In August of 2013, while backing out of a driveway, I experienced a total loss of braking. After examining the car, I discovered that the plenum that holds the battery and brake booster was nearly filled with rain water. It was necessary for me to remove one of the duck-billed drain plugs in the plenum as all were clogged with debris, preventing water from draining out. The flooded plenum appears to have resulted in water being drawn through the vacuum lines when attempting to brake. This, in turn, caused a significant amount of water to be drawn into the crankcase. Water was also drawn into the cylinders resulting in misfiring. After removing at least one drain plug in the plenum for proper drainage, and double flushing the contaminated oil in the crankcase, I experienced no further braking problems until freezing weather in November 2013. In November, while braking near the bottom of a hill, I again experienced a hard pedal with no depression and almost no braking ability, resulting in the car going into the intersection before fully stopping. The car was towed to the Volkswagen dealership for repair. Two weeks later, there was again the symptom of a hard pedal? with no depression and near loss of all braking. The car was again returned to the Volkswagen dealership for repair. This time, the vacuum booster, the vacuum pipes, and their related items were replaced. As noted in the dealership invoice, evidence of water was found in the replaced vacuum booster. The dealership acknowledged that the plenum had a significant high-water pollen line, indicating flooding of the plenum. It was believed by their service department staff that the brake failures in November and December 2013 were likely the result of residual water freezing in the vacuum booster, causing the booster to be inoperative. Also, the ignition coils were replaced. Updated 01/30/14 the consumer stated the insufficient fix during the 2008 campaign did not resolve the problem. It allowed for continued flooding of the plenum compartment a

- West Milford, NJ, USA

When I started my 2002 Passat station wagon yesterday, there was no power assist function on the brakes. This was experienced two days in a row, and braking was extremely difficult. Braking distance was greatly increased over what it had previously been. This phenomenon happened when I first started driving the vehicle after it was parked a while. Pumping the brakes seemed to improve the effectiveness of the braking, but never enough to give me confidence that I could stop when I needed to. I have taken the car to the dealer, and they have said the master cylinder needs replacing. I participated in the air plenum recall and had the air plenum replaced on 9/7/07. I am sending in the present complaint after reading the NHTSA action # PE07018. The problems with the brakes in complaint #PE07018 sound very much like my problem, and I thought you should be aware of my situation. I also live in Wisconsin where we are currently having a cold wet winter.

- Eagle, WI, USA

2002 VW Passat with total brake failure customer is requesting compensation for repair work to car and house** it was discovered the brake booster assembly, which was supposed to be vacuum-sealed had 1 quart of water in it. The mechanic stated that due to the cold night, the assembly froze up, and when the consumers wife started to pull the vehicle into the garage to warm it up, the brake system failed.

- Natick, MA, USA

: the contact stated while in the driveway, the brake pedal would not depress and the vehicle would not stop. The vehicle was put in neutral and the parking brake was applied. The contact waited for the thermostat on the vehicle to go above freezing then took the vehicle to the dealership. The dealership determined the drain holes in the battery compartment had filled with road debris. This caused water to get trapped in the compartment and freeze. The master vacuum for the brakes is located in this compartment, and this freezing caused the failure. The debris was cleared out and the master vacuum and other components were replaced.

- Newtown, CT, USA