Front Suspension Lower Control Arm problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Passat

The contact owns a 1999 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 30 mph, the front end of the vehicle lowered to the ground without warning, which caused the vehicle to stop. The tow truck driver stated that the front lower control arm broke. As of may 8, 2008, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that he received service action bulletin for the front lower control arm in November of 2004. The dealer inspected the vehicle however; they did not make any repairs. The contact stated they he was able to replace the front lower control arm. The current and failure mileages were 228, 000. Updated 05/22/08 updated 05/22/08.

The failure of lower control arm happened without any warning, during normal driving on the city road when making a right turn (approximately at 5 mph speed). Right front suspension lower control arm sheared in two pieces, leaving a front passenger wheel completely separated. If this should happened on any higher higher speed, consequences would be deadly. I researched this safety hazard and found that vw issued a service action for the lower control arm on 1999 Passat. However, vw service representative informed me that the service action does not cover my vehicle. Vw's explanation was that it only covers parts from certain supplier (according to representative, vw used two different suppliers for the lower control arm). I believe that lower control arm was a defective part, as this type of failure could not be a result of normal wear and tear. It is a safety hazard. I have to replace lower control arm, drive shaft and wheel liner (and, possibly some other parts which were damaged as a result of the control arm failure) at my expense. I believe, vw should cover at least some of the expense, as it happened as a result of a factory defect.

1 - normal use - only 55,000 miles 2 - failure of lower control arms - must replace 3 - required to replace at cost of $400. 00.

Lower control arms recall vm. Wanted to charge me 325. 00 for the recall. Vw dealerhip said the recall was not valid unless 40k service was performed. Do not see the correlation with having some filters and fluids changed (40k service) with a suspension recall. Prior to 40k I had cvs changed and had filters and fluids changed. My car had a lot of problems with it and was worked on by vw dealership over 20 times between 32-49k. I was told the 40k service was not needed because of work done at 36k. Was told $240. 00 on 40k service check was not needed because of previous work and was over priced not not Smart to do. If there is a malfunction with the car, and their is a recall, the owner should not have to pay for it. If their was decent logic for me paying for this recall I would have no problem with it, but I cannot find it. It just seems a loop hole for me to pay for the manufacturer's poor workmanship. This loop hole should be closed, there is a lot of exceptions to why 40k was not performed.

I have a 1999 vw Passat, 1. 8l turbo. I received a service action from vw related to a lower control arm issue and took the car to the dealer. The dealer looked at it five weeks ago and told me there was nothing wrong with it despite the creaking and groaning I'm getting in the suspenion. I took it in today because the creaking an groaning have gotten worse and the service guy at the dealer is telling me that both lower control arms need to be replaced and they quoted me $1400. He told me that lower control arms fail over time due to the weight of the car, age and wear. This sounds like an engineering failure on the part of vw. I'm waiting to find out whether this is safety related, the service guy is going to call me back. I've been looking online and a lot of people thought a complaint should be lodged, so that's what I'm doing here. I shouldn't be having suspension issues at 70,000 miles.

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.

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!!!.

The front suspension lower control arm makes a squeaking, thumping noise as if there are no shocks.

Bushing has dried out on lower control arm on one side resulting in frequent loud creeking / squeeking noises. When making appointment with dealer I asked if it was a safety problem and should I rush the car in. They said "no, it's probably just a dry bushing" and scheduled me for 10 days later. When I learned of the $1200 repair cost and the need to keep the car overnight, I had to reschedule the appointment. Again, another 12 days wait (yet to come). If this is truely not a safety issue, then fine, but info on this site is to the contrary. Besides, why do suppose they call them "control arms?" if they mal function could that mean loss of control? hmmm. 85k miles on this car, but in retrospect, the noise started a long time ago and the dealer attributed it to lack of steering fluid. The noise returned and came back. This car has a lot of highway miles. I'll bet the failure is time based rather than milage based. These rubber busing can only take so much exposure to the elements. Vw - change the material for your bushings, right!!.

Problems with front suspension arms on 1999 Passat. The right lower control arm was replaced under warranty at 23500 miles and the dealer suggested that there were earlier problems before the current owners. The suspension part were design defective.

The control arms in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Volkswagen Passats are defective. According to the dealership if these are not repaired one can lose steering control. The upper control arms in my 1999 Passat had to be replaced in November 2003 and now the lower control arms need to be replaced. The dealership indicates that this problem is common in 1999, 2000, and 2001 Passats, and I have spoken with other owners who are having the same problem. This safety hazard warrants a recall on these vehicles.

"99 vw Passat VIN wvwma63b6xe245865 has loud creaking sounds from right-front suspension. Tie rod ends were replace in earlier recall. Ball joints are not worn. Lube of control arm and other bushings does not solve problem. Vibration corresponding to creaking can be felt in lower control arms.

The lower front and rear passenger side control arms needed to be replaced because they were starting to make noise, and will potentially fail. The dealership indicated that this could result in steering failure while driving. The noise was coming from the right side of the vehicle. The front control arm was replaced along with the rear control arm bushing.

Control arm made a clucking sound when the vehicle was driven at low speeds. Dealership indicated that the noise occurred because the control arm was loose, and if this part failed, the ball joints could break will driving. The control arm on the front driver side was replaced, but the failure occurred on the front passenger's side.

My vw passaat developed excessive play and noise in steering and front suspension. Car would wander on road and would not track straight on a highway. This was a safety issue. My local vw dealer said to bring car in immediately. Dealer said 4 control arms had failed and needed replacement at cost of $1400. Car had been maintained well and driven gently previously. Defective control arms on this vehicle are a safety issue.

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.

Submission of complaint re vw of America feel he has been over charged for numerous & extensive repair bills for his 1999 vw Passat. The consumer stated he is still experiencing problems with the front suspension. The front stabilizer was repaired and the lower control arm was repaired, however the problem recurred. The rear brake pads were worn. The front doors creaked when opened. The cruise control was intermittent. The consumer requested assistance of all the matters.

The vehicle experienced a constant groaning and squeaking in the front end suspension when driving at low speeds. The dealer said the lower control arm needed to be replaced. The dealer indicated that this was not a safety problem.

Lower control arm failure. Vehicle purchased from vw as certified like new with warranty to second owner. Vehicle had approx 30000 miles at purchase. Now has 67k miles. Appears to fit pattern relative to defective - should be recalled issue in which these parts fail every 30k miles. As noted on other incidents, no other vehicle exhibits this type of failure making this unique to vw and Audi. Therefore more indicitave of factory defect and creation of hazardous driving situation.

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

Driver's side lower control arm (front suspension) bushing/link has worn out at only 62k miles, a common problem on vw Passat and Audi a4 w/quadralink front suspension, unheard of on other vehicles. This is a potential safety issue. There ought to be a recall. This car has 8 control arms in total. The premature failure of these parts is by now well known, quite expensive, and potentially hazardous, not to mention inconvenient to vw customers. Vw has done very little to address this potential safety issue. The only recourse is to pay exorbitant sums, repeatedly, over time to replace the defective parts with equally defective parts which also fail prematurely; there is no permanent solution to this problem. There needs to be a recall or at the very least vw should be fixing these cars for free each time, no questions asked.

I am experiencing a creaking sound coming from the lower control arm bushings on both sides of the vehicle. From the NHTSA site, I have now learned that failed lower control arms and bushings are a common problem in the Passat. The vehicle was just purchased "certified" used from vw four months ago with 34,000 miles. I returned the car to the dealer, who said that the lower control arm bushings were "just dry from road salt", and proceeded to hose the bushings down with an aerosol can of lubricant. He said that if this did not eliminate the noise (it didn't) then I might wish to return in a week or so for them to investigate further. It is obvious from the other complaints I have read what the problem is. If this vehicle's lower control arms fail as frequently as other owners on this site have indicated, with the only warning being a dull creaking noise, it is conceivable that most ordinary drivers would never have the problem investigated. Those that do would find that the repair is extensive and expensive. It is likely that some of these may choose to delay or neglect the situation. Both scenarios pose a unique and serious safety threat to the operators and occupants of the vw Passat. There are tens of thousands of these vehicles on the road, and all apparently share in what is an obvious design flaw that creeps up every 25 to 40 thousand miles in spite of very expensive replacement. Failure of a lower control arm could easily cause a crash. Vw should do the right thing by acknowledging this engineering failure and voluntarily recall these vehicles immediately for the safety and well being of its customers.

While merging off the highway, a loud noise came from the left front of the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the dealership. The left lower control linkage had broke. The dealership replaced the part. The failure has recurred 3 additional time on the other control arms.

Creaking noise eminating from passenger side lower control arm bushing over low speed bumps. Can be reproduced by manually compressing front suspension while vehicle is parked. Dealer says vw doesn't consider failure of front control arm bushings to be a safety issue.

Right lower control arm sheared off wheel attachment, resulting in loss of control and crash.

Lower front control arms have failed in less then 30,000 miles. A loss of control of the car is possible.

The lower right arm of the front suspension has failed. This is after only 25,000 miles. The bushing has apparently come loose from the arm. If allowed to progress far enough, this could lead to unsafe handling of the vehicle.

Control arms on my 99 vw Passat have been replaced twice now. . . . . They are expensive ($650+) and obviously poorly engineered as others have had te same problems.

Lower control arm bushing failure, causing erratic handling, degraded since.

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...

I have informed the dealer and I imformed them about the lower control arm failure and there was TSB call for the item they told me that I dont quailify for that problem. The problem is that their a bushing failure on both side of the lower control arm it made it loose and you can feel it in the wheels and steering wheel. It would be a easy fix if they just replace the bushing but they dont just sell the bushing they sell the whole lower control arm. I have technical knowlegde about the cars and I believe that this is a problem. Its a safety issue to anyone. If the person does not know what going on. They will continue driving their unsafe car. The suspension test on the inspection station will not detect the problem. It will affect the alignment and the drive shaft and steering.

Lower control arms did not "fail" but were significantly worn at 21000 miles and they required replacement`. Vw covered 100% of replacement cost. *****dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over*****757901.