Brake Disc Rotor Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 1

I have had my 2001 vw Passat for 7 years now and have had it in the shop multiple issues including warped rotors (front and back), cracked chasse, electrical issues and various other problems. Before having this car, I had a Toyota for 8 years and in the 8 years I had the Toyota, I only had it in the shop for routine maintenance. This car is disappointing and everyone I talk to who has a similar model/year says the same thing. I think the 2001 vw Passat is a lemon.

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I have had my 2000 vw Passat for a little over two years and it has been a money pit! I have had so many problems since a month or so after I bought my car. I bought the car from a private party, test drove the car, had it checked out by a mechanic, and I have put thousands of dollars into the car. I bought the car just before my senior year in high school thinking I made a wonderful choice, and I had to replace a new right side boot just after a month of owning the car. The check engine light/abs/airbag kept coming on and beeping at me, and I had to buy a whole new brain to the car over $1500. I had to replace the timing belt way before the mile warranty, oil leaks which ruined some wires, new shocks/shock absorbers, now the window will go part way down, but will no longer go up. . . And my headlights are fogged up which I have noticed on all other 2000 Passats. . . ! many things have gone wrong with this car. I am so frustrated with the car. I do not recommend a vw to anyone! I am going into the second year of college and have spent most of my savings on this piece of junk. I think after fixing a part of the car that it should run without any problems. Since I have put so much money into this car I cannot afford to get a reliable car. There is something seriously wrong with vw and the recalls! as far as I am concerned the whole car should be recalled!!!!.

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I brought my 2003 Passat glx sedan into dealership because car was jerky when the brakes were applied. Car has 41,214 miles on it, 90% highway. Dealer informed me that the rear brake rotors were warped and had to be replaced along with pads. Dealer informed that Passat rotors could not be turned in lieu of replacement. From other complaints I view, it appears this is a defect in the rotors.

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While attempting to make an emergency stop in my 2000 vw Passat, there was a 1 to 2 second delay in braking power. The roads were wet and the brake rotors were wet due to lack of shields to prevent water from making the brake rotors wet. The 1-2 second delay (from the time I applied the brake) caused my vehicle to not stop in the typical stopping distance and caused my vehicle to impact another vehicle. Vw Passats from 2003-newer seem to all have these brake rotor shields "splash shields", but not the older 1998-2002 Passats. A call to the Volkswagen customer care hotline (800-822-7661) did not address this serious safety defect to my satisfaction. The agent kept saying "there's no current open campaign for your vehicle". I know of numerous vw Passat owners who have experienced this serious issue.

My 2003 Passat has approx. 34,000 miles. The brake rotors had to be replaced twice -- once at somewhat over 12k miles ago, and the other very recently. The most recent time, we were told not to drive the car any further (by the dealer) because it was unsafe to drive. The first time, vw paid for the repair, this time they would not. I believe there is a safety problem, one which I am afraid will happen again. Please note. . . I do not have the exact date in the field below.

At 44,400 miles and just 4,000 miles after fuel pump replaced the new fuel pump failed on my 2003 Passat wagon. Both incidents occurred while driving the car on high traffic suburban washington DC streets. There was no warning and car came to an abrupt stop without time for me to signal the cars behind me. This is in addition to having to replace both front and rear rotors at about 20,00 miles as well as control arms. This seems to be an inordinate amount of service in only 3 years and 44,000 miles!.

: the contact stated while traveling up hill at 25mph the vehicle sputtered and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was determined the fuel pump needed to be replaced. Previously the contact experienced braking problems while traveling at high speeds. There was vibration and grabbing in front end of the vehicle when braking. The vehicle was seen by the service dealer four times. The front rotors, the rear rotors and both control arms were replaced. The problem was corrected by the replacement of these parts for twenty thousand miles and has now returned.

Vibration from steering wheel when braking and uneven stopping. Dealer found warped front rotors. I found this problem rather unusual as we drive the car to and from the station daily and we only have 29,000 miles. Dealer had to replace pads and both front brake rotors. Vw refused to cover under warranty. I feel the car is not safe due to these constant brake problems. I have had other brake problems with this car, the dealer has replace the rear brake pads and then rear pads and rotors under warranty.

Vehicle is experiencing problem with excessive wear of front brake rotors and pads. Both the rotors and the pads had to be replaced on two separate occasions. The first time at 9,000 miles, and now at 17,000 miles. The problems was causing the vehicle to vibrate and make a roaring noise when braking. Consumer anticipates the problem may recur again.

Bought new a vw Passat, glx,v6 in may 2003. It has 18500 miles on it. I have had three sets of rear rotors replaced because they have warped. The last set were replaced in March 2005, and I am experiencing the same problem today, and have an appointment at the dealer to have them replaced again. The rotors warp badley, the car, especially at highway speeds shudders when the brakes are applied and does not stop adequately.

1. Normal driving 2. Rear brake rotor warp and excessive pad wear 3. 3 seperate incedenses of rear brake repairs. (there have not been any on the front brakes to date) 4 rear rotors and 3 sets of pads in 52,000 miles. The service manager at the dealer insists this is the normal wear pattern for the vehicle, especially the inner pad on the drivers side rear. . Vw of America is backing the stance that the dealer is correct. This has created an unsafe braking condition because th the brake pedal oscillates during all braking.

2003 Volkswagen Passat sw developed problems rear brake pads and rotors. ** answer required***. The consumer stated 8,493 miles later the brakes began to squeak. The consumer took the vehicle back to the dealership where it was discovered the rear brake pads and rotors were damaged again. The head light bulb was replaced.

Vw Passat - brake rotors warp, causing dangerous braking situation. This is a common problem known by vw, and complained of by thousands of Passat owners (many, many sites and complaints on the internet, and mechanics). Vw refuses to fix this problem.

Vehicle serviced by findlay vw on sat 10/16/2004- 30,000 mile service. 3 days later the brake fault warning sounded. I thought perhaps because of the slick road conditions. On sat 10/23/2004 it sounded again. At this point, I did not drive my car until bringing to dealership on mon 10/25/2004. I reviewed manual and had surmised that possibly not enough brake fluid had been put in. I was informed that at only 30, 600 miles, car needed rear brakes and rotor-down to 2%. I was also informed that vw ships cars with minimal amount thickness rotor and any wear at all requires replacement. This is my 3rd consecutive vw, I never experienced this problem. 30,000+ miles should not warrent rear brakes / rotors, even in tough city conditions. I did not experience any squeaking or rubbing nor did brakes require added pressure to adequately slow or stop the vehicle. I don't believe this is necessary work or if true of rotor ship conditions is unfair. At this point, I will not purchase a 4th vw.

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Reported when slowing down to 5-10mph care hesitated and then jerked as if someone hit from behind, also when braking to stop,car lurches forward. Vw dealership replaced brakes and rotors and did software update after 3 times in shop. Now car hesitates when either slowing down or from stop then kicks in all of a sudden,will be calling regional technician to report, still feel slight jerk at slow speeds. All happens when engine hot or cold.

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Rear brakes replaced/tie rod boots/ front axle rusted/replaced.

While driving on the highway at 62 mph the vehicle started shaking, lost power then coasted to a stop. This occurred because the left rear rotor melted down and gummed up the brake fluid. This resulted in the braking system and transmission being inoperative. The dealership couldn't identify the cause of the rotor melt down ,they only replaced the melted and damaged parts.

Design defect in brake rotors.

Under standard daily driving 50/50 local and freeway miles, rear brake rotors warped before the car had 14,000 miles driven. Rear break pads are at 6mm which I am told is just less than 50% of maximum. Also been told vwoa will not replace rotors under warranty until pads are at 2mm. Warped rotors cause pumping and potentially unstable driving under heavy breaking.

Under normal driving conditions, and 90% highway driving, the vehicle's front and rear brake pads became severely worn out in approximately 10,000 miles of driving. After the first all 4 brake pads were replaced, in another 10,000 miles, the vehicle's right rear brake pad fell off the vehicle during street driving. All 4 rotors, 4 brake pads, and 2 rear calipers became severely damaged and had to be replaced. Vwoa made an exception, and paid for the rear brakes, rotors, and calipers.

Brake failure at 22,000 miles. My car was just under 2 years old with 22,000 miles when I was told that I needed new rear brakes. The car was redesigned with "soft" brake pads to reduce noise, so this is considered "normal wear". No it isn"t! also, the rotors must be replaced when you put on new pads; they cannot be machined. This car is designed to have pads and rotors replaced every 22,000 miles! this is unacceptable service and disgraceful design.

I have a 2002 Volkswagen Passat wagon. The mileage at the time of the repair was 35,369 miles. In may, I was on a road trip with highway speeds and hill climbs and decents. It felt like the rear of the car would shake. It became progressively worse. When I took it into the dealership, they told me that my rear brakes needed to be replaced. It was because of the design of the parking brake and the rear brakes. In the winter, the parking brake cable is grabbing. Well, I never use the parking brake. Afew times I have had a valet parking service maybe they used it. So, I just had the rear brake pads and rotors replaced on my car. It was 461. 26 cents. If brakes would go in this car, I felt it should be the front brakes not the rear. If there is a design flaw Volkswagen should know about it and I am not happy with this bill with a fairly new car. Brakes are an important safety feature to a vehicle. The warrenty is for 12 months or 12,000 miles.

Dealer will do major repairs on brakes, replace back and front brakes and rotors.

I drive a 2000 volkswagon Passat glx 4motion. I have felt that I got a bad car since very early on in my lease (I now have 8 months left). On this particular occaision, I had a severe oil leak. The dealer informed me that there was a hole in my oil pan that must have been caused by a rock (I don't recall feeling anything hit the car hard enough to put a hole in anything). I was told that this was not a warranteed item, rather normal wear and tear. I have owned 5 other cars and never had this problem. I also noticed that the car was shaking when the breaks are applied. I was told by the dealer that this is due to warped rotors. I only have 20,000 miles on the vehicle and have never heard of any kind of break problems with that few miles. I was also told that is not covered by warrantee either, again, normal wear and tear. The other 5 cars that I owned easily had over 20,000 miles on them and never had a problem with brake rotors. This seems to be a trend with this vehicle. Early on in my lease, I had multiple problems with my car not starting. Each time it was due to carbon buildup on my spark plugs. The first time it happened there was only 2,000 miles on the car and the dealer had the nerve to tell me that spark plugs were standard maintenenance items and I must not be taking care of my car properly. 2 years later, there was an emission controls recall which fixed this problem, which the dealer initially called driver error, not a vehicle problem.

The consumer stated that the vehicle would vibrate when the brakes are applied. The problem is the rotor needs to be changed. Dealer was notified. Mr the dealer stated that they won't fix the warped rotors because the rear brakes are down to 20%. Scc.

The rear brake pads and rotors were replace at 25,000 miles and again at 50,000 miles. I feel that brake pads (especially rotors) should last more than every 25,000 miles. I'm approaching 75,000 miles and am anticipating whether or not I will be replacing pads and rotors once again!.

Brakes vibrate noticeably when slowing down or stopping at variable speeds. Dealer replaced rear brake discs under factory warranty.

Manufacturer is refusing to properly repair faulty brakes. Rear rotors were replaced 5000 miles ago because of over heating and scoring. On April 2, the front rotors were replaced for the same reason, and the rear rotors were again identified by the dealer tech with the same problem. However, the manufacturer would only replace the front rotors. With 20000 miles total on the car, my front brake pads have 60% left, my rear 30%. I suspect a malfunction with the brake calipers and / or brake rotor design.

Rotors wereoverheating and warping. Part replaced and problem reoccurred.

There is vibration when braking. Dealer has replaced front rotors once due to warping.

Brakes were sqeaking. Dealer found rotors needed to be replaced.

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Took vehicle to dealer & was informed by mechanic that rack needed to be replaced due to power steering leaking fluid through it. Also rotors were replaced due to excessive wear. Fuel tank had collapsed & was not accepting any fuel.

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Brakes weren't working, brake and rotors replaced(rotors extremely thin-very unusual at this stage).

Consumer took vehicle to dealer due to brake light warning on the instrument panel coming on, the dealer informed him that the brakes were ok, later dealer informed consumer that rotors were worn and that the rotors and brake pads needed to be replaced, consumer feels dealer should be responsible for paying for the defective brake rotors and pads.

Front brakes started squealing but now are rubbing,grinding,groaning and braking rough. I am being told that these are normal brake sounds and that they cannot find anything wrong. Although on the last visit to the dealer I was told they did "something different" to the rotors this time. After at least 6 visits, I have the same problem and am being told to seek a scond opinion.