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.
Tie rod ends excessive wear. Required replacement prior to issuance of nys inspection @60K in 07. Tie rods previously replaced by dealer under recall in 2001@ 19K. Different recall in 05 @ 50K for inspection/replacement of control arms resulted in inspection only. Dealer did not find excessive wear of control arms or tie rod ends. I doubt dealers integrity or that the service tech was aware of previous tie rod replacement. Obviously the acceptable wear would be greater had the parts been in service longer. Defective control arms lead to excessive wear of the steering linkages and ball joints. The vehicle has very low mileage for its age and has been used less than 6K a year since purchase in 05. Cost for the replacement was $150 parts (moog tie rod ends), $90 labor, $75 for the required alignment and nys tax = ~$330. This is safety concern and excessive wear for a part that should have at least a 60K life expectancy. It would be normal for a vehicle to travel 20K between inspections. For the dealer to ok at 50K and an independent inspection facility to condemn at 60K is suspicious. The parts were visibly worn and defective by personal inspection.
Control arms making noise.. needs replacement..wv manufacturing defect... most such vehicle has the problem and its a safety issue. Wv need to do a recall in this.
Front upper control arms and outer tie rods had to be replaced for the second time. First time at 55,552 miles and second time at 75,959 miles. That's only 20,407 miles difference for the $1200 repair to be done again. Absurd. Called the VW customer care and they refuse to reimburse in any way stating the 2 year warranty expired. This defect would never fall within the warranty period so they have no excuse. I already absorbed the cost for the 1st repair so in all fairness they should cover the 2nd time. This is a very common problem with VW's. I'm not going to pay $1200 every 20,000 to have my car repaired. I will go legal and forward this complaint to consumer reports, the BBB, and the attorney general.
I have a 1999 VW Passat V6 gls. I have 74, 270 miles on the car. My ABS and brake light came on about 1 1/2 weeks ago, then my check engine light came on, then my ABS/ brake and oil pressure light came on and were flashing. I brought it to VW dealer today, and was told my ABS module needed replacement for $975. I went online and found at vwvortex.com that quite a few people had similar problems with their Passat in my year range. I don't feel that I should be charged for a defective part that is jeopardizing my safety. In addition, I received a recall in 11/04 for vehicle control arms. I brought my car to VW dealer on 12/17/04, and was told that my control arms did not need to be replaced. At that time I had 61, 923 miles on the car. Today, I am told only 12,000 miles later that my control arms need to be replaced at my own expense because the recall is closed. I don't feel that I should be charged for this part either, the defective part should have been replaced in 12/04 before it could pose a hazard to my safety.
Front lower control arms needed to be replaced. Have been making a lot of noise for some time now. Was told it wasnt a safety concern yet, just annoying because of the noise. Called VW and was told they could do nothing even though they have documented many issues with the control arms and tie rods.
- Sun Prairie, WI, USA
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This is the 2nd time I have had the front control arms go bad on my vehicle. If the control arms aren't replaced, it can cause failure of the front suspension and steering mechanisms. Both the front and back control arms were replaced and I do have the old parts.
Normal use of '99 VW Passat with an odometer reading of 99,650 lead to the failure of ront contorl arms and tie rod ends. Replacement control arm set with tie rods retails for $1,700. Purchased a set for $495 and an additional $198.75 in labor.
The control arms, tie rod, and one cv boot failed. The consumer received recall notice for 1999 VW Passat after repairs were done. The consumer requested reimbursement. The consumer claim for reimbursement was denied. The manufacturer stated the consumer did not have the necessary maintenance performed when required.
I own a 1999 VW Passat V6. I had noticed that noises were coming from the front suspension, and recently steering felt a little funny. I took the car to an independent auto shop to have it checked and for the state inspection, and I was informed that the front upper control arms had deteriorated to the point of making driving the car quite dangerous. I had them both replaced at a steep cost. I checked online and found several complaints regarding to this issue. I called vwoa to inquire whether they would be willing to pay for the repairs, but they declined. Control arms are not supposed to fail easily, certainly not have joints blown up as in my case. Almost all of my miles are highway miles, and I haven't been hitting potholes or drive off-road for the problem to be attributed to normal wear and tear. I am surprised NHTSA hasn't investigated the issue or order a recall, since this is such a common problem in Passats, the number of complaints so high, and a failure compromises road safety significantly (failure of the control arms can cause loss of steering and lead to crash or even death).
A grinding noise was heard when driving 5-30 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the consumer that the control arm bushing needed to be replaced. The grinding noise was first noticed 1 year prior to repair. The noise was extremely loud when the vehicle at low speeds, there was a squeaking noise in the front suspension, and the vehicle needed front and rear pads, rotors. The glove box was broken.
Vehicle is at 40,000 miles. At 40000 service, dealer reported that the control arms are failing and must be replaced. Because I do not want the control arms to completely fail, leading to a loss of steering control, and potentially resulting in a crash, I will be paying out of my pocket for an independent mechanic to replace the defective control arms. There have been many complaints about control arms reported over internet forums such as vwvortex.com and clubb5.com. Volkswagen refuses to issue a recall for an obviously defective critical suspension component.
As a result of a persistent rattling in the front right end of my 4 cyl. 1999 VW Passat, I took my car in for investigation. I have been advised by two independent repair shops that both upper control arms on both sides of the car as well as the tie rod ends must be replaced to the tune of $1200. If they are not replaced, I have been advised that one could break and I would have no steering. Obviously at a high rate of speed this could be dangerous or deadly. I have spoken with VW and even though they acknowledge issuing a tsb on this defect, they refuse to cover its repair. This is a safety issue that must be addressed sooner rather than later. Thank you for any help you can provide in this area.
The control arms on my 1999 Passat are wearing out and making a loud noise. I did research and saw that this is a serious hazard and that several other people have had this same problem. This issue should be taken care of by VW since it places people in danger.
I've had a clunking sound in the front suspension whenever I hit a bump. It has gotten progressively worse for the last several months. The dealer tells me it is the front upper control arms and ball joints and that there is a tsb on such. This is a common well known problem with this model and poses a safety issue.
Creaking and groaning noises were heard coming from the front of the vehicle (1999 Passat station wagon with 43,000 miles) while slowing and turning at low speed. Dealer confirmed loose sway bars/control arms and attempted to clean up, but noise persisted following service. At the next service the dealer replaced both lower control arms (conversion kit) and links. VW customer care (?) center refused to acknowledge any responsibility for a defective design or parts, claiming that this is normal wear and is beyond warranty coverage.
I began to notice an occasional creaking/knocking noise coming from the front end of the car about six months ago. About a month ago the noise became bad enough for me to take it to the dealership to try and diagnose. I described the noise in great detail. Service dept says they drove the car and didn't hear anything, but that the noise was probably due to my brake pads being worn down so far I had metal against metal. New brake pads and rotors: $1250. Cha-ching. Next day driving to work I still hear the creaking/knocking noise. I take it back to the dealership, very irate. They say they'll drive it again and give it another listen. This time they do hear something and inform me that it's "just a loose control arm, " that it's "expensive to fix" and that "[they] don't even have the parts on hand." But the guy assures me that the noise is only an annoyance issue and not a safty concern. The noise is consant now and very, very bad. I was actually getting a toasty, smoky odor coming from the car when driving across town the other day.
The vehicle is a 1999 volkwagen Passat. I took it in for regular maintenance at 48,000 miles and for my state safety inspection. Since I had just begun hearing noises in the front of the car, I asked that it be looked into. The dealer informed me that the car, albeit in excellent condition and routinely maintained, would not pass state inspection due to a serious problem with the control arms. If the problem was not corrected the car could lose control and crash. The dealer informed me that a recall had been issued (recall ul) for this exact problem on the same make and model and year of car. But, that for no explainable reason my VIN was not covered under the recall. I immediately contacted VW and they concurred but couldn't do anything about it. This is not only unethical, but VW is allowing people to drive around with cars that they know have a serious defect. Not only didn't VW cover all the applicable vins in their recall, but they did not inform their consumers ofthe potential problem. According to the dealer, this problem, if left uncorrected, could cause serious harm if the control arms failed at high speed. VW will not recognize this problem. It should be noted once again, that this defect in the control arms occured at only 48,000 miles. Not only did I have to pay $1200 for a serious, and acknowledged, design defect, but the repair parts that were installed are exactly the same as the poorly designed ones. This problem will happen again. The only question is when. The government should look into this before someone gets seriously hurt or even killed. VW refuses to stand by their product. The dealer has indicated that this is such a common problem that they stock the front end repair kit. If it is so common why aren't all the applicable vins covered?
The control arms on the front driver's side failed and the car collapsed to the ground on the driver's side. The repairs are costly. The dealership and Volkswagen are not receptive to paying the repairs or a discount.
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- Glen Head, NY, USA