Five problems related to cruise control have been reported for the 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2002 Passat.
My 2002 w-8 Passat four times this weekend would not disengage the cruise control when stepping on the brake. The brake feels very solid and cannot be depressed until a very quick & hard quick pressure is put on it about 3-4 times. I noticed after that incident (frightening) that it does not happen going down hill, only uphill or even a slight incline.
Brake switch light failure. My first indication of failure was the brake lights remained on after shutting down the car. I pumped the pedal and this extinguished the light. The car continued to operate normally for another 500 miles until I noticed the cruise control was out. I then noticed the brake lights were not operating at all. After researching the problem I found that this is a common problem with vw's. To my surprise though the Passat which uses the same switch other vws have been recalled on has no recall yet. This switch is a very dangerous switch as it disables the brake lights providing no warning to another driver behind the car.
Only 1 month after fixing the same problem, the system shorted out again, leaving the climate control system, the cruise control, garage door opener, and other items inoperative.
The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that her vehicle was a lemon when she purchased it in 2002. Water enters the vehicle from the sun roof whenever it rains. She received a recall notice, but the vehicle was not repaired according to the recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer more than fifteen times, but it has never been repaired. The failure mileage was 500 miles. Updated 8/24/09 the consumer was told the water leak was coming from the after market speaker. The headlight tail light and fog light bulbs were replaced. The check engine light illuminated and the coolant bottle had a hairline crack. The heat in the vehicle was not working properly. The technician discovered the heater core had a blockage. The water pump was leaking. Both outer cv boots were replaced. There was a large evap leak at the purge valve which was replaced. The cruise control light was on. The right side valve cover gasket was leaking oil and the alternator was replaced. Updated 08/26/09.
After starting car, the climate control system was inoperative. It was a hot summer day. No air conditioning or fan. Also found the cruise control would not "set". Drove immediately to dealer who would not even look at the 8 month old car for 2 weeks.