This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Control arm's of '1998-'2000 Passats are failure prone much earlier then the norm for passaneger automobiles. (a fact they recognized by a redesign of the control arms on '2001 and up Passat's. I purchased my car in 7/99. I drive 70 miles a day, mostly freeway, which as all know is actually very easy on an automobile. Yet with-in 2 years (40K) my front suspension was showing signs of premature wear. I get many "creaks" and "clunks" that are easy to hear at low speeds. After researching in popular internet forums for the car, (www.clubb5.com, www.vwvortex.com) I found out this failure is very common for this automobile. Vmoa (Volkswagen of America) has not issued a recall yet (even though they have received thousands of complaints) as of this late date. (6/04) the response from vwoa and your dealer network has been inconsistent, to say the least. Some dealers will not even look at the car, some will look at it and say nothing is wrong, and some will say that it is the control arms, but will not help out the owner when the time comes to contact the customer care center at vwoa. Vwoa is not much more help, promising to get on the problem and telling you they will callback, only they donT. or if they do, it is, sorry we cannot help you. . so what happens is that many of the owners that are out of warranty, must pay for a costly repair out of pocket. A repair that should have never happened. (I have never had control arm bushing failure in my previous 13 automobiles!) repair costs run over $700 for parts, and the same amount in labor. I am purchasing my car from the bank soon. Overall it is a great car. I must replace the control arms very soon. I dont look forward to that and the high cost it will run me. I wish for vmoa to treat its customers like a modern customer focused company. Bad designs happen. They owe it to their customers to make it right. Thank you. John E. tami.
My car began to shake and the check engine light started flashing. I drove directly to the VW dealer service dept. I found that my power output stage has failed and tie rod ends are blown out on 1999 VW Passat at 39,990 miles. Not to mention that my pollen filter housing is leaking.
Vehicle has same problem with the tie rod as those included in the recall, however, the consumer's vehicle identification number was not included in the recall.
While driving at any speed the vehicle vibrated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the tie rods needed to be replaced. The consumer wants the dealer to fix the problems with the vehicle
Tie rod ends wore out prematurely due to faulty lubricant boots resulting in erratic control of the vehicle. Models similar to mine were recalled by VW, but not mine. My mechanic says the parts are identical.
During a scheduled maintenance check, an independent mechanic determined that the tie rods were loose and must be replaced. A recall was issued for some 1999 and 2000 models, however the consumer was informed that his vehicle was not included.
Vehicle inspection by independent mechanic indicated that both front tie rods need to be replaced. There is a recall campagin but VW dealership indicated that my vehicle was not covered under
Consumer had the same problem as described in the recall below, however this vehicle was not recalled due to the VIN. NHTSA: Recall 00-V-414-000: Vehicle description: Passenger vehicles. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism. It is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly.
The consumer received a recall notice (recall # 00V-414000) which advised him to seek repair for a faulty tie rod seals. The vehicle was dropped off at the dealer and they called the consumer when the repairs were complete. When the consumer returned to the dealer he was notified that his vehicle did not require the specific recall repair. About a year later the vehicle began experiencing front end problems. The consumer believed these problem were related tot he recall issued the previous year.
Consumer has multiple problems with vehicle. Received recall 00V414000 for tie rods. Vehicle would shake and make noises at times. Also, supension was squeaking enough to take vehicle to dealer. Lower and upper control arms and tie rods had to be replaced. Consumer had a foreign automobile shop to verify problem. It was unbelievable that a 2 year old vehicle would have this problem. Consumer was responsible for $1400 to repair it. Dealer has no explanation why it was like this.
Premature wear of tie rod: Inner. A recall has been issued on vehicle's make and model; however, this vehicle was not included due to VIN. Dealer will repair vehicle at owner's expense. Manufacturer has been notified. Manufacturer agreed to pay for repairs, also the recall has been updated and has now included consumer's vehicle VIN number.
Recall 99V248000/tie rods: Vehicle experiencing a torn seal on right tie rod due to defective parts. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was not covered under recall. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
Seals in front tie rod ends are broken on both sides. Dust can get in and affect steering of vehicle.this is the same problem as recall # 99V248000 for tie rods.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mission Viejo, CA, USA