Five problems related to service brakes have been reported for the 2004 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2004 Passat.
The plastic underdash cowling can become warped over time and fall down on the brake pedal causing the car to stop or trigger the abs system when not needed.
The vehicle heated up due to a fault in vw's Passat cooling system and smoke started to come out from engine. I was driving at around 25 miles / km only. I towed the car to mechanic and had to do a costly repair for water pump, timing belt, etc. I see there is an open recall for this kind of issue in water pump in Passats, so I truly believe the water pump was faulty from manufacturer side. I would like to be repaid for the money I have already spent on this.
I was driving the car around 40 mph in downtown los angeles in the afternoon and I was the only occupant. The vehicle in front of me suddenly slowed down. I pressed the brakes hard but the car did not stop and I tried to swerve to the shoulder but there was not enough room. I rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. I was puzzled and bewildered why the car was not stopping even though I was pressing on the brakes. I could see myself approaching the vehicle in front of me and wondering why I am not stopping but at the same time trying to swerve towards the shoulder. The airbag on the driver side did not deploy but the airbag on the passenger side deployed even though there was no passenger.
I have a 2004 Passat wagon with 58,000 miles. About 2 weeks ago we started getting a "brake fault" warning followed by a large "stop". It lasts for about 5 seconds and then goes away. This only happens in the morning, and after about 15 minutes of driving. After that there will be no more warnings until we start the car the following morning. We may get one warning or three during the 15 minutes. We took the car to the dealer and they said there was nothing in the codes showing a fault. They keep the car over night, and the next morning took the car for a drive and confirmed the "brake fault". They told us we need replace the abs module at a cost of $900. Our car only has 58,000 miles on it, and it was garaged most of its life. We picked the car up from the dealer and have not fixed the problem yet. We are just out of warranty, and feel this should be covered. Todd knoeppel.
When braking after driving at highway speeds into the city vehicle bucked forward. Dealer stated the procedure was what they called a hard drive. Also it was normal.