2001 Volkswagen Passat: brake failure

6 of the 430 complaints about the 2001 Volkswagen Passat describe brake failure.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 1%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 8 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Brake failure by model year

2018
1
2016
1
2015
1
2014
1
2013
1
2007
4
2006
10
2005
3
2004
2
2003
6
2002
14
2001
6
2000
15
1999
7
1998
4
1995
4
1994
1
1993
2
1992
1
1991
1

What owners say

Filed Jul 17, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 104,435 miles · VA

I was driving on I-95 at approx. 78 MPH when the car suddenly says stop! Brake failure! See volkswagen service. In my research on the issue, I've found this happens on almost all 1998-2001 vw passats and audi a-4s. This needs to be addressed.

Filed Mar 29, 2007 · Brakes · 58,000 miles · AL

When driving my car, the ABS and brake lights blink. There is about 3 beeps and the screen on dash says brake failure see service manual. Have taken it to vw dealership and they say that the ABS control module or pump is bad. After looking over the internet for a few weeks now I have found that this is a nation wide problem and was instructed to file a complaint here. Vw dealership has told me that it will cost anywhere from 1500 to 200 dollars. Now my car is having stalling problems as well as the speedometer is all out of wack. I have connected it to the infamous vag-com and the only problem that comes up is the ABS not communicating or something of the sort. I don't have 2000 dollars to shell out and don't feel as if I have to if this is as big as a problem as I have found it to be. Here is a link to just one of the site that has lead me to believe this to be true http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127734. You can also just do a search on the forum site to find more problems.

Filed Mar 29, 2007 · Brakes · 58,000 miles · AL

My 2001 passat is having brake problems. The ABS and brake light blink and there are 3 beeps. The screen on the dash says brake failure and service manual. Now right now if something where to happen to my actual brakes I would not know and I believe that could be serious. I have read many sites and have found that this is a problem that a lot of people who are experiencing. Also, I have been experiencing stalling problems due to the ABS module. Vw has said that it will cost around $1500. I personally don't have $1500 to just go out and spend nor do I feel like I need to due to the research I have done on this problem. Here is a forum website that I have found a lot of my information from http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127734. Also, you can check around that website and find more.

Filed May 19, 2006 · Brakes · 60,900 miles · CA

My ABS and brake lights started blinking while I was driving on the freeway and I got a "stop", "brake failure", "service manual" signs with several beeps. I had to stop over the shoulder, took it to a dealer and it was detected that it was a ABS computer module malfunction (not really an ABS mechanical issue). The dealer said there was no recall. I called vw america and they said there was no known recalls. The dealer quoted $700 for this part. There are so many people who have experienced this problem and I'm surprised that vw has not responded so far. The effects of this are that the main computer module would eventually become defective and strange signs/warnings/beeps would come over the dashboard. Vw passat glx v6, 2001. (its only 5 yrs old and 60k miles). Please do something about this. It happens intermittently (once per driving session) we would not know when there is a real ABS problem which could cause catastrophic incidents (per service manual).

Filed Jul 21, 2004 · Brakes · NJ

While approaching an intersection, the driver applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. Placed both feet on the brake pedal the vehicle continue to accelerated. The driver pulled the emergency brake up, and down shifted in order to stop. This caused tread separation on both driver and passenger side tires. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the problem could not be duplicate. Please fill in additional information.

Filed Sep 18, 2002 · Airbags · NY · crash

At highway speed consumer rear ended another vehicle when brakes failed to stop. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy. Please provide any further information.