Structure Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 2

1 - heavy rains - car parked outside in driveway - no flooding. Water leaked into 2002 vw Passat passenger side rear foot well, via vent/air filter - 3 inches of standing water on the floor. 2 - carpeting saturated - due to insulation underneath, unable to dry without removing. Vehicle computer systems under same side carpeting all damaged - in need of replacement - dealership estimates repairs at over $2000. 3 - called vw customer care center - they said that because the car is out of warranty, they will give no consideration to helping with repair costs. Will contact insurance company and/or lawyer.

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After heavy rains this past week, my 99 Volkswagen Passat has flooded twice on the passenger side, front and back. After researching, I found that the problem came from clogged sun roof drains. I wet vacuumed out 3 gallons of water from the car. This problem is also caused by clogged pollen filters. There is no mention of either of the problems in the manual. Vw should be held accountable for this problem/defect in their cars. I have found hundreds of complaints from consumers on the same issue (www. . Read more...

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Water leak - Passat 2003.

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I recently had my 40k mile service done and was preparing to go on vacation. The car made it there without incident however the second day into out vacation the asr light came on and then the prnd432 all stayed lit. It had been beautiful weather for several days however there was easily two inches of water on the passenger side. The vehicles check engine light came on and it stopped automatically shifting. The vehicle is at the shop waiting repair.

2001 vw Passat v6. A defective pollen filter seal allowed water to pull on the passenger side floor. This occurred after 24 hours of rain. The water has damaged the transmission control module. Those repairs and the repair of the water damage to the carpet and resulting mold is estimated at over $2,000. The dealer reports that this is an long-standing defect. There are hundreds of reports of the same exact problem with vw and Audi.

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The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Passat. In rainy weather conditions, water enters the floor on the rear passenger side of the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that water entered through the ducts that distribute heat. The cause of the failure was unknown. The failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 99,000.

Hi, I have a vw Passat 2001. 5 sedan. I recently have notcied that water enters into the rear passenger floor when it rains. I hear that the problem is noticed by a number of fellow Passat owners on various forums. I have learnt that water can damage previous electronics and can be very expensive to fix. I feel that there is a design problem here with the vw Passat that allows water into the car when it should be kept out. I strongly hope vw would recall the vehicle to fix this problem. -- aravind.

For the 2nd time in 14 months the system that drains rain water out of my car has become clogged. The result is that water collects under the floor board on the front passenger side of the vehicle, where computers are located inside an unsealed plastic box. The first time this happened, in Dec 2004, I was told the failure was due to an unusually strong rain storm and the resulting water damage effected the break system. At that time the car was still under warranty. This time it's happening off warranty and I'm being told that one of the computers has to be replaced and there could be further damage which will only be detected after a new computer is installed. In both instances, the seats and carpeting had to be removed and the carpeting and wiring system had to be fan dried. This time around I spoke with a vw mechanic at the dealership where the repairs are being done and he said this is not an infrequent occurrence after a rain storm. Now, it seems to me that locating a computer system in a flat, low lying area of the car where water can collect is a huge design flaw, but that being the case, had I been made aware of the fact that regular flushing of the drainage system could have probably prevented a now costly and time consuming repair, I would have gladly taken my car in for such a service. Records will show that I followed vws scheduled maintenance program, having the service done at an authorized vw dealership on time. Surprisingly, flushing the drainage system is not part of vws routine maintenance program even though they are aware that the potential for this problem exists. It seems to me that flushing the drainage system is far more important than, say, filling the windshield wiper fluid, but then I guess vw stands to benefit far more from repairing a water damaged computer system as opposed to replacing a windshield wiper blade.

I have a 2004 vw Passat wagon. We were in the lake tahoe region last week during a rain and snow storm. We got in the car one morning to find inches of water in the rear passenger floor and to discover our transmission was shorted out. Had it towed 100 miles to sacramento, where it sat for a week before they were able to diagnose the problem which was pine needles in the drain below the battery which caused water to get in through the venting system. Volkswagon claims that this issue does not fall under warranty but was a matter of maintenance - yet no one seems to know that you are suppose to regularly check and clean the this drain as it's not part of normal maintenance procedures. We know at least the transmission control box is fried and do not have any idea if/what any other damage may be. There is nothing in the owners manual to tell one to check for this issue. I anticipate that this will be a cost of thousands of dollars. . Read more...

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Failure of electrical system due to interior water leaks into the footwell area from blocked plenum drain. As stated in the June 18,2004 vw technical service bulletin vehicle has 28,000miles . It is a lease. First electrical problems began at approx 20,000 miles when air bag light and check engine light came on and remained on. Service department kept car for 3 weeks and repaired. Second problem key lock system failed. Unable to start the vehicle needed to re-do codes and replace keys, also changed steering wheel. Third problem, dampness on floor of drivers side, front and back. , trunk opened while driving, interior lights remained on unless turned off manually, door locks opened and closed randomly while driving, alarm system went off randomly, sound system went on and stayed on after car was vacant. Car needed to be jump started in order to use. Car towed to dealership and was denied warranty coverage due to normal weather conditions causing problems. Vw of America refused to cooperate stating that they do no cover defective parts if it rained on the vehicle. At this time, car has been at dealership for 3 weeks while parts are ordered to repair at my cost. So far bill is rising above $4,000. Request to terminate lease was denied. 90 days early termination was offered by vw leasing but payments must continue to be made after car is returned.

Water intrusion in passenger side rear footwell. Anytime it rains. I have cleaned sunroof drains, battery compartment drains, cabin filter area and problem still persists.

2002 vw Passat: water leakage into the car accumulating in the floor wells when it rains. No immediate cause determined. Windows all closed. Drains for sunroof open and clear. Happens repeatedly when raining.

This failure is documented well by dozens of consumers:. . Read more...

We have a 2002 Volkswagen Passat station wagon. Several days ago, the air bag light came on steadily & the car was accelerating sluggishly. We took it into the dealership the following day. There was a crack in the pollen filter housing which had allowed rainwater to track into the passenger compartment, under the carpets. A number of key electronic modules are in this location, including the transmission control module and the comfort control module. These units had been destroyed by the pooling water and will have to be replaced. . Read more...

Leak into the passenger compartment with heavy rain resolution pending passenger air bag can be affected.

After recent rain, a pool of water collected on the right rear floor. Electronics are starting to malfunction. Apprently is a huge problem that hasnt been resolved. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2000 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Battery drain was designed too small, so it's clogged. There is a water leak entering from pollen filter through the housing down to tcm which caused a damage to tcm(transmission control module). Although this is a design issue I was told that this is an outside influence so it doesn't cover under warranty. I was driving out of parking lot and the gear won't shift out of second. So I restarted the car then everything was normal. But shortly after it went back to the same. And when I put the vehicle in park, gear shift out of park without having to put your foot on brake. Very dangerous. Nothing has done from dealership under warranty yet nor there isn't any recall . I'm still waiting for a call back from Volkswagen. But the dealer wants me to repair it at my cost for $2000 even though it is power train component.

Due to a sunroof drain clog, our 2003 Passat wagon passenger floorboard quickly filled with water in what I would describe as major flooding. As an immediate and direct result with no opportunity to react and respond our car began to have trouble starting. After getting it started and being unaware of the situation we were dealing with, an attempt was made to drive it to the dealer to see what was wrong. During that ride the electrical system went haywire, the car began to lurch and ultimately shut down on the side of the highway. I was forced to call vw for a tow and was responded to promptly. The dealer's service dept examined the car and found that the transmission control module and the air bag control module were both submerged as they both rest underneath the carpet in the floorboard. Both items were deemed to be nonfunctioning and had to be replaced. Along with the labor to clean carpets and replace these parts the total bill was around 2300 dollars. Here is my complaint: this was not covered under warranty according to the dealer, however; there is no literature in the owners manual or buyers guide that suggests the importance of keeping these drains unclogged. I mean if major flooding in the floorboard of a vehicle, a place where the vital computer modules are kept, is going to create catastrophic damage then it should be notated and/or made clear to the buyer at the time of purchase. I consider this to be a design flaw and worthy of warranting a recall. If you need verification of many more instances of the same problem with the same types of vehicles (vw Passats, etc. ) creating the same types of consequences all you need to do is visit the forum at theautobahn. Com and I am sure you will be just as disturbed and frustrated as I was even if you don't own one of these vehicles. Thank you for your time. A very angry consumer.

When it rains, water leaks into and floods the foot well on the rear driver's side.

I was driving my 2002 Volkswagen Passat when my engine light came on. I immediately pulled over. I was in new york at the time so I had the car towed to the nearest vw dealership, which was romano vw in fayetville, NY. I had did some research and found that the vw has a problem with the pollen housing filter. I asked the service manager omar to check the filter, which in return he stated it was fine. The problem was the oil pump, and the computer. I eventually found out that the computer failed do to a water leak on the passenger side of the car, which is where the computer is located. Romano vw said there was a water leak but it was not caused by the filter. I have been fighting with vw customer care and they keep denying my claim. I eventually had my car fixed and picked the car up and drove home. Once I got home the engine light came on again. I took the car to prestige vw in turnersville, NJ and they stated that the problem is cause from the pollen housing filter. Vw customer care has still denied my claim. After doing more research it turns out the pollen housing filter is a major issue in the Volkswagen, but vw themselves do not agree.

Front headlights malfunctioned - replaced them but they couldn't make the alignment of the beam. The car runs to the right but the wheels are calibrated and the direction alignment is done. The car infiltrated water inside the car and trunk. Sunroof malfunction - opens in all positions but don't close. The car as the front glass is from 2005 and all the others are from 2002, construction of the car 2003. Diesel escaped from the pump. Cd changer - 6 cds as malfunction the radio doesn't eject the cd's. The motor gag various times a constant rotation. The trunk was hard to open and close. There are other complaints. . . . The complaints begin 15 days from the purchase.

Distance between the foot rest and clutch are designed poorly. When transferring feet from one pedal to another consumer's foot will get stuck between the pedals. Dealership has been notified. There is a gap between the clutch pedal and the footrest to the left of the clutch pedal. Consumer's foot has gotten caught on sevreal occasions. Dealership removed footrest.

1- not known. 2- the vehicle's front plastic undercarriage engine cover broke without apparent warning. This led to exposure of part of the underside of the car while a large part of the cover dragged on the pavement while driving. 3- scheduled for repair.

1) interior of car floods (3rd incident in 4 years)-first incident 11/2003 2) don't know what impact the pooling water has on integrity of vehicle 3) dealer claimed to have repaired problem.

The floor well of my vw Passat becomes wet every time it rains. Accordingly to the vw dealer there is a crack in the pollen filter housing which results in the leak. I have read numerous accounts of the same problem occuring in other Passats, along with electrical failures. Besides being inconvenienced, my concern is the potential for an electrical fire and/or other electrical failures which could result in harm to driver, passanger(s) or other individuals. I would like Volkswagen to acknowledge this design fault and respond accordingly by rectifying the issue.

Stalling without reason. Dealer cannot find the problem.

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2002 Volkswagen Passat experiencing problems with passenger seat, door panels, glove compartment, radio equipment, buttons for the mirror equipment and the vehicle kept cutting off. The consumer stated when the passenger seat went forward it would not stop, the heated seats burned the consumers children, however he did not state how many children. The vehicle could not be aligned. The door panels and arm rest were peeling. The headlights were always going out. The brakes squeaked. The battery, generator and ground wire were replaced due to vehicle stalling.

On top of all the chronic design and other failures that have been endured, add the following : drivers outside rear view mirror - lens falls off on own accord. Also, although not immediately safety related - passenger side visor plastic holes broke out so screws will not hold visor in place.

There were numerous problems with this vehicle. The filter and carpet on the back passenger side was replaced. The mlp light had come on and the dealer installed a new vacuum hose. The radio did not work, standing water was found in the back right side of the vehicle under the front seat, the pollen filter was clogged and the air pollen filter was cracked due to the factory, the back door locks refused to open and could not be opened from the inside or out, a bumping noise was heard coming from under the vehicle, the engine revved, the vehicle lurched forward and accelerated at rapid speed all while the brakes were pumped with no response. The vehicle hit a curb doing over 50 mph all while pumping the brakes until it finally stopped 20-30 yards into a field damaging tires, rims and the bumper.

The air dam that protects the transmission/engine bottom, only the front center bolt had been attached. The right and left bolts were not installed. Dam broke while moving and could get wedged under vehicle causing a potential accident.

My 2001. 5 Passat has flooded three times, twice through the pollen filter and once through the sun roof. My insurance company paid $6000 for the last repair. The electrical in the passenger compartment was destroyed twice. For the last three years the sun roof opens on its own when the car is parked, engine off. Rain would again destroy the electrical were this to happen during a storm. I check on the car every night to be certain that the roof is closed. Vw will take no responsibility for this. The very worst happening was when I had had the car for one week and attended a very tragic funeral. The horn started beeping as if at a wedding. I drove out of the procession and to a safe place where I called for towing. This car is a lemon and I want vw to honor their responsibilities to their consumers. They want me to pay for a diagnosis which could cost $1000, and they would then decide what to do. I had vw pick up the car and fix the side air bag strip that had fallen and hung over the passenger side's window. They claim they never serviced this. They are not truthful in their service to me. How foolish it would be to have them diagnose a problem they would charge me to fix . . . Like giving a thief keys to the house.

The pressure builds inside the vehicle causing the driver to become disoriented when driving at highway speeds with the ront windows closed and the rear windows open. Nlm.

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Design of the vehicle allows for wind pressure/vibration and severe buffeting at highway speeds that cause discomfort and disorientation to the driver. Mjs.