Problems with 1999 Volkswagen Passat ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Was driving vehicle on the highway , the vehicle's check engine light and brake light came on and the vehicle completely shut down , i pulled over to the side of the highway i seen smoke i opened the hood and it was on fire. i called police and fire. the fire was put out the fans are melted and i'm not sure what else is burned , i have no idea what could have started the fire the vehicle is taken care of and there's no warning lights on , on the dash. *tr

My 1999 volkswagen passat has bad ignition coils. my son was driving the passat. when he got home from school he informed me the car was sluggish and the engine light was blinking. i went out and drove it to see what he was talking about. i never in my wildest dreams would have thought that if i drove it, it could catch fire. it didn't. i was told that after the discovery of bad coils. that was when a family friend looked at it and told me that it had bad ignition coils. fortunately school is only a mile away. i was told to have it towed to my nearest dealership for repair (each coil costing over $100 to replace - not including labor) because the engine could catch fire if i drove it. i checked online and i see hundreds of complaints about this. i saw vw is doing a voluntary recall but on 2001-2007. when i called the dealership to find out how much this was going to cost me they even told me they recommend replacing all 4 (it is a 4 cyl) because if even one is bad, the others will follow. this is not just me. this is hundreds of people with the same year same model as mine. all should be replaced by the dealership as well as the ignition pack. that has been a problem from people as well. i don't understand how this car manufacture can put parts out there that could have caused potential harm to my son. i don't understand how nothing is being done about it. and they want me to go in and pay for all of this, when they put those bad parts in the car. *tr

Abs, brake light and oil light indicators on - apparently a common problem with passats. faulty abs module according to dealership, $900 part. vehicle has 67,000 miles and dealership serviced. this should not be happening and a recall should be made. *tr

The engine in my 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t appears to be dead. oil pressure light comes on and won't go off. volkswagen is aware that they provided bad information on oil chnage intervals for this cars, but still insists owners have docements for every oil change ever on the car. as the second owner of this car, this is impossible for me to prove. also, i change my own oil, again making it impossible to prove the intervals to their satisfaction. mechanic has told me that at minimum, they have to pull the engine to replace the oil pump, but that the engine is likely so full of sludge that the engine will need to be rebuilt or replaced, to the tune of about $8000. volkswagen knows this is a defect that is their fault, look for a memo titled: august 2004 subject: warranty extension for 1998 - 2004 model year volkswagen passat sedan or wagon equipped with turbo engine note that after repair the oil spec has changed from the original and the interval between changes is shorter - an outright admission that they desgined the engine incorrectly if ever i've seen one. *tr

When a $2 o ring in oil filter housing fails, oil is quickly pumped from the engine. . mechanic says this is a common problem with the 1.8 liter turbo. daughter was driving when the oil light finally came on. in less that 5 miles engine damage started. cam shaft is scored. *tr

Oil sludge problem with my 1.8t engine in a 1999 vw passat after getting oil changes with synthetic oil now i'm with out a vehicle and my job requires me to drive. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 volkswagen passat. while the dealer was repairing the exhaust system they observed that the engine cradle frame was corroded. the manufacturer stated that they would not assist with the repairs. the failure was mileage 85,000 and the current mileage was 87,000.

1999 vw passat 1.8t suffered sudden timing belt failure at only 54,000 miles. incident occurred at night on a major interstate (i-70) in the colorado mountains, leaving me barely able to control my vehicle to coast uphill to a narrow snowy shoulder, where we were forced to call 911 and wait for almost 45 minutes in a cold vehicle, in constant danger of being struck from behind by semi/tractor trailers. i am disappointed that this occurred at such low mileage and endangered my family, and if it were an isolated incident i would not be pursuing this issue as i did miss the 40,000 mile service when a belt inspection was scheduled to be performed. i am concerned that this appears to be a common problem with this vehicle based upon my discussions with independent vw/audi service technicians and the internet, and led to a class action lawsuit of audi and now (ongoing) vw. in the meantime, vw appears to be denying that this is an issue, and refuses to honor its extended powertrain warranty unless it has been very strictly followed. due to the systematic failure with this critical engine part, usually occurring well before vw's own recommended belt change interval of 105,000 miles, i believe that vw should be repairing/recalling these vehicles for replacement of the defective belts and tensioners. sudden and total loss of engine power can lead to loss of vehicle control; in my case the real danger was the location and circumstances of the failure. it appears vw is following the same aggressive stance/denials of warranty claims with another issue with these engines, the oil "sludging" problem which is also well-documented on the internet. *nm

Chronic oil pressure problems (due to oil sludge buildup) starting at 73000 miles leading to replacement of oil pump at 100000. although this should have been covered by manufacturer extended warranty, i paid ($1250). i have old parts. *nm

99 vw passat's oil pump failed. **cc the engine seized while the consumer was driving. three oil pump had been replaced prior to this failure. the consumer indicated that vw is aware of problem with oil sludge in vw's but refuses to replace the engine because the vehicle has 105000 miles.

Engine light. *nm

Just before the expiration of my 100,000-mile, 6-year extended warranty at 99,938 miles (and 23 days before the end of 6 years) i took my 1999 1.8l turbo volkswagen passat (b5) to the dealership. i requested that they perform the 100,000-mile service and to thoroughly check the car for any repairs that may be required since it would soon be out-of-warranty. four hours later when the shop was closing, i picked up my car. upon checkout, the service rep stated that they did not find any problems, but that the service technician and volkswagen recommend changing the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump at 105,000 miles. i thanked him and went home not realizing the importance of his comment. three weeks later on june 2, 2006 at 102,088 miles (and 3 days past the six-year point), my tensioner broke which caused my timing belt to slip and strip the teeth intermittently off the belt. since i was not aware that my timing belt was slipping (except for an increase in noise when i accelerated), the valves were bent during the event. i had my car towed the following morning to a local vw service shop, and they notified me that my timing belt was broken and that machining of the cylinder block was necessary since the valves were bent. the repair to my engine, including a water pump and faulty plastic hose, cost $2,342. in addition, i had to rent a car for one week for the duration of the repair ($225) and tow the car to the service shop ($28). upon researching this issue, i realized it is a very common occurrence for the timing belt to fail prematurely on b5 passats and that had either the dealership or vw notified me of this proclivity for failure (and change their servicing recommendation) this failure and associated $2600 expense would not have occurred. *jb

Tl*- the contact stated that sometimes in june 2006 while driving on the highway at 65 mph the 1999 volkswagen passat started to lose power. also, he heard a rapping sound coming from the engine of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed into a repair facility, where they determined that the engine completely ceased. the repair was not completed. the current and failure mileage were both 150000.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated the abs, brake and oil lamps intermittently illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined the abs module needs replaced although the repair was not made.

1999 vw passat oil consumption - 1 qt. every 750 miles. dealer has replaced seals, tests and is now planning further seal replacement. i know this won't get fixed; this seems to be a design flaw where many other consumers are also "suffering". will the federal government demand a recall???????*jb

Timing belt broke with no warning before the 90,000 mile suggested check was performed. this is going to cost me somewhere between 2000 and 4000 to repair. *jb

Dt: the contact took vehicle to dealer for recall repairs. upon inspection the technician noticed the steering assembly came loose. the vehicle was being repaired at the dealership. they replaced both lower control arms and both tie rods. also, the dealership also found there was an oil leak and the abs was defective. *ak the technician discovered the steering rack assembly was loose to the point it could have fallen of from the frame. updated 11/29/05. *jb

Dt: the contact owns a 1999 volkswagen passat. the car has been t dealer, serviced as the original owner on a regular basis. the oil has been changed on schedule. the vehicle has 112,000 miles on it. the contact was informed on 9-30-05 that the engine needed an overhaul, and that it would cost in excess of $1000.00 to replace the valve rings/o-rings). the contact was told that if this was not done oil would leak , and the car could catch on fire. the contact's daughter has a friend who told her that this was a known problem with the 1999 passat. the contact called the manufacturer, and was told the warrant expired, and they could not do anything about it. also she called bbb and filed a complaint against volkswagen. *ak.

Check engine light repeatedly on. error code 17544 bank 1 system too lean (p1136) long term fuel trim. i had my mechanic fix all vacuum leaks, low fuel pressure, exhaust leaks, injectors and secondary air system. had the maf sensor replaced and still have the check engine light on. *nm

On 9/7/05 in the am, i brought my car into the herzog-meier dealership in beaverton, oregon to be serviced for a radiator issue. around 2 pm in the afternoon, i received a voice message from the service rep at the dealership indicating that in addition to the issue i brought my car in for, the mechanic had indicated the front tie-rods were completely destroyed. i left a message with the service rep back to get more information. in the interim, i researched and found my vehicle had a recall for tie-rods, indicated as you campaign id numbers of 99v248000 and 00v414000. i contacted vw customer care regarding this issue. vw customer care would only tell me there was "no outstanding recalls". when i was able to talk with the service rep, he told me these recalls had been performed back on 3/13/01. i contacted vw customer care to ask them to re-repair these tie-rods because the parts installed from the recall had failed. vw has said they would only repair the tie-rods the 1 time and felt no obligation to repair again. the reason for my complaint is the parts installed after the recall have failed. now i am being asked to pay $500 out of my own pocket to fix. additionally, vw has no recommended replacement or maintenance for tie-rods listed on their website or in my owners manual for my vehicle. *nm

Belt time damage, consequences engine repair. *jb

Dt: the contact stated there were toxic fumes in vehicle. the dealership replaced the turbo, but this did not help to eliminate the fume problem. currently, they insisted that the engine needed to be removed and all of the seals need to be replaced. the manufacturer advised him not drive the vehicle because it was not safe. there have been no further repairs made to the vehicle. *ak

The abs, brake and oil light all come on (oil will flash) with sporadic irregularities in the tachometer. the tachometer will sometimes drop to zero. all this happens with 3 distinct beeps whenever i use the brakes. colder temperatures can lessen the occurrence of the problems. dealership service says that the abs module needs to be replaced at a cost of $3600. i have not yet approved the repair on the car. *nm

I am writing about engine failure regarding a 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t. i purchased the car in 2003 at 29,000 miles and the car currently has around 77,000. volkswagen has an extended warranty that states (to some degree) that if the engine fails due to sludge and is under 80,000 miles the owner will be able to have their engine replaced, 'if' they have records of all oil changes (of not more than 5,000 miles). my complaint is this, i do not have all the records since one of the locations that i went to no longer has a record of oil changes due to a computer malfunction. additionally, when i called volkswagen's 'customer advocate' they indicated that the decision is really up to the area service manager who can arbitrarily decide to repair or not repair the vehicle. thus, my complaint is that volkswagen knows that their engine has a problem and will not fix it. i have asked to have them send me a copy of their warranty indicating this, but wanted to lodge a complaint against the company for the 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t with the hopes of an investigation into the engine and whether it is faulty. thank you.*ak

Oil pump failure due to sludge. manufacturer's failure to honor warranty. *ak

1999 vw passat with 67,000 miles in otherwise good condition that had undergone routine maintenance according to manufacturer's recommendations experienced complete and abrupt engine seizure on thursday january 6, 2005. *ak

1999 volkswagen passat 1.8l turbo engine with 71,000 miles stopped suddenly; then check-engine light came & car would not re-start. check-oil light had been intermittently on for 2-3 miles prior, but oil was checked and it was actually overfull. 803 miles prior, vw service dept had serviced car for check-engine light, and replaced turbo recirculation valve and hose. oil has been changed every 3000 miles since car was purchased used, with 30,000 miles, in feb. '04. vw service department claims failure was caused by engine becoming oil-starved due to sludge in oil take-up tube. sludge caused by not using synthetic oil, although it is not required. cam gear was damaged, leaving metal pieces throughout engine. entire engine, turbo and catalytic converter had to be replaced. vw denies any responsibility. parts may still be w/mechanic, i certainly do not have facilities or desire to store an entire ruined engine. *nm

Consumer noticed oil on top of the engine. after taking the vehicle to dealer for inspection dealer stated there was an oil leak from the gasket. the gasket needed to be replaced. *ak

82290 miles on car. car engine suddenly lost power and would not run. turning on emergency flashers, blowing my horns and then rapidly exiting the road i was able to avoid getting rear-ended. cam belt is broken and then causes about $3500 in damage to the top-end (bend valves,etc.) of the car car is current in the vw repair shop awaiting $4650 in total to replace cam belt and damaged top end. note: cam belt may have been stressed due to ignition modlule failure at 80330 document on 10090985.....

The oil light came on while driving. when consumer checked the oil level it was down a quart of a quart of oil. a quart of oil was added. oil light come back on and the engine stalled within seconds of restarting and driving the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealership, who indicated that the engine head shut and was damaged beyond repair. this occurred because of fuel pump failure. prior to this incident at 58, 510 miles the oil light came on, a diagnostic test was performed, but no failure were found. the dealership couldn't find the cause of problem, but changed the oil.*ak

While driving at low speeds the vehicle lost oil pressure intermittently. please provide additional information. *jb

Our oil light kept coming on. kept taking in for oil change and said was fine. no one could tell us why oil light kept coming on. then received a letter from vw of america stating there was oil sludge problem. will not fix car w/out oil receipts. can not drive car w/out getting oil sludge prob. fixed because it can damage engine.*jb

Timing belt on vehicle broke resulting in damage to the engine valves. *mr the newer editions of the passat have redesigned tension systems for the timing belt. *sc *jb

Engine runs very rough periodically and will stall out, most recently in the middle of an intersection. dealer could find no computer codes or other problems that would account for condition.

While driving 80 mph the vehicle's engine stalled without warning. . please provide additional information. *jb

While driving at any speed and when the vehicle was parked there was excessive smoke coming out of the right front wheel well. vehicle had been to the dealer four times for this particular problem. dealer claimed that the problem originated from oils from the engine. *ak

There are no specific events leading to the failure besides regular use of the vehicle passat 1999. the abs warning light periodically has come on and lengthened in duration until it stayed on permanently. the braking is still normal, but the abs control unit is recommended to be replaced by the dealer. i have not replaced the abs control. also, the timing belt tensioner went out on my passat 1999. i was driving on a freeway when the car just cut out. i coasted it over to the side of the road where it would not turn over. this part was redesigned on later models because of its tendency to fail. i had to redo all of my rods. i still have the old part in my possession. *nm

Engine oil leak. dealer repair service indicated that cam tensioner and cam seals need to be replaced.*ak

Timing belt failure caused a catastrophic engine failure. no warning is described in owners manual or maintenance schedule. engine failed at 91000 miles during highway driving, required some immediate action to avoid an accident.*ak

The 1999 passat has had a number of problems from excessive oil consumption, electrical problems,water pump defects, front end assembly and transmission problems. (nar) *ph *cb

1999 vw.passat exhaust cataylitic converter failure and engine skipping problem. *la

The catalytic converter failed on my wife?s passat. the car is 4 yrs old and has less than 85000 miles on it . the estimated repair from bill barry vw. to fix it is around 1600 dollars. i was told that when i purchased the car new that the exhaust systems never fail because they are made of stainless steel. before that around 68000 miles the car began to run on 3 cylinders. they had to replace a control module that cost me $612.00 none of this was covered under any of my warranty. even though i am supposed to have a 10 yr. or 100000 miles. this will be our last volkswwagen. if i were told that the exhaust system was worth so much money up front, we would never have bought this car. *la

Electrical problems from the start, melting of plastic, lights in the car working sporadically at best. oil, drain, oil pump, camshaft,all blamed on lack of verifiable oil changes. timing belt - let go on highway at 85000 miles (warranty for 1999 passat, 100,000 miles) blamed on oil changes. 82 days in shop steering goes during this time and i'm told i need an altenator [ 3rd one ] the story goes on and on......

Numerous problems with 1999 volkswagen passat. when taken to the service dealer, the consumer claimed the car had problems with oil and coolant leaks. the problem was suppose to be fixed, however the dealer never gave the consumer a invoice because the work was never completed. while traveling, the oil light came on again. the consumer was unable to use the vehicle. also the loss of fair market value. consumer spent over a $1000.00 in repairs. *mr *cb. the air condition did cool the vehicle properly, and there was also a valve cover leak, and a power steering fluid leak, the dealer stated the power steering hose was bad, the glove box failed to open, the driver side vanity mirror was broke and the head light bulb was replaced. *jb

I have a 1999 passat wagon (@ 84,000 mile) and have had a buring oil smell for the past 18 months (it started @ 60,00 mile). it has been to a few dealers numerous times and all they ever to is replace gaskets. they have also replaced turbo charger, mas air flow, and every possible gasket.*ak we have even had the vw rep into help solve the problem. they worked on it - said they found other gaskets - but it still burns. it is worse when it sits idle and does not happen wheh the ac is on. i just got it back from the delaer two days ago and the smell is still there - of course on their invoice they claim the smell is gone. they are such liars and all the serivce people know how to do is replace parts. i have decided to access the lemon law.

Oil leaking from valve cover seals, cylinder head and cam cover seals.*ak

Car only has only 31,000 miles yet radiator was leaking causing temp. light to come on. no visible exterior damage to radiator. cost to replace was over $700.00. vw of america refuses to help pay, even though radiator was defective. worse yet consumer helpline refused to let me speak with a supervisor or give me number for corporate office. *jb

Timing chain tensioner seals leaking and vw will not honor their replacements under the powertrain warranty.*ak

While driving the head gasket blew and caused oil to leak. *nlm

The timing belt loosened, flapped up, and severed. when this occurred the vehicle lost power and stalled. the engine would not run and the vehicle did not accelerate. the vehicle displayed a rough idle and rattled. this was a common problem with these vehicles, per dealership. *ak the timing belt tensioner failed while the vehicle was in motion. the timing belt broke after the tensioner shredded it. the vehicle was shifted into park while in motion. the power brakes and the power steering failed. the vehicle was purchased with 52,515 miles and the failure had already occurred. less than 4k miles later. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc