1999 vw passat 1.8t suffered sudden timing belt failure at only 54,000 miles. Incident occurred at night on a major interstate (I-70) in the colorado mountains, leaving me barely able to control my vehicle to coast uphill to a narrow snowy shoulder, where we were forced to call 911 and wait for almost 45 minutes in a cold vehicle, in constant danger of being struck from behind by semi/tractor trailers. I am disappointed that this occurred at such low mileage and endangered my family, and if it were an isolated incident I would not be pursuing this issue as I did miss the 40,000 mile service when a belt inspection was scheduled to be performed. I am concerned that this appears to be a common problem with this vehicle based upon my discussions with independent vw/audi service technicians and the internet, and LED to a class action lawsuit of audi and now (ongoing) vw. In the meantime, vw appears to be denying that this is an issue, and refuses to honor its extended powertrain warranty unless it has been very strictly followed. Due to the systematic failure with this critical engine part, usually occurring well before vw's own recommended belt change interval of 105,000 miles, I believe that vw should be repairing/recalling these vehicles for replacement of the defective belts and tensioners. Sudden and total loss of engine power can lead to loss of vehicle control; in my case the real danger was the location and circumstances of the failure. It appears vw is following the same aggressive stance/denials of warranty claims with another issue with these engines, the oil "sludging" problem which is also well-documented on the internet.
1999 Volkswagen Passat engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 88, newest first, as owners wrote them.
99 vw passat's oil pump failed. **cc the engine seized while the consumer was driving. Three oil pump had been replaced prior to this failure. The consumer indicated that vw is aware of problem with oil sludge in vw's but refuses to replace the engine because the vehicle has 105000 miles.
1999 passat engine seized due to a oil pump failure. *ts the consumer had the oil leak repaired on 5 different occasions. The consumer had other problems with the vehicle such as a faulty drive shaft, right cv joint, the glove compartment latch, the control knob for the side view mirrors, the heater control unit, engine control unit, water pump seal rings, a power steering leak which was had to be fixed twice, the coolant pump, o-rings and the oil pump and pump rod bearings. There is a noise coming from the rear right wheel, oil is leaking from the valve covers.
Chronic oil pressure problems (due to oil sludge buildup) starting at 73000 miles leading to replacement of oil pump at 100000. Although this should have been covered by manufacturer extended warranty, I paid ($1250). I have old parts.
Engine light.
Just before the expiration of my 100,000-mile, 6-year extended warranty at 99,938 miles (and 23 days before the end of 6 years) I took my 1999 1.8l turbo volkswagen passat (b5) to the dealership. I requested that they perform the 100,000-mile service and to thoroughly check the car for any repairs that may be required since it would soon be out-of-warranty. Four hours later when the shop was closing, I picked up my car. Upon checkout, the service rep stated that they did not find any problems, but that the service technician and volkswagen recommend changing the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump at 105,000 miles. I thanked him and went home not realizing the importance of his comment. Three weeks later on june 2, 2006 at 102,088 miles (and 3 days past the six-year point), my tensioner broke which caused my timing belt to slip and strip the teeth intermittently off the belt. Since I was not aware that my timing belt was slipping (except for an increase in noise when I accelerated), the valves were bent during the event. I had my car towed the following morning to a local vw service shop, and they notified me that my timing belt was broken and that machining of the cylinder block was necessary since the valves were bent. The repair to my engine, including a water pump and faulty plastic hose, cost $2,342. In addition, I had to rent a car for one week for the duration of the repair ($225) and tow the car to the service shop ($28). Upon researching this issue, I realized it is a very common occurrence for the timing belt to fail prematurely on b5 passats and that had either the dealership or vw notified me of this proclivity for failure (and change their servicing recommendation) this failure and associated $2600 expense would not have occurred.
1999 vw passat oil consumption - 1 qt. Every 750 miles. Dealer has replaced seals, tests and is now planning further seal replacement. I know this won't get fixed; this seems to be a design flaw where many other consumers are also "suffering". Will the federal government demand a recall???????
Dt*: the contact stated the ABS, brake and oil lamps intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined the ABS module needs replaced although the repair was not made.
1999 volkswagen passat 1.8l turbo engine with 71,000 miles stopped suddenly; then check-engine light came & car would not re-start. Check-oil light had been intermittently on for 2-3 miles prior, but oil was checked and it was actually overfull. 803 miles prior, vw service dept had serviced car for check-engine light, and replaced turbo recirculation valve and hose. Oil has been changed every 3000 miles since car was purchased used, with 30,000 miles, in feb. '04. Vw service department claims failure was caused by engine becoming oil-starved due to sludge in oil take-up tube. Sludge caused by not using synthetic oil, although it is not required. Cam gear was damaged, leaving metal pieces throughout engine. Entire engine, turbo and catalytic converter had to be replaced. Vw denies any responsibility. Parts may still be w/mechanic, I certainly do not have facilities or desire to store an entire ruined engine.
Dt: the contact stated there were toxic fumes in vehicle. The dealership replaced the turbo, but this did not help to eliminate the fume problem. Currently, they insisted that the engine needed to be removed and all of the seals need to be replaced. The manufacturer advised him not drive the vehicle because it was not safe. There have been no further repairs made to the vehicle.
Timing belt broke with no warning before the 90,000 mile suggested check was performed. This is going to cost me somewhere between 2000 and 4000 to repair.
Dt: the contact took vehicle to dealer for recall repairs. Upon inspection the technician noticed the steering assembly came loose. The vehicle was being repaired at the dealership. They replaced both lower control arms and both tie rods. Also, the dealership also found there was an oil leak and the ABS was defective. *ak the technician discovered the steering rack assembly was loose to the point it could have fallen of from the frame. Updated 11/29/05.
Dt: the contact owns a 1999 volkswagen passat. The car has been t dealer, serviced as the original owner on a regular basis. The oil has been changed on schedule. The vehicle has 112,000 miles on it. The contact was informed on 9-30-05 that the engine needed an overhaul, and that it would cost in excess of $1000.00 to replace the valve rings/o-rings). The contact was told that if this was not done oil would leak , and the car could catch on fire. The contact's daughter has a friend who told her that this was a known problem with the 1999 passat. The contact called the manufacturer, and was told the warrant expired, and they could not do anything about it. Also she called bbb and filed a complaint against volkswagen. *ak.
Check engine light repeatedly on. Error code 17544 bank 1 system too lean (p1136) long term fuel trim. I had my mechanic fix all vacuum leaks, low fuel pressure, exhaust leaks, injectors and secondary air system. Had the maf sensor replaced and still have the check engine light on.
On 9/7/05 in the am, I brought my car into the herzog-meier dealership in beaverton, oregon to be serviced for a radiator issue. Around 2 pm in the afternoon, I received a voice message from the service rep at the dealership indicating that in addition to the issue I brought my car in for, the mechanic had indicated the front tie-rods were completely destroyed. I left a message with the service rep back to get more information. In the interim, I researched and found my vehicle had a recall for tie-rods, indicated as you campaign id numbers of 99v248000 and 00v414000. I contacted vw customer care regarding this issue. Vw customer care would only tell me there was "no outstanding recalls". When I was able to talk with the service rep, he told me these recalls had been performed back on 3/13/01. I contacted vw customer care to ask them to re-repair these tie-rods because the parts installed from the recall had failed. Vw has said they would only repair the tie-rods the 1 time and felt no obligation to repair again. The reason for my complaint is the parts installed after the recall have failed. Now I am being asked to pay $500 out of my own pocket to fix. Additionally, vw has no recommended replacement or maintenance for tie-rods listed on their website or in my owners manual for my vehicle.
Belt time damage, consequences engine repair.
There are no specific events leading to the failure besides regular use of the vehicle passat 1999. The ABS warning light periodically has come on and lengthened in duration until it stayed on permanently. The braking is still normal, but the ABS control unit is recommended to be replaced by the dealer. I have not replaced the ABS control. Also, the timing belt tensioner went out on my passat 1999. I was driving on a freeway when the car just cut out. I coasted it over to the side of the road where it would not turn over. This part was redesigned on later models because of its tendency to fail. I had to redo all of my rods. I still have the old part in my possession.
The ABS, brake and oil light all come on (oil will flash) with sporadic irregularities in the tachometer. The tachometer will sometimes drop to zero. All this happens with 3 distinct beeps whenever I use the brakes. Colder temperatures can lessen the occurrence of the problems. Dealership service says that the ABS module needs to be replaced at a cost of $3600. I have not yet approved the repair on the car.
Engine oil leak. Dealer repair service indicated that cam tensioner and cam seals need to be replaced.
Oil pump failure due to sludge. Manufacturer's failure to honor warranty.
I am writing about engine failure regarding a 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t. I purchased the car in 2003 at 29,000 miles and the car currently has around 77,000. Volkswagen has an extended warranty that states (to some degree) that if the engine fails due to sludge and is under 80,000 miles the owner will be able to have their engine replaced, 'if' they have records of all oil changes (of not more than 5,000 miles). My complaint is this, I do not have all the records since one of the locations that I went to no longer has a record of oil changes due to a computer malfunction. Additionally, when I called volkswagen's 'customer advocate' they indicated that the decision is really up to the area service manager who can arbitrarily decide to repair or not repair the vehicle. Thus, my complaint is that volkswagen knows that their engine has a problem and will not fix it. I have asked to have them send me a copy of their warranty indicating this, but wanted to lodge a complaint against the company for the 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t with the hopes of an investigation into the engine and whether it is faulty. Thank you.
Consumer noticed oil on top of the engine. After taking the vehicle to dealer for inspection dealer stated there was an oil leak from the gasket. The gasket needed to be replaced.
1999 vw passat with 67,000 miles in otherwise good condition that had undergone routine maintenance according to manufacturer's recommendations experienced complete and abrupt engine seizure on thursday january 6, 2005.
Our oil light kept coming on. Kept taking in for oil change and said was fine. No one could tell us why oil light kept coming on. Then received a letter from vw of america stating there was oil sludge problem. Will not fix car w/out oil receipts. Can not drive car w/out getting oil sludge prob. Fixed because it can damage engine.
The oil light came on while driving. When consumer checked the oil level it was down a quart of a quart of oil. A quart of oil was added. Oil light come back on and the engine stalled within seconds of restarting and driving the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, who indicated that the engine head shut and was damaged beyond repair. This occurred because of fuel pump failure. Prior to this incident at 58, 510 miles the oil light came on, a diagnostic test was performed, but no failure were found. The dealership couldn't find the cause of problem, but changed the oil.
82290 miles on car. Car engine suddenly lost power and would not run. Turning on emergency flashers, blowing my horns and then rapidly exiting the road I was able to avoid getting rear-ended. Cam belt is broken and then causes about $3500 in damage to the top-end (bend valves,etc.) of the car car is current in the vw repair shop awaiting $4650 in total to replace cam belt and damaged top end. Note: cam belt may have been stressed due to ignition modlule failure at 80330 document on 10090985.....
1.car was due for 30k maint. And check engine light came on, called dealer, was told appointment unavailable for two weeks. Was told car was ok to drive. 2.day before appointment engine seized while driving, car was towed in, determined engine seized due to slippage of internal timing chain. This was caused by tensioner cam loosening because oil pressure dropped from lack of oil in the engine. Oil was sludgy and burned.*ak 3.vw service manager at dealer was rude from the get go, vw refused to honor reciepts of oil change from a quick lube and warranty claim was denied by vwoa. They stated the auto had not been maintained properly. The car had 32000k miles on it. I have been attempting to have my car fixed since 2001 and my claim has been continually denied by vwoa.
While driving at low speeds the vehicle lost oil pressure intermittently. Please provide additional information.
The timing belt loosened, flapped up, and severed. When this occurred the vehicle lost power and stalled. The engine would not run and the vehicle did not accelerate. The vehicle displayed a rough idle and rattled. This was a common problem with these vehicles, per dealership. *ak the timing belt tensioner failed while the vehicle was in motion. The timing belt broke after the tensioner shredded it. The vehicle was shifted into park while in motion. The power brakes and the power steering failed. The vehicle was purchased with 52,515 miles and the failure had already occurred. Less than 4k miles later. The consumer requested reimbursement.
While driving at any speed and when the vehicle was parked there was excessive smoke coming out of the right front wheel well. Vehicle had been to the dealer four times for this particular problem. Dealer claimed that the problem originated from oils from the engine.
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