Problems with 2003 Volkswagen Passat ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle jerked and stalled. the vehicle inadvertently shifted in reverse and the brakes stopped working. the contact had to apply the parking brake. the contact mentioned that the gear shifter was stuck in park. also, the check engine, tire pressure, and epc indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to heritage volkswagen of south atlanta at (678) 263-3711 (4305 jonesboro rd, union city, ga 30291) where it was diagnosed that the ignition control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there were no recalls associated with the vin. the contact was advised to call nhtsa. the approximate failure mileage was 172,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the vehicle was previously included in a recall that called for the ignition coil to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. while driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition coil needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. due to the fact the vehicle was previously repaired per the recall, the manufacturer was not able to assist. the nhtsa campaign number was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 144,604.

Driving at night, 65mph, interstate hwy. low beam headlights went out. high beams did work. replaced both headlight bulbs. did not fix. cost $95. replace headlight relay. did not fix. cost in excess of $200. recall for later year passat for same problem caused by "hood slam?"

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving at various speeds. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed diagnostic testing. the engine oxygen sensor, coil spring, sparks plugs, and wires were replaced; however, the failure was not corrected. the contact stated that the tail lights also failed. the tail lights were not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was 130,000.

Car was constantly getting the passenger side (front and back) flooded w water during a rain storm. had to get new battery cleaned out sunroof drainage. it didn't matter. whenever it rained the battery would be dead because the control module which is there is all messed up sending mixed messages. finely just died in the middle of the road. not worth putting money into the car. i purchased this car less then a year ago and had this problem after the first rain and went down from their. im so disappointed hoping buying a used vw i was going to be satisfied but had nothing trouble from day one. *tr

Abs module failure, abs light on brake light blinking and then asr light on, happens randomly, no specific reason, dry weather, humid, day or night. still comes on randomly, no speeding, problem goes away when car is turned off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that it took multiple attempts for the vehicle to become operable even when the starter was engaged. the vehicle also experienced an interior water leak and the driver side door latch would not properly latch. in addition, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of engine power and the check engine, brake, and various other warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a software failure, and the ignition coil springs were defective and needed to be replaced. the ignition coil springs were replace however the failure recurred. the manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

The turn signal would continue to make a clicking noise even after the signal had been shut off. this continued to happen for several minutes and then smoke began to rise from behind my steering wheel where the turn signal enters the wheel console. i began to pull over at the next safe area and before i could i noticed small flames coming from the same area where the turn signal enters the wheel console. when i turned off the car the smoke/fire slowly subsided. i ended up removing the turn signal fuse in order to drive to a repair shop. after some research this seems to be a common issue with no recalls issued yet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 20 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood and pouring inside the vehicle. the contact found water and coolant leaking from the dashboard and onto the driver's side of the vehicle. the vehicle was also overheating. after exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed flames coming from under the hood. the contact was able to extinguish the fire however, the contact sustained burns to her legs due to the hot leaking coolant. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the engine blew and the instrument panel cluster was damaged. the contact was unaware of what caused the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 174,256.

Coils failing randomly and causing the car to shake violently and lose power on highway. potential damage to be caused to other areas of the car because of this. ie oxygen sensor etc. *tr

Heated seat coils overheated and burnt seat on driver side. 1 year after recall was done by [xxx] vw brockton ma, they told me the heaters in the seat are no longer under warranty and told me to call vw usa with my problem, information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My 2003 volkswagan passat wagon has roof/chassis drains that are backing up inside the vehicle causing the vehicle electronics to short out and fail. my rear door will not open. this is a safety issue. *tr

I was driving my vw passat 1.8l turbo stationwagon at a speed of 40 miles per hour and the car suddenly stalled without any warning. my four month old baby was in the back in his carseat and had i been in a different setting we both could have been injured or killed. this was the first time it had occurred and once i took it to the mechanic the car started and drove fine and they could not duplicate the problem. they informed me that it was likely a parts recall issue: recall: 07v375000: fuel pump replacement. i contacted vw america, inc. and was informed that while in fact there was such a recall for 2003 passats, my vin number was not covered in the recall and thus there was nothing they could/would do to help me despite the fact that the problem appears to be the very one indicated in the recall notice. this is very frustrating and scary. *tr

I purchased a 2003 passat 6 months ago. i have had nothing but trouble from it. it is just one thing after another. i have had to take it in to be fixed about six times. i can't even remember everything i have had to have fixed. i do remember the last thing though. it was the tail lights, the tail light would not go out even when i had no lights on and even when the car was turned off. my car is in the shop again right now. it has been there since monday december 27th. it is a four cylinder and has been running on three. i found out for the first time monday that my car has 5 recalls on it. i was never notified of none of them. after leaving it for all the recalls to be fixed, i had to rent a car for 30.00 to get home. now i have no way to pick up my car because i had to return the rental car the next day because i could not afford to pay 30.00 per day. i have nobody to take me to pick up my car, i guess i will have to take a taxi and that will probably cost me about 50.00. i am very upset with vw i paid my hard earned money for a reliable car and now i am stuck with nothing but a lemon, something needs to be done about this. i have no way to go anywhere, what am i supposed to do? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the malfunction indicator warning light illuminated intermittently, causing the vehicle to shake excessively. the dealer made six attempts to diagnose the failure but to no avail. the manufacturer was notified who contacted the local dealer but offered no additional assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 91,252 and the failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

Vw 2003 passat awd 2.8 l v6 gasoline engine...wife called me said car was miss firing badly and then smoke was reported coming from underneath car. she pulled over and saw flames coming from underneath the car. turned car off and fire luckily went out...i changed coil and problem was fixed for about three months. now car is miss firing again and running rough....i hate that i've fixed this same coil three times now and it is acting up again... *tr

On april 20, 2010 my 2003 volkswagen passats check engine light came on at around 4:45 pm. i immediately called the place who does all my repair work, and was told i could drop off the car that night, and they would check it out the following morning. i arrived at the location around 5:10, parked the car and went to place my key in the night drop box. when i walked back to the car i saw smoke coming out from under the hood. i raised the hood and saw flames coming from what looked like under the back of the engine compartment. then i noticed that there were flames coming out from under the dashboard inside the car. i called 911 and ran to a nearby gas station to get a fire extinguisher. when i got back to the car there were flames visible inside the car. i used the entire fire extinguisher and it did not even phase the fire. within 1 minute the entire car was engulfed in flames. the fire dept. arrived within 6 minutes and the car was gone. *tr

I purchased an 03 vw passat from a vw dealer as a certified pre-owned vehicle back in 2/07. within the first week of purchase i had brake problems. the next couple years were followed by valve cover leaks, engine leaks, auto window problems, battery problems, recall issues, water intrusion issues, ignition coil recall and the list goes on. after a water intrusion just days after the replacement of faulty ignition coils i contacted the manufacture notifying them of the problems. the manufacture had held their foot to the ground that my car is out of warranty (that i was told at time of sale i did not have) and so they are able to do nothing about any of the problems with this vehicle. however as it stands i have nearly $3000 in repairs needed to this vehicle. not to mention the water leak/damage from what i understand may actually mean my vehicle is considered a total loss at this point. i have expressed to the manufacture that i am concerned for the safety of myself but my small children as well ever time we are in this vehicle. among the several things that are potential to occur while i am driving i also worry about the potential for mold exposure from the water damage. due to cost i am unable to get any of this corrected and can not afford to go thru my insurance only to be told that it is a manufacture issue and so i am stuck. i feel that at this point i am driving around in a safety hazard and don't know what to do. every time i receive a replay from anyone i just end up back at the same place....contact the bbb, etc. i am getting no where and don't know what to do therefore am looking into any and all resources so any information would be useful. thank you for your time. *tr

Went to start my car and the malfunction indicator lamp light was on and my car was shaking uncontrollably. i called the dealership they had told me to have my car towed in. as i did, the problem was the ignition coils, they did mention that there was a recall on the 4 cylinders and they have had several people come in with this problem after the artic blast came through last week. the reason why i'm writing is because i think its kind of weird after this recall came out so many people have had this problem recently and just wondering why this particular part is not covered under a recall for a v6. to me it doesn't make any sense why not, my problem is occurring exactly when all these other cars are being recalled for the same thing. *tr

Recalled vw coil failure. *tr

Pollen filter and/ or sunroof drains become blocked and water leaks behind battery and into cabin of car. the water then pools under and behind the drivers seat where the convenience module is stored. i am concerned because it caused my car to be unable to start because it is affecting the electrical components of the car. in addition, the pooling under the drivers seat is troubling since it is a hub for interior electrical equipment. the convenience module in my car now has to be replaced. *tr

I have had my 2003 vw passat for 7 months now and have already had it in the shop 3 times. right after i bought it used from a vw dealership the turbo went out. i had to pay for that. i then drove the car about 150 miles for a tournament and when almost there a light came on saying to stop and turn off the engine. took it to vw dealership and it was covered by vw. it had something to do with sludge from oil. got it back and 3 days later a light came on. it was the mil light. i took it in to the vw dealership. still waiting to hear what the problem is this time. i have now had my oil changed 3 times in 5 thousand miles due to repairs. it has been one thing after another with this car so far. *tr

Cylinders misfire causing acceleration hesitation. spark plugs and coil were replaced feb.2009, dec. 2013, aug. 2014, june 2015. the conditions are repetitive and identical.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the vehicle began to smoke and drive sluggish. she continued to drive to her destination and then exited the vehicle. approximately 20 minutes later, the vehicle began to smoke heavily underneath the hood and in the passenger compartment. the vehicle caught fire from the instrument panel and was completely engulfed within minutes. there were no injuries. a nearby vehicle sustained damage to its passenger side. nhtsa campaign id number 08v156000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery) was referenced. the current and failure mileages were 64,000.

In 4/08 and 5/08 had malfunction light indicator come on, then had separate repairs at bayside volkswagen. same light came on 7/6/08. its seems every month or so, its an issue with the car and having different repairs. *tr

My 2003 volkswagen passat is holding 6inches or more of water on the passenger side in the floor board and has shorted out the computer underneath, in servicing the car the technician advised he found 3 other volkswagen passats of the same year to have the same defect. i have also been advised that a serious crash could have resulted because the computer underneath regulates the transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 40 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and a technician replaced the ignition coil at an expense of $403.00. the failure resurfaced one year after the vehicle was repaired. an authorized technician concluded that the ignition coil failed and caused the wiring harness, and the engines computer to burn. the vehicle was repaired at an expense of $887.97. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 83,000 and the current mileage was 92,000. updated 10/21/09. *lj updated 12/07/09. *lj the consumer stated in addition to the other problem, the failed stalled on the highway and the the lights on the dashboard illuminated. updated 12/08/09

I drove about ten miles up the canyon parked the car. then got a call about 15 min later telling me my car was on fire and the fire department had put it out. i am still waiting to find out what is going to happen with the car from the dealer and insurance. it looked like the fire started in the dash. *tr

Every 5,000-7,000 miles an ignition coil fails on my car. this results in my car instantly starting to shutter and i have to pull over immediately. last time this happened, driving only a mile resulted in a severe vehicle fire putting myself and other in danger. *tr this time, i was able to pull over before serious incident occurred. *tr

Fuel pump failure while driving on the freeway the car quite running. 1.8 liter turbo in o3 vw passat. dealer calls and tells us our vin number is not part of the recall. to call vw of north america and they should cover it. i talk to a women tell her the same thing as above and she ask me to hold while she submits the claim. she comes back on the line after 45 seconds or so and says that they won't cover it. the vin number is not part of the recall. i ask to speak to a supervisor. i am told there is no one else i can speak to and this is the finally decision of vw of north america. this is not the first failure for this car. temperature sensor replaced, brake module replaced twice, the heater core replace, the trip tronic shift replaced, instrument panel replaced, the engine flushed for sludge. cv boots replaced. they're cracked again after 3 months. *tr

I finished putting in a small amount of gas and while taking off had an engine problem. my check engine light started to blink, my car started to chug and i had a severe loss of power. i took my car to my local vw service center, and upon investigation they smelled a burning under my hood and found the ignition coil melted or something of the sorts. they replaced the ignition coil and the car works fine, for now until the coil melts again. *tr

Driving home from work one afternoon, i noticed my engine seemed to be shaking slightly. i pulled over and even in park, i could feel the momentum of something in the engine causing my car to shake. by the time i got home, my engine light had turned on. i brought it to a vw dealer and upon inspection they found that my ignition coils needed replacing. upon searching online, i found several press releases about issues with the vw ignition coils, and pending defect investigations relating to the coils and fires resulting. i am thankful that i did not find myself in this situation but i am sure that if i had not been paying attention this problem could have had a far worse outcome. i am now deeply concerned about my safety in this vehicle. *tr

I have a 2003 passat v6 in which there is a leak through the pollen filter because of faulty design. every time it rains or snows in the northeast water gets through the faulty seal and is accumulating in the passenger rear and front seat. the water accumulation has caused the tcm to work improperly and may malfunction. with out the use of a tcm that works properly the car may shutdown or malfunction and cause an accident. this a problem vw knows about and has in fact issued a recall on the 2002 model. this is an issue on all b5 passat models. please help issue a recall to correct this matter. thanks steve *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. the vehicle was driven to the contact's home and then towed to the dealer. the dealer discovered that the ignition coil failed and will make the repair at the cost of $250. the contact previously traded in his volkswagen jetta due to the identical coil failure. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 55,000.

A third ignition coil failure in 18 months, the last one allowing raw gasoline into the catalytic converter, where it caught fire, destroying the turbo and causing a large amount of black smoke. i lost power while drive, was unable to accelerate in a safe manner and eventually suffered smoke inhalation. all coils need to be replaced. *tr

Engine ignition coils fail, causing a hesitation in engine, which is dangerous and may lead to an accident in traffic. the coils do not fail all at once, and vw will only replace if they fail. one of the coils failed and the car caught on fire due to coil dropping onto the catalytic converter. vw refuses to replace any further ignition coils. *jb

Vehicle would not start on aug. 26. starter cranked but engine failed to turn over and start. dealer diagnosed as fuel pump failure. vehicle has approximately 88,000 miles. we were informed manufacturer vw has recalled fuel pumps for this make and model year (2003) but not this particular vin. we also understand vw originally limited recall to an even smaller batch of vins. we believe the fuel pump defect is more extensive than vw is willing to acknowledge. the repair is currently not under warranty and will cost our family approximately $655 to repair, plus towing and car rental costs. we are lucky the failure occurred during a cold start and not on the road, where we could have been stranded in a desert, a storm, or the middle of an intersection with oncoming traffic. this is a major safety concern. after dealer claimed to have fixed problem on aug. 29,2007, we took the vehicle home and it again failed to start, or even crank. dealer has towed it back and is reviewing. *tr updated 01-15-08. *kb the consumer stated the second failure was diagnosed as a failed battery. updated *jb

My 2003 passat with 46,000 miles and regular 5,000 miles service visits recently had two major problems. the alternator went bad and was producing nearly twice the voltage. there were no service bulletins or recalls on this item and was fixed at a significant cost to me. next was the fuel tank. i first experienced an odor which turned out to be a leak in the gas tank. i am working with an excellent volkswagen service business which is not a dealership. vw america will only take the word of a licensed dealer. the defective tank is currently being replaced at a very significant cost to me. there are no service bulletins or recalls on my vin. i understand that a local dealership has had to replace a few of these. this is a very nice car developing a bad reputation. i have safety concerns with this car and wonder what will happen next. *jb

I just read that the nhtsa was investigating the failure of coils on 2002/2003 vw passats. i had a 2003 passat that had the number 2 cylinder coil fail at about 28,000 miles in 2007. the dealer replaced it, but i had to pay approximately $150. at about 29,000 the number 4 cylinder coil failed. i still had to pay about $100 with the dealer absorbing the cost of the part itself. the vw dealer told me that vw did not have a problem with their coils other than on a random basis, and that there were no manufacturing defects with the coils. they said that it was just coincidence that i had two coils fail. because of the failure of two coils at relatively low mileage i decided that the car was not reliable, and traded it in for a honda accord. now it appears that vw did have a problem for which i was penalized both by having to pay for the cost of the two repairs, but also because those problems caused a lack of confidence in the reliability of the vw resulting in my trading it in well before one would expect to have to trade in a car. my 2007 honda accord has over 45,000 miles, and there have been no problems of any kind. *tr

The vehicle was traveling at 60 mph on the road and then it started to shake and lost power. the vehicle check engine light came on and started to blink. the incident nearly caused an accident as others vehicles were trying to avoid collision with this car. the defect was the ignition coil for cylinder number 2.*ak

Dashboard service light began flashing, car bucked and ran on reduced power only. towed the unit to patrick motors vw in auburn ma. dx was ignition coils and plugs needed. cost me $365.00 to repair. i argued that the payment was on them based on the feb. 2003 vw service campaign which dictated that my model was involved in defective coil installation at the factory. i even called the vw toll-free customer care and was told that my car's vin failed to match the defective group. obviously i cannot understand why it would be excluded from the defective group when the coil components have to be replaced at 62000 miles. i would expect such a repair at 100,000 miles. this unit is a 1.8t 2003 vw passat. *jb

Battery going dead without time or reason; doors would lock automatically with no one around; trunk would unlock and would not shut without key intervention; light on driver's door lock would flash incessantly with no one near. car went over four years with no incident and suddenly started acting "strange." no changes or work done on electrical system since new when the battery had to be replaced twice. dealer has been very cooperative but unsuccessful in finding source, keeping car as long as three weeks (with a "loaner") and not charging except for a small first time inspection. six returns to dealership with some relief; only the battery goes dead with irregularity. we have a 2000 passat that sits nearby and has never experienced the problem. number of failures is one, but all related . . six trips to dealership and relief on all but the battery going dead. we are 80 and fear that we will be caught out and have serious problems. all dates are approx. *jb

This car was purchased new in feb 2003. two ignition coils replaced. i await the bill for the remaining 2 coils that will likely go bad. the dealership advised me that this had been recalled on the 2001-2002 models. i am perplexed by this information being i see no recalls on ignition coils, but i do see a host of complaints. *jb

On the 22 january i picked my car up from the vw dealership where i had it repaired. i had told the dealer to replace the timing belt, water pump, belts, spark plugs, brakes and rotors and the 95,000 maintenance on the car. this cost me well over a thousand dollars, i supplied brakes and rotors and spark plugs. the car ran okay but i began to smell oil burning and whenever i unlocked my car to get in it would lock automatic and then when i started it the alarm would go off. i called the dealership about the oil smell and they had me bring it back in to look at. at that time they said there was a small leak and they would clean it and tighten the bolts, this was on friday january 26th. on monday january 29th i was traveling and when i pulled on to the 4 lane highway and accelerated the engine light began to flash on and off, so i pulled to the side of the road and the car died. after a few minutes i was able to restart it but it ran very rough. the state highway patrol called a tow truck and it was towed to the volkswagen dealer. the next day they informed me that an ignition module had gone out and that it would cost me 30 some dollars a piece to replace them and they recommended replacing them all. when i ask them about the recall they told me that volkswagen was into the k's on these and my was before that. i had ask them about this when i received the recall letter from vwofa, and was told that they would check it. i'm not sure whether they did or not. *nm

I've spent over $8000 towards vw dealership attempts at fixing the horn, radio, homelink, climate control (a/c and heat) rear passenger side window, heated seats, dashboard panel lights, and defroster flap. vw replaced abs and brake light module, but only fixed the horn. vw stated they are not responsible even after i paid for them to fix the above problems and they are still unable to determine the cause of the problems. i request reimbursement from volkswagen for the repair attempts and related expenses. current vehicle mileage: 127,000. *tr

Radio not functioning, air conditioning unit works intermittently, airbag malfunction recognized, operation unit in steering wheel malfunctions, no communications with brake control unit, brake light switch causes drivers side brake light to malfunction. horn not functioning nearly caused 2 accidents within a month. i drove over an island to avoid one collision from the other non-attentive driver and ended up scraping the transmission pan. cost of replacement: $550. after thousands of dollars in repairs and diagnostics, vw dealerships still unable to fix any of the above! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. the contact has had the vehicle repaired, however, several failures continue to recur. the failures include the instrument panel lights, cruise control, heated seats, the regulator pin in the passenger side rear window, the glove compartment, and the head lights. the failures were noticed while driving 40 mph. the current mileage is 109,000 and failure mileage was 80,000.

Vehicle battery goes dead if car sits for more than 3 days without being started. alternator wiring harness has been replaced once. battery has been replace 5 times in 6 months. dealer can not find anything that is draining the battery and insists that "nothing is wrong with the car and that it is perfectly normal (except for a dead battery) for this to happen. "just start the car every 1-2 days" is their remedy. i have never heard of anything so lame in my life!! *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 65 mph, the malfunction light illuminated, then the engine power failed, requiring the vehicle to coast to a stop. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer, where the malfunction was identified as 2 faulty ignition coils. the manufacturer was notified. updated 11/21/2006 - the ignition coils have failed three times in four years. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was maneuvered off the road, restarted, and was driven to the dealer where the ignition coil was replaced.