Nine problems related to front suspension lower ball joint have been reported for the 1999 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Volkswagen of America sent me a letter to check/replace front suspension lower control arms 1998-2000 Passat vehicles. Vw dealer informed me they will fix the control arms at no cost to me but as a result of the work performed the vehicle will now need an alignment which is not covered as part of the recall. This is absurd. I paid for an alignment 5 months ago and prior to the recall my vehicle obviously does not need an alignment but as a direct result of fixing the control arms my car now needs an alignment which I have to pay for. The alignment should be covered as part of the recall for the control arms!!!.
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.
Upper and lower ball joints making grinding noise dealer suggested replacing all upper and lower ball joints on left and right sides.
The consumer heard a creaking noise coming from the front end. The mechanic informed the consumer. Please provide more information. The consumer stated that the vehicle became unstable at highway speeds. Many other drivers of the same vehicle on the internet have experienced the same problems.
Both control arms failed on 1999 Passat glx @ 60000 miles on left and right side of the car. Repair covered by vw extended warranty to the tune of $689 per side of the vehicle, but these control arms should not be failing! steering, control, and tire wear suffer serious impairment as a result of these failures.
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. Front suspension problems. Refer to TSB 4001-01. I brought my 1999 Passat to the dealer regarding a noisy front suspension problem and informed them of a TSB on the vehicle. I was informed that vw provides a repair kit for this problem that requires the replacement of the lower control arm assembly. Which includes the defective ball joints (both sides). The dealer informed me that vw will not cover the repair and that the cost to me would be $875. 00. Spoke with vw representatives on April 2 and was given a decision on 4/9 that they would not assist with the cost in any way since "this could also be caused by normal wear and tear". This assertion, in my opinion is bogus since a. Vw knows there is a problem, hence the TSB. Provide a "kit" to repair the defect. The case number is 30164333. Suspensions should not be falling apart on a 3 year old vehicle with 50,000 miles on it. And the cost ($875) is quite excessive. The noise started showing up in early January of 2003.
Control arm's of '1998-'2000 Passats are failure prone much earlier then the norm for passaneger automobiles. (a fact they recognized by a redesign of the control arms on '2001 and up Passat's. I purchased my car in 7/99. I drive 70 miles a day, mostly freeway, which as all know is actually very easy on an automobile. Yet with-in 2 years (40k) my front suspension was showing signs of premature wear. I get many "creaks" and "clunks" that are easy to hear at low speeds. . Read more...
A loud noise was heard while driving the vehicle. The dealer determined the front upper and lower ball joints were cracked on the right side and leaking oil. Please provide details.