Two problems related to windshield have been reported for the 1999 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Front windshield cracked while vehicle was parked in direct sunlight on an extremely hot day. Vehicle design uses a frameless glass windshield which I believe does not adequately support glass, thereby resulting in windshield stress cracks which obscure outward visibility and present serious safety issue. Request NHTSA investigate Volkswagen's use of frameless windshield glass and determine if there is an unusually high incidence of windshield failure in Volkswagen (and companion Audi) vehicles.
Windshield is optically distorted.