The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while approaching an off ramp while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where an unknown diagnostic test and repair was completed. Additionally, the dealer fractured an unknown part underneath the hood and water entered the vehicle near the sun visor and there was water accumulating on the rear passenger’s side door location. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Volkswagen Passat water leak problems
64 of the 7,709 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Passat describe water leaks into the cabin, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 64
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 52,700
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 6Door locks 4Airbag light 4Transmission failure 2Won't shift 2Stalling 2Jerking 2Won't start 1
What owners say
Noticed the carpeting getting wet on the drivers side floor. After doing some research online tracked it down to the drivers side drain for the moonroof. The hose shrunk over time and disconnected from the rubber piece that goes through the firewall and allows the water to drain outside of the vehicle. Had to splice a piece of hose to the original so it would be long enough to connect again. Worried that the condensation from the water leaking inside the car may affect electrical components over time.
Water leaking in from sunroof. Foot wells on passanger side filled with water. Water drips from sun visor attachment. Air bag fault light came on soon after I noticed this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that it took multiple attempts for the vehicle to become operable even when the starter was engaged. The vehicle also experienced an interior water leak and the driver side door latch would not properly latch. In addition, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of engine power and the check engine, brake, and various other warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a software failure, and the ignition coil springs were defective and needed to be replaced. The ignition coil springs were replace however the failure recurred. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
Volkswagen passat 2007 passat water leak footwell that causes passenger side airbag damaged : suddenly after a rainy day, water comes from sunroof to the passenger side footwell and made carpet wet and stores water below the carpet. That caused passenger side 's airbag malfunction results in airbag fault. I went to the dealer and they told me it happens with some vw cars and please get your car checked for water leak. They told that they are not responsible for neither the airbag nor the water leak. I believe there was too much water below the carpet which directly puts the integrity of the safety in danger since it the electronic parts and wires were in water for long time.
I have had my 2003 vw passat a year now I have just noticed in the past week that it had a leak I thought it was from the window or sun roof I went to vacuum the car out on a nice day and seen that it still had very wet carpet and then noticed the carpet was a green color like it was coolant I then had my bf check it and it is. I run a daycare and use this car daily with my children we have been breathing in this coolant for weeks now and that probably explains my daughter saying she gets headaches when we drive the car. I have done some research and see it is a very common and recalled thing with the heater core and I had no idea I hope us breathing this in hasn't done any damage I have a one year old who has been in it this whole time as well.im very unpleased with this car.
My car has been leaking coolant. I took it to a shop and was informed that the heater core was bad. I have had to replace the inside computer already and probably all the carpet since the water has been leaking into the car. I suffer from asthma and can no longer drive this car since it smells like coolant/mold and not to mention water leaking on my foot as I drive (very unsafe since the pedal gets slippery.) I have read online on many sites that there was a recall regarding this matter and the owners were never notified. I need this fixed before something bad happens; either I get into an accident or I end up in the hospital. Thank you very much for getting back to me and getting this matter fixed promptly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen passat. While parked, the contact noticed water leaking from under the driver and passenger side floorboards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000. Updated 01/24/12
2004 vw passat, VIN [xxx] july 2010 - sunroof drains failed to drain; water entered cockpit; water destroyed convenience module under driver's seat. Repaired $769 july 2011 - sunroof drains, although open, could not handle flow of water, and again convenience module was destroyed. Will be repaired soon. This current failure now has a 'airbag fault' warning on the dash. Will not allow my wife to drive car. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Power train lack of power when pressing the accelerator may have caused an accident, pulling out in traffic. This was due to water leak in pollen filter box (cracked) which affected the shift lock solenoid, affecting the transmission control module. 2003 volkswagen passat mileage of 121,000 miles. Normally garaged and maintained according to schedule. After rain, found an inch of water in rear passenger floor. Transmission non-functional, air bag warning light and other warning lights on. Dealer said the pollen filter seal was no good and that water leaked in and destroyed the transmission control unit which is located in the floor behind the passenger seat. I have read many accounts on the internet from many angry owners of similar problems where leaks from this seal have caused catastrophic repairs. The service manager at the vw dealer told me that checking the pollen filter seal is not part of any regular maintenance and that in order to check it, you'd need to disassemble quite a few things in the engine compartment. When I asked him how an owner could possibly know if the seal needed replacement and he replied "you found out how". I am clearly not alone in having experienced a failure from a part that is not in any way maintainable (the pollen filter seal) and that has caused major damage to the car. I feel this is a consumer issue and that this is a design defect in the passat that vw should compensate owners for. There is no way for an owner to be able to avoid this situation -- it is not a matter of maintenance. It got to do with the passat leaking water and the location of an extremely expensive component in the rear passenger floor, the area where any water that leaks migrates to. If this failure had occurred during driving, I might. I have been told to replace transmission spent another 2000$ and its not even this the problem!!!!
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Volkswagen Passat water leak
Which Volkswagen Passat years have water leaks into the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (17 complaints), 2002 (13 complaints) and 2001 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix water leaks into the cabin on the Volkswagen Passat?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 14 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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