2002 Volkswagen Passat electrical problems

Filed Sep 17, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 122,000 miles · CO

While driving at 75mph or in city traffic I get an alarm warning that my driver's door is open. To shut the loud warning off, I must open and close the door while going 75mph or in traffic. Either I open the door while driving or pull over on the side of the highway with traffic, I find this very dangerous!!! This happens daily this is my second vw passat that the door latch has failed and was told this a common problem with volkswagens this should be a recall because of the dangers of having to open the door to reset the latch electrical switches that are defective!!!

Filed Dec 15, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 125,000 miles · CA

I was driving the car about 30 minutes prior to incident traveling at approximately 45 MPH with my child in the car and without warning of any kind my car shuts off and I almost got rear ended . I was able to coast to the side of the road put the vehicle in park tried starting the vehicle and it started right away . I drove vehicle home without incident . I took the vehicle to a mechanic and they couldn't find a problem no engine codes where present . I drove the vehicle for a week and this same scenario played out again I wasn't driving the car any further at this point because again I had my child in the car and again also got rear ended . Had it towed to a different mechanic and they to were unable to find any engine codes or problems . I had my boyfriend drive the car home and it stalled on him at a red light . Car wouldn't restart so he had to push the vehicle across a lane of traffic to the shoulder of the road . When the car cooled down for 2 hours it restarted and drove fine no check engine light or codes present .. After a month of headaches with the car we discovers it was a faulty engine speed sensor this is a very dangerous part to fail without warning leaving the car powerless if this happened on the freeway I wouldn't have been so lucky I imagine.

Filed Jun 12, 2014 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 135,000 miles · CO

Car beeps and displays the ABS light and the brake light. At first they appear and then disappear. On 6/12/2014 the ABS is on each time I start the vehicle plus the brake light flashes throughout the duration of the drive. On two occurrences the traction control off light came on and remained on. The fear is that I have lost ABS and traction control, and also that the e-brake or brakes will engage while in motion. Multiple occurrences of this have occurred in vw passat forums and most suggest taking out the ABS module and having it refurbished due to a hair sensor that goes faulty on the passat. Many requests have been made to have this part recalled and fixed, I am adding my request to the other parties involved.

Filed Jan 21, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 128,800 miles · NJ

In august of 2013, while backing out of a driveway, I experienced a total loss of braking. After examining the car, I discovered that the plenum that holds the battery and brake booster was nearly filled with rain water. It was necessary for me to remove one of the duck-billed drain plugs in the plenum as all were clogged with debris, preventing water from draining out. The flooded plenum appears to have resulted in water being drawn through the vacuum lines when attempting to brake. This, in turn, caused a significant amount of water to be drawn into the crankcase. Water was also drawn into the cylinders resulting in misfiring. After removing at least one drain plug in the plenum for proper drainage, and double flushing the contaminated oil in the crankcase, I experienced no further braking problems until freezing weather in november 2013. In november, while braking near the bottom of a hill, I again experienced a hard pedal with no depression and almost no braking ability, resulting in the car going into the intersection before fully stopping. The car was towed to the volkswagen dealership for repair. Two weeks later, there was again the symptom of a hard pedal? With no depression and near loss of all braking. The car was again returned to the volkswagen dealership for repair. This time, the vacuum booster, the vacuum pipes, and their related items were replaced. As noted in the dealership invoice, evidence of water was found in the replaced vacuum booster. The dealership acknowledged that the plenum had a significant high-water pollen line, indicating flooding of the plenum. It was believed by their service department staff that the brake failures in november and december 2013 were likely the result of residual water freezing in the vacuum booster, causing the booster to be inoperative. Also, the ignition coils were replaced. Updated 01/30/14 the consumer stated the insufficient fix during the 2008 campaign did not resolve the problem. It allowed for continued flooding of the plenum compartment a

Filed Nov 16, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · 125,000 miles · WA

I was driving at night and pulled over because my car had no operating tail lights (the headlights and other front lights were working properly). Turning the lights off and then back on solved the problem temporarily, but further testing when I returned home revealed that the tail lights were not always turning on with the rest of the lights. An internet search revealed this is a relatively common problem for these cars and that a failed headlight switch is the culprit. Replacing the switch solved the problem.

Filed Sep 15, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · 62,000 miles · WA · fire

Ignition coils caught fire while driving. Mechanic states that they "catch fire all the time".

Filed Jul 6, 2011 · Electrical · 97,500 miles · PR · fire

I'm the original owner of a 2002 vw passat 1.8t/automatic transmission with 97,500 miles which had underdash electrical fire while running the car and now is a total loss. The car was in very good condition prior to the events. Electrical underdash fire started very fast with smoke coming from driver vent. After searching on the internet appears this is a very common problem, an not many people really report the car fire.

Filed Jun 6, 2011 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · NC · fire

Traveling down the street and smelled smoke. Smoke began emitting from under the dash and vehicle cut off. Fire department was called and extinguished the fire. Vehicle was a total loss.

Filed Mar 5, 2011 · Body, Electrical · VA

My complaint is more general in nature. I purchased a 2002 volkswagen passat in 2001. This was the first car I purchased brand new. As I think back over the time that I've had this vehicle and reading the complaints that have been logged in on this site, I can't help but think that volkswagen should offer some type of substantial "hardship" reimbursement besides repairs and such. In the time that I've had this vehicle, I've had the following incidents occur: 1. Have a control unit replaced (horn not working, unable to roll down windows, etc..) 2. Replace ignition coil (stop motor status light coming on as I'm driving in the midst of traffic) 3. Had undershield fall forward as I was driving on the state highway, pretty much scooping up potential debris from the roadway surface. 4. Damage to engine from oil sludge and oil pump replacement no less than three times. (stop motor light again) 5. Interior of car flooded and frozen over from sunroof flaw and electronics are affected... Just on merits of being able to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle and showing that these services were indeed rendered at a volkswagen authorized repair facility, I believe that at minimum, volkswagen should agree to reimburse all expenses, no questions asked. It's become clear that the quality of these vehicles was substantially sub-par and poorly designed all things considered. The car is currently in my parents driveway, as the last time the oil pump went caused so many issues that I ended up not being able to drive the car (live and work out of state now and registration expired the same month the pump went then couldn't afford insurance after repairs). To add insult to injury, I didn't receive the claim notice about fixing the sunroof issue until a year later, as it went to my old address and now it's too late to even file the claim. All I want is have a reliable car to operate without worrying about if I'm gonna have skip lunch because I spent all my money on repairs.

Filed Jan 9, 2011 · Electrical · 159,056 miles · CO

2002 vw passat 2.8 v6 . Ignition coil pack shorting out( can see streaks of electricity on all three coils at night along sides of coils - - when looking into dark engine compartment ) . Car misfires upon acceleration and at idle . It has stalled twice and seems to be very unreliable . I have ordered a new coil pack and will not drive the car until I replace this coil pack . I called the local v.w. Dealer and they said no recall for the 2.8 v6 30 valve engine - called v.w. Of america and I was told the same thing . I will keep the old coil pack in hope that v.w. Will re-imburse me the price of my new coil pack - it is very easy to change .