I was pulling out of my apartments when my car lost all horse power and pretty much sputtered then died; I was left exposed to traffic on a busy road. Then, I was towed to the vw dealership where I was told that my ignition coils failed and that in turn ruined my oxygen sensor and catalytic converter. All these had to be replaced by vw at my cost. The mechanic told me when I was being towed there he already knew what it was because they go out all the time. Doing further research it seems many people have the same problem.
2003 Volkswagen Passat engine complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 153, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The heater core tubing in the car disintegrated at about 18,000 miles. This resulted in the check engine light appearing, coolant leaking into other parts of the engine department,and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment. At this time the vehicle was under warranty, so I took it to the volkswagen dealership. They replaced the purge valve (about an hours work) and returned the car to me. I took the car back two more times for the same problem before the warranty ran out and the dealership performed the same service. The coolant leak became significantly worse (I began adding coolant every 3-4 days) at around 82,000 miles and the fumes from the coolant in the passenger compartment became very strong. I took the car to another repair shop and the mechanic discovered that the tubing from the heater core had completely disintegrated and the heater core needed to be replaced altogether. I have seasonal asthma associated with allergies and inhaling the fumes from the coolant has made the condition worse. I am currently having the vehicle repaired at a cost of approximately $1200.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. On two separate occasions, once while driving 50 MPH, the contact made a sudden stop and the engine shut off. On the second occasion, while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. On both occasions the vehicle immediately restarted. The dealer informed the contact that the failure would have to repeat itself in order for them to diagnose the vehicle. She was advised not to restart the vehicle and have it towed to the dealer. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 80,000.
I was driving about 55 on the highway when I saw smoke coming out of my vents I stop and open the hood and notice my car had caught on fire from the left bottom side.
2003 volkswagen passat with an oil sludge problem. Consumer states that there is an extended warranty due to this oil sludge problem. *kb the vehicle had a slight engine knock, before the oil was changed. The dealer stated the low oil pressure was probably caused by the pick up tube in the oil pan blocked by oil sludge.
I have owned 3 vws and have always made sure to stay up to date on scheduled maintenance. Recent knocking noise in engine lead us to take the car in for a repair at which time we were informed that we had a major sludge problem and it would cost me $6900 to replace the engine.
My oil pressure light came on. I was driving on a mountain, and there was no where to pull over, so I had to keep driving. The engine locked up and the car lost power. I was able to steer it off onto a shoulder. I have also been burned my the heated seat when the wiring overheats, and it has both shocked and burned my skin.
2003 volkswagen passat with recall for faulty seal and heat shield. Consumer had the problem repaired and then received the recalls. He would like reimbursement for these repairs. *kb the consumer stated there was a burning smell coming from the vehicle. The dealer discovered oil leaking from the valve cover and cleaned it. The sunroof tubes and drain plug were replaced.
Driving on I-87 upstate ny around albany in the fast lane about 80 miles an hour the car completely lost power. We pulled over quickly to the grassy area between the highways. We heard a sound but it might have been from the road when we pulled off or a backfire? The car was completely dead. We called 911 and a sheriff arrived soon and told us how difficult it would be to get back on the highway with traffic going 90-95 miles an hour. We had to get into the fast lane. We drove a little on the grassy area to see if the car would work. With great difficult and tremendous fear we managed to get onto the highway. We were then able to drive to nyc without problems in the slower lanes. No lights or sounds came on to warn us of the loss of power. This happened about 6 weeks ago as we were approaching the williamsburg bridge in manhattan but going at a much slower speed. We pulled over and had to restart the car. We have had the recalls from vw but not a recent one that may have come out in may. It seems like it could be a fuel tank issue. I will be taking it back to vw in brooklyn in two weeks to have them look at it. They have told me that since I did come in and get all the recalls that it could not be that. I am afraid of this car and only have about 27,000 miles after 5 years. It is a 2003 passat turbo wagon. It was a hot day on june 8th and when we turned on the car the temp out side light said 101 degrees.
Radio not functioning, air conditioning unit works intermittently, airbag malfunction recognized, operation unit in steering wheel malfunctions, no communications with brake control unit, brake light switch causes drivers side brake light to malfunction. Horn not functioning nearly caused 2 accidents within a month. I drove over an island to avoid one collision from the other non-attentive driver and ended up scraping the transmission pan. Cost of replacement: $550. After thousands of dollars in repairs and diagnostics, vw dealerships still unable to fix any of the above!
2003 volkswagen gls passat with several problems. Consumer states that they have had problems with the fuel pump, cam shaft sensor and more. *kb the vehicle stalled on 2 occasions due to a faulty fuel pump. The consumer soon discovered there was a recall on the fuel pump, however the consumers vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. The front cv boot and timing belt were replaced. The vehicle also had a transmission leak. The drivers heated seat malfunctioned.
Oil sludge causes oil pump to fail damaging the engine.
I purchased a 2003 passat and have been in for two coils, engine light, back hatch lock broken, fuel pump but the most important one thus far was when I told them my oil pressure light came on two days prior and they told me it will cost 4000.00 to fix it because the engine is full of sludge. I would produce receipts for services that I actually do regularly every 3-4 thos. Miles or three months. However they informed me from vw of america that 99% of the people have to pay for it because their receipts don't meet the requirement of the mileage of the services. They state that it must be done prior to 5 thos. Miles but the book states every 7 thos. Miles for services to be done. When I bought the car they didn't tell me that I should use the expensive filters/and synthetic oils when servicing the car. Is everyone '!@#$% out of luck on them covering this. And once done what prevents it from doing it again? I am getting rid of this asap and never buying another vw ever! I will spread the word about buying a vw to everyone I know.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle vibrated excessively and smoke began emanating from the passenger side. The engine light remained illuminated on the instrument control panel. She pulled over to inspect the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the catalytic converter. The dealer stated that the electrical system, emission coiler, and oxygen sensors failed. All of the repairs were made. The contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. The powertrain was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 52,000.
Engine oil pressure failure.
We were driving up to the base of the palm springs tram on a cool day at a relatively slow rate of speed and parked at the valley station. The temperature gauge was apparently operating normally during the entire drive. A few minutes after parking, we noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the car, and upon opening the hood discovered the fire. Since tram security was there with a fire extinguisher, the fire was extinguished relatively quickly. The insulation was burned and the car was not able to be driven any further. It was towed to indio, ca.
1.8l turbo engine with 51,000 miles, still under power train warranty. Oil press/stop engine light illuminated momentarily. First time was the summer 07. I called the dealership and they advised changing the oil, which I had done 2k miles and 2 months previous, but did again. That worked, no other advise by dealer. No occurrence again until nov 07. Dealership inspection revealed sludge and coking. Vw of america will not pay for any type of repair without receipts proving maintenance in accordance with the owners manual. I did all my own oil changes on schedule but did not keep receipts for oil/filter. The $130+ diagnostic charge was not covered by the warranty either. Additionally, dealer said the warranty was void because I had an other than vw oil filter on. Repair estimate is $3,000 to rebuild engine.
I have a vw passat 1.8 liter turbo engine that has sludge in it causing my oil pressure to be low which threw my timing off. Luckily stopped driving the car before it lock up.
On the morning of january 26, 2006 I drove my 2003 vw passat at short distance (approx) 3 miles. As I arrived at my destination and pulled into a parking place the car died on me. There did not appear to be anything that precipitated the failure. I did not understand what happened but I soon began to smell smoke. I got out of the car, opened the hood and saw that there was a fire in the engine compartment. From the front of the car, facing the engine compartment, the fire was located toward the upper left-hand corner of the compartment near the front passenger side. The fire was fairly far along before the fire department arrived. Ultimately, the car was totaled by my insurance company. A police report was filed with the local police, a claim was filed with my insurance company and a complaint was filed with volkswagen customer service. There were no injuries or damage to any other property. The car was less than three years old with about 27,500 miles. The insurance investigation cleared me of personal responsibility but did not determine a cause for the fire. I eventually settled with my insurance company and turned the car over to them. I have heard nothing further until a friend gave me an ap article from 10/4/07 that reported the federal safety agency investigations of engine fires in passats.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. While driving 40 MPH smoke came through the vent inside the vehicle. There was also smoke present in the engine compartment on the passenger side. The fire department extinguished the fire. The failure has not been diagnosed. The vehicle was towed. The current and failure mileages were 115,000.
2003 volkswagon passet caught fire went from engine compartment, the instrument-panel area and on the underside of the cars near the catalytic converter and along the passenger side of vehicle.
As I drove home from work, the vehicle's temperature gauge suddenly shot into the red and warnings flashed on the dash to stop the car immediately. I pulled over at the first highway exit and parked at a volkswagen repair shop. The mechanics diagnosed the problem as a broken water pump impellar, essentially a small fan-like device that keeps coolant moving through the engine. The mechanics explained that this model vw used a plastic impellar instead of the metal ones commonly used in most cars. Apparently, vw has recognized that this plastic part is failure prone, and now makes aluminum replacement impellars. But the mechanics said I wasn't entitled to any recall or warranty. The repair cost me $879, plus the costs of renting a replacement car. Updated 12-12-07. *kb updated
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. While driving 60 MPH the vehicle began to make noise and then stalled. The vehicle did not restart and was towed to a mechanic. The mechanic advised that the engine needed to be repaired. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 62,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat wagon. The vehicle caught fire under the hood while it was parked. The fire destroyed the vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights present prior to the fire. There is a fire report available; however, the fire department was unable determine the cause of the fire. The contact has photos and a video tape. The manufacturer had an investigator inspect the vehicle to determine the cause of fire. The failure and current mileages were 57,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passas. While driving 65 MPH the check engine light illuminated then the engine failed. The dealer repaired the vehicle and stated that it was drivable. Approximately an hour later the check engine light began to illuminate intermittently. The dealer stated that there could be a faulty engine sensor. The next day, the check engine light illuminated and remained on and the engine eventually failed. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 58,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. While driving 65 MPH or attempting to stop, the vehicle loses power and shuts off without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the speed sensor was replaced. However, the vehicle continues to shut off. The contact stated that the brake lights also malfunction and the electrical switch was replaced. The vehicle is currently at the dealer and they are unable to determine the cause of failure. The vehicle's warranty has been charged for each replacement. The current mileage was 57,006 and failure mileage was 47,000.
I own a 2003 vw passat v6 awd that currently has ~37000 miles on the odometer. This car uses an excessive amount of oil ever since I bought it new in 2003. The last estimate of oil consumption (july 25, 2007), was ~0.75 quart per 600 miles, which is what the dealer and vw have said is within the factory specification of 1 quart per 1000 miles. However, neither the dealer nor vw will provide me with written evidence or bulletins describing these specifications. In my opinion, this is excessive oil consumption, which reflects an underlying defect in the design/function of vw engines. Apparently, I am not the only one with this complaint as several of the bulletin boards and internet discussion groups have similar postings. This oil consumption problem may also be related to the accumulation of "engine sludge," which apparently LED vw to extend the warranty on certain models. I do not know whether this type of problem falls within the purview of the nhsta, but I am filing this as a complaint and requesting further investigation.
Driver was on daily commute to work, stopped at an intersection. A loud bang was heard by the driver and when the driver exited the car to see what had happened, a bystander immediately yelled toward the driver to warn them that the car was on fire. Driver was able to make it out of car safely, with minor injuries incurred as a result of trying to put out the fire. The fire itself was limited to the engine compartment, however as a result the entire engine and engine compartment were destroyed and the car was considered a total loss by insurance. Since the defective component(s) and surrounding area involved in the defect were completely destroyed, there was no parts to repair or replace.
Oil sludge build up. Stop engine light came on. Immediately took car to dealership and learned that it was an oil pressure issue to sludge. Volkswagen had issued an extended warranty. However, they requireed complete records which most people did not keep. There were numerous complaints with regard to this issue. Wondering why a recall has not been imposed given the expense to consumer's for something that was obviously a manufacturer's defect. Consumer protection should be first priority.
While pulling the dipstick out of the engine in order to check the oil, the pull ring/handle broke off. I contacted my dealer for a replacement as the car is still under a bumper to bumper warranty. The dealer informed me that because I pulled the dipstick out of the engine rather than a dealer service department, the warrant is not applicable. In effect, the dealer told me that they must do all of the oil level checks, otherwise I do not have a warranty on the components affected. I appealed to customer service and they confirmed the dealer's decision. The consequence of the failure is that the oil level, necessary to ensure safe operation of the car, can not be checked.
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