Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. The contact was driving approximately 65 MPH when the accelerator pedal became stuck in the depressed position. The vehicle was pulled over and shut off. Upon restarting, the vehicle operated as normal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to diagnose the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred intermittently. In addition, when driving approximately 65 MPH the oil pressure light began illuminating on the dashboard. The vehicle was pulled over and towed to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. The failure persisted so the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the head gasket would need to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure mileage was 96,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
2003 Volkswagen Passat engine complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 153, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Catalytic converter heat caused fabric material behind silver reflective liner on passenger side to catch and hold a smolder and flame causing damage to the structural body panels and melting some plastic components. Fire was extinguished by using a chemical fire extinguisher and remaining smoldering components had to be extinguished as exposed manually. Caused grass to catch fire and left smoky residue.
2003 vw passat wagon 1.8 t sludge issue stop engine light came on at 88,683 miles indicating oil pressure is low and vehicle should not be driven. Has not yet been repaired/replaced: oil sludge low bar pressure $1792.
The check engine light on my vw passat 2003 with only 60 k miles came on while I was driving and as a result of that the thermostat and the oxygen sensor had to be replaced. The car mechanic was is an independent vw mechanic and he was of the opinion that at such mileage such malfunctions should not occur in this car.
I purchased an 03 vw passat from a vw dealer as a certified pre-owned vehicle back in 2/07. Within the first week of purchase I had brake problems. The next couple years were followed by valve cover leaks, engine leaks, auto window problems, battery problems, recall issues, water intrusion issues, ignition coil recall and the list goes on. After a water intrusion just days after the replacement of faulty ignition coils I contacted the manufacture notifying them of the problems. The manufacture had held their foot to the ground that my car is out of warranty (that I was told at time of sale I did not have) and so they are able to do nothing about any of the problems with this vehicle. However as it stands I have nearly $3000 in repairs needed to this vehicle. Not to mention the water leak/damage from what I understand may actually mean my vehicle is considered a total loss at this point. I have expressed to the manufacture that I am concerned for the safety of myself but my small children as well ever time we are in this vehicle. Among the several things that are potential to occur while I am driving I also worry about the potential for mold exposure from the water damage. Due to cost I am unable to get any of this corrected and can not afford to go thru my insurance only to be told that it is a manufacture issue and so I am stuck. I feel that at this point I am driving around in a safety hazard and don't know what to do. Every time I receive a replay from anyone I just end up back at the same place....contact the bbb, etc. I am getting no where and don't know what to do therefore am looking into any and all resources so any information would be useful. Thank you for your time.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. The contact stated the vehicle started to make noises while driving 40mph. He stated that the oil function light also came on. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic and they stated that they have seen this before and should take the vehicle to the manufacturer. The contact took the vehicle to the manufacturer and they refused to repair the vehicle because he didn't have all his records for the oil changes. The failure and current mileages was 96,000.
Volkswagen passat 2003 engine was ruined and had to be replaced with 26,000 miles on it. I was told by my purchase dealer that they would not cover the cost of replacement and my insurance company replied the same. My incident occurred during a rainy day in middlebury, in. The engine stopped working when I was on a bridge and in a 2" puddle. Both vw and my insurance company said they do not cover anything related to water damage. An engine should not be ruined in a 2" puddle. I wrote to "click and clack" eventually about the damage. They told me other vs passat owners had their engines damaged and needing to be replaced but it was by other events. The loss of the engine happened in the passat because the air intake was the lowest part of the engine and was affected by anything near the intake. This happened in 2004 in my car and my replacement was over $11,000 and had to be paid personally by me. I did not know that I could complain to the government at that time. I would still like to file the complaint and ask for investigation into the number of cars involved with the loss of the engine. Mine is the vs passat glx, 4 motion.
I purchased a 2003 volkswagen passat from flow motors of greensboro, nc. The vehicle was certified by volkswagen with a two year 24,000 warrant. The engine blew when is was 260 miles over or outside the warranty. The cause of the engine blowing was due to oil pressure and the lack of oil pressure in the engine. My wife and three year old were driving back from washington, d.c. To greensboro and broke down in lynchburg, v.a. The service manager at terry's volkswagen in lynchburg towed the vehicle in to their shop and looked at the engine. They reported that a cam bolt snapped in the engine which caused the oil pressure to cease and in return caused the engine to blow. They told me that a cam bolt should never snap and this was a product failure. Flow motors retrieved the vehicle and denied any responsibility for the product failure and recommended I put a new engine in the vehicle at the cost of 6,500. I replaced the engine and a couple of months later had to replace a cooling flange at 300.00 and after that a vacuum hose at 300.00. Before replacing the vacuum hose there was a leak in my back floorboard and had the vehicle in at flow motors on two occasion but they could not locate the leak but still charged me 50.00 to look for the leak. I've had to cut the carpet out of the back floorboard because of mold. Volkswagen broke my hood support bar and also refused to cover the expenses to pay for that. When the vehicle's engine blew my wife called me immediately to tell me the engine light was on. I told her to pull over immediately and she did. When she came to a stop the engine cut off and would not start back up. The engine had just over 91,000 and can't accept having to replace the engine when all the maintenance was kept up. Terry volkswagen says the cam bolt snapped and stated that should never happen on a vehicle with only 91,000. I have complained to volkswagen, the bbb, and currently am speaking with an attorney.
2003 vw passat spontaneously combusted in the garage of our home. There are no events of concern leading up to the fire. The car had been parked in the garage since 5:00 pm on january 9, 2010 and the fire was discovered at about 3:00 am on january 10, 2010. A noise from the car alerted us and upon looking in the garage there were flames coming from the engine under the car. The fire totaled the car and caused over $100,000. Damages to the structure of our home. The cost to replace and repair contents is not yet known.
Driving at 65mph and oil pressure light comes on -takes us 15 minutes to find a safe spot to pull over- get car to dealer -'sludge " in the engine- regularly serviced car for 7 years.
Car missing a getting bad milage ...same car does not run well and caught fire by turbo 2003 passat vw 1.8 liter turbo.
My 2003 passat has 104,000 miles and is currently being fixed due to oil sludge in my engine. 2 years ago my mechanic warned me of this issue; however, a faithful volkswagen owner I decided to keep my car and faithfully change my oil every 3,000 miles while the owner's manual say every 5,000 miles. Friday, january 15, 2010 I found myself stranded off the highway, on a trip, due to oil sludge. I am firm believer in taking care of your car and feel as though this is a volkswagen issue. It seems as though there are several issues with this and volkswagen and would like for an action to be considered.
Had my ignition coils in my vw 2003 passat go out. Went to auto repair had repairs done at 340.00. 2 months later got letter of recall for exact problem, letter said to send in receipts for reimbursement. Sent forms, followed up with call and got check this week...for 78.00. Called # on form and they said they refund what the us average cost would be and in this case that was it. I went back to the dealer to ask them and they said they would have done the repairs for 320.00 and that I was being ripped off. After talking with the recall agency and being put on hold 4 times they said that was it and all I would receive.
My 2003 vw passat 1.8t has the well documented sludge issue that thousands of vw/audi owners are experiencing. Initially I had to have the car towed b/c a gasket was leaking oil into the spark plugs, and my engine coil pack was bad. I paid $700 to repair and replace the parts. 80 miles after leaving the mechanic shop, the oil light and stop engine lights came on. Towed the car again; no oil pressure. Collected all of my maintenance records and took them to vw to get approval of the warranty issue before letting them "confirm" engine sludge ($500 diagnosis fee for dropping the oil pan). If the issue is engine sludge, the engine is a lost cause because the low oil pressure starved the engine head for oil. The vw dealership is waiting for my money before they'll diagnose the engine sludge- which you can see in the engine head with your eyes. Vwoa has issued an extended warranty, unlimited mileage, 8 years from sale date, to owners with all of their oil change/maintenance receipts. Yet, despite the "effort" by vw, they deny all the claims I've researched- saying everyone was irresponsible with their maintenance- no one took care of their engine. Loopholes left and right to blame the consumer, while we sit powerless to get our cars back on the road. Yet, this issue leaves me with no car. All of us "sludge" owners are left with cars dead on the side of the road, all with the same problem and vw turning their heads the other way.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. The contact was driving approximately 45 MPH on normal road conditions when the "oil pressure" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and suddenly, the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure was contributed to oil sludge. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired for the malfunction. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 80,000.
While driving or idling, an engine warning light appears telling the driver to stop immediately due to no oil pressure. This can happen at any time. The problem is due to a known issue by vw of oil sludge buildup. The consequence is the engine will seize up and need to be replaced along with but not always including the turbocharger. Vw has extended the warranty to 8 years unlimited miles for those engines, but unreasonably requires production of all oil change receipts for the entire history of the car.
Vw issued a voluntary safety recall for replacement of the underbody heat shield on my 2003 passat wagon. (open campaign: 26e5/r5). I took the car to the local dealer to address the recall but was told my car could not be serviced without potential damage to the flexible joints behind the catalytic converter. Both joints were said to have small fractures in the metal and braided steel. I was told that the heat shield replacement required the exhaust line to be dropped via the flexible joints and that they could be broken in the process. If damage to the joints occurred, the charge for the parts (excluding labor) would be $1500 and that the full bill for parts/labor would be my responsibility. Because of the excessive cost, I was not able to have the heat shields replaced. I am concerned about the potential safety hazard for continued use of the vehicle without addressing the recall. I would like volkswagen to be responsible for the full cost of replacing the heat shield up to and including the replacement of the flexible joints, should that be necessary.
Heater core has failed (plugged up) at just over 90,000 miles. Over $1200 to replace; may burst hot fluid through vents into passenger compartment if not replaced soon. Currently the smell in the car when running is very strong of radiator fluid.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a side road. A technician from the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced because of an oil/sludge problem. No repairs were made. A representative from the manufacturer stated that they would not provide her with any assistance. The current mileage was 84,167. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
2003 vw passat heater core had to be replaced and vw america refused to do it at no cost.
My 2003 vw passat was having problems with coils and valve covers. My car caught on fire! Luckily the fire went out about 10 minutes after I stopped the car! I can't believe this happened! Is there anything I can do? Are there any recalls out there?!
Our 2003 passat wagon (4 cyl 1.8 engine) had a fire in the engine last week. After driving about 20 minutes and parking, my husband noticed the check engine light and then smoke coming out from under the hood. He opened the hood and saw a fire in the engine. He was in a parking space and drove it a block to a service station, where the mechanic put out the fire with water. The fire had started in the ignition coils (which had been replaced in 4/2003, before the recall) and would have required the replacement/rebuilding of the engine harness. Our insurance company declared the car a total loss.
9/2002 purchased 2003 volkswagen passat 1.8 turbo. 2005- 48,000 engine failed due to sludge. Towed to commonwealth motors santa ana, ca after 2 mos installed new oil pump, we each paid half even though it is a known design flaw with oil pump. 2007 same thing happened( but I was away and car towed to local garage) mechanic stated that no warranty would cover problem. Estimated 95. Final $2,569 to replace oil pump and turbo picked up car in march 2008, in dec 2008 engine failed again towed to mesa west who suggested dealer should be called. Dealer accepted responsibility on phone since they had done original repair, 4 months later car needs new engine is still at dealer. Oil pump cannot process properly. Vw aware of chronic problem but won't stand by product unless all receipts from oil changes are available. Car need $6000.00 of work and dealer doing nothing to assist regardless of promises made.
Purchase car in fl, now live in iowa due to job transfer. A/c unit continues to not blow cold air in a dependable method. Have to shut off vehicle and restart to sometimes get it started again. Now torque converter light came on just after powertrain warranty expired 1 month outside of warranty. Got in contact with vw of america. Would not asist, but instead sent $2,000 good faith voucher towards to purchase of a new vehicle to make an attempt to help me with the problems. Please help.
Apparent engine oil sludge problem. The oil light came on with a warning to stop the engine. The car is currently in the shop awaiting evaluation of the extent damage. I purchased the car used and have no record of the previous owners maintenance. I maintain my own vehicle therefore do not have receipts to prove each oil change according to the schedule. Vw recommends changes every 5,000 miles; I changed it every 3,000.
Dealer refuses to fix recall unless I accept responsibility for any damage to aftermarket parts occurring while replacing heat shield on exhaust system. There is a potential for fire if original heat shield is not replaced. Recall r5, criteria 1.
I have had my 2003 vw passat for 7 months now and have already had it in the shop 3 times. Right after I bought it used from a vw dealership the turbo went out. I had to pay for that. I then drove the car about 150 miles for a tournament and when almost there a light came on saying to stop and turn off the engine. Took it to vw dealership and it was covered by vw. It had something to do with sludge from oil. Got it back and 3 days later a light came on. It was the mil light. I took it in to the vw dealership. Still waiting to hear what the problem is this time. I have now had my oil changed 3 times in 5 thousand miles due to repairs. It has been one thing after another with this car so far.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that a new pair of rare brakes failed on her vehicle after 14,952 miles. She usually gets over 36,000 miles on a pair of brakes. She stated that the brake pads failed and damaged the rotors. The contact feels that the pads are defective and should have lasted longer than 14,000 miles. She also feels that the dealer should cover the cost of the new pads. The current and failure mileages were 95,100. Updated 04/21/09. *lj the serpentine belt was cracked, the power steering fluid was low, the vc boot and hood strut was replaced.. Updated 04/21/09.
Brake failure light appears even after multiple brake repairs. Driver?s side rear upper brake light replaced for 29th time in less than 2 yrs. Multiple coolant leaks still present even after repair and water pump replacement. Radio/amplifier not functioning even after replacement (radio was only used twice in vehicle?s lifetime). Diagnostics show airbag malfunction. Regulator pin on rear passenger side window keeps breaking (3rd replacement since 2003). Engine cover below car keeps falling off due to rusted bolts. Homelink system keeps malfunctioning. Fuses keep blowing out. Dashboard panel lights out (odometer, fuel gauge, etc.). Ccm module keeps breaking down. Car needs to be jumpstarted when not in use for over 48 hrs. Climate control (A/C and heater) works only sporadically. All repairs performed by vw dealership, yet same issues keep reappearing just a few weeks after repairs. Repairs performed in past 2 years: ecu unit replaced, brake light switch replaced 3 times, A/C compressor unit replaced, ABS module replaced, alternator replaced, brakes replaced 3 times.
Vw passat 2003, purchased01/09/03, 4 motion sedan, for $32,766.50. On 10/7/2004, I went through a 2" or less, rain puddle. Because of the air intake on the passat location being very low, the engine was damaged due to the water intake in the air intake portion of the vehicle. The engine had to be replaced and cost $11,077.53. The car mileage was 29,143. Vw refused to pay, saying it was not their fault. My insurance company refused to pay because they said it was a default in the vehicle. As a result, I had to pay the $11,077.53 to keep a vehicle that I had purchased new in 2003. It was 1/3 the cost of the new vehicle with only 29,143 mileage. The amount of rain can be determined on the day it happened, in middlebury, in. I did contact cartalk, after no result from vw, and they stated that they had been contacted by other people experiencing the same problem. It obviously was not enough to post a recall, but it is still something I should be reimbursed, even though it happened in 2004. I do still own the car, because of my investment, which would have been over $44,000, because I cannot afford another vehicle compared to this one.
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