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.
Due to the cloudiness of my front headlights I almost ran over two joggers in my neighborhood. I was not speeding and I had just replaced the light bulbs in both headlights, yet, because of the decreased light output of my headlights which I estimate to be at least a 40% reduction, I simply couldn't see the joggers until I was almost on top of them. This is unacceptable. Consumers should not have to replace/repair non-consumable safety items such as headlights assemblies.
9/2003: Headlights aimed incorrectly; road wasn't illuminated. Within 2 wks, 1 of the bulbs burned out. Within a week of the 1st, the 2nd bulb burned out. Cost to have headlights repositioned & bulbs replaced: $267. 9/2003: Rear tail light out. Cost to have bulb replaced by mechanic: $32.50. 11/2003: Both rear windows off track. Cost to tear doors apart & fix: $159.75. 12/2003: Electrical problems with front power windows. Never know if window will go up or down. 2004: Had car in for (at least) 3 different dashboard warning codes. One had something to do with fuel, or the fuel tank or something. After some trial and error on my mechanic's part, discovered that unscrewing and tightly rescrewing gas cap fixed the problem. Cost to diagnose and "fix": $165. Had (at least) two other warning codes in 2004 that required me to take the car in. 6/24/2005: Had been hearing crunching sound from front right portion of car that was particularly apparent when hitting a pothole, a dip in the road or attempting a tight 360 turn. Mechanic (specializing in european cars) identified a bad control arm. Cost of repair & alignment: $713.70. Cost of rental car: $100.88. Total: $814.58. Note: The left side has been making the same sound since 12/2005. Have not yet repaired it. 10/24/05: Car started going dead intermittently. The car had less than 60000 miles on it. Replaced battery for $106.50. 1/2006: Temp gauge maxed out, coolant boiled over, smoke & steam issued from hood in less than 8 minutes at idle. Cooled car for 2L hours, replaced coolant and drove to mechanic, who replaced thermostat, water pump & timing belt. Cost: $725. 2/2006: Brakes are spongy and provide no resistance until nearing the floor. Mechanic says rotors and brake pads are fine. 6/2006: Transmission gets stuck in 1st gear. Must stop the car, turn it off and then restart. This is an electrical problem and is governed by the computer. Cost to fix: Unknown. 6/2006: Front window now off track. Have not yet fixed it.
A plastic gear on the headlight adjustment breaks, preventing the adjustment of the headlight, and causes the aiming of the headlight to "drop". the only method of repair is to replace the entire headlight assembly. I know of 3 other people with 2000 Passats with the same problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Antonio, TX, USA