Five problems related to seats have been reported for the 1999 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving my 1999 Volkswagen Passat, the driver's seat slid backwards and became completely detached from the frame. For a moment I could not reach the pedals or the steering wheel. Luckily, I was able to retain control of the car and stop it safely. It seems the entire seat is secured to the car with two screws which had come loose. After re-attaching the seat, I took it to a local Volkswagen dealership to see if they could do anything about it. I believe they applied some lock-tight to the screws, but that was it.
I sensed a rocking motion in the driver's seat, especially when applying the brakes. I reported the problem to the dealership. They determined the seat frame had broken at the point of a spot weld. They replaced the frame at a total cost of $480. 79. The repair resolved the problem.
Consumer moved the driver's seat to its fully forward position in order to retrieve a dropped item. The seat became stuck in that position and could not be moved. This was an unsafe position for the seat to be in according to the owners manual, as it allowed the possibility of injury if the air bag deployed.
While coming out of a right hand turn and going on an uphill grade seat failed by dropping to floor and sliding all the way back, causing temporary loss of control of vehicle.
Seat has been coming apart from the floor. Dealer replaced the frame of the seat, and now the seatback is not adjusting properly. Regional manager went on a test drive with the consumer, and said that it was not a safety problem. But, would fix it for her. Seat is still loose, and has been taking back manny other times.