The contact owns a 1997 Volkswagen Passat tdi. The contact stated that a fire erupted spontaneously inside the dashboard which caused all of the wires to melt and the windshield to fracture. The fire department was contacted who determined that the fire started in the area where the ignition was located. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 200,000. Updated 6/12/12 the consumer stated the fire occurred in the area of the ignition and locking components were service, replaced and removed 15 days before the fire. The fire dept determined the fire started in the ignition.

- San Leandro, CA, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Volkswagen Passat. Whenever the contact attempted to activate the windshield wipers or headlights, they failed to turn on. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. There were no warnings prior to the failures. The current mileage was 62,000 and failure mileage was 60,000.

- El Sovrante, CA, USA

1997 VW Passat tdi. The car had a "tv-12" recall, in which the ECM and intake manifold was replaced. Within six (6) months, the ECM went out again, and VW "refuses" to live up to the warranty. 2) failure of this, does not diminish it's "crusing" capacity down the highway. However, there will be no power to pass safely, and much loss of power, when entering the 'exits'. consequently, a very possible situation results to have a terrible crash. VW knows about this, and only fixes it when "the customer complains". 3) the original intake was replaced, and ECM. However, VW will not put a 'new' ECM in, rather, they put in a "rebuilt" one. This is prone to human error, and that's why mine failed within five (5) to six (6) months. It 'goes out' constantly.

- Durham, NC, USA