10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,120 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.

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problem #5

Oct 042013

Passat

  • 85,000 miles
I was driving inside town approximately at 35 mph and was stopping in the stop light. When I applied the brake the car was shaking and check engine light started flashing. After the stop light turned green I released brake and the shake was not there and check engine light was gone. I went few miles to pick my daughter and after picking my daughter and less than a mile on road the check engine light came on again and there is a slight vibration of the vehicle when the engine is turned on. I'm yet to take the vehicle to the repair shop. Not sure if there is any factory recall for this problem.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #4

Nov 162010

Passat 4-cyl

  • 59,000 miles
I was driving the car around 40 mph in downtown los angeles in the afternoon and I was the only occupant. The vehicle in front of me suddenly slowed down. I pressed the brakes hard but the car did not stop and I tried to swerve to the shoulder but there was not enough room. I rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. I was puzzled and bewildered why the car was not stopping even though I was pressing on the brakes. I could see myself approaching the vehicle in front of me and wondering why I am not stopping but at the same time trying to swerve towards the shoulder. The airbag on the driver side did not deploy but the airbag on the passenger side deployed even though there was no passenger.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #3

Oct 012008

Passat

  • 58,600 miles
I have a 2004 Passat wagon with 58,000 miles. About 2 weeks ago we started getting a "brake fault" warning followed by a large "stop". it lasts for about 5 seconds and then goes away. This only happens in the morning, and after about 15 minutes of driving. After that there will be no more warnings until we start the car the following morning. We may get one warning or three during the 15 minutes. We took the car to the dealer and they said there was nothing in the codes showing a fault. They keep the car over night, and the next morning took the car for a drive and confirmed the "brake fault". they told us we need replace the ABS module at a cost of $900. Our car only has 58,000 miles on it, and it was garaged most of its life. We picked the car up from the dealer and have not fixed the problem yet. We are just out of warranty, and feel this should be covered. Todd knoeppel

- Camas, WA, USA

problem #2

Dec 072004

Passat 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 16,000 miles
I have a brand new 2004 VW Passat tdi wagon that has no tail lights. Signals work, brake lights work but, license plate light and rear parking/driving lights don't work. Car has no burned out bulbs or fuses. My concern is if the car has wiring harness problems, is this something that others have happening. Also on a rainy day the anti lock brake and electronic stability program in the same car failed but, when the car was parked and restarted the computer reset and problem disappeared. Is this going to be a problem?

- Brookfield, CT, USA

problem #1

Jan 152004

Passat

  • 2,000 miles
When braking after driving at highway speeds into the city vehicle bucked forward. Dealer stated the procedure was what they called a hard drive. Also it was normal.

- Boston, MA, USA