Tank Assembly Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 2

The 2002 Volkswagen Passat glx 4 motion with just over 66,000 miles had just been refueled with a full tank of gas and driven into our garage when my wife smelled strong gasoline fumes and noticed puddles underneath the vehicle. I brought it to Volkswagen dealership, and was charged $70 for the diagnosis , and then a total of $302. 77 to replace the gasket for the fuel pump. They did not fill the tank to confirm that the problem no longer existed, but said that the problem was fixed. A week later the same situation, gasoline fumes and puddles under vehicle. Returned to dealership, and they kept car for 4 days to diagnose. Bottom line ,they informed me that "the vehicle may need a new fuel tank , $1,622. And /or new fuel lines, $922. 25. They will need to lower the fuel tank to completely diagnose" at a cost of $700 because of 5 hours. Labor. We had already spent over $300 for repairs that apparently wasn't necessary because it did not fix the problem. They did not refund our $300. Also , my wife called Volkswagen of America, and we were told that the car was out of warranty, so they would offer no help. I purchased this car brand new. It was top of the line I expect better performance and service as I have had a number of Volkswagens and none had given me grief until this one. A gasoline tank and fuel lines were safety issues and if they fail in such a short time they would have to be either defective or poorly designed, and the responsibility to correct them should lie with the manufacturer. Any reasonable person would think that the $300 repair bill would be acceptable but not anywhere between $2000 and $3000. Why should the customer pay for a poor design that involved $700 just to diagnose? from the look of some of the other complaints found on this site they would already know and gladly extend some good will to the owners of these vehicles.

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The contact owns a 2000 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the vehicle will not read the amount of fuel that is present in the fuel tank. The failure is caused by a fuel sender malfunction. The dealer and the manufacturer referenced recall # 01v157000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). They stated that once a recall repair is performed, they do not perform the repair again. The contact's vehicle was not included in the recall. The current mileage is 40,000 and failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 01-14-08. The consumer stated he is experiencing problems again. Updated 12/12/07.

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A chemical smell permeating my entire house for 2 months. I had home gas company come out and check for a gas leak,gas company did not find a gas leak. The smell would be worse some days. A friend found my tank leaking . I took my car in the next day, Monday p. M. To have it looked at baron vw. They said it was a nipple on a hose inside the tank, and the whole tank had to be replaced. This is a very expensive repair, that they are estimating to be two thousand dollars. I do not believe that this just happened, with the hose being inside the tank, I think this is a bad part. I have found other incidents of this online , for this particular 2002 Passat, with four motion. I think it is a defect of the part and it is expensive because the whole drive train must be removed to replace it. I am hoping you will look into this because that is a very dangerous problem. I don't think some people would even notice their tanks leaking. If my car was not stored in my garage everyday I would have never noticed it. It could have blown my house up when I turned my heater on for the winter with the fumes that were in this house, not to mention driving with a leaking tank, and the chance of static or a cigarette butt getting tossed my way. The car has been out of my garage for 3 days now and the attic fan has been on until last night and my house still stinks. I am afraid now to turn my home furnace on. People who own these cars should be warned to check them for gas leaks, especially if they keep them in their garage. I also think about the times I had my grandson strapped into a child seat right there over that leaking tank. The reason the smell was in my house stronger some days was because I would leave the car outside sometimes and I had the windows open and attic fan on would draw the smell out. The day I discovered it was particularly strong was because I had put the car back in and shut the windows and turned my a/c back on in the house.

2002 vw Passat, v6 4motion just turned over 50,000 miles (warranty expired) and noticed that when I filled the gas tank, for several days until the gas level went down, there was a very strong gas odor in the car and around the car. Took it to the dealer, who first pointed out that it was time for me to pay the Passat driver privilege tax, a. K. A. , $650 for standard maintenance work. Regarding the gas smell, after the mechanics allegedly checked the car, the service advisor speculated that it was a leak in one of the fuel pump seals, which are located under the back seat (where the strongest smell was coming from). He said that he had seen other Passats at around my same mileage with the same problem. The tank was only â½ full though, and the smell was not present, so he asked me to bring the car back on another day, with a full gas tank, so that the mechanics could smell it. When I suggested that it might be more difficult (and dangerous) to examine a full gas tank, he agreed and when I brought the car back a week later for the mechanics check it out, that's when the service advisor told me that the gas tank was 'cracked' (near the top) and that it would cost $2,000+ to fix it. This is obviously not caused by 'wear and tear'- nor is it a problem that I could have caused absent some sort of impact. I called vw America to ask them to pay for the repair, and after they investigated my claim, they told me that the dealership offered to pay 1/2 the cost of the repair, ($1,000). When I next spoke with the service advisor at the dealership, he told me that vw had offered to pay 1/2 the cost of the repair, or would give me a $1,000 credit toward a new car. My investigations have led me to the conclusion that this is either a defect of the vw fuel tanks or the crack is due to corrosion, which should be 100% covered under the 12 year corrosion warranty. Either way, vw should be held accountable.

My 2002 vw Passat 4 motion developed a severe fuel leak from a defective fuel tank which ruptured along the top and was leaking in 3 places. Vehicle has not been involved with any collision. Vw refused to cover the repair due to my vehicle having 65000 miles. Dealer mechanic said he has seen several other Passats with 4 motion have the same problem. Repair cost estimate is 3000. 00.

I purchased a 2006 Passat from graham automotive in sioux falls, sd on December 20, 2005. On Friday, Feb 24th when driving on I-229 in town I thought I heard some sort of noise in the trunk. Upon getting to my destination, I noticed a smell like gasoline, I looked under the vehicle to notice that there was a leak in the right front section of the gas tank. I immediately took the vehicle to the same dealership which was 2 miles away. They put it up on the rack and had already determined it was not covered by warranty. I looked at the gas tank and noticed that the part of the gas tank that was ruptured was exposed and had to have been damaged by some kind of debris. When driving on the highway I never saw anything in the road or anything fly from behind the vehicle, it was a sunny day so visibility was good. I have spoken with the service manager and the general manager of this dealership and they both claim this is not the fault of design and are not honoring the warranty on this issue. They said I could speak with the regional vw rep, john farber on March 1st when he's in town. They quoted me a price of $900 to replace the gas tank. On March 1st, I met with mr farber and doug the service manager, they had already discussed this as mr farber had a copy of the warranty info prepared with highlighted text saying that it was not covered and he would not do anything for me. I then showed him a news story I saw online about government investigations into ruptured gas tanks on Nissan muranos and Chrysler pacificas. He seem uninterested in this and stood his ground. The dealership only offered a 10 percent discount on the $900 estimate. I have informed them of my intentions to contact your office on this matter.

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I own a 2002 vw Passat v6 glx with 42,700 miles. Within the past 2 months an intermittent problem started with very strong gasoline fumes coming from the car after the tank is filled and the car is parked in a residential garage. The gas tank is filled until the first click off of the gas nozzle ( at several different gas stations). The gasoline fumes are very strong, requiring that the garage doors be left partially open to reduce the fumes to a tolerable level. No fuel drips from the vehicle. The fumes seem to be coming from the right rear of the car. Fumes can sometimes be smelled briefly outdoors when the vehicle's gas tank is full. The fumes stop after the tank level is down to about 3/4 tank. The problem recurs consistently now for me everytime the vehicle is refueled. I brought the vehicle to the local vw dealer on 11/5/05. They pressured tested the vehicle's fuel system with argon and reported that they can find no fuel leak or duplicate the problem with a full tank of gas. The service manager contacted vw technical assistance. I brought the vehicle in on 12/15/05 with a half tank of fuel as requested. The service technicians, as recommended by vw technical assistance, removed the gas tank and weighed the charcoal canister to determine if adequate charcoal was present. The charcoal canister was within factory specifications. The service technicians reinstalled the same parts and then filled the gas tank. They then pressure tested the vehicle's fuel system with argon overnight, leaving the vehicle in the service bay. They could not detect any fuel leaks or reproduce the problem. Vw technical assistance reportedly told the tech's that they had done all that was possible and that there was nothing else to do. The service manager acknowledged that their service bay is quite large and ventilated so that the conditions do not duplicate having the vehicle in a residential garage. A fire risk and fume exposure remain.

The fuel gauge on my 2001 Volkswagen Passat has been malfunctioning for the past five weeks. The gauge displays a "full" reading for the first 100-150 miles of driving, after filling the gas tank. After 100-150 miles, the gauge displays 7/8 full, and the needle does not move until approximately 300-380 miles have been driven, at which point the needle displays 1/2 tank of fuel remains. This vehicle will generally yield 400 to 430 miles on a full tank of fuel. My wife drives this vehicle daily, and has nearly run out of fuel twice on the interstate due to a false reading on the fuel gauge. The local Volkswagen dealership, and Volkswagen of America states there is no recall campaign on my vehicle, and refuses to repair or replace the defective component at their expense.

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Nhtsa 01v157000 sites a problem with the fuel tank gauge my vehicle absolutely has this defective part. The gas gauge will record 280 miles then after driving a few hours it will say 380 miles left for fuel then in a 30 mile distance it will plummet down to 60 or less. The car is a 2001 Passat and neither the dealership nor Volkswagen of America has this as a recall as of 08/04/05.

Fuel level sending unit reading wrong causing fuel to run out causing a hazardous situation on the road. This is identified in 01v157000. My car is vw Passat glx 2000 listed on the campaign, but manufacturer and dealer say not included in this campaign. I need to cover the repair myself which is a shame. Old part is available.

The vehicle had a faulty fuel sending unit. Recall#01v157000.

The dealerships stated recall 01v157000 concerning fuel sending unit expired, and dealership will not repair the vehicle free of charge. Lithia auto group, 775-852-3300, reno,nevada.

The fuel gauge indicated fuel wan the vehicle, however there was no fuel and the vehicle ran out of gas. The vehicle was not included in recall number. 01v157000.

While driving on the highway right rear michelin mxv4 tire disintegrated. Parts of the tire ruptured the gas tank. On 6/18/2003 the consumer contacted the manufacturer, who stated that vehicle was not involved in the recall# 02v026000. On 6/20/2003 the dealer called and informed the consumer all damages to the vehicle would be fixed per the recall. A recall notice was received after the call from the dealer was made.

Several times now, I ran out of gas when driving my 2001 Volkswagen new Passat v6 glx. The last time it was absolutely irritating because the fuel gauge still showed a quarter tank available and did not give any indication or warning of low fuel. Worse, the car stopped at the middle of the road with no warning what so ever. Worst, when contacting the dealer, they offered to have a look at the gas tank, but they did not notify me at that time, that there is a known problem. They did not even contact me and inform me that there is a safety related problem and a recall on that vehicle!!! please contact Volkswagen of America and make sure that all Volkswagen new Passat owners get informed of the safety related recall!!!! if I would not have found your website per pure incident, I would never have known of this actual problem known to Volkswagen.

Original tires continental 195/65r15 91hch95 dot lmpcpxbu2300. Consumer heard a loud flapping noise, pull over looked all around car and didn't see anything. Consumer proceeded to drive noise returned with a small pop, then it was quiet again, then three minutes later noise returned even louder. Consumer pulled over and the right rear tire had completely come off of rim, the tire blowout damaged the fender lining and damaged the fuel tank, the repairs were not covered by the warranty or extended warranty despite the fact that vw Passat's for year 1997-2000 have been recalled for this problem, recall campaign id # 02v-026.

My car has the exact same problem as described by your recall campain id#01v157000. Unfortunately, my car is not included in this recall.

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Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer regarding gas tank sender replacement due to recall (01v-157). After recall was done it failed again.

Fuel guage intermittently displays incorrect levels. For instance, will only show 3/4 full after fillup. Also, will sporaticly jump between 1/4 full and full on occasion. Dealer states "unable to duplicate. Have almost runout of gas on 4 occasions due to problem. Have talked to other Passat owners, and many report same or similar problems. Concerened about running out of fuel and being stranded or, more seriously, fire hazard. Problem first started to occur around 45k miles.

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Check engine light keeps coming on along with emissions workshop lights; gas tank, vacumn pump and sensors all replaced but still this problem continues.

Had received recall notice #00v1471000. Contacted dealership several times before appointment was given. After taking vehicle to dealership for repairs,had to wait. Was informed repairs were done. One (1) week later, vehicle ran out of gas. Had vehicle towed to dealership, where repairs were done. Mechanic indicated that gas gauge was defective and needed replacing.

The vehicle experienced the same symptoms as recall 01v157000 related to the fuel gauge. The fuel gauge would indicate that there was more fuel than what was actually in the tank which caused the vehicle to stall. Fuel sending unit had to be replaced. This vehicle was not covered under the recall due to the age and mileage on the vehicle.

Consumer had a flat tire while driving 70 mph. , either tire or road hazard damaged fuel tank, and caused it to crack. Fuel tank was made of plastic.

A blowout caused two punctures through fuel tank and severe fuel leakage. Dealer / manufacturer notified, and repairs were being made under its warranty. Tire was a continental, size p195/65r15, dot# lmpcpxbu.

Took vehicle to dealer & was informed by mechanic that rack needed to be replaced due to power steering leaking fluid through it. Also rotors were replaced due to excessive wear. Fuel tank had collapsed & was not accepting any fuel.

Fuel gauge, speedometer and tachometer needle will not set at zero even when ignition is off.

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While driving, right rear tire blew out. The well lining between the tire and the fuel tank for cusion purpose was observed to be bended around the top portion of the tire. Pieces of tire hit fuel tank and caused a fuel leak which may have resulted in a fire. ( dot number: m3ta cxyx tire size: 15 ).

While driving rear passenger tire blew out. Pieces from the tire hit the fuel tank and caused a major fuel leak which may have resulted in a fire. Please provide further information.

Gas flowed out of tank after fill up creating fire hazard.

Gas tank ruptured. Nlm.

Gas tank ruptured.

Fuel gauge did not register the correct amount of fuel. This could cause the vehicle to run out of fuel. Fuel sending unit was replaced in April of 99 because of this problem. Volkswagen refused to address the current situation. The cause could be a loose wire according to the owner.

Consumer noticed it was difficult to pump fuel, the dealer found the hose leading down to the tank had collapsed and the whole tank and hose system was replaced, also the gas tank door was re-aligned because it wouldn't close.

Fuel gauge stopped working properly. It would not register a full tank of gas even when the tank was full. Dealer replaced fuel sending unit from the tank to correct the problem.

Gas tank failed. Yh.