrown through the engine block due to water (approx 3 gal.) in the engine block, was told water gained entry via air intake vents at the bottom (fender level) of the engine, was told to file claim with insurance company. presently waiting for appraiser's report. vehicle should be able to handle the driving conditions mentioned. appears to be a design flaw in that the air cooling intake is in such a position as to allow the intake of water into the engine block.*ak | |||
| 07/29/2003 | 9000 | 15 | 12/28/2002 |
| Our car has been into the dealer 6 times in nine months. 5 times for the same, serious problem. the car stalls with no warning and for apparently no reason. the dealer was able to duplicate the problem once, but unable to fix it and unable to duplicate the problem the next 4 times. i don't know what causes the car to stall other than it seems to happen on hot days when the air condition is on and often in traffic. when the car stalls neither the brakes nor the steering will work until it can be restarted. vw cannot fix the car and will not replace it or refund my money. their response, sue us. *la | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/10/2010 | 51414 | ||
| Heater core plugs thus resulting in inoperable heating of the interior of the car. also causeing a leak thus spewing steam and fluid into the interior of the car. with the windscreen reciveing the steam and impairing the vision of the driver which may lead to an accident. | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Heater core has failed (plugged up) at just over 90,000 miles. over $1200 to replace; may burst hot fluid through vents into passenger compartment if not replaced soon. currently the smell in the car when running is very strong of radiator fluid. *tr | |||
| 08/28/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw passat heater core had to be replaced and vw america refused to do it at no cost. *tr | |||
| 02/03/2006 | 26411 | 1 | |
| Purchase car in fl, now live in iowa due to job transfer. a/c unit continues to not blow cold air in a dependable method. have to shut off vehicle and restart to sometimes get it started again. now torque converter light came on just after powertrain warranty expired 1 month outside of warranty. got in contact with vw of america. would not asist, but instead sent $2,000 good faith voucher towards to purchase of a new vehicle to make an attempt to help me with the problems. please help. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 18000 | 1 | |
| The heater core tubing in the car disintegrated at about 18,000 miles. this resulted in the check engine light appearing, coolant leaking into other parts of the engine department,and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment. at this time the vehicle was under warranty, so i took it to the volkswagen dealership. they replaced the purge valve (about an hours work) and returned the car to me. i took the car back two more times for the same problem before the warranty ran out and the dealership performed the same service. the coolant leak became significantly worse (i began adding coolant every 3-4 days) at around 82,000 miles and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment became very strong. i took the car to another repair shop and the mechanic discovered that the tubing from the heater core had completely disintegrated and the heater core needed to be replaced altogether. i have seasonal asthma associated with allergies and inhaling the fumes from the coolant has made the condition worse. i am currently having the vehicle repaired at a cost of approximately $1200. *tr | |||
| 11/11/2006 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Radio not functioning, air conditioning unit works intermittently, airbag malfunction recognized, operation unit in steering wheel malfunctions, no communications with brake control unit, brake light switch causes drivers side brake light to malfunction. horn not functioning nearly caused 2 accidents within a month. i drove over an island to avoid one collision from the other non-attentive driver and ended up scraping the transmission pan. cost of replacement: $550. after thousands of dollars in repairs and diagnostics, vw dealerships still unable to fix any of the above! *tr | |||
| 11/20/2006 | 75672 | 1 | 08/02/2003 |
| As i drove home from work, the vehicle's temperature gauge suddenly shot into the red and warnings flashed on the dash to stop the car immediately. i pulled over at the first highway exit and parked at a volkswagen repair shop. the mechanics diagnosed the problem as a broken water pump impellar, essentially a small fan-like device that keeps coolant moving through the engine. the mechanics explained that this model vw used a plastic impellar instead of the metal ones commonly used in most cars. apparently, vw has recognized that this plastic part is failure prone, and now makes aluminum replacement impellars. but the mechanics said i wasn't entitled to any recall or warranty. the repair cost me $879, plus the costs of renting a replacement car. updated 12-12-07. *kb updated *jb | |||
| 06/06/2006 | 1 | 09/11/2003 | |
| On june 6th 2006 my 2003 vw passat car caught fire. my certified vw mechanic stated the cars after run water pump over heated, melting wiring and the fire resulted. my insurance company appears to be dening the claim. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 06/06/2006 | 115000 | 1 | 05/15/2003 |
| This is a 2003 passat v6. i have 115,000 miles on the car and the car has been maintained by a certified vw technician since i have owned the vehicle. this is my second passat, the first was a 2001.5 new passat. i had no problems with that car and little to know problems with my current 2003. however, after turning the car off, it always sounded as though a fan motor would continuously run for well over 15 minutes after the car was turned off. this has been happening for approx. 6 months. on the date of incident, i had driven home from work, pulled into my driveway, and went into the house. thankfully, the lawn was long, so i immediately went out to cut the lawn after changing my clothes. just in that time, maybe 5-10 minutes the most, i came out and noticed there was smoke coming from under the hood. i popped the hood and looked into the engine bay to see flames on the lower bottom of the engine. it was on the left side if you were looking into the engine bay and toward the front. it smelled of burning plastic and metal. there was actually flames, which i pulled out myself with a fire extinguisher and a lawn hose. i did get a police report of the incident and continued to search online for other issues of the same sort. this seems to be a common problem, and in some events, they even mention the ongoing fan sound. i feel this is extremely important to be looked into. i was lucky, thanks to a long lawn, but i could have lost my car, and my home, because the car was parked in front of the house by less then two feet. any consideration taken in this matter is greatly appreciated. it is unclear as to how this is going to be resolved, whether with my insurance company, or whether or not this is going to be a huge financial loss, because there is still a lien on the automobile. thanks, theodore hardgrove. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/16/2011 | 78000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen passat has had recurring problems with ignition coils over the past two years (have already had two replaced at personal expense, as they were not under recall/warranty) most recent issue with such has occured the past two weeks, beginning with the appearance of the check engine light along with periods of my vehicle running very rough (a rumbling type sensation, particularly when idling/while stopped) this soon escalated into a total loss of power while driving on the freeway the other day, which necessitated in me having to abruptly pull onto the shoulder, smoke came out from under the hood for a minute or two. took my passat to a local repair shop the next day, where they read the error code(s) for my check engine light---turns out there are 10 in all, 1 for each cylinder in my engine (i have a v6), 3 for each ignition coil, and 1 general engine code. this will be the third time i have dealt with this issue in a very short time frame. i will be calling the dealership first thing in the morning but i do not believe there is any recall/warranty out for this issue still. i am very upset and displeased with vw and their lack of reliability/credibility regarding this issue. it seems that it is quite widespread from what i have researched and read and i hope that something will be done about it soon, i cannot afford to keep paying for this and certainly cannot afford for the safety hazards of it to get any worse, im afraid an engine fire will be next!! | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 123000 | ||
| Engine failure | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 80000 | ||
| I purchased a used 2003 vw passat 1.8t wagon in 2006. it worked perfectly until the warranty ran out at 75,000 miles and a number of issues occured that i found out are know issues with this vehicle and issue. first the engine coils started failing and needed to be replaced. i ended up replacing four of them and then vw issued a recall but only covered a fraction of what it cost to replace. then the stop turn engine oil pressure light started coming on and i found out that the 1.8t engine has a known design flaw that leaves this engine susceptible to creating oil sludge even with routine maintenance. vw issued a warranty extension for this engine and issue because they know it is a design flaw but will not fix the issue unless you show them a complete record of all oil changes. i maintained this car routinely but do not have all records millions of owners of this vehicle are now stuck with a dilema of spending a lot of money to fix something that vw knew about and should have fixed. vw needs to be held accountable and made to repair this issue for vehicle owners regardless of a complete maintenance record, because it is clear that this is an issue even with complete maintenance. | |||
| 03/15/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The check engine light on my vw passat 2003 with only 60 k miles came on while i was driving and as a result of that the thermostat and the the oxygen sensor had to be replaced. the car mechanic was is an independent vw mechanic and he was of the opinion that at such mileage such malfunctions should not occur in this car. | |||
| 06/12/2009 | 91631 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2003 volkswagen passat from flow motors of greensboro, nc. the vehicle was certified by volkswagen with a two year 24,000 warrant. the engine blew when is was 260 miles over or outside the warranty. the cause of the engine blowing was due to oil pressure and the lack of oil pressure in the engine. my wife and three year old were driving back from washington, d.c. to greensboro and broke down in lynchburg, v.a. the service manager at terry's volkswagen in lynchburg towed the vehicle in to their shop and looked at the engine. they reported that a cam bolt snapped in the engine which caused the oil pressure to cease and in return caused the engine to blow. they told me that a cam bolt should never snap and this was a product failure. flow motors retrieved the vehicle and denied any responsibility for the product failure and recommended i put a new engine in the vehicle at the cost of 6,500. i replaced the engine and a couple of months later had to replace a cooling flange at 300.00 and after that a vacuum hose at 300.00. before replacing the vacuum hose there was a leak in my back floorboard and had the vehicle in at flow motors on two occasion but they could not locate the leak but still charged me 50.00 to look for the leak. i've had to cut the carpet out of the back floorboard because of mold. volkswagen broke my hood support bar and also refused to cover the expenses to pay for that. when the vehicle's engine blew my wife called me immediately to tell me the engine light was on. i told her to pull over immediately and she did. when she came to a stop the engine cut off and would not start back up. the engine had just over 91,000 and can't accept having to replace the engine when all the maintenance was kept up. terry volkswagen says the cam bolt snapped and stated that should never happen on a vehicle with only 91,000. i have complained to volkswagen, the bbb, and currently am speaking with an attorney. *tr | |||
| 12/31/2009 | 119000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 vw passat 1.8t has the well documented sludge issue that thousands of vw/audi owners are experiencing. initially i had to have the car towed b/c a gasket was leaking oil into the spark plugs, and my engine coil pack was bad. i paid $700 to repair and replace the parts. 80 miles after leaving the mechanic shop, the oil light and stop engine lights came on. towed the car again; no oil pressure. collected all of my maintenance records and took them to vw to get approval of the warranty issue before letting them confirm engine sludge ($500 diagnosis fee for dropping the oil pan). if the issue is engine sludge, the engine is a lost cause because the low oil pressure starved the engine head for oil. the vw dealership is waiting for my money before they'll diagnose the engine sludge- which you can see in the engine head with your eyes. vwoa has issued an extended warranty, unlimited mileage, 8 years from sale date, to owners with all of their oil change/maintenance receipts. yet, despite the effort by vw, they deny all the claims i've researched- saying everyone was irresponsible with their maintenance- no one took care of their engine. loopholes left and right to blame the consumer, while we sit powerless to get our cars back on the road. yet, this issue leaves me with no car. all of us sludge owners are left with cars dead on the side of the road, all with the same problem and vw turning their heads the other way. *tr | |||
| 09/03/2009 | 95500 | 1 | |
| Our 2003 passat wagon (4 cyl 1.8 engine) had a fire in the engine last week. after driving about 20 minutes and parking, my husband noticed the check engine light and then smoke coming out from under the hood. he opened the hood and saw a fire in the engine. he was in a parking space and drove it a block to a service station, where the mechanic put out the fire with water. the fire had started in the ignition coils (which had been replaced in 4/2003, before the recall) and would have required the replacement/rebuilding of the engine harness. our insurance company declared the car a total loss. *tr | |||
| 03/21/2009 | 127000 | 1 | |
| Apparent engine oil sludge problem. the oil light came on with a warning to stop the engine. the car is currently in the shop awaiting evaluation of the extent damage. i purchased the car used and have no record of the previous owners maintenance. i maintain my own vehicle therefore do not have receipts to prove each oil change according to the schedule. vw recommends changes every 5,000 miles; i changed it every 3,000. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2008 | 44000 | 1 | |
| My oil pressure light came on. i was driving on a mountain, and there was no where to pull over, so i had to keep driving. the engine locked up and the car lost power. i was able to steer it off onto a shoulder. i have also been burned my the heated seat when the wiring overheats, and it has both shocked and burned my skin. *tr | |||
| 02/13/2008 | 4 | 06/17/2006 | |
| I purchased a 2003 passat and have been in for two coils, engine light, back hatch lock broken, fuel pump but the most important one thus far was when i told them my oil pressure light came on two days prior and they told me it will cost 4000.00 to fix it because the engine is full of sludge. i would produce receipts for services that i actually do regularly every 3-4 thos. miles or three months. however they informed me from vw of america that 99% of the people have to pay for it because their receipts don't meet the requirement of the mileage of the services. they state that it must be done prior to 5 thos. miles but the book states every 7 thos. miles for services to be done. when i bought the car they didn't tell me that i should use the expensive filters/and synthetic oils when servicing the car. is everyone | |||
| 10/15/2007 | 115000 | 1 | 11/02/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 40 mph smoke came through the vent inside the vehicle. there was also smoke present in the engine compartment on the passenger side. the fire department extinguished the fire. the failure has not been diagnosed. the vehicle was towed. the current and failure mileages were 115,000. | |||
| 08/23/2007 | 62000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 60 mph the vehicle began to make noise and then stalled. the vehicle did not restart and was towed to a mechanic. the mechanic advised that the engine needed to be repaired. the purchase date was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 62,000. | |||
| 05/12/2007 | 55000 | 3 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passas. while driving 65 mph the check engine light illuminated then the engine failed. the dealer repaired the vehicle and stated that it was drivable. approximately an hour later the check engine light began to illuminate intermittently. the dealer stated that there could be a faulty engine sensor. the next day, the check engine light illuminated and remained on and the engine eventually failed. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 58,000. | |||
| 07/25/2007 | 0 | 5 | 05/26/2003 |
| I own a 2003 vw passat v6 awd that currently has ~37000 miles on the odometer. this car uses an excessive amount of oil ever since i bought it new in 2003. the last estimate of oil consumption (july 25, 2007), was ~0.75 quart per 600 miles, which is what the dealer and vw have said is within the factory specification of 1 quart per 1000 miles. however, neither the dealer nor vw will provide me with written evidence or bulletins describing these specifications. in my opinion, this is excessive oil consumption, which reflects an underlying defect in the design/function of vw engines. apparently, i am not the only one with this complaint as several of the bulletin boards and internet discussion groups have similar postings. this oil consumption problem may also be related to the accumulation of engine sludge, which apparently led vw to extend the warranty on certain models. i do not know whether this type of problem falls within the purview of the nhsta, but i am filing this as a complaint and requesting further investigation. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 40000 | 1 | 09/15/2003 |
| While pulling the dipstick out of the engine in order to check the oil, the pull ring/handle broke off. i contacted my dealer for a replacement as the car is still under a bumper to bumper warranty. the dealer informed me that because i pulled the dipstick out of the engine rather than a dealer service department, the warrant is not applicable. in effect, the dealer told me that they must do all of the oil level checks, otherwise i do not have a warranty on the components affected. i appealed to customer service and they confirmed the dealer's decision. the consequence of the failure is that the oil level, necessary to ensure safe operation of the car, can not be checked. | |||
| 02/08/2007 | 49034 | 1 | 12/19/2005 |
| A problem with the malfunction of the coils on the 03 engines of vw gl turbo. the problem causes the engine to misfire, making accelerations difficult and continuation of the operation of the vehicle dangerous. i was unable to continue driving, had to have it towed and then was charged an excessive amount at the dealership to replace the coils, even though this problem has been prevalent in these engines. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2007 | 3 | 11/02/2002 | |
| At 40k miles the low oil pressure indicator light came on, at dealership the technician could not duplicate concern. at 42k miles the car stopped working while on the freeway. once towed to the dealership, the tech tried to identify the problem. again, in the invoice was noted that he removed the oil cap and noted a lot of burned oil on under-side of cap and on oil deflector tray. yet, that was not pursued as the technician notes on the following line that checked further and found no fuel delivery. oil change was also done on the car w/ a new oil filter and car was returned. at 50k miles low oil pressure indicator light again came on. stated in invoice that did not perform diagnostic. technician notes in invoice, based on a visual inspection through oil cap yet, there appears to be oil sludge build up. no diagnostics were ran and no mention of oil sludge being a known problem with the 1.8l turbo engine in the 2003 passat. at 52k miles, the low oil pressure indicator light yet again came on, this time car was taken to independent shop. they ran diagnostics on oil pump, based on low pressure results, pump was replaced. 16k miles later, low oil pressure indicator light came on, oil pump identified as problem and replaced under part warranty at no cost. another 16k miles later, this oil pump also failed. garage removed valve cover revealing extensive amounts of burnt oil carbon deposits that as per their mechanics are only possible from a petroleum based oil. i seeked a second opinion on the engine and second garage confirmed that damage seen was only possible from the use of a petroleum based oil. volkswagen changed their engine oil specifications in august of 2004. when i received my car in november of 2002 and all oil changes performed on the car by the vw dealership until august of 2004 were done so with petroleum based oil. the cause of the problem was created from november 2002-august 2004, although i was not aware of it until 1/5/2007. *nm | |||
| 01/06/2007 | 30000 | 5 | 06/10/2003 |
| My 2003 vw passat 4-door sedan has experienced multiple occurrences where the brake lights continue to remain on while driving and even after the engine is shut off. this happened again today and i noticed this time that the emergency engine light came on while driving earlier in the day - this is also another issue that also comes on/off for no reason. i've reported the warning light a couple of times as well to the vw service and they don't know why that happens either. the warning light will at least shut off when the car is turned off, unlike my brake lights. since today is saturday, leaving my brake lights on until the service department reopens on a monday is probably going to run my battery dead. with that concern in mind, i immediately called the vw roadside assistance hotline, 800-822-8987, to see if they had any repair instructions i can look into and the operator said she was unable to find any documentation. she advised that vw roadside can come tow my vehicle to a dealership (that won't reopen until monday) or they can come to jump-start my car (which can take up to 45-60 min. after dispatch). this seems a terribly long time to wait & a huge inconvenience esp. since it also took 30 min. just to reach the live operator in the first place. i love driving my passat; i bought it brand new direct from the dealership in 2003. car safety is very important to me which is why i'm adamant about following service guidelines and bring my car in for regular maintenance & oil changes. i only bring it into a vw dealership service, never a local garage mechanic. can nhtsa please look into both issues: 1. sporadic check engine light warning while driving 2. brake lights remaining on while driving and after the car is shut off. i am very concerned as both are major causes for safety concern, in addition to further expensive repairs which may be defects that the manufacturer should cover instead. thanks. *nm | |||
| 11/13/2006 | 34500 | 1 | 08/23/2005 |
| 2003 vw passat w8 overheated after being serviced for temp sensor. engine seemed to blow head gasket. car had to be towed back to dealer where service was performed. vehicle still there and damage maybe worse. *nm | |||
| 05/05/2006 | 84500 | 1 | 07/10/2005 |
| I have a 2003 volkswagen passat and about a month ago my engine light came on. i took it to montesi volkswagen dealer in hamden, connecticut. they charged me $85 to determine the cause. and then they told me that there is nothing wrong with the engine, but the software which controls this light must be updated and that costs about $235. i told them that it is not my fault that the existing software on the car is not functioning properly, and you must install the software free of charge. but they didn't accept it. i think this not right, and they are responsible if the original software that they installed is not working properly. *nm | |||
| 04/30/2006 | 50000 | 1 | 11/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65mph, the check engine light illuminated and the engine hesitated. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. upon inspection, the dealer determined there was sludge build up in the oil pump. the oil pump, pipes, resonator, oil and surrounding components were replaced. | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 100 | ||
| I purchased a new 2003 volkswagen passat from smith volkswagen of wilmington, de. from the beginning the car would intermittently experience total engine shutdown at mid-rpm while under full acceleration. this made any kind of merging into traffic maneuver a hazardous undertaking. the car was returned to the dealer several times for repair but with no success. this caused us for the entire time we owned the vehicle to completely modify the way we drove - never knowing when the engine would die out. now after struggling with this for 3 years i receive recall notice safety recall m7, one month after we traded in the volkswagen on another car. this notice describes our problem but underplays the havoc the problem can actually cause when it occurs to your car. these vehicles are a danger to their drivers and to all the cars around them on the road. they should be removed from the highway until they are fixed now that volkswagen has finally admitted something is wrong 3 years later. *nm | |||
| 08/05/2005 | 89000 | 2 | 01/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the engine on the vehicle failed. the dealership determined the engine needed to be replaced due to an oil sludge problem. two months later the check engine light continued to illuminate. the dealership determined the engine needed to broken down to see if the problem was related to the oil sludge problem. the engine failed in august 2005 with one year/12000 mile warranty. a month after replacement the check engine light came on. the dealership failed to correctly diagnose the problem and the engine was checked in march 2006. it was determined that the engine needed to be broken down in order to determine the problem and since the mileage exceeded the warranty it would not be covered. the contact contact the dealer, who indicated the same thing and referred the contact back to the dealer. the contact was tossed back and forth with no one taking responsibility or action. after searching on the internet the contact discovered that this was a common problem with volkswagen passat vehicles, and that volkswagen was ranked among the worse car companies for resolving customer complaints. therefore, the contact sought nhtsa assistance. *ak | |||
| 08/08/2005 | 44492 | 1 | 07/21/2003 |
| Purchased vehicle on 8/4/03 8/8/05 - engine oil light came on, vehicle diagnosed w/ engine oil sludge by dealership, warranty item. 8/11/05- spoke w/ dealership to confirm sludge issue and presented oil change receipts,(vehicle purchased w/ 19637 miles) , dealer declined to honor the warranty and recommended a engine flush & oil change 8/12/05 - retrieved vehicle and had engine flushed & oil changed 8/13/05 - vehicle cut off & remains inoperable 8/21/05 - vehicle was towed to receive diagnoses 8/26/05 - vehicle diagnosed w/ no oil pressure or compression. cause - (bad oil pump) timing belt jumped r&r valve cover and locked up cam #1 cylinder. no sludge was found in engine, valve cover, oil pan or engine block. engine was free of sludge and would not have caused the engine to fail (documented by auto repairman) 8/26/05 - towed vehicle to another (engine repair specialist) repair shop. 9/22/05 - diagnoses result no engine oil sludge found. (engine was totally disassembled and examined in every detail) sludge would be expected if poor maintenance was the issue. a simple oil flush would not have removed engine oil sludge (documented by service center) 9/23/05 - contacted vw customer care to report my findings. no resolution obtained to date. i was told to obtain another engine analysis. 9/26/05 - contacted vw again to inform them that another analysis is impossible because the engine is disassembled. 10/7/05 - towed the vehicle back to my home. vehicle presently garaged and inoperable. * since then, i've read many accounts of this same issue happening to vw passat owners. vw has admitted to engine problems with their 4 cylinder turbo engines but has not issued a recall. this is a serious product stewardship issue and vw should be made to repair and reimburse consumers for these costly repairs. i've spent thousands of dollars in my attempt to uncover the real problem which is a faulty engine and/or oil pump. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 32000 | 1 | 11/05/2003 |
| 2003 vw passat suddenly began making engine noise and oil pressure warning came on. vw determined problem was sludge, and they cleaned the engine leaving a bill of $1900 plus that they are refusing to cover with manufacturers warranty unless i can produce oil chg receipts. i have done 2 of them myself and only have bank statements with credit card charges. the others, i have receipts for. they are still refusing to cover. this is a major widespread problem and their recommendations to change from regular oil to synthetic oil came in 2004, a year after i was following their previous instructions, etc. for a known issue, they should not be allowed to hold consumers hostage on a situation like this. i do my own oil chgs to save money. my 10k oil chg at vw was $110. i can do it for less then half of that amount. *nm | |||
| 12/17/2005 | 35600 | 1 | 01/13/2003 |
| Dt: the contact stated while driving the vehicle the stop engine now- low oil pressure light illuminated. she pulled the vehicle off the road for inspection. she checked the dip stick for an oil reading. the reading indicated the vehicle contained no oil in the engine. she added oil to the engine before driving the vehicle to the dealership. the dealer diagnosed the vehicle as having sludge build up in the engine. the engine will have to be replaced in order to fix the problem. no however, repairs have been made . *ak | |||
| 08/16/2005 | 42000 | 1 | 03/15/2003 |
| Dt: the consumer stated that on the 2003 volkswagen passat the engine light came on. the consumer took the car to the dealer, and dealer wanted the receipts from the oil changes. the dealer said that there was sludge in the engine. the dealer said that was the consumers problem, and it was the consumer that could not produce the receipts, the consumer had to pay for it. the owner did not fixed the problem. the dealer said that the warranty would be void if they did not have the receipts showing that the oil was changed every 5,000 miles. *ak *nm | |||
| 04/15/2005 | 33000 | 3 | |
| I have a 2003 volkswagen passat. in the two years i have owned this car i have had it towed to the dealership 5-6 times due to transmission problems. when putting the car in park it kept moving forward. i had to put on the emergency brake to stop the car. luckily, i was in a parking lot, and was going very slow. again, i had a problem with my car not too long after. my car display read stop engine, and the car was overheating. vehicle was towed to the dealership and water pump had to be replaced. another problem involved the brake lights staying on, draining the battery, twice had to have a vehicle towed to the dealership. yesterday, oil light came on, and the display again read stop engine. i had the car towed again. dealership said that unless i have a complete record of my oil change receipts they will not cover it. i have read literally hundreds of complaints with the same problem. what is going on!!! i am fighting with the dealership, and volkswagen corporation to have this problem resolved under warranty. this should be a recall item! help!!!*ak | |||
| 04/14/2003 | 48495 | 1 | 09/12/2002 |
| On april 14, 2005 i was going to work when a warning light came on that said stop. i called commonwealth motors and was told by larry riggins to check the oil level to see if needed to add oil, so i did. that did not resolve problem. i called back the dealer, who gave me the tow number for volkswagen, and said that he would set up an appointment that day. after waiting for two hours we were towed in only to find that they would not even look at car till next day. next day, larry called and said that they needed to pull engine and look at oil pan which could add up to a lot of money. when questioned due to the car's warranty, larry informed me that only if i had all of the maintenance records, including oil changes, volkswagen would not honor the 5 year power train warranty, under 50,000 miles. car has been there for 3 days with no resolution. after researching i found a site called vwlemon.com and discovered that known to volkswagen ,but unbeknownst to me, volkswagen passats with 1.8 turbo engine had a design flaw that caused engine to become clogged with sludge which could completely seize the engine. i was fortunately not on the freeway when this occurred so that i could safely pull over. certainly it was a safety issue and a manufactured design flaw that volkswagen of america will not pay for. *ak | |||
| 02/27/2005 | 40140 | 1 | 09/01/2003 |
| 2003 vw passat 1.8t wagon has failed due to sludge. i do not have all of the service records for the car and warranty coverage is denied to the tune of $10,217.00. i've done some research on this problem, and feel that the defect is with the engine, not with my treatment of the vehicle. the car was running fine with no noise when the oil pressure! stop! light came on, and ran fine when i drove it to the dealership, only now they tell me the engine is 'locked up' and wil have to be replaced along with the oil pump, the turbo unit, etc etc. since the car was on the interstate when the light popped on, and presumably could have 'locked up' at 70 mph, this is, indeed, a safety issue.*ak | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 30000 | 1 | 03/12/2003 |
| The oil light came on. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who wanted $11,000.00 to replace an engine for oil sludge.*ak consumer stated that vw has clearly admitted to the sludge problem. article attach from volkswagen to work with dealers to improve guidelines for sludge repairs. *bf *nm | |||
| 01/23/2005 | 40000 | 1 | 03/03/2003 |
| I own a 2003 passat gls with about 40,000 miles on it. a few days ago, the oil pressure light came on advising that i stop driving the car. as i was just pulling into parking lot of my work, i parked the car and had it towed. the first thing the mechanic from vw told me was my warranty would not be honored without proof of all my service records from vw. i do have the oil changed regularly but not always at 4,999 miles. i have moved and have had the oil changed at different places and have had trouble getting all my records. after several conversations in which i was t old mulitple things about what caused the light to come on, i received a call saying that my engine was scorched and needed to be replaced at the cost of $11,000. i could not produce all oil changes done to the car in the almost two years i woned it and vw would not honor my warranty even though i paid for extended coverage. the mechanic at vw said it is rare that anyone can produce all records and this is a common problem due to lack of precise maintenance. i have not had an new engine put in the car as the car isn't even worth the cost of the engine. i am looking into the possibility of rebulit engine. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 27000 | 1 | 10/02/2002 |
| I am currently having an issue with a 2003 vw passat. after 27,000 miles, the engine and possible the turbo has gone, and the dealer is saying that the repairs will cost 9,000 dollars. volks wagen has had an oil sludge problem with this year of passats that typically results in this problem, even after suggested maintenance. volkswagen issued a notice to their customers of this problem about 3 months ago, and also recommended that their drivers change the oil to a synthetic oil. i have been changing my oil at the recommended 5,000 mile increments, although using a non-synthetic brand of oil. i am now having a very hard time coming up with my oil change receipts. i can prove that i changed the oil 3 times although i need to prove i changed it 5 times for the warranty to kick in. even after changing the oil at the required increments my engine is gone due to a known problem that vw is not taking responsibility for. i am extremely frustrated and angry at the service that i am currently receiving and would like to take action on this matter ? as i am currently sitting with a 9,000 bill for a problem that vw has admitted to, although will not take responsibility for.*ak | |||
| 10/26/2004 | 35000 | 1 | |
| Consumer stated vehicle had a sludge build up which was causing the vehicle to stall. consumer contacted the manufacturer, and said that the manufacturer was aware of the problem. however, blamed consumer for this defect. *ak | |||
| 06/04/2003 | 36000 | 1 | 10/09/2002 |
| In follow up to reading an article about oil sludge problems in vw's. i have recently had my engine replaced on a 2003 vw 1.8 liter turbocharged passat. the engine seized due to oil sludge problems. the engine was replaced approximately 2 months ago. the vehicle had 36,000 miles and was properly maintained. *ak | |||
| 10/29/2003 | 330 | 1 | 10/29/2003 |
| Check engine light came on after only 300+ miles. *ak | |||
| 10/16/2003 | 12972 | 1 | 02/20/2003 |
| Engine continues to misfire, loses power and starts to stall while driving . four attempts to correct the problem have failed. problem presents a significant safety issue for driver and passengers. *la | |||
| 12/17/2002 | 11/12/2002 | ||
| 2003 passat v6 engines upper end of the engine drains of oil allowing knocking for 1-2 seconds before the oil circulates. (metal on metal noise). *nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - DIESEL | |||
| 04/27/2005 | 12 | 04/27/2005 | |
| Headlights fails proper function. they have been replaced. seat belts and sun roof do not work properly. engine replaced; steering wheels - car pulls to the right everytime an alignment was done and they calibrated the wheels. - problem continued - this problem caused the tires to be destroyed in a few kms - less 20 000; water infiltration - for now it is fixed; trunk was hard to open and close - problem fixed. front doors vibrated - the rubber of the doors are being exhibiting signs of damage; the front glass ( windscreen ) isn't from the same year of all the others. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 02/09/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Oil sludge causes oil pump to fail damaging the engine. *tr | |||
| 01/26/2006 | 27500 | 1 | 09/06/2003 |
| On the morning of january 26, 2006 i drove my 2003 vw passat at short distance (approx) 3 miles. as i arrived at my destination and pulled into a parking place the car died on me. there did not appear to be anything that precipitated the failure. i did not understand what happened but i soon began to smell smoke. i got out of the car, opened the hood and saw that there was a fire in the engine compartment. from the front of the car, facing the engine compartment, the fire was located toward the upper left-hand corner of the compartment near the front passenger side. the fire was fairly far along before the fire department arrived. ultimately, the car was totaled by my insurance company. a police report was filed with the local police, a claim was filed with my insurance company and a complaint was filed with volkswagen customer service. there were no injuries or damage to any other property. the car was less than three years old with about 27,500 miles. the insurance investigation cleared me of personal responsibility but did not determine a cause for the fire. i eventually settled with my insurance company and turned the car over to them. i have heard nothing further until a friend gave me an ap article from 10/4/07 that reported nhtsa investigations of engine fires in passats. *tr | |||
| 01/26/2007 | 43500 | 1 | 07/29/2003 |
| My 2003 vw passat gl sedan sputtered, stalled and subsequently caught fire in the engine compartment around 6:30 pm, jan 26th, 2007, in holmdel nj, police report # 07-1914 holmdel police dept. the car has been maintained well by a local vw dealer since purchase and there has been no modifications made, nor any signs of trouble prior to the incident. the fire was very extensive and put out by holmdel nj fire dept and the car is totaled. the symptom just prior to stalling is consistent with ignition coil failure which was recalled by vw until 2002 model year, i.e., engine warning lights, sputtering, smokes under hood and though exhaust and final stall. the engine stall nearly caused collision due to the loss of steering boost and the fire was rapid and large. thus, i fear a less fortunate combination of circumstance may lead to injury or worse to other passengers of cars with vw/audi 1.8t engines such as passat, zeta, a4, golf, etc.. *nm | |||
| 05/19/2005 | 68000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my passat with 1.8 t engine and the engine failed. volkswagen advocates were completely unhelpful this occurred in summer of 2005. volkswagen aware of problem and left consumer to pay for 9000 dollar repair. in the last year my car has been in at least eight times for check engine light. company aware of problem and unwilling to help. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 83000 | 1 | 12/31/2002 |
| My volkswagen passat stopped dead in the middle of a major highway and had to be pushed off to the side of the road. i almost got hit by oncoming traffic trying to get the car off the highway. three rivers volkswagen dealership is saying the timing belt went well before the scheduled replacement,thus destroying the engine+.the car has 83k miles and not recommend to be changed until 105k. there are many instances reported on the web of the happening. my car was in for a service check at 78k and other problem items were brought to my attention; however, a timing belt problem was not. volkswagen is blaming the dealers service department and the service deparment is blaming volkswagen. so far no resolution. there are many instances of vw and audi having timing belt issues on the interenet. *jb | |||
| 01/15/2005 | 30000 | 1 | 08/15/2002 |
| 2003 volkswagen passat 1.8l turbo 30000 miles, oil pressure indicator lighted, immediately stopped vehicle. after towing to dealership, was informed that the engine was full of sludge and that warranty would not cover unless i had proof of *every single oilchange* with vw synthetic oil. oil changes have been regular in the vehicle, however i lack proof of every single one. again, odometer only 30000 miles. research leads me to believe this is a common problem with vw/audi 1.8l engines between 1998 and 2004.*ak | |||
| 11/24/2003 | 2 | 11/27/2003 | |
| On november 21, 2002, my 2001 vw jetta gls 1.8 turbo lost the oil drain plug on the highway. i stopped the car as soon as possible but the engine and turbo were damged severely and had to be replaced. total cost $6,500. i was not reimbursed. i replaced the jetta with a 2003 vw passat w8. on november 23, 2003 the oil was changed by the dealer and the dealer contends that the oil drain plug was tightened to factory specifications (20 nm), however the car had an oil leak coming from the drain plug. the dealer replaced the plug free of charge. here is what is common to both situations: both drain plugs were tightened to at least the factory specification (i changed the oil and always used a torque wrench on the jetta) and both had drain plugs pull away from the pan. i do not know what the root cause was but i have a hypothesis on two important variables: (1) both pans are made of aluminum, which changes shape easily with temperature change, (2) the drain plug is manufactured in such a way that the washer (seal ring) cannot be removed and replaced. if the seal were warped or damaged in some way (perhaps overtorquing or dropping the plug) it might not seal properly. would like for someone to contact me as volkswagen has been less than helpful (especially with the jetta).*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 03/10/2006 | 66000 | 1 | 03/15/2003 |
| Timing belt broke at only 66,000 miles and 3 years of vehicle use. manufacturer recommends replacement at approx. 100,000 miles. failure to advise purchasers of premature catastrophic timing belt failure is inexcusable. it poses a grave risk of harm to drivers. our timing belt blew on a busy street in miami. we were very fortunate that we were not injured. there have been class action lawsuits involving the exact same engine-- used in audi cars-- that were settled by providing a warranty extension for these failures. a similar warranty extension should be offered to vw owners whose vehicles have the same engine (1.8l turbo, 4-cylinder). a class action against vw should not be necessary (though it may be forthcoming)-- they should accept their responsibility for this design defect and thereby potentially save lives. what if your son or daughter were hurt in a timing belt-related crash? shame on vw.*jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - TURBO-CHARGER | |||
| 01/17/2008 | 59995 | 1 | 09/01/2003 |
| Engine oil pressure failure. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2006 | 30100 | 1 | 07/30/2003 |
| My wife and i have a 2003 volkswagen passat with 30,100 miles. volkswagen has 4 yr/50000 miles mile bumper to bumper warranty, and an 8 year/unlimited mile oil sludge warranty. we broke down on the interstate, and had to be towed to the dealer. the manufacturer required oil changes in intervals of 5000 miles. my wife and i have had the oil changed every 4000 miles instead. the service writer from don jacobs called and stated that our volkswagen needed a new motor. he went on to state that we needed to provide all of our oil change receipts from the time of the purchase. we were shocked, this was a 2 year old car. a long story short we were able to produce 5 receipts. once it was changed in florida while on vacation (no receipt),and once we received a free oil change at wal-mart due to an excessive wait (no receipt). that would make a total of 7 receipts (all of them).don jacobs would not begin the work on our car until we could provide all of these receipts including the 2 that are non existent.the car is still under bumper to bumper warranty period,so again we were shocked.next the dealer informed us that they and vw of america have decided that our warranty would be nullified due to neglect of maintenance.the funny part is that this diagnosis was made without ever looking under the hood of our vw.it is still in the same spot the tow truck left it in.before you decide to believe or discredit our side of this story,or maybe think this is an isolated event please visit the following sites:www.myvwlemon.com and also http://www.petitiononline.com/vwsludge/petition.html.i have quickly found that what has happened to us is litterally happening to 100's, and probably 1,000's of people in the us right now by their dealers and also vw of america not to mention the other manufacturers. the similarities in everyones stories on the web are frightening. .*ak | |||
| 12/24/2003 | 4500 | 1 | 08/19/2002 |
| Defective coils on each cylinder | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 10/15/2010 | 115000 | ||
| Catalytic convertor heat caused fabric material behind silver reflective liner on passenger side to catch and hold a smolder and flame causing damage to the structural body panels and melting some plastic components. fire was extinguished by using a chemical fire extinguisher and remaining smoldering components had to be extinguished as exposed manually. caused grass to catch fire and left smokey residue. | |||
| 01/21/2009 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Car missing a getting bad milage ...same car does not run well and caught fire by turbo 2003 passat vw 1.8 liter turbo. *tr | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 104668 | 1 | |
| Dealer refuses to fix recall unless i accept responsibility for any damage to aftermarket parts occurring while replacing heat shield on exhaust system. there is a potential for fire if original heat shield is not replaced. recall r5, criteria 1. *tr | |||
| 04/08/2008 | 52000 | 1 | |
| I was pulling out of my apartments when my car lost all horse power and pretty much sputtered then died; i was left exposed to traffic on a busy road. then, i was towed to the vw dealership where i was told that my ignition coils failed and that in turn ruined my oxygen sensor and catalytic converter. all these had to be replaced by vw at my cost. the mechanic told me when i was being towed there he already knew what it was because they go out all the time. doing further research it seems many people have the same problem. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 18000 | 1 | |
| The heater core tubing in the car disintegrated at about 18,000 miles. this resulted in the check engine light appearing, coolant leaking into other parts of the engine department,and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment. at this time the vehicle was under warranty, so i took it to the volkswagen dealership. they replaced the purge valve (about an hours work) and returned the car to me. i took the car back two more times for the same problem before the warranty ran out and the dealership performed the same service. the coolant leak became significantly worse (i began adding coolant every 3-4 days) at around 82,000 miles and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment became very strong. i took the car to another repair shop and the mechanic discovered that the tubing from the heater core had completely disintegrated and the heater core needed to be replaced altogether. i have seasonal asthma associated with allergies and inhaling the fumes from the coolant has made the condition worse. i am currently having the vehicle repaired at a cost of approximately $1200. *tr | |||
| 08/06/2008 | 104000 | 1 | |
| I was driving about 55 on the highway when i saw smoke coming out of my vents i stop and open the hood and notice my car had caught on fire from the left bottom side. *tr | |||
| 01/24/2005 | |||
| Owner drove vehicle to work and noticed it started smoking. drove back home and went inside to call and have vehicle towed. he did not go back out to the vehicle until later in the evening, when he found the windows gray from smoke and the inside of the vehicle was partially melted because it caught fire. catalytic converter light came on several days prior to the fire. fire damage limited to floor below center front of dash, above catalytic converter and exhaust system. | |||
| 12/07/2003 | 1 | ||
| Owner was driving when someone on the side of the road pointed and indicated there was something coming out of her vehicle that looked like fog. smoke was then noticed and her husband got out of the vehicle, looked underneath, and saw fire. he began throwing snow on the vehicle. fd extinguished fire. subsequent examination revealed the exhaust system overheated and ignited the fire due to an engine management problem - spark plugs showed overly rich fuel/air mixture. | |||
| 10/11/2006 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle started feeling sluggish, repair facility changed spark plugs, an ignition coil, and a hall sensor. facility admitted they could not repair vehicle so it was driven to a dealer for diagnosis. while being driven to the dealer, the vehicle started smoking. continued driving, arrived at dealer, and there was a fire under hood. exhaust system overheated, burning materials on the right front floorboard. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 01/12/2008 | 52000 | 2 | 09/30/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle vibrated excessively and smoke began emanating from the passenger side. the engine light remained illuminated on the instrument control panel. she pulled over to inspect the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the catalytic converter. the dealer stated that the electrical system, emission coiler, and oxygen sensors failed. all of the repairs were made. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the powertrain was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 52,000. | |||