10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 86,704 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The vehicle inadvertently shifted in reverse and the brakes stopped working. The contact had to apply the parking brake. The contact mentioned that the gear shifter was stuck in park. Also, the check engine, tire pressure, and epc indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to heritage Volkswagen of South atlanta at (678) 263-3711 (4305 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291) where it was diagnosed that the ignition control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact was advised to call NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 172,000.
- Newnan, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 50 mph, the brakes engaged independently and the vehicle shook violently without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.
- Providence, RI, USA
Problems with the ABS control unit fails after few years. This could lead to an accident since the car cannot stop in the time & distance originally specified when car was purchased. Also, the smog stations are not able to read the obd2 connector due to this issue, which forces you to buy a new module for almost $600. The most important in this issue is the safety in stopping and not having your brakes lock, which also causes the car to skid in sudden stops and cause an accident. There is a blinking warning light that comes on the dashboard that points to the dashboard.
- Oakland, CA, USA
ABS light and brake light on Volkswagen states faulty control module.
- Smithfield, VA, USA
My dash showed 2 lights a red break light and yellow ABS it keeps beeping. It started randomly one morning when I turned my car on its been doing it for 6 months now
- Lacenter, KY, USA
I took my car to Volkswagen dealership to find out why my brake light was on and why my brakes would flutter at times when using them. I got estimate that my brake reservoir was bad and the sensor that it would be okay to drive till I got fixed in a week. I faxed my warranty papers to dealership to find out to see what was covered..on Saturday 5 days later when I was driving 35 miles an hour tried to stop and brake pedal went to floor had nothing to stop me but the car in front of me. I was issued a ticket had my car towed and I. am having headaches and neck pain which I'm getting treated..I don't feel as if that car was safe to ne driving..
- Ladylake, FL, USA
ABS module failure, ABS light on brake light blinking and then asr light on, happens randomly, no specific reason, dry weather, humid, day or night. Still comes on randomly, no speeding, problem goes away when car is turned off.
- Houston, TX, USA
ABS control module on my 2003 VW Passat failed. This appears to be a common failure that disables the ABS.
- Cleveland, OH, USA
The ABS light comes on on the instrument panel followed by the brake light and sometimes the anti-skid indicator. This is a common and expensive problem for Volkswagen for many years: tech.bentleypublishers.com/thread.jspa?threadid=2447&start=40&tstart=0 Volkswagen should be held to account.
- Canton, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Passat. The contact was traveling 30 mph when the ABS warning light and brake light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 5,000 and the current mileage 56,000.
- Cicero, NY, USA
- San Diego, CA, USA