Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint Problems of Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen of America sent me a letter to check/replace front suspension lower control arms 1998-2000 Passat vehicles. Vw dealer informed me they will fix the control arms at no cost to me but as a result of the work performed the vehicle will now need an alignment which is not covered as part of the recall. This is absurd. I paid for an alignment 5 months ago and prior to the recall my vehicle obviously does not need an alignment but as a direct result of fixing the control arms my car now needs an alignment which I have to pay for. The alignment should be covered as part of the recall for the control arms!!!.

See all problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

I've had a clunking sound in the front suspension whenever I hit a bump. It has gotten progressively worse for the last several months. The dealer tells me it is the front upper control arms and ball joints and that there is a TSB on such. This is a common well known problem with this model and poses a safety issue.

Upper and lower ball joints making grinding noise dealer suggested replacing all upper and lower ball joints on left and right sides.

The consumer heard a creaking noise coming from the front end. The mechanic informed the consumer. Please provide more information. The consumer stated that the vehicle became unstable at highway speeds. Many other drivers of the same vehicle on the internet have experienced the same problems.

Both control arms failed on 1999 Passat glx @ 60000 miles on left and right side of the car. Repair covered by vw extended warranty to the tune of $689 per side of the vehicle, but these control arms should not be failing! steering, control, and tire wear suffer serious impairment as a result of these failures.

Had to replace all of the front control arms and tie rod ends on my 2000 Passat glx 4-motion wagon. Five out of 8 control arms were in very poor conditions with torn boots over the ball joints. The ball joints in the controll arms were torn and ball joins were dry and noisy. The tie rod ball joins were worn out and making noises. The car has not be wrecked or damaged other wise.

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Control arms and ball joints need to be replaced with only 43000 miles on the vehicle. Volkswagen went by recommendation of dealer not to help with the cost of repair.

Arm control ball joints and bushings prematurely failed on vehicle. Ball joint failure was so severe that it could have separated from the rack and disabled steering of vehicle.

1999 vw Passat. Front suspension problems. Refer to TSB 4001-01. I brought my 1999 Passat to the dealer regarding a noisy front suspension problem and informed them of a TSB on the vehicle. I was informed that vw provides a repair kit for this problem that requires the replacement of the lower control arm assembly. Which includes the defective ball joints (both sides). The dealer informed me that vw will not cover the repair and that the cost to me would be $875. 00. Spoke with vw representatives on April 2 and was given a decision on 4/9 that they would not assist with the cost in any way since "this could also be caused by normal wear and tear". This assertion, in my opinion is bogus since a. Vw knows there is a problem, hence the TSB. Provide a "kit" to repair the defect. The case number is 30164333. Suspensions should not be falling apart on a 3 year old vehicle with 50,000 miles on it. And the cost ($875) is quite excessive. The noise started showing up in early January of 2003.

Left front lower ball joint had sheared off while coming to a stop, and caused loss of steering. Manufacturer notified.

See all problems of the 1998 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Control arm: noticed a loud grinding sound coming from front suspension area. Dealer diagnosed as defective lowe rcontrol arm/ ball joints. Lower control arms and ball joints were replaced. Complained to Volkswagen, who covered cost of parts but not labor. After repair learned that a friend had the identical problem in a 1999 Passat at almost the identical mileage. Then saw on this website that about 17 of 160 complaints relating to the 1998 Passat are for exactly this problem. This is clearly an engineering or manufacturing defect. Vw should replace this part for all Passat owners and reimburse those who have already had it replaced. Sunroof: sunroof opens spontaneously when switch is in the "off" position. Problem is most pronounced on warm days when car is driven over sharp bumps. Problem occurs without warning and is alarming to driver and could pose a safety risk. Observed that this problem has been reported by several others already.

Control arm's of '1998-'2000 Passats are failure prone much earlier then the norm for passaneger automobiles. (a fact they recognized by a redesign of the control arms on '2001 and up Passat's. I purchased my car in 7/99. I drive 70 miles a day, mostly freeway, which as all know is actually very easy on an automobile. Yet with-in 2 years (40k) my front suspension was showing signs of premature wear. I get many "creaks" and "clunks" that are easy to hear at low speeds. . Read more...

I hear the nosie before my warranty expire and I can't tell what that was. So I brought it to the dealership to check and they said the computer show nothing wrong. But the noise still there and they knew that but they said if the computer show nothing wrong, they can't help me for that. Until my warranty expired they said is coming from lower arm controller(left & right). It costs $800-900+ to replace. I feel that they knew all along and use that computer to against me. Of course it operate ok but that nosie is so border me. I think they should have that parts recall. I also talk to vw headquarter and they can't help me. I do have that record during 40+ miles and I believe that I shouldn't pay for that replacement. Pls help- my email address: jwcs_2000@yahoo. Com.

A loud noise was heard while driving the vehicle. The dealer determined the front upper and lower ball joints were cracked on the right side and leaking oil. Please provide details.

A noise was heard in the front end when turning the steering wheel left or right. Consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and dealer determined that upper and lower ball joints were defective.