One problem related to vehicle shudder has been reported for the 2001 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2001 Passat.
As my son got on the highway the transmission felt like it was slipping and jerking to then catch back up to the original speed I was going. When he put his foot on the gas pedal the car would struggle to go, 5 seconds later it would get up to speed but then slow back down. At a stoplight the car would shake roughly and idle really high, then he saw the front of the hood start to smoke and I realized there was a problem.