2001 Volkswagen Passat: engine stalls while driving

Filed May 18, 2015 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the transmission would slip and then the vehicle stalled. The engine continued to run, but the vehicle would not move. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and it was determined that the teeth on the gears of the transmission had fractured and the entire transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000. Updated 8/19/15*cn the consumer stated there was a recall for the same make, model, and year but, the consumer's VIN was not included. Updated 9/30/2015

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 Oct 15, 2007 · Fuel system · 140,000 miles · NJ

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen passat. While driving 67 MPH, the vehicle began to drastically decelerate and then coasted. There were no warning signs present. Ten seconds later, the vehicle completely stalled and was towed to the local dealer. The dealer stated that the fuel system delivery pump caused the failure. She contacted the manufacturer and they stated that her vehicle was not included in the recall and would not be repaired for free. The VIN, engine size, number of cylinders, and recall number were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 140,000.

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 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 Jul 28, 2006 · Engine · 62,000 miles · VA

We have a 2001 passat and put about 10k miles/year. The car has been serviced about twice every year at our local vw dealership since we bought it new. We originally bought the car with safety in mind. While driving on the interstate about a week ago, the engine light came on. The car seized/stalled as I was getting off the interstate. This could easily have LED to a serious accident. I had the car towed to our dealership. Once they realized what had happened, they became very hostile. They asked us for all of our records. They had incomplete ones for us as the dealership had changed hands a few years ago. We have almost every record but this will not suffice for them. They are asking for half of the 11k repair bill (and suggested that we repair it and trade in for one of their used cars). What really bothers us is that part of the problem of missing records is due to the dealership. The other issue is that when the car had failed, the tow guy showed me that the oil cap was encrusted with sludge. When I pointed this out to the dealership and that while they probably would have seen this at the last oil change, that they are under no obligation to inform the customer of such a potential hazard. This is a major safety concern and vw/vw dealerships should be obliged to watch for this and at least suggest an engine flush. After too much trust, we are very disappointed with vw for this. They should know better.

Filed Apr 1, 2005 · Electrical, Engine · MA

Engine light continually goes on and off, when blinking on, the car shakes, as if it is about to stall, and a bad odor emits. When driving , the car would not exceed 20-30 MPH, even when the gas pedal was to the floor. Brought the car to vw first time, they said the light came on because the car was idle for a day or so. The 2nd time, after going to an independent repair shop and having all the plugs replaced and a complete tune-up, same thing happened the next day. Independent shop said the only other thing was the ignition coils and that they were expensive. Called vw dealership(car is on extended warranty-less than 30 thousand miles & a 2001), waited 9 days before they could look at the car, however, the engine light was out again. I explained to them the problem, and all they said was that vw does not have a recall on the ignition coils, they replaced the newly purchased plugs again, and said there was nothing wrong with the coils??? Cost me $261.00 plus a rental car, but there was nothing wrong.

Filed Jul 30, 2004 · Transmission · VA

While driving at 10 MPH vehicle stalled, vehicle was towed to independent shop, and mechanic determined that clutch pressure plate broke in two parts. The part was replaced at the consumer's expense of $1055. *ak

Filed Jun 30, 2004 · Electrical, Transmission · 14,362 miles · VA

Car died while driving on 55 MPH road. Starter worked and engine would turn, but would not run. Dealer found no codes in computer. Engine and horn fuses blown and dealer replaced horn relay. I asked the dealer why there were no codes in the computer and they didn't know the answer. They would not replace the computer. Car was in the shop for 7 days. Incident happened over 100 miles from home and dealer finally authorized loaner after 2 days. Dealer was very rude during the whole incident and construction made it difficult to communicate. Phone lines were disconnected part of the time.

Filed Jun 30, 2004 · Electrical, Engine · 45,658 miles · VA · fire

Vehicle died while driving on 45 MPH road. Starter and engine turn, but would not run. Advised dealer that this happened 1 year ago and engine fuse and horn fuse had to be replaced. No codes were in the computer. Dealer replaced fuse s232 and car started. During road test, car died again. Fuse s232 blew again and dealer found ECM and harness melted and was smoking. Dealer replaced ECM, harness and fuse and car ran. When customer received the car, the cruise control and dash lights were inoperative. Dealer reprogrammed cruise and fixed wiring of dash lights under warranty after much argument. Dealer did not know cause of mishap. This is the 2nd time the car has died while travelling on busy roads. I was nearly rear-ended twice as I pulled the car off the highway.

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.