Check Engine Light On problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Passat

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Passat . The contact stated while vehicle was in a stand still, the vehicle was not able to turn on . The contact stated check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated the plastic on vehicle was low quality on the interior and exterior of vehicle that may been the reason for failure. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing to be replaced timing chain actuator/solenoid. The contact stated a local dealer was contacted to know about open recall, stated no recall on vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately  180,000.

2003 Volkswagen Passat has had recurring problems with ignition coils over the past two years (have already had two replaced at personal expense, as they were not under recall/warranty) most recent issue with such has occured the past two weeks, beginning with the appearance of the check engine light along with periods of my vehicle running very rough (a "rumbling" type sensation, particularly when idling/while stopped) this soon escalated into a total loss of power while driving on the freeway the other day, which necessitated in me having to abruptly pull onto the shoulder, smoke came out from under the hood for a minute or two. Took my Passat to a local repair shop the next day, where they read the error code(s) for my check engine light---turns out there are 10 in all, 1 for each cylinder in my engine (I have a v6), 3 for each ignition coil, and 1 general engine code. This will be the third time I have dealt with this issue in a very short time frame. I will be calling the dealership first thing in the morning but I do not believe there is any recall/warranty out for this issue still. I am very upset and displeased with vw and their lack of reliability/credibility regarding this issue. It seems that it is quite widespread from what I have researched and read and I hope that something will be done about it soon, I cannot afford to keep paying for this and certainly cannot afford for the safety hazards of it to get any worse, im afraid an engine fire will be next!!.

2003 vw Passat wagon 1. 8 t sludge issue stop engine light came on at 88,683 miles indicating oil pressure is low and vehicle should not be driven. Has not yet been repaired/replaced: oil sludge low bar pressure $1792.

The check engine light on my vw Passat 2003 with only 60 k miles came on while I was driving and as a result of that the thermostat and the oxygen sensor had to be replaced. The car mechanic was is an independent vw mechanic and he was of the opinion that at such mileage such malfunctions should not occur in this car.

While driving or idling, an engine warning light appears telling the driver to stop immediately due to no oil pressure. This can happen at any time. The problem is due to a known issue by vw of oil sludge buildup. The consequence is the engine will seize up and need to be replaced along with but not always including the turbocharger. Vw has extended the warranty to 8 years unlimited miles for those engines, but unreasonably requires production of all oil change receipts for the entire history of the car.

Our 2003 Passat wagon (4 cyl 1. 8 engine) had a fire in the engine last week. After driving about 20 minutes and parking, my husband noticed the check engine light and then smoke coming out from under the hood. He opened the hood and saw a fire in the engine. He was in a parking space and drove it a block to a service station, where the mechanic put out the fire with water. The fire had started in the ignition coils (which had been replaced in 4/2003, before the recall) and would have required the replacement/rebuilding of the engine harness. Our insurance company declared the car a total loss.

At a stoplight car began to shake and sputter, I made it home with the car shaking the entire time. Had to replace coils. Have broken down twice and had to have car towed since then and replace coils. Not too mention the other several times coils were replaced without the car actually breaking down. Due to the coils constantly going bad caused the catalytic converter to go bad, which had to be replaced may 2011 along with the coils and O2 sensor. But two months later the engine light was on again, once again due to the coils. They were replaced, and engine light on again. They told me it would void the warranty on the converter due to the issue with the coil packs! the car now smells like it is burning when only driving for 20-30 mins. Had to get a emissions waiver from the dot for 2 years due to the problem since it wouldn't pass inspection. There is obviously a problem with more than just the coil packs themselves. They have been replaced a dozen time, yet there is still a problem. It seems to me that the whole housing unit for the coils need to be replaced along with the wires, too prevent fire and other problems with the cars.

I purchased a 2003 Passat and have been in for two coils, engine light, back hatch lock broken, fuel pump but the most important one thus far was when I told them my oil pressure light came on two days prior and they told me it will cost 4000. 00 to fix it because the engine is full of sludge. I would produce receipts for services that I actually do regularly every 3-4 thos. Miles or three months. However they informed me from vw of America that 99% of the people have to pay for it because their receipts don't meet the requirement of the mileage of the services. They state that it must be done prior to 5 thos. Miles but the book states every 7 thos. Miles for services to be done. When I bought the car they didn't tell me that I should use the expensive filters/and synthetic oils when servicing the car. Is everyone !@#$% out of luck on them covering this. And once done what prevents it from doing it again? I am getting rid of this ASAP and never buying another vw ever! I will spread the word about buying a vw to everyone I know.

1. 8l turbo engine with 51,000 miles, still under power train warranty. Oil press/stop engine light illuminated momentarily. First time was the summer 07. I called the dealership and they advised changing the oil, which I had done 2k miles and 2 months previous, but did again. That worked, no other advise by dealer. No occurrence again until Nov 07. Dealership inspection revealed sludge and coking. Vw of America will not pay for any type of repair without receipts proving maintenance in accordance with the owners manual. I did all my own oil changes on schedule but did not keep receipts for oil/filter. The $130+ diagnostic charge was not covered by the warranty either. Additionally, dealer said the warranty was void because I had an other than vw oil filter on. Repair estimate is $3,000 to rebuild engine.

Oil sludge build up. Stop engine light came on. Immediately took car to dealership and learned that it was an oil pressure issue to sludge. Volkswagen had issued an extended warranty. However, they requireed complete records which most people did not keep. There were numerous complaints with regard to this issue. Wondering why a recall has not been imposed given the expense to consumer's for something that was obviously a manufacturer's defect. Consumer protection should be first priority.

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen passas. While driving 65 mph the check engine light illuminated then the engine failed. The dealer repaired the vehicle and stated that it was drivable. Approximately an hour later the check engine light began to illuminate intermittently. The dealer stated that there could be a faulty engine sensor. The next day, the check engine light illuminated and remained on and the engine eventually failed. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 58,000.

My 2003 vw Passat 4-door sedan has experienced multiple occurrences where the brake lights continue to remain on while driving and even after the engine is shut off. This happened again today and I noticed this time that the emergency engine light came on while driving earlier in the day - this is also another issue that also comes on/off for no reason. I've reported the warning light a couple of times as well to the vw service and they don't know why that happens either. The warning light will at least shut off when the car is turned off, unlike my brake lights. Since today is Saturday, leaving my brake lights on until the service department reopens on a Monday is probably going to run my battery dead. With that concern in mind, I immediately called the vw roadside assistance hotline, 800-822-8987, to see if they had any repair instructions I can look into and the operator said she was unable to find any documentation. She advised that vw roadside can come tow my vehicle to a dealership (that won't reopen until Monday) or they can come to jump-start my car (which can take up to 45-60 min. After dispatch). This seems a terribly long time to wait & a huge inconvenience esp. Since it also took 30 min. Just to reach the live operator in the first place. I love driving my Passat; I bought it brand new direct from the dealership in 2003. Car safety is very important to me which is why I'm adamant about following service guidelines and bring my car in for regular maintenance & oil changes. I only bring it into a vw dealership service, never a local garage mechanic. Can NHTSA please look into both issues: 1. Sporadic check engine light warning while driving 2. Brake lights remaining on while driving and after the car is shut off. I am very concerned as both are major causes for safety concern, in addition to further expensive repairs which may be defects that the manufacturer should cover instead. Thanks.

I have a 2003 Volkswagen Passat and about a month ago my engine light came on. I took it to montesi Volkswagen dealer in hamden, connecticut. They charged me $85 to determine the cause. And then they told me that there is nothing wrong with the engine, but the software which controls this light must be updated and that costs about $235. I told them that it is not my fault that the existing software on the car is not functioning properly, and you must install the software free of charge. But they didn't accept it. I think this not right, and they are responsible if the original software that they installed is not working properly.

The consumer stated that on the 2003 Volkswagen Passat the engine light came on. The consumer took the car to the dealer, and dealer wanted the receipts from the oil changes. The dealer said that there was sludge in the engine. The dealer said that was the consumers problem, and it was the consumer that could not produce the receipts, the consumer had to pay for it. The owner did not fixed the problem. The dealer said that the warranty would be void if they did not have the receipts showing that the oil was changed every 5,000 miles.

: the contact stated the engine on the vehicle failed. The dealership determined the engine needed to be replaced due to an oil sludge problem. Two months later the check engine light continued to illuminate. The dealership determined the engine needed to broken down to see if the problem was related to the oil sludge problem. The engine failed in August 2005 with one year/12000 mile warranty. A month after replacement the check engine light came on. The dealership failed to correctly diagnose the problem and the engine was checked in March 2006. It was determined that the engine needed to be broken down in order to determine the problem and since the mileage exceeded the warranty it would not be covered. The contact contact the dealer, who indicated the same thing and referred the contact back to the dealer. The contact was tossed back and forth with no one taking responsibility or action. After searching on the internet the contact discovered that this was a common problem with Volkswagen Passat vehicles, and that Volkswagen was ranked among the worse car companies for resolving customer complaints. Therefore, the contact sought NHTSA assistance.

I was driving my Passat with 1. 8 t engine and the engine failed. Volkswagen "advocates" were completely unhelpful this occurred in summer of 2005. Volkswagen aware of problem and left consumer to pay for 9000 dollar repair. In the last year my car has been in at least eight times for check engine light. Company aware of problem and unwilling to help.

Check engine light came on after only 300+ miles.