Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Passat ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning, the vehicle shut down and failed to restart. *ak the #4 coil failed. there was a replacement (coil "l") which was not available until april. vw never warned the consumer that the faulty "j" coils were replaced with faulty "j" coils. *scc *jb

Since purchasing my 2002 passat in november 2001 it has regularly had problems with the electrical system. the items that have broken have been: stereo (on 3 different occasions, has necessitated 6 trips to dealership), engine failure light gone off 3 times, headlights failed to go on, indicator light stopped functioning, car more often than not fails to turn over without multiple attempts. *nlm

Ignition coil is defective, leaving automobile inoperative. second time this has happened in 3 months. car was just in for 40k warranty service 4 days ago. *nlm

I own a volkswagen passat 2002 1.8 turbo model.. the coils on the engine are defective. volkswagen knows this and has improved the coil and replaced it with a new design. i have a 4 cylinder engine. that means i have one coil on each cylinder. i had 1 coil go bad. when they go bad while you are driving you lose power to the car and are unable to drive at your current speed. i had one coil go bad in march of 2003. volkswagen won't replace all the coils until they break. i have three more to fix but they won't fix it. it is dangerous to drive the car or to take long trips with the car due to the fact you never know when the coils will break. *jb

Letter on behalf of ms eva doukakis and mr. robert cisneros who inquired about a costumers satisfaction campaign intiated by volkswagen of america, inc (volkswagen) to replace potentially defective ignition coils in certain 2001 and 2002 volkswagen and audi vehicles. *ak

Re: ms. diane tsurutani 2002 volkswagen passat. mr the engine light illuminated. the dealer informed the consumer that codes were inconlusive and no repair work was done. after doing research it was discovered there was a possible problem with the ignition coil. *jb

Due to the defective ignition coils, the engine lost power unexpectedly, while driving. luckily, the person behind me was alert enough to stop quickly. the dealer will not replace all the ignition coils, and according to vw all have the potential to become defective, leaving a very dangerous situation for all drivers, not just the owners of vw's . i do not want to drive my car, i am so scared that the next time i will not be so lucky. please help all drivers and advise vw to fix all ignition coils before fatalities occur. *jb

Inoperative climatic control, cruise control, homelink visor, steering wheel button lights & controls. number 5 fuse has blown a second time. suspected cause is faulty homevisor link (remote control) on driver's side visor. several complaints have been noted through vwvortex.com on the 2002 passat model. both times the fuse blew were in cold weather. will attempt to get dealership to investigate and/or replace homevisor link. other reports in the complaint of nhtsa section have reported that this also occurs during hot weather. first suspect of this occuring is that the climatic control (heating & ac) is not operational. when the climatic control is off, it should say "off" on the digital screen. when this issue occured the second time it was while on the highway which caused my windows to fog up do to the heating system fan not operational for heat and defog...had to roll down windows with temps in the teens to help clear windows. very "unsafe" thing to happen while driving.

Inability and/or unwillingness of dealer and/or manufacturer to respond timely to problem of faulty ignition coils on vw passats. ph

I received a ltr from volkswagon stating that they are experiencing problems with the ignition recoils, that could possibly cause the vehicle to lose power. so, i immediately scheduled an appointment for my vehicle. only to find out that they are only going to replace the iginition recoils if the vehicle experiences this malfunction. my concern is that why would i want to drive a vehiclethat could possibly lose power at anytime?? evidenutally, this is a concern to volkswagon because they sent a ltr to their customers. as a customer, i am very concerned knowing my vehicle has a possible problem and the dealer(volkswagon) will not take action! why then was i even notified about the problem?

Engine coil problem! engine lite went on, lose power. had to have car towed to dealer. they are only going to repair bad coil, not replace the other 3 coils!

Defect is a faulty engine coil pack. dealer has been notified. ph

Ignition coil on 2002 passat--luckily, this did not happen on thruway. car bucked, unable to get over 45 mph. this happening at a high speed would be a definite safety hazard. car was towed to dealership; parts will not be available for at least another week--even then only one of four will be replaced. talked to vw customer relations==indicated manufacturer in germany is now on 3 shift basis struggling to meet demand. i don't understand why owners were not notified, why this is not a safety recall, why we don't know when or if all coils will be replaced. i would not trust this car on the road.

I had a 2002 volkswagen passat for less than six months now. i had the check engine light go on three times now. 1) the first time they told me it was a loose hose on my engine. 2) the next time it was one of my ignition coils. the car sputtered and was undriveable. we had it towed to the dealer on christmas eve and we were without our car for 3 days. 3) next the check engine light went on it was another ignition coil. again the car sputtered and hesitated unless it was given a lot of gas. i felt the car was unsafe to drive and took it to the dealer immediately. luckily i was only a mile away. this time it was a different ignition coil. both times the ignition coil went bad it was a different one. i have four of these in my care which means i will have this problem at least two more times. the service manager told me that vw was not replacing all of them because they weren't able to produce enough of them to keep the cars on the road. this is an unacceptable excuse in my book. this is a brand new car with a known problem that vw is getting away with. i also expressed my concern about being stranded with this car somewhere the next time this happens and the service manager just dismissed me. we called vw and they gave us the same lack of concern about the problem. we told them all the issues we have had and they showed their concern by assigning us a case number and telling us to call back when it happens again. i guess after they make a sale all i am is data to them. they don't feel obligated to make my car work correctly. *jb

Volkswagen vehicle is unsafe because ignition coils on 4,6,8 cyl. engines may fail at any time, causing car to limp along on reduced power in possibly perilous traffic conditions. vw refuses to take proactive measures to correct the problem and avoid possible life-threatening situations. i beg you, force them to do a recall.

I am having the same ignition coil problem as so many other people. even after 3 months, vw is not interested in replacing defective coils, except when they actually fail. *jb

Consumer's has become aware of defect with vehicle's ignition coils. contacted manufacturer who advised will only replace specific coils when they fail. consumer is very concerned about safety while driving vehicle should coil fail and stall. very upset that the volkswagen is not taking a "preemptive" stance with defect.*ak

Ignition coils. the ignition coils on my 2002 passat wagon 1.8t have failed 3 times in the last month. they have failed twice in the past week. thus, while driving to work today, after having two of the coils replaced yesterday, another coil failed. now i have 3 of the 4 coils which are allegedly non-defective. i asked the dealer to replace the 4th coil and he refused. i called vw of america and they said that they will not authorize the repair of the 4th coil. i informed them of the danger posed by this condition, namely the car losing power on the highway and/or stranding people in bad situations. he stated that they were aware of the problem and the dangers posed, but would not replace any part that had not failed.

The ignition coils needed to be replaced. *ph *jb

Multiple ignition coil pack failures in 2002 model year vehicle.

While driving there is a noise coming from the ignition coil dealer notified. ts

Two ignition coils on vw 2002 passat failed in as many weeks. on both occassions i am told by vw representatives that the coils are defective, but that the company has ordered they be replaced case by case. first incident 1/14/03, second incident 1/25/03.

An ignition coil failed, disabling the vehicle and potentially damaging the catalytic converter (according to the manual's description of the warning light that was activated.) these failures appear to be widespread due to defective parts. the failed coil was replaced under warranty, but the dealer indicated the manufacturer would not authorize replacement of the other coils. i await further failure and fear that it will happen at an unsafe or inconvenient time.

2 ignition coil springs failed, causing vehicle to lose power/stall. ts....*ak

Ignition coil failed on a freezing cold night. the card started, but shook and was unable to drive. had to wait 2 hours for a tow truck in single digit temps. my dealer was very good about it and replaced bad coil and other 3 as preventive measure. however, i understand that there have been many other 2002 passat's with multiple ignition coil failures-on different occasions, resulting in several trips to the dealer. this ignition coil failure can be very hazardous, especially during highway driving. all car owners should be informed about this problem, and have the opportunity to fix this before being injured or stranded. there should be a recall on these ignition coils.

Igintion coil pack failed causing a sudden decease in power as one the cylinders was not firing. this problem is extremely common and requires all four coils to be replaced. vw is only replacing the failed coil because of a shortage of parts. there should be a recall where all four coils are replaced as the sudden loss of power may cause accidents and fatalities.

For the second time in three weeks my 2002 vw passat wagon is at the dealer for an ignition coil failure. luckily both failures occured in town at low velocity as the car slows rapidly and is undrivable after the failure. had the failures occured in high speed highway trafic or in a remote area in cold weather the results could have been desasterous. vw refuses to replace the remaining coils unless they fail, and they readily admit that there is a good chance that they will fail. vw should be required to immediately recall and replace te defective coils as this is a serious safety problem it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

I have had two ignition coils in my 2002 volkswagen passat fail, causing the car to shake violently and loose all power. my engine failure light went on again yesterday, but my dealership refuses to accept the car for service until it actually breaks down. i transport three school-age children in this car and often must be on the interstate. i feel i will be unable to control the car if the failure happens at high speed on the interstate or in heavy traffic. it seems inevitable that someone somewhere is going to be killed or injured because of this. so i wanted to bring it to your attention.

Ignition coil failed causing car to mis-fire, lose power, and become shaky until the coil is replaced. there is a known defect with the ignition coils in 2001 and 2002 audi's and vw with a 1.8 liter turbo engine. vw replaced the one failing coil but refuses to replace, under warranty, the remain 3 coils that could fail at any moment. my car has been serviced in the past for sporadic mis-fires which maybe due to the remaining defective coils. with half a million vehicles on the road this is an accident waiting to happen. the sudden loss of power can be extremely dangerous while driving (ie. when making a left turn). vw refuses to commit to replace the defective coils until they fail. please investigate and have vw perform a recall before someone is seriously injured.

The ignition coils in 2001/2002 1.8l vw passat are defective. vw is well aware of the problem, but refuses to replace any unless they actually break. this is dangerous beyond belief, especially if they malfunction while on a highway, which has happened to many people (see carreview.com). my 2002 car has been towed twice in the last month and a half. i spent $24,500 for this car, it is brand new, and i cannot drive it for fear of causing an accident. vw must be forced to recall this car before someone is injured. they'll be no stopping the class-action law suits then!

2002 passat 1.8. started okay. as i drove, horrible sound & ran very rough-sputttered & rumbled. engine light blinking on & off. as i gave it gas, the worse it got. turned around, went home, called dealership. was told "not to drive it & to get it towed, as there has been a problem with the 1.8s and the coils that they are aware of." was there a month ago for another engine problem-not sure what they did because the service advisor could not explain it to me! have rental car-thankfully passat is still under warranty-11,416 miles, and was bought on january 5, 2002! the dealership called me today, car is ready, and they "replaced a bad ignition coil." not understanding how a car with 11,000 miles on it could have something bad on it, i did some research on the web. it appears that this is a common occurence, and it will happen again, as dealerships are only placing one coil at a time. another coil may go at any time! i should have stuck with toyota.......

While driving the check engine warning light came on, then the vehicle lost power. this almost caused an accident. the dealership indicated that one of the ignition coils had cracked and shorted out. the parts are on back order, cause this is a common problem. ts

I own a volkswagon passat 2002 1.8 turbo model.. the coils on the engine are defective. volkswagon know this and has improved the coil and replaces it with a new design. i have a 4 cylinder engine. that means i have one coil on each cylinder. i have 3 coils go bad. when they go bad when you are driving you lose power to the car and are unable to drive at your current speed. i had one coil go bad in november of 2002, december of 2002, and today my 3rd coil went bad. i have filed a compliant with volkswagon but they won't replace all the coils until they break. i have only one more to fix but they won't fix it. it is dangerous to drive the car or to take long trips with the car due to the fact you never know when the coil will break. i filed a compliant over the phone for the federal department of transportation in december. i was supposed to recieve information from you to fill out and return.. i called twice and have never recieved it. my car broke down today for the third time. the dealership is closed and i had to rent a car again. could someone investigate this. i can not be the only person in america with this problem.

Engine ignition--coil pack failure. cold start, coil pack failed within 20 seconds of commencement of driving, nearly onto a major arterial route with morning commuter traffic. instant loss of power, flashing mil ensued seconds later. returned to house and called for wrecker to tow to dealer. presently at dealer for repair. told part would take between 2-10 days to acquire.

Engine light blinking accompanied by odor in vehicle and minor shaking of vehicle; owner's manual instructed not to drive vehicle due to potential problem with catalytic converter; had to be towed to dealership; told that vw was having a widespread problem with bad ignition/engine coils in all vw models 2001-2002; coils going bad one at a time and vw has refused to replace all at once despite safety issues related to breakdown (potentially on highway, in frigid temperatures, etc.) and fact that some owners have had problem 3-4 times within several months; backorder on parts resulting in up to 4 week delays in repairs/without vehicle

Ignition coils on 2002 vw passat failed on two separate occassions (one at 8,000 miles and now another at 10,000miles. vw knows there are defective coils and refuses to replace any but the one that blew, leaving drivers stranded without the use of their cars. i have not been able to rent a car through their rental service either, since in both cases, the coils blew after the rental agent desk was closed for the weekend. a search on http://www.carreview.com/prd_299_1531crx.aspx revealed the ignition coil failure is a common problem, that vw knows about and they refuse to recall to fix their defective merchanidise. both times, the dealer and manufacturer denied my request to replace all of the coils under warranty.

Failure of 2 ignition coils. original coils all faulty, but vw won't replace coils until they fail, which they will do. this problem widely known by now, but vw has not communicated with owners in any way, and will wait for failure before fixing, leaving owners with crippled or inoperable cars in possibly adverse driving conditions.

Consumer is concerned the ignition system failure was higher than normal, causing the car to lose power. but the car would keep running. *ts

Defective ignition coils

Coil pack failure - ignition coil failure. vehicle began running extremely rough (lost 1 of 4 cylinders) could be a significant safety concern.

Within the first 1000 miles car was shaking heavily on startup. had to have vehicle towed to dealership where it was not even looked at for 24hrs. diagnosised as coil issue and was without the car for almost 1 week. 8 months later wife and daughter were driving on freeway when car shows same symptoms. had to pull over and wait 90 min for tow truck. diagnosised as coil #3 issue. without the car for 10 days. less than a month later, leaving work and going over a bridge, vehicle acted the same way again. got the care home (barely) and then had tow truck come again. this time contacted vm customer care to try and get support for replacement of 4th coil to try and avoid a 4th bad experience. no luck, 3 representitives and 1 supervisor later, no progress. even though 3 of the 4 have gone bad, they insist on only replacing the parts that have shown the defect. the problem with this is that it cannot be predicted and the 4th coil is of the same lot that has already gone bad. on top of all this, the first time we had this trouble, they had the nerve to put me and my family in a geo metro as a loaner (no offense to geo owners). with this last time, i am finally in a nicer, comparable vehicle. vw has acknowledged the problem to me but refuses to step up and do the right thing. this a $70 part...$70. i would think that is worth the expense to ensure the satisfaction and safety of their customers.

Ignition coil failures in 2002 vw passat

2002 vw passat, 1.8t has been returned to dealer for defective coil. this is the second coil failure in as many months. there are a total of four coils which are in the words of vw service deaprtment to be of poor qualitity and should be replaced in total. vw corporate refuses to allow the dealers to replace all at once but only upon failure. so numerous trips, rental cars, and out of work time is expended getting these coils replaced and waiting parts which are backorder because vw has numerous cars awaiting new coils. read info obtained from your web site and others.

The ignition coil failed twice without warning.*ak *nlm

Engine coil failure in 2002 vw passat wagon

The ignition coil failed without warning, suddenly lost acceleration, and began to shake violently. vw wanted each coil to malfunction before they were replaced. ts scc

Sudden rough idling and loss of power. check engine light turns on. dealer guesses the problem without looking at the car. later confirms an ignition coil pack failure. common problem with vw passat, jetta, audis. will take over two weeks to replace since parts are on back order. dealer has approximately 15 cars waiting for the same part. they will not replace all of them, though all of them are likely to fail soon. potential danger of sudden loss of power on highway. please get vw to issue a recall on these *before* the part failure causes a crash.

Consumer states while driving the vehicle the check engine light came on then without warning the vehicle cut off. ts

2002 vw passat - engine problems for a brand new car. engine light came on twice in less than 2 months. ignition coil problem that all passat owners seem to be experiencing. this problem is too dangerous for passat drivers. we should not have to be afraid of driving a brand new car. this is a recall situation for vw.

I have a new 2002 vw passat (1.8) in the last 18 months that i have had the car, i have had the coil sets fail on 3 occassions. the car would shake violently and the malfuntion indicator light would come on and continue blinking. i have then had to get the car towed to the dealer each time.