I have a 1999 VW Golf - Wolfsburg edition. About two weeks ago I experienced brake failure while travelling about 70 mph on a local highway. I recovered the vehicle before any crashes, though it was close.
When I took the car to the dealer, they told me that the exhaust system, which has rusted out, was blowing hot exhaust gases onto the brake valve. This heat causes the brake fluid to vaporize and hence the brakes to fail. VW's official line is that this is a 'maintenance' issue. Who maintains the exhaust system? I believe that this is a fatal design flaw in the car. If the exhaust is damaged in any way while driving, say by running over something dropped off the back of the vehicle in front of you or an animal, then soon enough you will have the brakes fail. I have driven other cars with exhaust systems rusted out for some length of time and never experienced this sort of problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I have a 1999 VW Golf - Wolfsburg edition. About two weeks ago I experienced brake failure while travelling about 70 mph on a local highway. I recovered the vehicle before any crashes, though it was close.
When I took the car to the dealer, they told me that the exhaust system, which has rusted out, was blowing hot exhaust gases onto the brake valve. This heat causes the brake fluid to vaporize and hence the brakes to fail. VW's official line is that this is a 'maintenance' issue. Who maintains the exhaust system? I believe that this is a fatal design flaw in the car. If the exhaust is damaged in any way while driving, say by running over something dropped off the back of the vehicle in front of you or an animal, then soon enough you will have the brakes fail. I have driven other cars with exhaust systems rusted out for some length of time and never experienced this sort of problem.
- Bastien K., Pickering, Ontario, Canada