Front Suspension Lower Control Arm Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 1

The contact owns a 1999 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 30 mph, the front end of the vehicle lowered to the ground without warning, which caused the vehicle to stop. The tow truck driver stated that the front lower control arm broke. As of may 8, 2008, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that he received service action bulletin for the front lower control arm in November of 2004. The dealer inspected the vehicle however; they did not make any repairs. The contact stated they he was able to replace the front lower control arm. The current and failure mileages were 228, 000. Updated 05/22/08 updated 05/22/08.

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Failure of multiple front control arms in 2001 vw Passat. Was given quote of nearly $2100 to repair control arms. Was told this is a "wide spread" problem with vw Passats and nothing has been recalled as of yet.

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The failure of lower control arm happened without any warning, during normal driving on the city road when making a right turn (approximately at 5 mph speed). Right front suspension lower control arm sheared in two pieces, leaving a front passenger wheel completely separated. If this should happened on any higher higher speed, consequences would be deadly. I researched this safety hazard and found that vw issued a service action for the lower control arm on 1999 Passat. However, vw service representative informed me that the service action does not cover my vehicle. Vw's explanation was that it only covers parts from certain supplier (according to representative, vw used two different suppliers for the lower control arm). I believe that lower control arm was a defective part, as this type of failure could not be a result of normal wear and tear. It is a safety hazard. I have to replace lower control arm, drive shaft and wheel liner (and, possibly some other parts which were damaged as a result of the control arm failure) at my expense. I believe, vw should cover at least some of the expense, as it happened as a result of a factory defect.

1 - normal use - only 55,000 miles 2 - failure of lower control arms - must replace 3 - required to replace at cost of $400. 00.

Lower control arms recall vm. Wanted to charge me 325. 00 for the recall. Vw dealerhip said the recall was not valid unless 40k service was performed. Do not see the correlation with having some filters and fluids changed (40k service) with a suspension recall. Prior to 40k I had cvs changed and had filters and fluids changed. My car had a lot of problems with it and was worked on by vw dealership over 20 times between 32-49k. I was told the 40k service was not needed because of work done at 36k. Was told $240. 00 on 40k service check was not needed because of previous work and was over priced not not Smart to do. If there is a malfunction with the car, and their is a recall, the owner should not have to pay for it. If their was decent logic for me paying for this recall I would have no problem with it, but I cannot find it. It just seems a loop hole for me to pay for the manufacturer's poor workmanship. This loop hole should be closed, there is a lot of exceptions to why 40k was not performed.

I own a 2001 Volkswagen Passat station wagen and have had nothing but trouble with it since I bought it. I had to replace the engine due sludge and Volkswagen of America would not reimburse me because I was missing one oil change receipt the lights keep coming on in the car telling me I have engine problems once again, and I bring it in for regular repairs and check ups. Currently the suspension part of the car has gone and that will cost another $2000 on top of the $7000 I already put into it. That does not include new tires and other things that have gone wrong with this idiot car. Volkswagen does not stand by its customers at all and I will never ever buy from them again and will tell people I know the car is a piece of crap. The place I bring in my car to for repair already knows that. Do not bring it into a Volkswagen repair place to have it fixed> they are the biggest ripp offs and so totally dishonest!!!! I bought the car from jack daniels in fairlawn, NJ and have had it repaired at trend motors, in denville, NJ.

The lower control arms on my 1998 vw Passat are defective and dangerous according to my mechanic. Vw refuses to replace them even though there was a recall for these parts. The reasoning is that: - I brought my car in for the recall at their dealer in February 2005 and at the time the parts seemed ok. - at this time, their dealer has reinspected the car. The vw dealer thinks that both lower front control arms on the car need replacement. However the parts are not about to fail and the car is still driveable and thus vw will not pay for their replacement. My mechanic states that the car need to be replaced and the car is dangerous to drive in this condition. Please advise whether vw is responsible under the "revised-vm (40g3) - December 2004" recall campaign to fix these. Thanks.

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I have a 1999 vw Passat, 1. 8l turbo. I received a service action from vw related to a lower control arm issue and took the car to the dealer. The dealer looked at it five weeks ago and told me there was nothing wrong with it despite the creaking and groaning I'm getting in the suspenion. I took it in today because the creaking an groaning have gotten worse and the service guy at the dealer is telling me that both lower control arms need to be replaced and they quoted me $1400. He told me that lower control arms fail over time due to the weight of the car, age and wear. This sounds like an engineering failure on the part of vw. I'm waiting to find out whether this is safety related, the service guy is going to call me back. I've been looking online and a lot of people thought a complaint should be lodged, so that's what I'm doing here. I shouldn't be having suspension issues at 70,000 miles.

Normal use of '99 vw Passat with an odometer reading of 99,650 lead to the failure of ront contorl arms and tie rod ends. Replacement control arm set with tie rods retails for $1,700. Purchased a set for $495 and an additional $198. 75 in labor.

My lower front control armes are very squiky and bolt joint boots are ripper. I was about to replace the myself but just before I called vw and found out about the recall on front lower control arms. After 5 hours with my car they told me to come and pick it up. I discovered that only vacuum line was replaced and nothing was done to my control arms. I went over water and the squik was gone at the time the car was at the dealer. So they didn't hear anything. But the rubber boots are still turned appart!!! the manager and the guy who worked on it told me that we didn't see any problem with your control arms. And the recall has been performed. The squik came back the next day, and I know that ruber boots are still ripped on the control arms. Called vwoa and explained the problem. They said that they trust the diagnostic made by their authorised dealer. Because the dealier didn't see any problems with control arms the recall is closed now. They wouldn't reimberse the cost of replacement of control arms even if I go to the different dealer.

'recall campaign' for Volkswagen Passats front suspension lower control arms. This problem had caused extensive damage.

The contact was complaining about a front suspension control arm:lower arm problem. The rubber boot prematurely wore out. He received a special service action for this problem in November 2004 from the manufacturer. He took the vehicle to local dealer for repairs. Later, while he was inspecting the vehicle, he discovered the defective part had not been replaced. When he contacted the dealer, they were no longer willing to offer a free remedy under this special service campaign. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time.

See all problems of the 2000 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!!!.

The lower control arms have failed and the vw dealer recommends replacement at just 67000 miles. This is premature. I understand it is a common problem and a safety risk.

The front suspension lower control arm makes a squeaking, thumping noise as if there are no shocks.

Front suspension control arm bushings on 2001 (b5) Passat model are defective and fail prematurely at 30,000-50,000 miles. Failure is systemic and widespread. Failure of front control arm bushings can lead to the loss of vehicle control causing an accident, injury, and possibly death. Investigation on the internet has shown this problem to be widespread both in europe and the us, yet vw has not taken any ownership of this serious product defect. Corrective action being taken is to install aftermarket components that have been strengthened to eliminate the defect and are manufactured by meyle of germany. As this model ages, the defect problem will increase.

1998 volkswagon Passat 1. 8 turbo 39, 250 mileage. Front end noise, reduced control in handling, resulted in the replacement of all control arms & tie rod ends on driver side- the lower found to have corrosion in the socket.

The upper and lower control arms on both sides of the front of the vehical are failing. The dealer said that it was very odd to see these items faling at only 67,000 miles. If they were to completely fail it woud cause the driver to lose control of the vehical. This same failure has occured on a number of other vehicals of the same model.

Despite light use of the vehicle, both the upper and lower control arms on our 2001 vw Passat wagon have failed and required replacement. Although the company recognized a defect with the lower control arms and replaced them at its expense, we were charged $600 by the dealer to replace the upper control arms -- even though the vehicle had fewer than 25,000 miles at the time.

I purchased a pre-owned 1998 vw Passat sedan with 36,000 miles on it in 2002 which was a great deal!! or so I thought. Since that time I have started hearing a noise coming from the front right tire. . Or suspension . . Like a creaking, crunching, knocking noise. I took it to a vw dealership and was told that the control arms on the right and the tie rods needed to be replaced. I found out that the tie rods had been recalled and the ones on my vehicle had been replaced under that recall in 2001, but had again worn out. I find it hard to believe that tie rods would wear out over a 3 year period since the car barely has 70,000 miles on it. I have viewed this website and found over 200 complaints concerning this problem and am curious what vw plans to do. . Wait until someone dies when a control arm snaps? vw needs to recall this item now!.

Bushing has dried out on lower control arm on one side resulting in frequent loud creeking / squeeking noises. When making appointment with dealer I asked if it was a safety problem and should I rush the car in. They said "no, it's probably just a dry bushing" and scheduled me for 10 days later. When I learned of the $1200 repair cost and the need to keep the car overnight, I had to reschedule the appointment. Again, another 12 days wait (yet to come). If this is truely not a safety issue, then fine, but info on this site is to the contrary. Besides, why do suppose they call them "control arms?" if they mal function could that mean loss of control? hmmm. 85k miles on this car, but in retrospect, the noise started a long time ago and the dealer attributed it to lack of steering fluid. The noise returned and came back. This car has a lot of highway miles. I'll bet the failure is time based rather than milage based. These rubber busing can only take so much exposure to the elements. Vw - change the material for your bushings, right!!.

Problems with front suspension arms on 1999 Passat. The right lower control arm was replaced under warranty at 23500 miles and the dealer suggested that there were earlier problems before the current owners. The suspension part were design defective.

The control arms in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Volkswagen Passats are defective. According to the dealership if these are not repaired one can lose steering control. The upper control arms in my 1999 Passat had to be replaced in November 2003 and now the lower control arms need to be replaced. The dealership indicates that this problem is common in 1999, 2000, and 2001 Passats, and I have spoken with other owners who are having the same problem. This safety hazard warrants a recall on these vehicles.

"99 vw Passat VIN wvwma63b6xe245865 has loud creaking sounds from right-front suspension. Tie rod ends were replace in earlier recall. Ball joints are not worn. Lube of control arm and other bushings does not solve problem. Vibration corresponding to creaking can be felt in lower control arms.

The lower front and rear passenger side control arms needed to be replaced because they were starting to make noise, and will potentially fail. The dealership indicated that this could result in steering failure while driving. The noise was coming from the right side of the vehicle. The front control arm was replaced along with the rear control arm bushing.

Control arm made a clucking sound when the vehicle was driven at low speeds. Dealership indicated that the noise occurred because the control arm was loose, and if this part failed, the ball joints could break will driving. The control arm on the front driver side was replaced, but the failure occurred on the front passenger's side.

My vw passaat developed excessive play and noise in steering and front suspension. Car would wander on road and would not track straight on a highway. This was a safety issue. My local vw dealer said to bring car in immediately. Dealer said 4 control arms had failed and needed replacement at cost of $1400. Car had been maintained well and driven gently previously. Defective control arms on this vehicle are a safety issue.

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.

Submission of complaint re vw of America feel he has been over charged for numerous & extensive repair bills for his 1999 vw Passat. The consumer stated he is still experiencing problems with the front suspension. The front stabilizer was repaired and the lower control arm was repaired, however the problem recurred. The rear brake pads were worn. The front doors creaked when opened. The cruise control was intermittent. The consumer requested assistance of all the matters.

Dec 2004, the driver side lower control arm snapped in two, sending the front end of my car to the ground. Luckily, I was in the driveway as many are telling me (even the dealer) that it would have been deadly at higher speeds. 2 years prior I had eeking/moaning/groaning in front suspension. Dealer said nothing was wrong, as I paid to have the sound checked out. I've seen many many complaints about these sounds being related to lower control arm failure, although I haven't seen anyone w/ one that actually broke like mine! very scarey. . . After some fighting (my car as 103k miles) with the dealer and vwoa, they ended up replacing lower control arms at no cost to me. However, I did end up with a $1250 bill for other suspension parts in the front (tie rod, sway bars, link arms). Damage was also done to under side of my car from slamming to the concrete.

The vehicle experienced a constant groaning and squeaking in the front end suspension when driving at low speeds. The dealer said the lower control arm needed to be replaced. The dealer indicated that this was not a safety problem.

Lower control arm failure. Vehicle purchased from vw as certified like new with warranty to second owner. Vehicle had approx 30000 miles at purchase. Now has 67k miles. Appears to fit pattern relative to defective - should be recalled issue in which these parts fail every 30k miles. As noted on other incidents, no other vehicle exhibits this type of failure making this unique to vw and Audi. Therefore more indicitave of factory defect and creation of hazardous driving situation.

Upper and lower front suspension control arm bushing failure. (left and right).

Faulty lower control arm . The consumer heard a noise coming from the front suspension.

Driver's side lower control arm (front suspension) bushing/link has worn out at only 62k miles, a common problem on vw Passat and Audi a4 w/quadralink front suspension, unheard of on other vehicles. This is a potential safety issue. There ought to be a recall. This car has 8 control arms in total. The premature failure of these parts is by now well known, quite expensive, and potentially hazardous, not to mention inconvenient to vw customers. Vw has done very little to address this potential safety issue. The only recourse is to pay exorbitant sums, repeatedly, over time to replace the defective parts with equally defective parts which also fail prematurely; there is no permanent solution to this problem. There needs to be a recall or at the very least vw should be fixing these cars for free each time, no questions asked.