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.
Steering tie rods and front suspension are worn out on VW Passat making steering very inaccurate and in a state of constant steering input to maintain straight direction of vehicle. Afraid this will lead to an accident. Car has only 82,000 miles on it and this is the first time I have ever heard of such complete impending failure of a front suspension. I understand that this is common in Passats. It seems to me this is a design flaw that should be corrected.
My 2000 VW Passat with 60,000 miles has 2 serious and expensive problems first one was when I noticed a loud popping noise on bumps and steering was very unstable on bumps. Took it to a shop and they told me it was the control arms and tie rod ends and that both were dealer items. So upon going to the dealer they told me they needed $90 dollars before they could even look @ it. So I said no but how much are the parts and turns out there more than $500 dollars. Three weeks later my ABS light and asr light comes on and it reads in the middle of the dash to stop! brake fault so reading this with my family in the car I immediately pull over find out where the nearest VW dealer is and ask them to inspect the problem. Well that was easier said than done first they wanted the $90 dollars again before they would look at it and since I didn't have the money there was nothing they could do! nothing they can do!! that's crazy!! after arguing with them on why they don't want to look at it but it could cause a serious accident they said there's no immediate problem its ok to drive but it could be the ABS module or the dash cluster its self. So I asked the price ABS $1200 dollars new dash over $700 and that's not including labor.. so sorry to say but VW lost a customer with me and my family and friends. The car is just to new for this type of stuff to happen there should be a recall on this because I know im not the only one. And just to add, my old car which I have to drive now since I don't have the money to fix the problems with the VW is a Honda Prelude with 185,000 miles and still no problems.
Premature tie rod failure. Left and right tie rod ends are prematurely worn resulting in the passenger side tie rod in breaking, parts need to repair damage, left and right tie rod assembly, ball joints, 1/2 shafts. Estimated repair cost $1678.
We took our 2000 VW Passat in to the VW dealer for state safety and were told that our drivers side tie rod was unsafe to drive on and that the passanger side would need to be replaced soon also. We took it to our regular mechanic for a second opinion and he was shocked how bad of condition they were a year 2000 and having 55,000 miles. We had to replace the left front outer tie rod end; link rod; and left front upper ball joint total cost was $370 and we will need to do the same soon for the left front side very soon. I am appalled that VW is aware of these complaints in the 2000 model and has not issued a recall.
- Taylorsville, UT, USA
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Upper control arms are failing and dangerous, which is leading to the tie rods failing. I am told the car is unsafe to drive. VW quoted me $1100 to make my car safe to drive. I am puzzled that VW is unconcerned about life and safety issue for the owner and other drivers. I have seen many websites asking for owners to contact NHTSA about this issue.
2000 VW Passat with only 42,000 had worn tie rods to the point where it was dangerous to drive. Fortunately this was discovered when the car was taken in to the dealer for other maintenance/service work. The tie rods were replaced at the owner's cost. VW refused to pay for the repairs even though there were two recalls for tie rods on 1999 Passats (NHTSA campaign id #99V248000 and 00V414000). VW also just issued a "service action" in November 2004 for checking/replacing front suspension lower control arms. However I was told that this service action did not include tie rods. I believe VW is attempting to circumvent a recall by issuing this "service action" bulletin, and by not covering problems with tie rods in this service action maintenance. Since the prior year of Passat (the 1999 model) had problems with the tie rod and the recall was after the 2000 Passats went on the market, it is most probable that the same problems were still present in the 2000 Passat.
While driving 20 mph heard a loud noise coming from the front and the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. Mechanic determined that the tie rods needed to be replaced.
Faulty outer tie rod end seal for VW Passat 1.8T. Car with only 46000 miles already needs new outers tie rod end due to premature/faulty brakage of seal.
Had to replace all of the front control arms and tie rod ends on my 2000 Passat glx 4-motion wagon. Five out of 8 control arms were in very poor conditions with torn boots over the ball joints. The ball joints in the controll arms were torn and ball joins were dry and noisy. The tie rod ball joins were worn out and making noises. The car has not be wrecked or damaged other wise.
While driving at any speed front end wobbled. Consumer took vehicle to a mechanic for a front end alignment. Mechanic determined that the tie rods needed to be replaced.
Tie rod ends failed on 2000 Passat effecting the steering control. Prior to 44000. Dealer stated this is considered normal for Passat. Tie rod ends were returned to me and the seals were not protecting the swivel bearing. Independent auto repair shop advised there had been a previous recall in 99 for the same problem but this car was not included. We believe Volkswagen may have the same or similar issue with tie rod ends on additional autos.
2000 VW Passat wagon- less than 50 thousand miles- mechanic informed us that the tie rod ends were shot. Contacted VW with a complaint about the rate of failures of many parts of this car. These failures are what would be considered premature. VW asked me to bring in vehicle for a thorough inspection and confirmed tie rod failure- replacement to be at my expense.
At 62K miles 3 control arms/bushings and tie rod end have failed for no apparent reason. Authorized dealer's mechanic seemed surprised that this part failed so early. On the other hand, it seems like it is a well-known problem with 2000 Passats (and Audi which are supposed to use same parts), and the recall has already been supposedly issued for in germany. Why has it not been addressed here in the U.S. if it's a known problem and safety risk?
The vehicle was taken to the shop for an alignment. The technician noticed that the tie rod ends were worn but the vehicle only had 60000 miles on it. The consumer found a recall (99V24800) on the internet which described the symptoms the vehicle experienced with the tie rods. The consumers vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.
(2000 VW Passat) mechanic indicated excessive tie-rod-end wear due to seal failure -- identical to failure subject to recall in 1999 model. VW was notified on 7/7/2003 and declined to take responsibility for the repair.
Tie rod and control arms are prone to failure, I.e. bushings become worn and will tear after time. The bushings on my vehicle for both upper control arms (currently @ 48000 miles) on both sides and tie rods have started to crack and tear.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Western Springs, IL, USA