Problems with 1999 Volkswagen Passat SUSPENSION

07/21/01 scheduled service for clunking/rattling noise in front suspension over small road imperfections and secondly tie rod recall. mechanic replaced tie rods, but same clunking/rattling noise occurs upon departure. dealer ordered sway bar links, replaced on second visit. rattling noise stops, but shortly after repair, sharper clunking resurfaces, turns into also scraping/squeaking noise on sharp turns left with time. website and independent research indicates many instances of identical symptoms in same model of car leading to possible wheel detachment in extreme circumstances. other dealers indicate tsbs issued, but no remedy for repair cost on this relatively late model car. ball joints only come with kit priced at approximately $600 from dealer. after reading numerous website posts, i've become very concerned on safety of car as clunking/knocking/squeaking/scraping noises have grown louder with my vehicle. i'd feel very uncomfortable keeping/selling this car without the problem remedied. i strongly support a vw or at worst case nhtsa initiated recall on this apparent design defect to prevent recurring problems.*ak

Suspension clunking noise - taken to dealer 5+ times, no resolution. *ak

The lower right arm of the front suspension has failed. this is after only 25,000 miles. the bushing has apparently come loose from the arm. if allowed to progress far enough, this could lead to unsafe handling of the vehicle. *ak

Vehicle stalls intermittently at speeds of 25-65 mph. vehicle taken to dealer 10-15 times, cannot find a cause. *ak the mirror switch is inoperative due to window switch failure. the driver seat warmer was inoperative. engine has a burning smell due to oil leak. vehicle made noise in front end on left turns due to a stabilizer bar clamp being loose. front brakes make noise. steering makes noise and locked while driving. steering column sliding cover cracked. *yh

Control arms on my 99 vw passat have been replaced twice now.....they are expensive ($650+) and obviously poorly engineered as others have had te same problems. *ak

Lower control arm bushing failure, causing erratic handling, degraded since.*ak

Control arm bushings are failing on the audi a4, they share the same front suspension. *ak

Suspension system causes knocks in steering column. this affects consumers ability to properly control vehicle. consumer had tire rods changed, and problem still exists. *ak *yh

Very common problem. suggest investigation/recall.no safety defect listed. *ak

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. after researching in popular internet forums for the car,(www.clubb5.com , www.vwvortex.com) i found out this failure is very common for this automobile. vmoa (volkswagen of america) has not issued a recall yet (even though they have received thousands of complaints) as of this late date. (6/04) the response from vwoa and your dealer network has been inconsistent, to say the least. some dealers will not even look at the car, some will look at it and say nothing is wrong, and some will say that it is the control arms, but will not help out the owner when the time comes to contact the customer care center at vwoa . vwoa is not much more help, promising to get on the problem and telling you they will callback, only they don_x0019_t. or if they do ,it is, _x001c_sorry we cannot help you._x001d_. so what happens is that many of the owners that are out of warranty, must pay for a costly repair out of pocket. a repair that should have never happened. (i have never had control arm bushing failure in my previous 13 automobiles!) repair costs run over $700 for parts, and the same amount in labor. i am purchasing my car from the bank soon. overall it is a great car. i must replace the control arms very soon. i dont look forward to that and the high cost it will run me. i wish for vmoa to treat its customers like a modern customer focused company. bad designs happen. they owe it to their customers to make it right. thank you. john e. tami. *ak

I have informed the dealer and i imformed them about the lower control arm failure and there was tsb call for the item they told me that i dont quailify for that problem. the problem is that their a bushing failure on both side of the lower control arm it made it loose and you can feel it in the wheels and steering wheel. it would be a easy fix if they just replace the bushing but they dont just sell the bushing they sell the whole lower control arm. i have technical knowlegde about the cars and i believe that this is a problem. its a safety issue to anyone. if the person does not know what going on. they will continue driving their unsafe car. the suspension test on the inspection station will not detect the problem. it will affect the alignment and the drive shaft and steering.*ak

While attempting to make a 180-degree turn, coming from a parked position on the street, the front left wheel disconnected from the car and hung at a 90-degree angle. this car is dangersou when super-extending the suspension system because a hollow knuckle is used in the suspension system.

Steering wheel has a lot of play inside of vehicle, and ball joints are making lound and poppy noises.*ak