I have had problems with my 2004 Passat instrument panel since the first year I bought it. The panel would show false "door ajar" warnings and "trunk ajar" warnings. About a year later it started showing the "gas lid ajar" warning light. I reported it to the dealership and was told that there was no such light. It continued to happen, and the dealership told me to take pictures of the warning next time it occurred. This happened quite often, but the warranty ran out before I could show it to them and they now say that it's not covered. The instrument warning panel now gets so dim that you can't read it when the car gets too hot sitting in the sun. About a year ago, the engine warning light came on and the warning panel stated, "stop! turn engine off immediately." I was 320 miles away from home by myself at the time. I discovered that there was no problem. It was just a malfunctioning warning. Two weeks ago, the engine light came on again, so because of the past false signals, I ignored it and drove a 640 mile round trip by myself. A week later, my husband and I were on a trip and the engine light was still on. The second day of the trip, our car battery went dead and we had to replace the battery. Having a faulty system caused me to disregard the warnings and, therefore, had to purchase a new battery. I am thoroughly disgusted with Volkswagen products and the dealerships service and integrity.

- Alamo, GA, USA