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.
The brakes totally went out on my vehicle with no warning. It first started when I bought the car, the brake pad (almost brand new) almost set my left front rotor on fire within 10 minutes of driving. If I didn-??t pull over there-??s no question that my car would-??ve set on fire. My fuel like was leaking heavily, and the emergency brake which is hydraulic wouldn-??t even deploy. I could-??ve gotten killed. There is also an extreme issue with the power train system. Completely unsafe.
Air bag light is on.. called the dealership and keep getting a round about my air bags and the service they did on my car.. they had my car for 3 days and the morning I picked it up about an hour later had to have it towed back in again because the didn't do the recalls right.. now my engine light is on and my airbag light is on.. I've called and they do not want to listen to what I have to say.. they are telling me more things could be wrong and it will cost a lot of money to fix it.. I've had my car for almost 3 years with no problems and now that they have done work on it.it keeps messing up?
This car is out right dangerous.my wife is driving on the express way 70 miles an hour the emergency brakes come on to her surprise and lock up.thank goodness is was able to get it to the offside without incident.it seems this a common thing with this model, the gas pedal also cuts in and out unexpectedly causing the car to jerk violently in traffic. Ive just about had it with this thing.
The parking brake malfunctions due to an error in the electronics system board. This issue is severely under-reported as a large portion of cars affected ignore or reset the error by disconnecting the battery each time it appears. This needs to be an official recall but VW refuses to do it because they claim "not enough cars are affected".
As my husband was driving our Volkswagen home from work, he was merging onto an interstate at rush hour, and just as he got up to speed, the parking brake engaged (it's electric--it just turned itself on!). he managed to stop safely and had it towed to the VW dealer, where they looked at it and called us with an long list of things that would need to be fixed--the valves blew, the cv joints cracked, the transmission basically exploded, etc etc etc. It's about $6K worth of repairs! we had it inspected only 2 weeks before and everything was fine, so we're pretty sure this is what happens when the parking brake suddenly engages at that 70 mph. I don't know how my husband managed to maintain control of the vehicle. I am certain I would have been in a serious accident. Further research online shows that the electronic parking brake on the 2005-2010 Passats frequently had problems, disengaging or engaging unpredictably. The VW dealer service desk told us that they had seen a similar problem on a cc sport just two weeks prior (they actually noted this in the diagnostic report they gave us). I was telling this story at church, and a lady overheard and told me that the same thing had happened in her VW--though luckily they weren't going so fast and there were no other cars around.
- Dayton, VA, USA
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Put keyfob in the ignition and it would not start. The lights in the dash illuminated but engine would not turn. Also steering lock warning lock keeps blinking. Car is stuck in park, made several attempts to have it towed, before finally having an experienced tow truck driver drag it on to a flat bed because of car being stuck in park, key fob locked in the ignition switch, has been towed to 3 different shops who have yet to pinpoint the exact problem with the car. One shop claimed it was an electrical problem and that it had something to do with the ignition switch however were unable to fix it. Has spent xxx amount of money having it towed to several shops and still not fixed. Frustrated!!!!!!
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the brakes were applied and abnormally traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle also exhibited an increase in stopping distance. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that the hydraulic brake line was defective. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign I.D. number 06V472000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and called the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact did not have the hydraulic system replaced. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the braking assist system light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. After diagnosis, they advised him that the brake vacuum line failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages was approximately 60,000.
Driving home while stopped at a traffic light my car felt like it jerked forward though my foot was on the brake. I stopped my car briefly to get dinner, took a phone call and decided to leave. I put my car in drive and it would not travel forward. I put it in reverse and it would not respond. I looked at the display which indicated I should depress the brake pedal, I did. The message disappeared but the car would still not travel. I checked the parking brake button, it was on. I depressed that but it would not turn off. Everytime I put the car in drive the same depress the brake message. I called the dealership. It was suggested I keep trying to disengage the parking brake. "the car thinks the parking brake is on" I have never used the parking brake on this car. It came out of the showroom. Finally the brake disengaged. My second stop resulted into the same scenario. My fear is that this happen while I am driving. I am taking my car into the dealership in a few hours if it will move in. This car has been ideal up to this event.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pepperell, MA, USA