Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Passat - part 1

I own a 1999 Volkswagen Passat in which the control arms, tie rod ends, ball joints, and bushings are failing. Based on some internet research, this is a common failure for similar makes, models, and years. The problem occurs every day, and if left unattended, results in safety problems at higher speeds. Parts will be replaced in the near future and old parts will be retained, if it is feasible.

On my vehicle, the passenger front lower control arm is failing at the ball joint. There are loud screeches at low speeds when passing over bumps coming from the ball joint evidencing the inappropriate wear. This was addressed and replaced according to service bulletin "vm" with Volkswagen in early 2005, but the part is wearing improperly again. Failure of this part could cause loss of steering and could be fatal at highway speeds.

Tie rod ends excessive wear. Required replacement prior to issuance of nys inspection @60k in 07. Tie rods previously replaced by dealer under recall in 2001@ 19k. Different recall in 05 @ 50k for inspection/replacement of control arms resulted in inspection only. Dealer did not find excessive wear of control arms or tie rod ends. I doubt dealers integrity or that the service tech was aware of previous tie rod replacement. Obviously the acceptable wear would be greater had the parts been in service longer. Defective control arms lead to excessive wear of the steering linkages and ball joints. The vehicle has very low mileage for its age and has been used less than 6k a year since purchase in 05. Cost for the replacement was $150 parts (moog tie rod ends), $90 labor, $75 for the required alignment and nys tax = ~$330. This is safety concern and excessive wear for a part that should have at least a 60k life expectancy. It would be normal for a vehicle to travel 20k between inspections. For the dealer to ok at 50k and an independent inspection facility to condemn at 60k is suspicious. The parts were visibly worn and defective by personal inspection.

Control arms making noise. . Needs replacement. . Wv manufacturing defect. . . Most such vehicle has the problem and its a safety issue. Wv need to do a recall in this.

Front upper control arms and outer tie rods had to be replaced for the second time. First time at 55,552 miles and second time at 75,959 miles. That's only 20,407 miles difference for the $1200. 00 repair to be done again. Absurd. Called the vw customer care and they refuse to reimburse in any way stating the 2 year warranty expired. This defect would never fall within the warranty period so they have no excuse. I already absorbed the cost for the 1st repair so in all fairness they should cover the 2nd time. This is a very common problem with vw's. I'm not going to pay $1200 every 20,000 to have my car repaired. I will go legal and forward this complaint to consumer reports, the bbb, and the attorney general.

I have a 1999 vw Passat v6 GLS. I have 74, 270 miles on the car. My abs and brake light came on about 1 1/2 weeks ago, then my check engine light came on, then my abs/ brake and oil pressure light came on and were flashing. I brought it to vw dealer today, and was told my abs module needed replacement for $975. 00. I went online and found at vwvortex. Com that quite a few people had similar problems with their Passat in my year range. I don't feel that I should be charged for a defective part that is jeopardizing my safety. In addition, I received a recall in 11/04 for vehicle control arms. I brought my car to vw dealer on 12/17/04, and was told that my control arms did not need to be replaced. At that time I had 61, 923 miles on the car. Today, I am told only 12,000 miles later that my control arms need to be replaced at my own expense because the recall is closed. I don't feel that I should be charged for this part either, the defective part should have been replaced in 12/04 before it could pose a hazard to my safety.

Front lower control arms needed to be replaced. Have been making a lot of noise for some time now. Was told it wasnt a safety concern yet, just annoying because of the noise. Called vw and was told they could do nothing even though they have documented many issues with the control arms and tie rods.

This is the 2nd time I have had the front control arms go bad on my vehicle. If the control arms aren't replaced, it can cause failure of the front suspension and steering mechanisms. Both the front and back control arms were replaced and I do have the old parts.

I am having the known issue with the upper and lower control arms on my vw Passat. Volkswagen so far will only cover the lower control arms if they fail or appear damaged. Many other people are having problems with the upper control arms that are not covered. The steering tie rod ends also need to be replaced. These tie rod ends appear to be failing at a very high rate in vw Passats. I am having this replaced at a very high cost. Volkswagens must be too expensive to maintain. It was my mistake was taking this issue to a vw dealership. I assumed vw would be able to work with me.

Normal use of '99 vw Passat with an odometer reading of 99,650 lead to the failure of ront contorl arms and tie rod ends. Replacement control arm set with tie rods retails for $1,700. Purchased a set for $495 and an additional $198. 75 in labor.

All 8 control arms were replaced between 70000 and 74000 mile. .

Recall campaign 00414000 dealer notice too much play in upper control arms and tie rods. Recall campaign# 99v248000. The consumer was told that the VIN was outside of the VIN range. The second issue was with the output stage control module which was replaced due to the vehicle losing power and shuddering.

I own a 1999 vw Passat v6. I had noticed that noises were coming from the front suspension, and recently steering felt a little funny. I took the car to an independent auto shop to have it checked and for the state inspection, and I was informed that the front upper control arms had deteriorated to the point of making driving the car quite dangerous. I had them both replaced at a steep cost. I checked online and found several complaints regarding to this issue. I called vwoa to inquire whether they would be willing to pay for the repairs, but they declined. Control arms are not supposed to fail easily, certainly not have joints blown up as in my case. Almost all of my miles are highway miles, and I haven't been hitting potholes or drive off-road for the problem to be attributed to normal wear and tear. I am surprised NHTSA hasn't investigated the issue or order a recall, since this is such a common problem in Passats, the number of complaints so high, and a failure compromises road safety significantly (failure of the control arms can cause loss of steering and lead to crash or even death).

The event that led up to the issue, was traveling on the interstate when the car began to shake violently and the car began to completely sway to one side. The car almost seemed as if it lost its alignment immediately. I brought it to a repair shop and they immediately informed me that the control arm on the upper right side was shot. I had to then take a used car that was purchased less than six months old to the dealer to replace the part at a price of 1100 dollars.

Vehicle is at 40,000 miles. At 40000 service, dealer reported that the control arms are failing and must be replaced. Because I do not want the control arms to completely fail, leading to a loss of steering control, and potentially resulting in a crash, I will be paying out of my pocket for an independent mechanic to replace the defective control arms. There have been many complaints about control arms reported over internet forums such as vwvortex. Com and clubb5. Com. Volkswagen refuses to issue a recall for an obviously defective critical suspension component.

A grinding noise was heard when driving 5-30 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the consumer that the control arm bushing needed to be replaced. The grinding noise was first noticed 1 year prior to repair. The noise was extremely loud when the vehicle at low speeds, there was a squeaking noise in the front suspension, and the vehicle needed front and rear pads, rotors. The glove box was broken.

As a result of a persistent rattling in the front right end of my 4 cyl. 1999 vw Passat, I took my car in for investigation. I have been advised by two independent repair shops that both upper control arms on both sides of the car as well as the tie rod ends must be replaced to the tune of $1200. If they are not replaced, I have been advised that one could break and I would have no steering. Obviously at a high rate of speed this could be dangerous or deadly. I have spoken with vw and even though they acknowledge issuing a TSB on this defect, they refuse to cover its repair. This is a safety issue that must be addressed sooner rather than later. Thank you for any help you can provide in this area.

The control arms on my 1999 Passat are wearing out and making a loud noise. I did research and saw that this is a serious hazard and that several other people have had this same problem. This issue should be taken care of by vw since it places people in danger.

I've had a clunking sound in the front suspension whenever I hit a bump. It has gotten progressively worse for the last several months. The dealer tells me it is the front upper control arms and ball joints and that there is a TSB on such. This is a common well known problem with this model and poses a safety issue.

Creaking and groaning noises were heard coming from the front of the vehicle (1999 Passat station wagon with 43,000 miles) while slowing and turning at low speed. Dealer confirmed loose sway bars/control arms and attempted to clean up, but noise persisted following service. At the next service the dealer replaced both lower control arms (conversion kit) and links. Vw customer care (?) center refused to acknowledge any responsibility for a defective design or parts, claiming that this is normal wear and is beyond warranty coverage.

I began to notice an occasional creaking/knocking noise coming from the front end of the car about six months ago . About a month ago the noise became bad enough for me to take it to the dealership to try and diagnose. I described the noise in great detail. Service dept says they drove the car and didn't hear anything, but that the noise was probably due to my brake pads being worn down so far I had metal against metal. New brake pads and rotors: $1250. Cha-ching. Next day driving to work I still hear the creaking/knocking noise. I take it back to the dealership, very irate. They say they'll drive it again and give it another listen. This time they do hear something and inform me that it's "just a loose control arm, " that it's "expensive to fix" and that "[they] don't even have the parts on hand. " but the guy assures me that the noise is only an annoyance issue and not a safty concern. The noise is consant now and very, very bad. I was actually getting a toasty, smoky odor coming from the car when driving across town the other day.

The control arms, tie rod, and one cv boot failed. The consumer received recall notice for 1999 vw Passat after repairs were done. The consumer requested reimbursement. The consumer claim for reimbursement was denied. The manufacturer stated the consumer did not have the necessary maintenance performed when required.

The vehicle is a 1999 volkwagen Passat. I took it in for regular maintenance at 48,000 miles and for my state safety inspection. Since I had just begun hearing noises in the front of the car, I asked that it be looked into. The dealer informed me that the car, albeit in excellent condition and routinely maintained, would not pass state inspection due to a serious problem with the control arms. If the problem was not corrected the car could lose control and crash. The dealer informed me that a recall had been issued (recall ul) for this exact problem on the same make and model and year of car. But, that for no explainable reason my VIN was not covered under the recall. I immediately contacted vw and they concurred but couldn't do anything about it. This is not only unethical, but vw is allowing people to drive around with cars that they know have a serious defect. Not only didn't vw cover all the applicable vins in their recall, but they did not inform their consumers ofthe potential problem. According to the dealer, this problem, if left uncorrected, could cause serious harm if the control arms failed at high speed. Vw will not recognize this problem. It should be noted once again, that this defect in the control arms occured at only 48,000 miles. Not only did I have to pay $1200 for a serious, and acknowledged, design defect, but the repair parts that were installed are exactly the same as the poorly designed ones. This problem will happen again. The only question is when. The government should look into this before someone gets seriously hurt or even killed. Vw refuses to stand by their product. The dealer has indicated that this is such a common problem that they stock the front end repair kit. If it is so common why aren't all the applicable vins covered?.

The control arms on the front driver's side failed and the car collapsed to the ground on the driver's side. The repairs are costly. The dealership and Volkswagen are not receptive to paying the repairs or a discount.

Purchased my 1999 vw Passat 1. 8t wagon in August, 2002. It had apprx. 53,000 miles on it. By September, 2003, there was a significant squeaking, creaking, groaning noise coming from the front end. At that time, car had approximately. 75k miles. Diagnosis was front end suspension parts including control arms, ball joints, bushings were dangerously worn and in need of replacement. Vw dealership provided me with a copy of technical service bulletin issued by Volkswagen of America dated may 31, 2001. It calls for installation of parts in repair kit no 3bo498 798a. Because of existence of the tech service bulletin for this problem, my extended warranty company (wynn's warranties) refuses to pay for repairs. Repairs still needed to tune of $1100. Front end is now so loose for safety reasons I will have to make repairs immediately at my own expense.

Upper and lower front suspension control arm bushing failure. (left and right).

Started to feel and hear a thumping, and creaking from my suspension. Took vehicle to a vw dealer and they said that I needed to have both upper control arms replaced on the left front of my Passat. I called vwoa and they said that they were not going to help pay for it b/c it is considered a wear item. A 99 Passat w/ less than 50k miles! and they consider that wear?!? from what I have researched, I am far from the only person that this is happening to. Now I have to dish out $500 easy to get it fixed. Buy another vw? not on your life. Vw has been hearing the complaints about this situation for years now and still will not help. I would hate to see something tragic to someone just for them to fess up.

Control arms and ball joints need to be replaced with only 43000 miles on the vehicle. Volkswagen went by recommendation of dealer not to help with the cost of repair.

1999 vw Passat requires replacement of front suspension control arms at 64. 8k miles. Symptoms reported initially at 3 years/49k miles. Appears to be related to service bulletin 400101. Problem well known among Passat/Audi owners. Dealer asking $1200 for repair. Vwoa declines to help, stating that suspension is "2 year 24k mile component". Mileage, existence of service bulletin, and widespread experience with this problem suggest that this is a defective component and should be at least partially covered by vwoa.

Front control arm failure.

Creaking/squeaking noise from front-right (passenger) side of front control arms. Dealer indicated need of replacing control arms for wear. Vehicle manufactured in 99 with 92414 miles, mostly highway miles, does not give a reason for these to fail as most cars have control arms to last a lifetime of a vehicle hence failing at the car's current condition should not be acceptable.

Control arm on left front wheel has begun creaking very loudly and I have been told it is about to fail. On most cars the control arms are built to last the life of the car, so at only 60,000 miles this is definitely a problem. Upon doing some research, it appears this is very common in recent model Volkswagen Passats, and that a recall has already been issued in germany where they have stricter automotive regulations. Also, the part was re-engineered for 2001 model Passats, indicating Volkswagen is well aware of the problem. If this part is failing on basically all 98-2000 model year Volkswagen Passats, it seems like only a matter of time until a catastrophic failure causes an accident, unless a recall is issued in the united states. Please keep me informed on any possible recall information. Thanks.

Front suspension begins squeaking due to failure of ball joints which are integral with the lower control arm. This defect requires replacement of the entire arm. I've learned this is a common problem for 99 Passats. It is unheard of for these types of components to fail so early before 50,000 miles but they do on these Passats.

While driving there's a squeaking and popping noise coming from under side of vehicle when going over bumps in road. Took vehicle to mechanic, and they replaced three control arms. A short time later popping started again, and consumer needed a fourth control arm. Consumer contacted dealer, and they stated vehicle was not under any recall. Currently, all eight control arms have been replaced.

Left and right control arms are worn and need to be replaced-common problem with 1999 vw.