Engine Cooling System Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 2

On June 6th 2006 my 2003 vw Passat car caught fire. My certified vw mechanic stated the cars after run water pump over heated, melting wiring and the fire resulted. My insurance company appears to be dening the claim.

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2001 Volkswagen Passat coolant warning light illuminated and engine shut off. Once the vehicle was restarted it ran at reduced power. Upon inspection mechanic determined there was a faulty sensor in the cooling jacket. Moisture invaded the sensor, migrated up the wiring harness and destroyed the computer which managed all engine functions. The consumer was billed $3200. The technician at the dealer explain that this was not an uncommon failure. The consumer contacted the manufacturer but they refused to provide any assistance.

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Car is 3 1/2 years old. 52,500 miles. (2500 miles out of warranty) engine coolant flushed/replaced at 40,000 miles as required. Heater core just failed while on the freeway, blowing vapor into the cabin and steaming up the windows to the point the car was barely drivable. Vw America would not assist with the repair citing the age of the vehicle. I guess vw considers a car that's less than 4 years old to have significant problems. Repair cost is close to $1300. I will never buy a vw again, and I have already dissuaded a colleague at work from buying one as he was in the market for a new car.

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Purchase car in FL, now live in iowa due to job transfer. A/c unit continues to not blow cold air in a dependable method. Have to shut off vehicle and restart to sometimes get it started again. Now torque converter light came on just after powertrain warranty expired 1 month outside of warranty. Got in contact with vw of America. Would not asist, but instead sent $2,000 good faith voucher towards to purchase of a new vehicle to make an attempt to help me with the problems. Please help.

When I brought my 2000 vw Passat (55k miles) to dealer for service, they said that the cooling system has sludge. The radiator, heater core needed to be replaced and need to have coolant flush for 2 times. The total is $2600!!! the service advisor said the only cause would be wrong type of coolant, but I have not done service other than the vw dealer. So, I suspect that that is defect in the cooling system of the 2000 Passat.

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A/c slowly stopped blowing cold air, fumes or smoke began coming out of the vents. Coolant leaked all over the passenger floorboard which is now ruined. Dealer said the heater core needed replaced which was not covered under the extended warranty. Total repair cost was $1700, all this and the car only has 35,000 miles on it. I have heard that this is a common problem according to the dealer. Eyes have been burning lately from the smoke that was being blown through the vents. Dealer replaced heater core and there is still a bit of smoke being blown out. Very displeased.

The secondary air filter on my 2000 vw Passat failed at 14,000 miles. It was replaced under warranty. My car now has 50,000 miles on it and it has failed again. Replacement price is $1,000. The vw repairshop stated that this not a necessary part and really doesn't need to be replaced. But without replacement the engine light goes on everytime the car is started. I contacted vw directly and filed a complaint. They refused to fix the part. I see that two other people have filed a complaint about the secondary air filter.

I am the second owner of a Passat that had been driven 72000 miles. At that time the following defects were noted and had to be repaired: 1. Outer tie rod and cv boot. 2. Cooling system: all cooling hoses, oil cooler, water pump, radiator, & associated items. Vw of America refused to reimburse for the cost of these untimely repairs that were due in part to faulty information in the owners manual, that states that the cooling system was sealed and did not need any maintenance. These enormous and costly repairs at a mileage when comparable cars of other manufacturers need little or no repairs up to and way past 100,000 miles, are excessive in my opinion. (the first owner gets a warranty of 100,000 miles and 10 years, something that for the second owner is reduced to 50,000 miles/5 years. I wonder if the car is suddenly not as good anymore when somebody buys it from a previous owner?) consumer reports magazine lists repair records for engines and suspension systems of that year and model as being "worse than average," and I can see why. I would welcome to join others with similar experiences for a possible class action against vw.

See all problems of the 1998 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

I was driving my 1997 Passat when it started to over heat. The temperature gage rose very quickly and I immediately took the next exit off of the freeway ( 1/8 of a mile in distance). When the temperature gage reached 240 degrees my red dashboard light started to flash. I decided that I needed to pull over immediately. Within seconds, not minutes, I heard a loud pop sound, like an explosion. Steam shot out at myself and my daughter inside the car and we were sprayed with boiling liquid on our feet and lower legs. Visablility was almost zero from the spraying steam as I swerved into the nearest parking lot. I tried to come to a stop in the nearest parking space but I could no longer keep my foot on the brake pedal because my foot was being sprayed with boiling water. I threw the car into park and tried to grab the emergency brake, but we had already jumped the parking space curb and hit a large bush. The entire front inside of my car is damaged from water and coolant, and the front of my car on the outside has a dent and puncture in the bumper. The mechanic that came to my aid told me that the heater core had exploded. I don't know what would have happened if I had not noticed my car over heating, and I had still been on the busy freeway driving 55 mph when this explosion occured! repairs have not been made. The car is at a repair shop. I'm not sure what to do next.

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At 40,000 miles, the water pump bearing failed. Foutunately, I stopped the car immediately and did not incur further engine damage. Was advised by the dealer that wv "under-engineered" the water pump bearing, resulting in premature failure.

I purchased a 1997 Volkswagen Passat vr6 at checkered flag BMW in June 2004, and since have discovered that the electrical system is horrible. First, the air conditioner( a/c) quit working, then the airbag light came on, and the ac started working for a day, then blew a chemical cloud into the vehicle, while I was on the highway. My eyes were burning (as well as my face) for the rest of the day. Finally, I have already had to replace the battery, and there's a slow coolant leak. May I suggest that we remove all vw's from America's streets? they are a total menace to anyone who owns them! I went to checkered flag vw, to have it serviced, and they wanted to charge 89 dollars a problem, just to look, then they said I could trade it for a new one. Why would I want a new one? I don't need to trade an old problem for a new, more expensive one, I just want a reliable work vehicle, and I wish I had stuck to my guns and bought another prelude. This thing will see the crusher when I'm done paying it off! four problems in not so many months. Only another vw owner would know that kind of frustration!.

2003 Passat with 1. 8t engine. Driving in heavy rain on nieghborhood streets, came to standing water (approx 2 inches deep), witnessed other passenger cars passing through water and proceeded at approx 2-3 mph, car stalls and will not start, car towed to dealer where purchased, told a rod was thrown through the engine block due to water (approx 3 gal. ) in the engine block, was told water gained entry via air intake vents at the bottom (fender level) of the engine, was told to file claim with insurance company. Presently waiting for appraiser's report. Vehicle should be able to handle the driving conditions mentioned. Appears to be a design flaw in that the air cooling intake is in such a position as to allow the intake of water into the engine block.

My girlfriends 1997 vw Passat has a plastic coolant housing which failed. When failure occurs catastrophic lost of all coolant occurs in seconds when cruising at highway speeds.

My 2001 Volkswagen (vw) Passat experienced a problem that is well documented in the Volkswagen Passat user community as frequently occurring and confirmed by vw service technicians as a problem seen often. My service technician reported seeing this problem about 4 times a month. The car contains a pollen filter. The seal around the pollen filter failed. When the seal fails, water comes into the car around the passenger side footwell, flooding both the from and rear of the car, and, in our case requiring about $600 worth of repair. Reported consequences of water coming into the car, include (1) subsequent failure of the instrument lighting n the center console, making the audio, ventilation, anti-slip override and emergency flashers more difficult to access at night; (2) failure of either the airbag triggering mechanism or the airbag warning light, owner cannot distinguish; (3) and failure of the central locking system (doors and trunk -- locked doors cannot be unlocked from outside. ) this problem occurs when the car gets wet -- for example when driving in the rain -- and results in failure of systems related to interior lights, electrical components, airbags, and locks -- all critical for safety in either normal or emergency situations. Volkswagen has denied my request for financial relief from the repair costs I incurred fixing the failure of the pollen filter seal in my 2001 Passat.

Oil pump failure, faulty cd player, inoperative cruise control, ignition module. Many failures for such a new car. Warranty is good for 10 years 100,000 miles for original owner, 5 york 50,000 for second. Car was placed in service 2/19/98 we there fore missed the 5 year coverage by 4 months.

Catalytic converter replaced early on in ownership. Water pump, oil pump, timing belt replaced two months ago. Turbo replaced twice and still defective. Electrical problems with driver's side window, heated seat, trunk light. Suspension system bushings need replacement @ only 56,000 miles. Steering column replaced early on.

Bearing failed in water pump caused timing chain to loosen. This resulted in a valve bending while driving on the interstate highway. There were no warnings prior to engine halting while driving at 70 mph. Dealer ended up replacing engine at no cost.

Consumer stated the vehicle hesitated during start up in cold weather, and also there was a rough start at times, also the water pump seized, causing the timing belt and the hydraulic tensioner to be damaged.

Vehicle has been experincing ongoing problem with day ruinning light/ head light, heater / cooling system would intermittently go out or stop operating. Sometimes if key is jiggled it would cause it to come back on or operate again. Aslo, speedometer / odometer fail edto operate. Dealer notified and refused to repair unless cost goes to consumer.

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