10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,523 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2003 Volkswagen Passat fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2003 Volkswagen Passat Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #65

May 262007

Passat 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle stalled at very busy intersection and would not start. Had to be pushed to the side of road through traffic and towed to dealership. Fuel pump was found to have failed and needed to be replaced at a total cost of over $900 with cost of rental vehicle.

- Monticello, FL, USA

problem #64

Apr 182007

Passat 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • miles
I had taken my car to the dealer to replace a fuel pump. When the car was returned to me there was a hole burned into the driver side seat. The rep at the dealer said the seat warmer in the driver side seat had burned completely through the seat. He had seen it happen before. But my seat warmer was not on at the time. I don't need to use it in southern California weather. The problem will need to be fixed but the manufacturer should be made to cover the cost.

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

problem #63

Feb 242007

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
Fuel pump failed at 75K miles. My VIN is within the recall range for 06V017000 but I was refused recall service as VW claims my vehicle is not affected. I contacted VW when the recall was announced and was informed of this fact. The VW dealer replaced the fuel pump but informed me again that the replacement was not covered. As a fuel pump should last much longer than 75K miles, I feel that my vehicle was misidentified and should be covered.

- Danbury, CT, USA

problem #62

Feb 232007

Passat 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

- the contact stated that his 2003 Volkswagen Passat glx, fuel pump failed on 02/23/07. He stated that while driving vehicle at a speed of 45 mph on clear day in the center lane the vehicle lost power. He stated that the vehicle stopped in the middle of the expressway and couldn't ge the vehicle to start back up. He and other witness help push vehicle up the hill to the side of the road. The contact had the vehicle towed to the Volkswagen dealership. The contact stated that the dealership informed him that the fuel pump had failed and needed to have fuel pump replaced. The contact found a recall for the same year, make and model with campaign# 06V017000 for the fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Fuel pump. The contact stated that he checked with the dealership and they informed him that the VIN did not fall under the recall. The contact stated the service manager did inform him that they will cover the cost of the parts, but he would be responsible for the cost of labor $200, and a diagnostic cost of about $150. The contact stated that he had informed the dealership that he would like to keep the fuel pump that will be removed from the vehicle.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #61

Aug 012006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles
Last summer the fuel pump failed on the highway on my 2003 Volkswagen Passat VIN #[xxx]. the car was towed to VW and the fuel pump was replaced. During a search on the internet for recalls I noticed that there was a recall for the fuel pump on the car. When I looked deeper into the recall I found that my car is barely out of the VIN # recall range. I have also found that this is a large problem with other people being barely out of recall range. I think that the VIN # recall range is obviously short of what it should be since so many people are having this issue.. this is not normal wear and tear. Vwoa was not willing to help in this matter and I thought I should report it... updated 07/11/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Yorkville, IL, USA

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problem #60

Jan 172007

Passat 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 144,976 miles
- the contact stated that a 2003 Volkswagen Passat stalled while driving at approximately 30 mph. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle would not restart and was towed to a repair shop. The repair shop diagnosed the vehicle as having a bad fuel pump and replaced the part. The repair shop advised the contact there was a recent recall on fuel pump. The contact called the dealer and was told this vehicle was not a part of the recall due to the VIN. Updated 2/22/2007-

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #59

Jan 142007

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car quits suddenly while driving; won't re-start. Was towed to dealer; replaced fuel pump.

- Gold River, CA, USA

problem #58

Oct 242004

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,000 miles
Relative to NHTSA recall 06V017000, my 2003 Volkswagen 1.8T Passat, which I purchased as a certified used vehicle with 25K miles, experienced what later was determined to be a fuel-pump failure at approximately 29K miles. This incident occurred in October 2004, while I was traveling at highway speed on a rural interstate following a weekend trip to a neighboring state. I had been using the cruise control to travel at the 65 mph speed limit, and had accelerated to pass a semi-tractor-trailer. Having passed the truck, the cruise control did not kick back in as usual when I took my foot off the accelerator but, rather, the car lost power suddenly and completely. I was able to navigate to the side shoulder without property damage or injury, where I arranged for towing to the nearest town with a VW dealer (the tow-truck driver sent to retrieve me nearly was side-swiped/killed by a passing semi while loading my vehicle onto his flatbed, however). It being a Sunday, my trip was disrupted and I was forced to stay overnight in the dealer locale until the problem could be addressed the following day. Because a new fuel pump was not in stock and could not be delivered for another 2 days, I returned home in a rental car and arranged to have my car transported to my local dealership once the repair was completed, which turned out to be some 9 days later. Expenses of the disruption were reimbursed completely by VW of America. I became aware of the subsequent recall only recently via an internet website on VW Passat mechanical problems. I have not been contacted by VW about the recall, but I presume that it was because my defective fuel pump had been replaced before the recall action was initiated.

- Skokie, IL, USA

problem #57

Dec 182006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,806 miles
2003 Volkswagen Passat 1.8L fuel pump died without warning during rush hour in a very busy part of town. It caused a huge traffic jam, and I had the car towed to my house by aaa. I had my mechanic check it out and her verified that the fuel pump had died. The car has only 55K miles on it, which is very premature for a fuel pump failure. This is a recall item on 2003 Passats built up until 3/03. My car was built on 4/03 and Volkswagen refuses to cover the repair, nor fix it under warranty because my car is over the warranty mileage.

- Kirkville, NY, USA

problem #56

Aug 102006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles
Fuel pump faliiure on 2003 VW Passat car stalled on I-95 in the middle of highway traffic family was stranded on I-95 at 1:00am

- Westborough, MA, USA

problem #55

Sep 202006

Passat 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,001 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

: the contact stated while driving 5 mph, the vehicle made a clanging noise while pulling into a garage. When the brake was depressed, the pedal went all the way to the floor, and did not engage completely. There was no indication of a problem prior to the incident. A private repair shop was consulted, and determined the rear brakes needed to be replaced. The brake pads were replaced, the tires were rotated, and the oil was changed. During the subsequent test drive, the vehicle stalled completely while traveling 25 mph. A service dealer was consulted by the private repair shop, and determined that the fuel pump had failed. The fuel pump was replaced. There was a NHTSA recall # 06V017000 which pertained to the fuel pump. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #54

Mar 062006

Passat 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
: the contact stated, recall # 06V017000; fuel pump (VW #M7) was received in the 2nd week of March 2006. When the service dealer was contacted for an appointment, the contact was informed the fuel pump was back ordered and the contact would be notified when the part was available. In May 2006 the part was still on back order. When the manufacturer was notified, the contact was referred back to dealer.

- Easton, CT, USA

problem #53

Sep 012006

(reported on)

Passat

  • miles
Consumer complaint against dealer and manufacturer refuse to repair the 2003 Volkswagen Passat under recall. The dealer informed the consumer they couldn't perform the recall because there were no more fuel pumps available.

- New Hope, MN, USA

problem #52

Apr 012006

Passat 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
: the contact stated the vehicle had a recall (06V017000) for the fuel pump. The vehicle was on the waiting list to get the fuel pump replaced with the dealer for five months. The service dealer expressed the part was not available. The manufacturer expressed the fuel was unable to be obtained.

- Fairfield, CT, USA

problem #51

Aug 302006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles
: the contact stated there was a recall notice received in March 2006. There were no problems with the vehicle before the recall notices was received; however the contact inquired six times as to when the part would be in and the dealership could not offer an estimate. The NHTSA recall was # 06V017000 regarding the fuel system, gasoline: Delivery: Fuel pump. The parts needed to repair the vehicle were not available at the local dealership. The manufacturer confirmed the parts were not available.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #50

Aug 112006

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,000 miles
: the contact stated while traveling 65 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and then towed to an independent repair shop. The repair shop determined the fuel pump needed to be replaced. There was a NHTSA recall, # 06V017000, regarding the fuel pump. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. 08/29/06 vehicle was in left lane of 4 lane interstate when failure occurred. Driver had to move across all the lanes to safety.

- Westborough, MA, USA

problem #49

Jul 312006

Passat 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 44,400 miles
At 44,400 miles and just 4,000 miles after fuel pump replaced the new fuel pump failed on my 2003 Passat wagon. Both incidents occurred while driving the car on high traffic Suburban Washington DC streets. There was no warning and car came to an abrupt stop without time for me to signal the cars behind me. This is in addition to having to replace both front and rear rotors at about 20,00 miles as well as control arms. This seems to be an inordinate amount of service in only 3 years and 44,000 miles!

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #48

Jun 212006

Passat

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,913 miles
: the contact stated the vehicle would not start due to a defective fuel pump. The vehicle was towed to the service dealer who determined the fuel pump was the cause of the problem. The fuel pump was replaced due to recall # M7 (NHTSA # 06V017000). The pump was replaced three times by the service dealer who determined the first two to be defective and the third pump failure due to ethanol mixture in the fuel. The manufacturer suggested several gas stations to be used that had been tested for ethanol content.

- Stratham, NH, USA

problem #47

Mar 012006

Passat

  • miles
Over four months ago, I received Volkswagen's safety recall M7 (applicable to 2003 VW Passat's) regarding a defective fuel pump that may cause a car to "stall without warning and... present a potential risk of crash." I immediately called a dealer to get the part replaced. Nothing has happened since. After months on a waiting list I am now leaving the Washington DC area, and am told that there is a similar wait list (backed up for over 4 months) where I'm moving to. Volkswagen's delay and refusal to cure the fuel pump defect is simply unacceptable. I strongly urge the NHTSA to investigate.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #46

May 022006

Passat

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
NHTSA recall 06V017000 for a VW Passat. I have been waiting nearly 3 months since my appointment for the "part to arrive." I have called a written VW about the fuel pump, all I get is - "it's on order."

- Hillsborough, NC, USA

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