2001 Volkswagen Passat: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Apr 3, 2011 · Lights · 155,000 miles · OR

Wiring and connectors for both headlights have melted under normal usage.

Filed Feb 17, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · NC

Headlamp wiring harness melts.

Filed Sep 13, 2010 · Lights · 100,000 miles · VA

The interior and exterior of the lenses of both headlight assemblies of my 2001 vw passat station wagon have become very clouded. The result is that the brightness of the headlight is greatly diminished leading to unsafe driving conditions at night. I have cleaned and polished the exterior of the lenses and that helped somewhat but cannot do anything about the interior. The only solution is to replace the whole headlight assembly. It has gotten progressively worse over the last 18 months.

Filed Feb 22, 2009 · Lights, Visibility · 90,000 miles · NJ

I am the original owner of a 2001 volkswagen new passat. The headlight lenses that came with the car have clouded so much that the headlights barely illuminate the road. This is a dangerous situation and they need to be replaced. I have spoken with other passat owners from the similar years and they have experienced the same issue. I believe vw should be forced to issue a recall on the headlight lenses, and offer to replace them for free. Who knows how many accidents have occurred because the owners of these vehicles are not seeing the road well at night. The date below reflects when I first noticed the clouding in the lenses.

Filed Nov 18, 2008 · Lights · 30,000 miles · NH

When attempting to adjust headlights, the plastic gears break easily rendering the headlights non-adjustable. The headlight lens also discolors easily reducing transmitted light level. The electrical supply also appears inferior as bulbs blow very quickly. The bulbs last less time than any other vehicle known in 30 years.

Filed Apr 7, 2008 · Lights · VA

I have suffered the same issues as others concerning the headlights for my 2001.5 volkswagen passat gls. I have replaced the drivers side light on 3 occasions. I have replaced it myself on all occasions. The driver side headlight assembly has completely melted and needs to be replaced. When the bulb is replaced, it usually lasts a week before going out again. My passenger side headlight went out last night. When I went to replace the bulb, I again found a melted headlight assembly. This one is not as severe as the driver side but also poses a safety issue. This will result in the neighborhood of $1,000 in repairs. Volkswagen needs to step up and correct this problem.

Filed May 17, 2007 · Electrical, Lights · 82,095 miles · IL

On two separate occasions the connector and wiring harness providing power to the driver's side and passenger's side headlights on the 2001 volkswagen passat gls melted and the headlights failed. If I did not take immediate action the electrical short in these connectors may have triggered a fire. The driver's side socket/wiring harness melted and the wiring harness was replaced in october of 2004. The passenger's side socket/wiring harness melted and the wiring harness was replaced in april of 2007. While at the volkswagen dealership to have passenger side wiring harness replaced I observed another passat owner complaining of the same problem. A google search on the internet resulted in finding many other people that had this potentially dangerous problem as well.

Filed Jun 23, 2006 · Lights · MD

Headlights burn out and constantly need replacing, only problem is it must be completed at the dealership. Have replaced at least 7 lights since purchase of car.

Filed Oct 20, 2005 · Lights · 92,750 miles · PA

Dt: 2001 volkswagen passat. The plug in the bulb failed. The only way to fix it was to buy a headlight assembly for the driver's side and the passenger's side. All connectors don't resist heat. Called dealer, consumer did not want to pay for the repairs. *ak

Filed Sep 24, 2005 · Lights · IN

My vw passat is only 4 years old and I have already replace my exterior headlights/tailights replaced 9 times. This is unacceptable and the dealer along with the vw customer care says there is nothing they can do about it. Basically, I have to keep paying to get new headlights that only last about a year.

Filed May 21, 2005 · Electrical · MN

Automobile: 2001.5 vw passat 1)the headlights stopped working - both the left and the right side. The daylights, the foglights and the brights continued to work. 2) the left side headlight electrical connection had melted. This could have caused a fire. 3) we brought the car to a service center. They replaced the right headlight. Upon inspection of the left headlight, it was discovered that the headlight electrical connection had melted. We were told that this could have caused a fire. Question: if the electrical connection on the left side has melted, isn't there a good chance that the electrical connection on the right side will also melt?

Filed Mar 2, 2005 · Lights · 60,000 miles · VA

The consumer experienced a problem with the headlights. The owner stated that while trying to take the vehicle through state inspection the vehicle failed because the headlights would not adjust. The adjustments were done from the reflector. The adjustment screw vibrated, and eventually fell off, making this very difficult to maintain. *ak the consumer stated that the plastic gear vibrated. The light fell out of the adjustment. The plastic gear fell off and the lights went out of alignment. On feb 4 the vehicle failed a state inspection because the lights were out of alignment and could not be corrected. *tc both head lamps were defective due to a small adjustment screw on the lamp assembly. *sc