Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Passat ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving at 75mph or in city traffic i get an alarm warning that my driver's door is open. to shut the loud warning off, i must open and close the door while going 75mph or in traffic. either i open the door while driving or pull over on the side of the highway with traffic, i find this very dangerous!!! this happens daily this is my second vw passat that the door latch has failed and was told this a common problem with volkswagens this should be a recall because of the dangers of having to open the door to reset the latch electrical switches that are defective!!!

I was driving the car about 30 minutes prior to incident traveling at approximately 45 mph with my child in the car and without warning of any kind my car shuts off and i almost got rear ended . i was able to coast to the side of the road put the vehicle in park tried starting the vehicle and it started right away . i drove vehicle home without incident . i took the vehicle to a mechanic and they couldn't find a problem no engine codes where present . i drove the vehicle for a week and this same scenario played out again i wasn't driving the car any further at this point because again i had my child in the car and again also got rear ended . had it towed to a different mechanic and they to were unable to find any engine codes or problems . i had my boyfriend drive the car home and it stalled on him at a red light . car wouldn't restart so he had to push the vehicle across a lane of traffic to the shoulder of the road . when the car cooled down for 2 hours it restarted and drove fine no check engine light or codes present .. after a month of headaches with the car we discovers it was a faulty engine speed sensor this is a very dangerous part to fail without warning leaving the car powerless if this happened on the freeway i wouldn't have been so lucky i imagine. *tr

Car beeps and displays the abs light and the brake light. at first they appear and then disappear. on 6/12/2014 the abs is on each time i start the vehicle plus the brake light flashes throughout the duration of the drive. on two occurrences the traction control off light came on and remained on. the fear is that i have lost abs and traction control, and also that the e-brake or brakes will engage while in motion. multiple occurrences of this have occurred in vw passat forums and most suggest taking out the abs module and having it refurbished due to a hair sensor that goes faulty on the passat. many requests have been made to have this part recalled and fixed, i am adding my request to the other parties involved. *tr

In august of 2013, while backing out of a driveway, i experienced a total loss of braking. after examining the car, i discovered that the plenum that holds the battery and brake booster was nearly filled with rain water. it was necessary for me to remove one of the duck-billed drain plugs in the plenum as all were clogged with debris, preventing water from draining out. the flooded plenum appears to have resulted in water being drawn through the vacuum lines when attempting to brake. this, in turn, caused a significant amount of water to be drawn into the crankcase. water was also drawn into the cylinders resulting in misfiring. after removing at least one drain plug in the plenum for proper drainage, and double flushing the contaminated oil in the crankcase, i experienced no further braking problems until freezing weather in november 2013. in november, while braking near the bottom of a hill, i again experienced a hard pedal with no depression and almost no braking ability, resulting in the car going into the intersection before fully stopping. the car was towed to the volkswagen dealership for repair. two weeks later, there was again the symptom of a hard pedal? with no depression and near loss of all braking. the car was again returned to the volkswagen dealership for repair. this time, the vacuum booster, the vacuum pipes, and their related items were replaced. as noted in the dealership invoice, evidence of water was found in the replaced vacuum booster. the dealership acknowledged that the plenum had a significant high-water pollen line, indicating flooding of the plenum. it was believed by their service department staff that the brake failures in november and december 2013 were likely the result of residual water freezing in the vacuum booster, causing the booster to be inoperative. also, the ignition coils were replaced. updated 01/30/14 the consumer stated the insufficient fix during the 2008 campaign did not resolve the problem. it allowed for continued flooding of the plenum compartment a

Ignition coils caught fire while driving. mechanic states that they "catch fire all the time". *kb

Traveling down the street and smelled smoke. smoke began emitting from under the dash and vehicle cut off. fire department was called and extinguished the fire. vehicle was a total loss. *tr

I'm the original owner of a 2002 vw passat 1.8t/automatic transmission with 97,500 miles which had underdash electrical fire while running the car and now is a total loss. the car was in very good condition prior to the events. electrical underdash fire started very fast with smoke coming from driver vent. after searching on the internet appears this is a very common problem, an not many people really report the car fire. *tr

My complaint is more general in nature. i purchased a 2002 volkswagen passat in 2001. this was the first car i purchased brand new. as i think back over the time that i've had this vehicle and reading the complaints that have been logged in on this site, i can't help but think that volkswagen should offer some type of substantial "hardship" reimbursement besides repairs and such. in the time that i've had this vehicle, i've had the following incidents occur: 1. have a control unit replaced (horn not working, unable to roll down windows, etc..) 2. replace ignition coil (stop motor status light coming on as i'm driving in the midst of traffic) 3. had undershield fall forward as i was driving on the state highway, pretty much scooping up potential debris from the roadway surface. 4. damage to engine from oil sludge and oil pump replacement no less than three times. (stop motor light again) 5. interior of car flooded and frozen over from sunroof flaw and electronics are affected... just on merits of being able to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle and showing that these services were indeed rendered at a volkswagen authorized repair facility, i believe that at minimum, volkswagen should agree to reimburse all expenses, no questions asked. it's become clear that the quality of these vehicles was substantially sub-par and poorly designed all things considered. the car is currently in my parents driveway, as the last time the oil pump went caused so many issues that i ended up not being able to drive the car (live and work out of state now and registration expired the same month the pump went then couldn't afford insurance after repairs). to add insult to injury, i didn't receive the claim notice about fixing the sunroof issue until a year later, as it went to my old address and now it's too late to even file the claim. all i want is have a reliable car to operate without worrying about if i'm gonna have skip lunch because i spent all my money on repairs. *tr

I was driving at night and pulled over because my car had no operating tail lights (the headlights and other front lights were working properly). turning the lights off and then back on solved the problem temporarily, but further testing when i returned home revealed that the tail lights were not always turning on with the rest of the lights. an internet search revealed this is a relatively common problem for these cars and that a failed headlight switch is the culprit. replacing the switch solved the problem. *tr

2002 vw passat 2.8 v6 . ignition coil pack shorting out( can see streaks of electricity on all three coils at night along sides of coils - - when looking into dark engine compartment ) . car misfires upon acceleration and at idle . it has stalled twice and seems to be very unreliable . i have ordered a new coil pack and will not drive the car until i replace this coil pack . i called the local v.w. dealer and they said no recall for the 2.8 v6 30 valve engine - called v.w. of america and i was told the same thing . i will keep the old coil pack in hope that v.w. will re-imburse me the price of my new coil pack - it is very easy to change . *tr

2002 vw passat engine fire while driving. shop said it looks like it started in the wiring harness. no injuries, vehicle total loss. one owner, well cared for. i purchased this vehicle new, intending to drive it a long time. not a good investment. *tr

Turn signal produces continuous turn signal noise after use of the turn signal. this is a significant distraction while driving and discourages use of the turn signal. this has been a persistent problem. *tr

We own a 2002 vw passat wagon and are so happy with it we bought another one with lower mileage. shortly after buying the second vw the engine warning light came on the first vehicle. our mechanic said it was the ignition coil pack - $600 to replace. car had over 120,000 miles so we weren't unduly alarmed, and paid it. three weeks later engine warning came on again. took it to a different garage - one that used to be the local vw dealer - and they said the ignition coil was bad again. we assumed the replacement part had turned out to be bad so paid another $600 to have it fixed. took the old part back to the original garage but the mechanic did nothing about it. 'chalked it up to experience. three months later the engine warning light came on the second vw. took it to the second mechanic and he said - voila! - ignition coil bad again! paid another $600 to get it replaced, and then went home to research it online. was stunned to see all the problems listed about the ignition coil pack. called vw and asked for reimbursement for two of the three ignition packs but was told our vws were not listed in the correction bulletins. they also denied there was a recall even though their own pr department had sent out a press release saying all 2002 v6 passats had been recalled due to this problem. i have called vw several times and found their 'customer advocates' to be very courteous and polite but absolutely stonewalling any reimbursement. when pressed was finally told i needed the old ignition packs, the repair bills (original only, no copies) and could send all to them and they would consider it but would probably not make an adjustment! *tr

2002 passat wagon, automatic transmission, accelerator pedal became stuck while getting on highway during a cold morning. brakes were non-responsive even when car was put into neutral. car continued to accelerate, driver put car into a lower gear which slowed down the car a bit and finally put the transmission in "park". this caused the car to eventually stop. to get off the highway, driver slowly drove off onto the exit ramp after calling 911 and being advised to get off the highway which had no shoulder. after that the car and brakes appeared to function normally. the next morning car would not start due to the battery being drained and was towed to vw mechanic. after being inspected for 2 days the mechanic did not find anything wrong with the accelerator or the breaks and there was no evidence that the pedal got stuck on the floor mat. no error codes were found on car's computer. we had had no prior problems with the car other than a dash message indicating a break fault would occasionally light up on cold wet days. the vw mechanic could never find anything wrong with the breaks after repeated visits and attributed the message to a computer glitch. after the incident with the accelerator we traded the car in for a new one of a different make since we did not feel safe driving it, despite assurances that nothing unusual was found with the car. *tr

I was driving my 2002 passat 1.8t for a approximately 30, reaching my house the car started sputtering and acting weird. once i parked in my driveway and open the hood the engine was on fire for no apparent reason. the car was running perfectly fine for the first 30 minutes and then was on fire. *tr

Loss of engine power check engine light comes on i shut engine off one ignition coil starts to smoke and start on fire along with coil electrical lead. *tr

I was at the trying to find a parking spot when suddenly my check engine light came on and started blinking. i lost alot of power and could not accelerate. i then had to have the vehicle towed to my home because i was afraid of causing any further damage to the vehicle. the next day i contacted the dealership and explained the situation. they then informed me that many of these types of vehicles have been repaired due to the proarising from a faulty ignition coil or coil pack and i was told that the cost to repair it would be between $350-$500 to remove and replace faulty ignition coils (4). after further looking into the problem through numerous websites i noticed the same exact problem happening consistently to many owners of such vehicles. *tr

Turn signal/hazard relay switch failed while driving, no turn signals...find out there has been a recall on the 2002 jetta and golfs but not on the passat, same switch in all the cars made by vw...this is a huge hazard, why hasn't vw recalled the 2002 passats as well? *tr

My 2002 vw passat initially blew the #5 fuse which controls the a/c, steering wheel items (horn, volume control, etc.) and items on the driver side sun visor. the fuse was replaced and subsequently i experienced smoking in the area of the sun visor. removing the visor, i noticed frayed wiring and burnt wiring insulation. in addition there was sparking inside the roof area. i took the car to the dealer and they cut the frayed wire and taped it up, with a more complete repair to come in a couple of days. driving the car home later that day the car started smoking again with the addition of crackling sounds. i had the car towed to the dealer that evening. the dealer is now looking at the wiring and has found at least one wire leading from the visor area all the way down to the fuse box which is bare because it's insulation has been burned off. the fuse that should have blown was melted into the fuse box. the burned wire has also burned off insulation on other wires which were touching the damaged wire. the dealer is trying to track down all the wires that may have been damaged. current cost is approximately $2400 with volkswagen agreeing to pick up $900 of the cost. based on internet research, there have been other reports of frayed wiring in the visor area of the 2002 passat. i have numerous postings by people who have blown the fuse and had their visors replaced. others have pulled down the visor and taped up the frayed wiring in their visor. i believe this to be a design or manufacturing flaw and i believe that my visor wiring has been fraying for some time prior to the catastrophic failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact was driving 70 mph when the vehicle began to shake abnormally and the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle independently decelerated from 70 mph to 20 mph. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the ignition coil spring failed. the coil springs and spark plugs were replaced at the contact's expense. the contact stated this was the fifth time the ignition coil springs failed. the vehicle was not under recall and the manufacturer was not contacted. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 161,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began shaking violently and shut down in the middle of an intersection. the vehicle then skidded into an intersection and almost struck a child. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the ignition coil housing burned. the dealer would not repair the vehicle or allow him to pay $785 with a credit card to repair the ignition coil. the turbo coil also failed; however, the dealer does not agree with this diagnosis. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the contact also smelled electrical wiring burning. he stated that oil breaks down prematurely, which caused the engine to seize and the vehicle to overheat. the manufacturer stated in writing that they see no reason why they should offer any assistance, and that there was a previous recall on a case by case basis related to other engine failures. the federal trade commission complaint number was 13323205. the current mileage was 101,222 and failure mileage was 86,000.

2002 volkswagen passat has engine problems. *nj the consumer stated the vehicle has not been driven in a year and a half due to the oil sludge and misfiring problems. the catalytic converter failed and the spark plugs and coil packs were constantly being replaced. *jb

The abs control module failed on my car causing the abs system and the asr (anti-slip regulation) traction control systems to no longer function. this happened without warning with no signs leading up to the failure. this has also caused other strange electrical issues where my keyless entry will no longer work. also, the error lights continue to flash on the instrument panel and the radio remains turned on (unless i manually turn it off) even after the car has been turned off and the key has been removed from the ignition. this caused a dead battery after 4 days of flashing (radio was off). it has also caused an error between the communication paths from my transmission control module (tcm) and my engine's ecu and instrument panel as evidenced by the error codes produced. the last issue that has been caused by the abs failure is that the car continues to run for several seconds after the ignition has been turned off and the key has been removed. it will then sputter out and turn off. from my research, this appears to be a common problem on these cars: http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173334 *tr

The 2002 volkwagen passat 1.8t problem started with the car stalling while driving on the road on saturday july 1 2007, and the epc light coming on. i took it to the dealership the following monday, and they ended up replacing a faulty engine rpm sensor. the following saturday i picked up the car and drove off. exactly 12 miles from the dealership the car stalled with the same epc light. the only consequences of this incident were me stranded on the side of the road for almost an hour with slightly charred engine. i coasted off the road and smelled smoke. needless to say the dealership stated that it was short coil-packs and not their responsibility, so i was stuck with a $3,000.00 repair bill. after researching online i know there have been several similar instances and am wondering why it was never recalled. *ak

2002 volkswagen passat, wagon, 4 cyl 2.0 l motor. i had 2 occasions where the wiring harness shorted out on the front headlights, once on the driver's side at 75,000 miles, and once on the passenger's side at 40,000 miles. there was no fire, but in both incidents the wires had completely melted to the wiring harness where the headlights were attached. the wires were completely exposed in both incidents. *ak

I own a volkswagon 2002 passat wagon. i have replaced the coils at least 7 times . i replaced #4 two weeks ago, and #1 & 2 blew yesterday. i took it into livingston volkswagen in woodland hills, ca., and they told me i needed to have all four replaced, and,, i have complained to corporate, saying this was obviously a defect and was dangerous as the time before last. i was in the fast lane on the freeway, doing 65 mph and the car went from 65 mph to 25d mph in a 10 seconds! not dangerous? *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that his vehicle caught fire with flames rising approximately three feet above the hood. the fire and police departments arrived at the scene. a police report was filed. the fire was extinguished, however, the vehicle was destroyed. the contact has not spoken with the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 91,000. updated 01-15-08. * bf the fire was due to an electrical short in the ground of an electrical harness. the wiring shorted out against the vehicle's steel cowl with temperatures high enough to weld the 12 gauge against the body panel . updated *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. the contact was driving with the cruise control set at 67 mph when the vehicle shut off. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was repaired. the current mileage is 70,000 and failure mileage was 7,586.

Right daytime driving light burned out on 3 occasions. last incident included a melted wiring harness as well

The engine sputters and appears to misfire after the car has been sitting or driven in the rain. preceding and after this event the check engine light comes on. this happened twice during the week of september 11, 2006. the dealership could not identify the problem and said the car was safe to drive, but suggested we get a tune up, including getting the spark plugs changed (the car didn't need it!). on a rainy october 6 at 5:00 a.m., the car stalled in the middle of a 2-lane state road. when we attempted to restart the car, it sputtered a bit and then died. the car would not restart and had to be pushed off the road. we are going to ask the dealership to inspect the ignition coil. *nm

My 2001.5 vw passat abruptly stopped recognizing its keys. these keys have some kind of magic number that is used to validate their authenticity. however, the car stopped recognizing its three keys yesterday. the vw dealership does not have a sense for what might be wrong. i disconnected the battery for 5 minutes yesterday and the car started recognizing the key after that. however, i had the same problem again today, and looks like its going to keep happening unless i figure out what the root cause is. as of now, the engine does not start, central locking does not let me lock the car. the trunk doesn't pop. the only thing that works is the unlocking of the car, and the locking of the driver side door (only). *nm

When it rains heavily, the air bag fault light and the mil come on. water gets into the vehicle and shorts out the electronics. fortunately the oct. 2005 repair was still under warranty. i was without the car for a week that time. i took the car in july 5th, 2006 for the same thing and have not seen the car yet (7/20/06). each time the service person calls, i am told that there is more electrical damage. now the transmission module also must be replaced for $800+. there is obviously a design flaw in the passat. if you cannot keep the car in a garage, you should not purchase a vw passat. the dealership is inundated with these cars whenever we experience heavy rain. i have placed numerous calls to vw, and have received no assistance. the response is that the vehicle is out of warranty. too bad. the car has only 21,000 miles on it. the master cylinder also had to be replaced last year. vw needs to do something about this design flaw. *nm

Bought the car new and have had to deal with defective tires, defective ignition coils causing two major breakdowns at highway speeds with children in the car. the last two ignition coils were recalled. the car will not run if it is wet from heavy rain and has to be completely dried before the breaks work properly. oil pump was replaced 14 months ago, another major breakdown on highway with children. it has broken down yet again...the dealership says it needs another oil pump because of sludge, about $2000, not under warranty because it is past the 12 month, 12,000mile mark. two other private mechanics told me, replacing the oil pump would only disguise, temporarily the real issue....the engine is junk. it now sits in my driveway because it is not under warranty because i am missing some oil change receipts. also the blinkers don't work, the rear door won't open, auto locks work intermittently and headlights have been replaced twice and are out again. this was the first new car i ever bought. i bought the car after a divorce because i wanted a dependable car to commute to work and transport my children safely. the car has 85,00 mi. *nm

Numerous spontaneous electrical failures within 24 hours. a week ago today) the gas gauge on my 2002 passat w8 went dead, both the analogue gauge and the computer readout; then the ac went dead, windows, horn, door locks and lock remote and lights suddenly stopped working. the radio stop working, then came back on, but the reception was very bad, a lot of static, and the radio did not shut off when the car was turned off and the key removed. i had to manually turn it off. while driving the speedometer & odometer went dead, all of the warning lights came on but the engine displayed no problems. i got a call from the dealer the next day, the car will not even start now. the comfort control module needed to be replaced, he stated that"it stopped communicating". $500.00 for that. it's a week later today. my w8 is still at the dealer. it took them 6 days to get the comfort control module. they installed it and the car still will not start. my bill is at $630, and they want me to authorize more time so they can start tearing apart the wiring and the wiring harnesses. there are hundreds of postings on many websites from owners with the identical issues. the wiring is corroded going to/from the ccm. *jb

Water leakage in 2002 passat 1.8t gls. after rain, water seeped in through faulty pollen filter housing. fried engine cluster. after being returned, water continued to seep in. it corroded electrical wires and caused many problems. after 5+ dealer visits, no one was able to fix it until i personally stripped all carpeting and found the faulty wire. dealer had told me filter housing was susceptible to water leakage, and yet he did no fix it... *jb

Horn quit working

Dt: the check engine light came on while vehicle still under warranty, but the dealer said there was nothing wrong. after owning the car for one year the transmission had to be replaced. but it still transmission not work properly. . it jumped into gear. also, the engine air bag, and thermostat lights kept coming on. one week ago, the car wouldn't start. replaced the battery, and a few days after that it wouldn't start again. currently, the dealer insisted it needed a new alternator, and f warranty expired. in order to get to the original problem, it would cost $1100.00.*ak

Oil sludge problem, engine light came on and a loud knocking sound electric problems, smoke coming from under dash electric problems with windows and the "chime" indicator when lights are on and the engine is off. *jb

Varioud head, tail and brake lights on my 2002 vw passat have burned out 6 times in the last 9 months: /3/04 - both headlights replaced by vw, /17/04 - headlight and brake light replaced by vw, 10/9/04 - tail light replaced by vw, 0/23/04 - both headlights laced by vw, 2/11/04 - headlight and parking light replaced by vw, 1/5/05 - head light replaced, /5/05 vw service of bernardsville, new jersey refused to perform an electrical diagnostic check because the "light bulbs they get from another vendor are faulty". therefore, vw of bernanrdsville is knowingly installing faulty safety equipment. i was told this in front of another woman who was bringing her car in for light bulb replacement also. i told the service department this was an unacceptable safety risk. i hit a deer one night when my headlight was out and it is dark when i drop-off and pick-up my children from school. although i told the vw service department that it is unsafe to drive the car because i'm afraid i would hit a child crossing the road or school parking lot, they refused to perform an elctrical diagnostic check on the car. i reported this information to the bernardsville new jersey police department, in case someone who gets lights replaced by vw of bernardsville gets into an accident or hurt. although it is not a criminal offense to knowningly install "faulty" equipment, it is a civil offense and should be reported before someone gets hurt.*ak

Burning of heat warming wire in driver's seat. *ak

Significant engine problems with my 2002 vw passat 1.8t wagon - ranging from: common oil sludge issue at 51000- electrical problems with the rear driver side window (twice) (~5k & 52k) -the coil recall issue. *ak -vacuum hose failure (~40k) -cv joint failure (53k) -radio knob falls off - stem split (~45k) -fuel door snaps in two in 156 degree weather (~35k) vw has failed to stand by the oil sludge issue due to a lack of proof of oil changes - i am not the only one with this problem - many owners have had the same problem, regardless of timely oil changes or not.

Passenger original low beam light failed. brought into dealer and problem was determined to be a melted wiring harness. i observed the harness behind the bulb and it was melted. dealer replaced the harness. this was the original bulb and had never been serviced. taking with the dealer he said they had replaced several in the past week in passats and i had to wait a week until they got a new shipment in. my concern here is that a melted wire harness should not happen and could lead to a fire.*ak

Following heavy rains on 29 sept 2004 vehicle windows/locks were inoperable. fuse blown. replaced fuse, horn would not stop and windows still inoperable. unable to turn off vehicle lights. new fuse blown. towed passat via vw roadside to dealer. told fri 1 oct 2004 that there was standing water in car and comfort module would need replacement. due to water, the carpet & module would not be covered under warranty. est 1500.00 in parts pre-labor. as the windows were not operable, we do not know how this water damage occurred. vw claims to due debris in sunroof, drains clogged and flooded floor. unacceptable as car was detailed 2.5 wks prior and is washed every week. asked to see debris, they could not provide anything. we feel this may be due to the window surround trim that continually came loose/fell off or prior concealed damage (certified used vehicle). note that seats/headliner were completely dry. we did not notice wet carpets as only the rear was wet. car smelled awful @ vw on friday 1 oct as it is turning into a mold pit. filed geico insurance claim-waiting on adjuster. *ak

My 2002 passat wagon has an intermittent problem with the rear running lights not coming on when the light switch is turned on. i have been pulled over two times by law enforcement for this problem. i have taken the car to the dealer to have them look at the problem but they have done nothing to correct the problem. i fear that i will be killed or a member of my family will be killed in a rear end collision at night.(ak

2002 passat having electrical problems, car still under warranty, dealer refuses to honor warranty, cannot keep engine light off for more than 2 months car floods and spits raw gas out exhaust, spits and stalls, car has been returned to dealer over 20 times within 10 months, 3 radios replaced 2 mass air flow sensors, 1 main computer, car would not pass emissions temporary tag had to be issued, car has less than 37000 miles on it and has gone through about 10 sets of plugs, cannot settle with consumer service or dealership, dealer refuses to refund $80 service charge when car was improperly serviced, lawsuit to follow. *ak

Ignition coils failed two times, resulting in loss of power and causing vehicle to shudder. coils were supposedly replaced. on a separate occasion (following the coil repair) vehicle completely shut down on the interstate- going from 80 to 0 mph in the matter of seconds. i had already been driving the vehicle for over an hour. i lost all power and was barely able to get the car to the shoulder. problem was diagnosed as bad gas (not possibly the coil). in addition, my rear door quit closing, headlights have burnt out, filters have gone bad causing front of car to become flooded, vacuum hose defective, rear brakes went bad, and radio quit working. parts were replaced either under the warranty or out of my pocket. vw refuses to admit there is a problem with this car. i have approximately 40000 miles on it. *ak

My 2002 vw passat suffered another coilpack failure including a loss of power on a busy city street. the failed coils had already been replaced under vw's coilpack recall. looks like the new coils do not fix the problem.*ak

The ignition coils on my 2002 vw passat 1.8t ar about to fail for the third time. the car was bought in may of 2002. the first incident occured in december, the second in january, and now it is about to happen again now in february. each incident is preluded by a slight jolt in the car upon start up followed bu rough idleing. every time we take it and and are told it is fixed and then sure enough a month later i am back there again. i do not see this problem getting any better. in addition the mach rstereo system has been fixed, then replaced. the replacement unit's qulaity is poor in comparison to the original. this car has been a nightmare.

Ignition coil defect. as with the other 136 complaints. i have had my car towed 5 times to the dealer in two years, to replace the ignition coils. two of the new coils have been replaced again. volkswagen (vw) refuses to replace the one original coil that is still in the car. my car has left me sit in minus 23 degree weather for 2 hours with a 4 year old in the back seat because of the coil malfunction. since my car has had two new coils replaced a second time, i don't trust the car. we have cancelled our thanksgiving plans with family 9 hours away, because our car sits in the driveway with another coil that just malfunctioned yesterday. *la

While driving at 40 mph, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. without warning then the vehicle stalled. the driver tried to restart the vehicle but was unable to do so. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the engine needed to be replaced. *la the dealer replaced the mass air flow sensor and cleaned the fuel pump relay to resolve the stalling problem. the radio was inoperative due to a short in the wiring. *nm*nm