2.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,150 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2003 Volkswagen Passat:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #2

Mar 312008

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
Fuel pump failure while driving on the freeway the car quite running. 1.8 liter turbo in O3 VW Passat. Dealer calls and tells us our VIN number is not part of the recall. To call VW of North America and they should cover it. I talk to a women tell her the same thing as above and she ask me to hold while she submits the claim. She comes back on the line after 45 seconds or so and says that they won't cover it. The VIN number is not part of the recall. I ask to speak to a supervisor. I am told there is no one else I can speak to and this is the finally decision of VW of North America. This is not the first failure for this car. Temperature sensor replaced, brake module replaced twice, the heater core replace, the trip tronic shift replaced, instrument panel replaced, the engine flushed for sludge. Cv boots replaced. They're cracked again after 3 months.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #1

Oct 262006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,300 miles
: the contact stated while driving 45 mph on the highway, white steam erupted from the air conditioning vents without warning. The contact inspected under the hood, and determined the coolant was low. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for further inspection, who determined the heater core needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted.

- Clarksville, MD, USA