Brake Master Cylinder Problems of Volkswagen Passat

Nhtsa campaign 15v705000, manufacturer recall number: 23r1 purchased the vehicle and was told by many mechanics the brake issues or softness currently experiencing is due to a faulty brake master cylinder. Car has 49k miles. Spent more than 1500. 00 on brake new brake rotors and pads, as well brake fluid flush as recommended, and vehicle still has difficulty coming to a stop. There are days is brakes ok as colder days, and hotter days it just sinks to the floor. Vehicle makes scraping noise when coming to a stop. The brake would stay stuck when on a hill. Would have to accelerate the vehicle to move it.

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Driving at 60 mph the driver applied the brakes upon entering a reduced speed zone. The pedal went to the floor without resistance and the brakes failed to engage. No warning lights or other indications to suggest a problem. Driver pulled the emergency brake to prevent hitting traffic ahead and spun 180 degrees across traffic slamming into a curb. Witness to the accident tried to apply the brakes several times at the crash site and the pedal offered no resistance for him. Powering the car on and off; brake pressure returned to normal. The vw dealer where the car was hauled to cannot duplicate the failure and the brakes checkout normal. Dealer has given little sense of security to make driver want to get in the car again. Said they could replace the master cylinder, but it checks out fine. One mechanic said he heard of a case with tires confusing the abs with different wear. Front tires are >95% and the rears are 75%. Nobody would document this theory however and repair will now leave car with 3 basically new tires with one rear at 75%. Updated 12/12/07.

See all problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

- the contact stated that the design of the brake system allowed water to enter into the booster and freezes. This caused the brake pedal to lock and the contact was unable to depress the pedal in the morning. Also, while driving, the brake pedal stayed down after apply,locking up all four wheels blocking traffic. The cable on the tow truck broke when trying to drag my car onto the bed. The brake pedal was eventualy came back up after a hard push and I was able to drive the vehicle slowly to the Volkswagen dealer using the parking brake. The dealer could not duplicate the problem. The contact stated that the failure occurred again. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer and a mechanic knew what caused the failure. The master cylinder and the brake vacuum booster were replaced. The failure mileage was 54,000. The current mileage was 56,000. Updated 03/30/07.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Volkswagen Passat glx 2001, defective brakes. On several occasions, the brakes locked up and the front wheel overheated and started to smoke. The brake booster and master cylinder was replaced.

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I bought my 2003 vw Passat wagon brand new. In a span of 3 years I have had to replace my rear rotors and brakes 4 times and have yet to replace the front rotors and brakes and the car is at 77,510. I had the left rear rotor replaced Jan. 21, 2004, the right rotor April 1, 2004, both left and right rotor Nov. 23, 2004, and then both again July 11, 2005. I was very concerned about this from the beginning and stressed the recurring issue with vw corporate since my warranty was running out and the problem was still persisting. When it happened again at my regular check up in June of 2005, after only 7 months and 11,427 miles from the last time I changed the brakes and rotors, I raised some red flags and suggested that I lemon law the car, vw researched and found that "there was excessive heat on my rear brakes and that my booster rod was bent and not releasing rear brake pressure completely". On July 11, 2005 vw replaced the brake booster, master cylinder, rotors, and brakes. Which brings us to the present, I took my car to get my regular service and find out that I have to change my front and rear brakes and rotors. The front I can understand given that it is now at 77,510, but the rear brakes and rotors again after 18,500 miles? I have always felt there is something very wrong with this car and after research on the web and finding others are having similar problems, I know there is something very wrong with this car and when it comes to the brake system there is definitely cause for concern. Though it has only been at inconvenience at this time, I would like it resolved ASAP. With the exception of the brake pads, vw have not charged me for the rotors and though they have said there is not a problem with the rear rotors and brakes and they have been paying for the changes even though it is after my warranty so that leads me to believe that there are many complaints like mine and there has to be a problem.

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While stopped at a traffic light the vehicles brake locked up. The mechanic examined the vehicle and informed the consumer that the brake master cylinder had failed. The manufacturer and the dealer are aware of the problem.

See all problems of the 2000 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

The consumer experienced total brake loss due to master cylinder failure. Also the right front caliper was damaged causing a fire and the right front wheel to seize.

Oil line broke while driving. Also, abs/master cylinder malfunctioned, causing the entire abs system to be replaced. Vehicle was not braking properly when brakes were applied. In addition, had pads replaced twice/needed a new booster installed, and sun roof was replaced because it leaked and made a squealing noise.