2001 Volkswagen Passat: sudden loss of power

Filed Sep 21, 2009 · Engine · 155,000 miles · IN

1. During my wife's morning commute the oil light stop engine light illuminated in our 2001.5 vw passat. Fortunately she was in a rural area and was able to get the car shut off immediately and coasted off the road without incident. 2. The failure was the result of severe oil coking with the 1.8t engine. Vw issued a notification letter dated august 2004 advising of the ?oil sludge? Problem. The letter states ?engine oil sludge occurs when old, dirty engine oil thickens and cannot continue to provide adequate engine lubrication.? The letter implies the issue is due to poor maintenance. In reality the failure is due to a latent design defect of improper heat rejection attribute of the engine sump. Basically not enough oil quantity and oil cooling capacity. The oil then cokes over time in a similar manner as is encountered on gas turbine engines under extreme temperatures. Eventually the coked particles accumulate and plugs the sump screen. The oil pump then resulting in the loss of oil pressure and engine failure. The loss of engine power at a critical time is a safety concern. 3. Fortunately as our car was not run without oil pressure I was able to save the engine. Vw would not honor the warranty despite providing a log book from all the maintenance performed from new. They required all receipts of oil changes. I perform all my own maintenance. Vw clearly has gamed the warranty and misrepresented the problem as poor maintenance and sludge. I have always changed the oil every 5k miles. This cost me nearly $2k in parts not including my labor. This is a major repair. The oil pump, sump screen, all crank case ventilation lines, turbo lines, etc. Had to be replaced. There was coffee grounds (coked oil) throughout the engine. What a mess. I hold a bs in aero engr tech and faa a&p license. I run the aftermarket for a large gas turbine engine mfg. I know engine design and warranty gaming when I see it.

Filed Aug 14, 2009 · Engine · IL

I have a 2001.5- 2.8 dohc vw passat with just over 106k miles.at around 98k miles I started to experience a loss of power in the engine and got multiple misfires on the scan of the engine. This happens intermittently, although mostly when I start the car at the beginning of the day, regardless of temperature. Fast forward 6 months, after already replacing the coil pack twice, I still have the same problem. The dealership wants to charge me over $600 dollars to try and figure out what "might" be the problem. They're still not sure. If anyone is having this problem, please let me know if you've figured out what it is.

Filed Aug 20, 2008 · Engine · 74,000 miles · PA

I was driving to my new employment when my 2001.5 passat lost power. The engine ran very rough and the idle was stable. The engine continued to stall and rendered the vehicle unusable. My passat was taken to a garage near my place of employment and I was told the cylinder #4 has failed. I had the vehicle towed home (90 miles) to my local garage to be told the same. Cylinder #4 has no compression and the turbo has also failed as a result of the failing cylinder. I was told by vw that I need to replace the coil packs and spark plugs and the error should clear up. I had the mechanic replace the spark plugs and all four coil packs on the vehicle. After the repair the mechanic stated to me that the vehicle performance and issue was not fixed with the repair and the cylinder #4 was still down. I have been left without a vehicle now for almost two months while still having to make payments on a vehicle that I can not use.

Filed Nov 9, 2007 · Electrical, Engine · CA

2001 volkswagen passat check engine and oil pressure lights illuminating. Consumer states that the vehicle also experienced a loss of power and engine made a whining noise.

Filed Aug 29, 2006 · Engine · 85,000 miles · OH

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 MPH on the highway, the engine stalled and there was a loss of all power without warning. The engine would not restart and the contact pushed the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who determined there was excessive oil sludge and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted.

Filed Aug 11, 2006 · Engine · VT

2001 volkswagen passat coolant warning light illuminated and engine shut off. Once the vehicle was restarted it ran at reduced power. Upon inspection mechanic determined there was a faulty sensor in the cooling jacket. *kb moisture invaded the sensor, migrated up the wiring harness and destroyed the computer which managed all engine functions. The consumer was billed $3200. The technician at the dealer explain that this was not an uncommon failure. The consumer contacted the manufacturer but they refused to provide any assistance.

Filed Sep 2, 2004 · Engine · 56,000 miles · CA

2001 volkswagen passat - oil sludge - my car had a stop low oil pressure warning light. I pulled over, checked oil and oil pressure was not low. Proceeded and car lost power on the highway. It was very dangerous pulling over.*ak volkswagen will not pay for the $6000 repair. Engine seized. Volkswagen is trying to look like the nice guy with their extended warranty. The big catch--must have every receipt for every oil change to prove they were done every 5,000 miles. Volkswagen is not standing by their car. Horrible to deal with. This is a huge problem with many passat owners affected.

Filed May 6, 2004 · Electrical · 17,000 miles · CA

While driving at 65 MPH vehicle shook and lost power. Then stalled in the middle of the highway with little room to reach the shoulder. Twice vehicle staaled on the highway. On two other occasions consumer could not start the vehicle. Dealer examined the vehicle, and replaced the engine coil and the battery.

Filed Jul 29, 2003 · Fuel system · 28,244 miles · CA

Failure of the fuel gas sender resulted in a sudden and complete loss of engine power when there was remaining gasoline in the fuel tank. Automobile was asending a steep grade on us 580 west bound toward livermore ca, in heavy traffic, outside temperature was 106 degrees f, fuel gauge registered 1/8 to 1/4 tank of fuel remaining. Car was towed to dealer and was able to restart by the dealer technician on level ground. The 1 3b0-919-673-s sender was replaced. Dublin vw repair ivoice number 268745. Dealer reported two other cars with a similar problem during the prior week.

Filed Jan 27, 2003 · Electrical · 14,500 miles · MA

Failed ignition coil on 2001 vw passat... This part and car needs to be recalled!!! This part is defective in all 2001 and 2002 volkswagens and audis with 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged engines. Those engines are found in audi a4s and tts and in volkswagen jettas, passats, new beetles, and golf gtis. We have had 2 coils fail in 2 seperate instances, in the past 6 months. In addition to being an inconvenience, both instances were dangerous as the car either lost power or shut down while on the expressway. Vw dealerships have been unwilling to replace the defective coil until it actually fails (which is just a matter of time). They say until the product is officially recalled, they can and will do nothing but the bare minimum.

Filed Jan 27, 2003 · Electrical · 42,600 miles · OH

I was making a left hand turn into oncoming traffic when what I now know as one of my ignition coils failed. The car initially lost significant power and then from there continually drove as though it was misfiring. Fortunately, the car I was turning in front of had time to slow down. I now wonder if vw is just waiting around until someone actually gets hurt from something they call "not a safety issue." they probably hope that the people this happens to don't complain at all and that this will die down unnoticed as to not hurt their precious reputation. I drove it slowly to the vw dealership the next day. They only replaced one of the coils. Interestingly enough, even though my car has long been out of warranty as a result of miles, vw paid for the part and the labor. If that isn't a sign the part should be recalled, then I don't know what is. Unfortunately, I have 3 more times that this could potentially happen. I would like immediate results in having the other 3 replaced. I was told this would not happen. What company admits they knowingly have parts that are expiring earlier than they should (in most cases affecting 1/2 power loss in a car) and then only replaces the ones that goes bad?????

Filed Jan 25, 2003 · Electrical · 17,900 miles · VA

Vw passat 2001 1.8t ignition coil failure. This happened at high speed, and could potentially have been a safety hazard, as the car lost power suddenly.