Volkswagen Passat sudden acceleration problems

Filed Sep 17, 2023 · Transmission · FL

Upon further inspection a bushing was needed to be replaced. The bushing that holds the shift connection component together disconnected and popped off the shifting mechanism. The problem was reproduced several times. My safety was at risk, I was pulling into a parking space, put my vehicle in park, my car did not display a 'P' the option was empty (no R or D either was displayed). My car jumped forward and started to go and I was able to hold the brake and pull the emergency brake. I shut the car off after the shifter was stuck into the 'Drive' position. Manually putting the vehicle in park was able to fix the issue. No warning lights or issues prior occurred, the vehicle stuck in drive and it would have caused a crash if I were reversing or elsewhere. The issue happened again after the replacement part, the bushing popped off and the same behavior happened.

Filed Oct 17, 2019 · Electrical · 137 miles · WA

Reference ntsa vehicle safety recall number 08v235000. It identifies a engine surge and resultant vehicle surge for vw passats in the year 2008. I recently purchased a 2008 vw passat lux wagon and have had this happen to me at least 6 times since the end of june when I bought the car. Most recently, a lady was walking in front of my car in a crosswalk, I had stopped for. As I began to let off the brake, the car lunged forward about a foot, before I stopped it again. We were both noticeably shaken by what had just happened. I tried reporting this incident and the recall to my local dealer, vw of olympia only to be told it did not apply to my specific VIN. I went on to contact vw cares only to be told the same thing. I did file a report with their case number 190810111. This situation may not have been apparent to my specific VIN when the car was new and the recall was issued. Now 12 years and 137k miles later, there it is. People are going to get hurt or even killed if this is not dealt with.

Filed Oct 9, 2017 · Acceleration · 170,000 miles · GA · crash · 1 injury

On september 25th, 2017 my stepdaughter was involved in a vehicular accident on I-75 n. In macon, georgia. She was driving a 2006 vw passat, 3.6 l. The accident occurred due to sudden acceleration on its own. The accelerator quickly, and without notice, engaged by itself. This resulted in her crashing into the guardrail on both sides of the interstate, in macon, ga. Fortunately, she was wearing her seat belt and survived. She suffered lacerations, bruises, neck and arm injury, and some immediate short term memory loss when she hit her head. The vehicle was a total loss. Volkswagen said they would come to examine the accelerator to determine if there is a problem with it.

Filed Nov 6, 2016 · Acceleration, Body · 24,000 miles · CA · crash

Twice, on may 12 and on october 22, while in a parking lot and pulling into a vertical parking spot at very low speed, I tapped the accelerator, and suddenly the car rapidly sped up. I was unable to stop it with the brake pedal, and I hit a brick planter the first time it happened, and I hit the post holding up the front of a building the second time. The brake pedal on the passat is approximately 3" wide and located only an inch or so from the accelerator. It is possible that I hit both pedals while trying to stop the vehicle, but that does not explain the sudden acceleration that caused the car to jump the curb and hit the planter and the building. Frightening situation. I wasn't injured the first time but was fairly well shaken up the second. The body shop said the damage to the vehicle was almost exactly the same each time. I took the car to t he vw dealer after the first accident, but they said there was nothing wrong.

Filed Feb 8, 2016 · Acceleration · 5,000 miles · OH · crash

On 1/19/16 I experienced a serious issue while driving my 2015 vw passat. As I was pulling into a parking space after my 12-mile commute to work I applied the brakes. No stopping occurred, in fact I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration. While my foot remained on and continued to press the brake pedal, the engine revved and the car lurched forward. I attempted to put the car in neutral and tried to apply the emergency brake but was unsuccessful in stopping the vehicle. My care came to rest only after hitting the curb and a masonry wall/hand rail. Once the vehicle came to a stop, I put the car in reverse to assess the damage. I assessed the damage to the front end and tried tor reposition the car in the parking space only to have the same event occur again. The following day I called the dealership to report the incident and was instructed to have the vehicle towed in for inspection. A loaner was provided. Twenty-one days later, on 2/8/16 I received a call stating that no manufacturing faults were found and that vw will not agree to repair the damage or discuss any concerns related to lack of confidence in the vehicle. Furthermore, when asked about arbitration, I was informed that my only recourse was calling vw corporate. When my husband called as instructed, we were informed that vw's position was decided based on their lack of manufacturer defects found. Vehicle remains at dealership. No inspection reports were offered, no damage reports or estimates provided.

Filed Dec 4, 2015 · Acceleration · 29,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintended accelerated without warning. The contact also stated that when the failure was occurring, the brake pedal required being depressed with both feet in order to completely stop the vehicle. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

Filed May 27, 2015 · Acceleration · FL · crash

2014 volkswagen passat. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle unintended acceleration. *smd the consumer stated he and his wife experienced the failure on three separate occasions, when preparing to park. The first two incidents occurred while pulling into his driveway. In each of the first two incidents the vehicle suddenly surged without application to the accelerator pedal. The third incident, resulted in damage to the vehicle, when his wife pulled into a parking spot. When she took her foot off the accelerator to brake and park the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated over a curb and hit the wall of a building. The impact caused the air bag to deploy and caused over $5,000 in damage.

Filed Aug 24, 2011 · Electrical, Transmission · 22,000 miles · NC

While driving on the highway, we switched lanes and pressed the accelerator to the floor while attempting to pass another vehicle. There was no response from the throttle. After 15 seconds or more the car finally responded. Upon reaching our destination, the transmission was put into park, whereupon the engine RPM's began to climb past 4000. The accelerator was not pushed down. The concern is that the electronic throttle is not responding to the driver's input and could lead to an unintended acceleration. The incident has been reported to the dealer and we are awaiting a response.

Filed Jan 24, 2011 · Acceleration · 150,000 miles · MA

1999 vw passat glx accelerated on its own and would not stop when brakes were pressed or car was put into neutral. Car accelerated on its own and speed kept increasing. Extremely dangerous and I was unable to stop the vehicle by pressing the brakes. Car accelerated on its own.

Filed Dec 8, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 140,000 miles · TX

While stopped at a red light, the engine accelerated by itself (computer failure?). My husband, who was driving, had to use both feet, pressing down as hard as he could, to stop the car. Fortunately, no one was in front of us and we were far enough back that we did not accelerate into the intersection. The engine sound returned to normal after 15-30 seconds and we drove it home without further incident but we have stopped driving the car for safety reasons. In addition, the ABS computer module has also failed, though we have not had any incidents related to that failure as the brakes are otherwise fine.