general problems of the 2001 Volkswagen Passat

Abs light on and break light flashing.

Car went into passing gear while passing slow vehicle on two-lane road. When pass was completed and foot was lifted from accelerator pedal, car continued to accelerate dangerously even though accelerator pedal returned to normal position. Only by shifting into neutral, braking with both foot and hand brake and switching ignition off was driver able to bring vehicle under control avoiding collision with other car ahead in same lane. After a minute, driver attempted to resume journey and restarted engine in park. Engine raced to full rpm. The malfunction indicator lamp (mil) and electronic power control (epc) and airbag warning lamps were lit at this time. Driver switched off ignition, deemed vehicle unsafe to drive, and called for local vw dealership to send tow truck. After waiting for tow truck about 30 minutes, driver restarted engine normally. No warning lights were showing except the air bag light, but driver elected to wait for vehicle to be towed.

Windshield wipers do not work on rainy days making it difficult to see out the windshield. A lady hit my car on the right side collapsing that side along the doors and some of the rear and the air bag did not deploy. I put my feet on accelerator for speed and the car refuses to respond. The more I accelerate the slower the car goes.

While at a stop applied brakes and vehicle started to accelerate up to 50 mph. Consumer could not stop vehicle, and it rearended another vehicle. No injuries, damage to vehicle unknown at this time.

When at a stop or driving transmission will not shift to higher gear. Engine will race, rpm's go up, and vehicle will not accelerate. Vehicle has been taken to dealer 4 times, cannot remedy the problem.

Consumer stated the vehicle experiences hesitation when pressing on the accelerator, after stepping on the accelerator pedal and receiving no immediate response, the vehicle after a moment will lunge foward spinning the wheels on wet, snowy and or icy pavement, consumer has taken vehicle into dealership on numerous occasions, codes have been reset, spark plugs have been replaced, the idle was adjusted to help with the rough idle, the fuel filter was replaced, the dealer stated possibly a throttle body problem.

My vw Passat has a problem with hesitation upon acceleration. My dealer has had other complaints but vw of America seems unaware of it and has not provided a fix. I am currently talking with vwoa and working my way up the chain of command. Picture this: I am leaving a gasoline station, accelerate slightly to the station exit, check traffic in the curb lane on a 45 mph limit city street, see there is ample room to merge in front of the nearest car, press the accelerator - and nothing happens - for as long as 3 seconds! I now accommodate for the possibility of it happening by waiting for a large gap in traffic, sometimes to the irritation of the driver behind me. It is very bothersome: an accident waiting to happen. When the problem does occur, it is always at slow speed, around 10 mph, after a short acceleration and after lifting my foot from the accelerator and reapplying pressure. The tachometer is at 1000 rpm and sits there for 1 to 3 seconds, then rises quickly to the point where the engine speed engages the transmission and acceleration begins. I have tried pumping the accelerator which does not seem to shorten the hesitation time.

There is a bizarre acceleration lag in vehicle when consumer applies pressure to gas pedal. Dealership examined vehicle for two weeks, and informed consumer that there was a problem with acceleration of vehicle, but would not inform him what problem was. When consumer attempted to contact better business bureau, dealership informed consumer that vehicle was operating normally. Please provide any additional descriptive information of the problem or attachments regarding this problem.