Purchased my 2000 Passat in 2003, had numerous problems since. It seemed like everything on the car had to be replaced. The control arms, O2 sensors, twice, belts, stereo didn't turn on, all new hoses right away, all 4 window regulators, and now to top it all off, the ABS lights kept coming on. My husband has a 2000 Audi A4, virtually the same car, and had to replace all of the same things. The ABS seemed to work fine, but the dealer said it would be $1800 to fix it. I looked at some online forums and found thousands of people with similar problems. The manufacturer, (Bosch or Volkswagen, should do something about this. My car has been parked since August 2006 because I don't have money to fix it! I am college student. Help!

- Highlands Ranch , CO, USA

9/2003: Headlights aimed incorrectly; road wasn't illuminated. Within 2 wks, 1 of the bulbs burned out. Within a week of the 1st, the 2nd bulb burned out. Cost to have headlights repositioned & bulbs replaced: $267. 9/2003: Rear tail light out. Cost to have bulb replaced by mechanic: $32.50. 11/2003: Both rear windows off track. Cost to tear doors apart & fix: $159.75. 12/2003: Electrical problems with front power windows. Never know if window will go up or down. 2004: Had car in for (at least) 3 different dashboard warning codes. One had something to do with fuel, or the fuel tank or something. After some trial and error on my mechanic's part, discovered that unscrewing and tightly rescrewing gas cap fixed the problem. Cost to diagnose and "fix": $165. Had (at least) two other warning codes in 2004 that required me to take the car in. 6/24/2005: Had been hearing crunching sound from front right portion of car that was particularly apparent when hitting a pothole, a dip in the road or attempting a tight 360 turn. Mechanic (specializing in european cars) identified a bad control arm. Cost of repair & alignment: $713.70. Cost of rental car: $100.88. Total: $814.58. Note: The left side has been making the same sound since 12/2005. Have not yet repaired it. 10/24/05: Car started going dead intermittently. The car had less than 60000 miles on it. Replaced battery for $106.50. 1/2006: Temp gauge maxed out, coolant boiled over, smoke & steam issued from hood in less than 8 minutes at idle. Cooled car for 2L hours, replaced coolant and drove to mechanic, who replaced thermostat, water pump & timing belt. Cost: $725. 2/2006: Brakes are spongy and provide no resistance until nearing the floor. Mechanic says rotors and brake pads are fine. 6/2006: Transmission gets stuck in 1st gear. Must stop the car, turn it off and then restart. This is an electrical problem and is governed by the computer. Cost to fix: Unknown. 6/2006: Front window now off track. Have not yet fixed it.

- Bountiful, UT, USA

I own a 2000 Volkswagen Passat. I was driving on a city street under normal conditions and the control arm on the front passenger side cracked causing me to loose control of the car. Fortunately I was able to stop without further incident. The control arm is being replaced. However, the incident could have been much worse under different driving circumstances.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Upper control arms are failing and dangerous, which is leading to the tie rods failing. I am told the car is unsafe to drive. VW quoted me $1100 to make my car safe to drive. I am puzzled that VW is unconcerned about life and safety issue for the owner and other drivers. I have seen many websites asking for owners to contact NHTSA about this issue.

- Arlington , VA, USA

Control arms on 2000 Volkswagen Passat are failing. The car has 55,000 miles; arms also failed at 36,000 and were replaced. This is not acceptable; I have also heard of people who had the control arms break while driving. This problem has happened to many, many owners.

- Rochester, MN, USA

Steering was making a funny noise - broght car in for service was told it was unsafe to drive it home. Had to replace all control arms (4) dealer said this was common on this vehicle. Car had 60,000 miles on it. These items should not fail so soon - cost $1600 to repair.

- Sterling, MA, USA

It was determined that both upper and lower links on my 2000 Passat had failed with 48,000 miles on the car.

- Lyndonville, VT, USA

At 62K miles 3 control arms/bushings and tie rod end have failed for no apparent reason. Authorized dealer's mechanic seemed surprised that this part failed so early. On the other hand, it seems like it is a well-known problem with 2000 Passats (and Audi which are supposed to use same parts), and the recall has already been supposedly issued for in germany. Why has it not been addressed here in the U.S. if it's a known problem and safety risk?

- Seattle, WA, USA

Front upper control arm needs replacement because ball joint is loose. This causes severe rattling when driving over even little bumps.

- Boston, MA, USA

Control arms on this model are chronically failing. Every Passat owner I have talked to is having a similar problem. My vehicle is only at 40000 and the control arms are starting to crack and tear. Please investigate and consider a safety recall. A control arm failure at high speed could be fatal.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Tie rod and control arms are prone to failure, I.e. bushings become worn and will tear after time. The bushings on my vehicle for both upper control arms (currently @ 48000 miles) on both sides and tie rods have started to crack and tear.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

VW will not cover the repair of the control arms and after researching the web I found that failure of the control arms are normal for this model. **dimsii IVOQ entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**770854

- Odenton, MD, USA

Control arm failure leading to suspension breakdown. Second occurrence in 60000 miles. First owner. Not happy about VW's inability to claim fault for problem.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

Seven of the eight control arms on my 2000 VW Passat have failed. There has been a recall issued in europe for the same problem. Likewise, the Audi A4 shares the same chassis and same front end suspension. Just like the vog recalled the Passat aoa has recalled the A4. However voa has decided to not issue a recall and risking the Passat customer base injury or even death. Why is it the exact same parts were recalled and the same chassis, but voa has not recalled the Passat. The dealership has told me that it will cost $1,400 dollars to replace the control arms. NHTSA needs to question voa on this matter. My car has 40,000 miles on it and is being maintained by a Volkswagen technician. There is just no reason why a part that is designed to last the life of the car has failed at 40,000 miles.

- Rillton, PA, USA

The consumer states the problem is the control arm bushings because the car creaks over bumps and when being driven around corners also when you sit down in the car it creaks.

- Portland , OR, USA

Control arm failures are very common on this suspension design, please investigate further before there are fatalities.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

Control arm failure is common among VW Passats. Please do something about this potentially life threatening problem.

- Austin, TX, USA