This vehicle has broken down 4 times within 11 months with the same problem. The car lost all power and the epc light came on. Each time it needed to be towed to the dealer. The dealer keeps claiming they fixed it, but after 4 times I no longer feel safe in this car. I am pursuing the lemon law currently. I commute a very windy highway for work and should the car break down with the problem again I could be killed. 4 times is too many for the dealer to say it's fixed. I have no confidence that this car is really fixed. They have fixed the electronic control unit 2x, the pedal 3x, and then the entire wiring harnes once. Since they keep replacing the same parts over and over I have no way of really knowing that the problem will not occur again.
2001 Volkswagen Passat electrical complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 73 of 73, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The horn on my 2001 vw passat (and my 1998 vw passat) does not work when the car is not on. I believe this is a significant design flaw. I have confirmed with the dealer that this is indeed the design of the car. I discovered this design flaw when parked in a gas station with the car turned off getting gas. Another driver pulled into the station and apparently didn't see me. My first reaction was to lean on the horn. I tried but nothing happened. Luckily, the other car narrowly missed me. However, I can think of plenty of scenarios where one would absolutely need an operational horn when the car is turned off. In addition to those involving potential vehicular accident situations, there are also personal safety considerations (e.g. My wife gets in the car and is attacked by an individual prior to starting the car). I did contact vw through their online customer care site. While a customer care case was opended (#10644291), I have not received a satisfactory explanation of the horn design. By the way, it appears that mercedes and bmw have a similar horn design. Please let me know if there are any safety standards for the manufacturers regarding horn design.
Vehicle caught on fire because of electrical system in engine. No prior warnings . Contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.
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