Problems with 2003 Volkswagen Passat ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

2003 vw passat 1.8t wagon has failed due to sludge. i do not have all of the service records for the car and warranty coverage is denied to the tune of $10,217.00. i've done some research on this problem, and feel that the defect is with the engine, not with my treatment of the vehicle. the car was running fine with no noise when the "oil pressure! stop!" light came on, and ran fine when i drove it to the dealership, only now they tell me the engine is 'locked up' and wil have to be replaced along with the oil pump, the turbo unit, etc etc. since the car was on the interstate when the light popped on, and presumably could have 'locked up' at 70 mph, this is, indeed, a safety issue.*ak

Owner drove vehicle to work and noticed it started smoking. drove back home and went inside to call and have vehicle towed. he did not go back out to the vehicle until later in the evening, when he found the windows gray from smoke and the inside of the vehicle was partially melted because it caught fire. catalytic converter light came on several days prior to the fire. fire damage limited to floor below center front of dash, above catalytic converter and exhaust system.

I own a 2003 passat gls with about 40,000 miles on it. a few days ago, the oil pressure light came on advising that i stop driving the car. as i was just pulling into parking lot of my work, i parked the car and had it towed. the first thing the mechanic from vw told me was my warranty would not be honored without proof of all my service records from vw. i do have the oil changed regularly but not always at 4,999 miles. i have moved and have had the oil changed at different places and have had trouble getting all my records. after several conversations in which i was t old mulitple things about what caused the light to come on, i received a call saying that my engine was scorched and needed to be replaced at the cost of $11,000. i could not produce all oil changes done to the car in the almost two years i woned it and vw would not honor my warranty even though i paid for extended coverage. the mechanic at vw said it is rare that anyone can produce all records and this is a common problem due to lack of precise maintenance. i have not had an new engine put in the car as the car isn't even worth the cost of the engine. i am looking into the possibility of rebulit engine. *ak

2003 volkswagen passat 1.8l turbo 30000 miles, "oil pressure" indicator lighted, immediately stopped vehicle. after towing to dealership, was informed that the engine was "full of sludge" and that warranty would not cover unless i had proof of *every single oilchange* with vw synthetic oil. oil changes have been regular in the vehicle, however i lack proof of every single one. again, odometer only 30000 miles. research leads me to believe this is a common problem with vw/audi 1.8l engines between 1998 and 2004.*ak

I am currently having an issue with a 2003 vw passat. after 27,000 miles, the engine and possible the turbo has gone, and the dealer is saying that the repairs will cost 9,000 dollars. volks wagen has had an oil sludge problem with this year of passats that typically results in this problem, even after suggested maintenance. volkswagen issued a notice to their customers of this problem about 3 months ago, and also recommended that their drivers change the oil to a synthetic oil. i have been changing my oil at the recommended 5,000 mile increments, although using a non-synthetic brand of oil. i am now having a very hard time coming up with my oil change receipts. i can prove that i changed the oil 3 times although i need to prove i changed it 5 times for the warranty to kick in. even after changing the oil at the required increments my engine is gone due to a known problem that vw is not taking responsibility for. i am extremely frustrated and angry at the service that i am currently receiving and would like to take action on this matter ? as i am currently sitting with a 9,000 bill for a problem that vw has admitted to, although will not take responsibility for.*ak

The oil light came on. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who wanted $11,000.00 to replace an engine for oil sludge.*ak consumer stated that vw has clearly admitted to the sludge problem. article attach from volkswagen to work with dealers to improve guidelines for sludge repairs. *bf *nm

Consumer stated vehicle had a sludge build up which was causing the vehicle to stall. consumer contacted the manufacturer, and said that the manufacturer was aware of the problem. however, blamed consumer for this defect. *ak

Vw passat 2003, purchased01/09/03, 4 motion sedan, for $32,766.50. on 10/7/2004, i went through a 2" or less, rain puddle. because of the air intake on the passat location being very low, the engine was damaged due to the water intake in the air intake portion of the vehicle. the engine had to be replaced and cost $11,077.53. the car mileage was 29,143. vw refused to pay, saying it was not their fault. my insurance company refused to pay because they said it was a default in the vehicle. as a result, i had to pay the $11,077.53 to keep a vehicle that i had purchased new in 2003. it was 1/3 the cost of the new vehicle with only 29,143 mileage. the amount of rain can be determined on the day it happened, in middlebury, in. i did contact cartalk, after no result from vw, and they stated that they had been contacted by other people experiencing the same problem. it obviously was not enough to post a recall, but it is still something i should be reimbursed, even though it happened in 2004. i do still own the car, because of my investment, which would have been over $44,000, because i cannot afford another vehicle compared to this one. *tr

The vehicle 1.8l engine sized while driving 60 mph. vehicle was tow to the dealer. dealer informed the consumer that the cause of the problem was engine sludge build up. *nm

Engine sludge in 2003 vw passat. engine is shot. vw customer service agent told me he personally gets 3 to 5 calls a day on this issue. vw won't pay unless you produce every service receipt. vw dealers via vw directive now only use synthetic oil for oil changes on the 1.8 liter passat engine. its a passat not a ferrari. this is clearly an indication of a design flaw. *nm

Volkswagen passat 2003 engine was ruined and had to be replaced with 26,000 miles on it. i was told by my purchase dealer that they would not cover the cost of replacement and my insurance company replied the same. my incident occurred during a rainy day in middlebury, in. the engine stopped working when i was on a bridge and in a 2" puddle. both vw and my insurance company said they do not cover anything related to water damage. an engine should not be ruined in a 2" puddle. i wrote to "click and clack" eventually about the damage. they told me other vs passat owners had their engines damaged and needing to be replaced but it was by other events. the loss of the engine happened in the passat because the air intake was the lowest part of the engine and was affected by anything near the intake. this happened in 2004 in my car and my replacement was over $11,000 and had to be paid personally by me. i did not know that i could complain to the government at that time. i would still like to file the complaint and ask for investigation into the number of cars involved with the loss of the engine. mine is the vs passat glx, 4 motion. *tr

The vehicle's engine oil pressure warning light illuminated occasionally. *nm *sc

While driving at low speeds, the vehicle stalled. the dealership informed the consumer that the problem pertained to the engine cylinder. *ak the vehicle stalled at the stop sign 3-4 times. the ignition coil was replaced but the vehicle stalled the next day. the vehicle was towed and the ec module/fuel pump relay was replaced. *sc *jb

2003 passat with 1.8t engine. driving in heavy rain on nieghborhood streets, came to standing water (approx 2 inches deep), witnessed other passenger cars passing through water and proceeded at approx 2-3 mph, car stalls and will not start, car towed to dealer where purchased, told a rod was thrown through the engine block due to water (approx 3 gal.) in the engine block, was told water gained entry via air intake vents at the bottom (fender level) of the engine, was told to file claim with insurance company. presently waiting for appraiser's report. vehicle should be able to handle the driving conditions mentioned. appears to be a design flaw in that the air cooling intake is in such a position as to allow the intake of water into the engine block.*ak

2003 volkswagen passat consumer request for early termination of the lease.***no answer required***. *mr the consumer made the request due to the numerous mechanical problems such as a defective purge valve, right front head light, the vehicle overheated and started t o smoke due to a faulty water pump. the brake light would not shut off and the right head light went out for the second time. the brake light switch was replaced. the cruise control would not disengage. the vehicle would not start at times. *jb

Defective coils on each cylinder

Owner was driving when someone on the side of the road pointed and indicated there was something coming out of her vehicle that looked like fog. smoke was then noticed and her husband got out of the vehicle, looked underneath, and saw fire. he began throwing snow on the vehicle. fd extinguished fire. subsequent examination revealed the exhaust system overheated and ignited the fire due to an engine management problem - spark plugs showed overly rich fuel/air mixture.

On november 21, 2002, my 2001 vw jetta gls 1.8 turbo lost the oil drain plug on the highway. i stopped the car as soon as possible but the engine and turbo were damged severely and had to be replaced. total cost $6,500. i was not reimbursed. i replaced the jetta with a 2003 vw passat w8. on november 23, 2003 the oil was changed by the dealer and the dealer contends that the oil drain plug was tightened to factory specifications (20 nm), however the car had an oil leak coming from the drain plug. the dealer replaced the plug free of charge. here is what is common to both situations: both drain plugs were tightened to at least the factory specification (i changed the oil and always used a torque wrench on the jetta) and both had drain plugs pull away from the pan. i do not know what the root cause was but i have a hypothesis on two important variables: (1) both pans are made of aluminum, which changes shape easily with temperature change, (2) the drain plug is manufactured in such a way that the washer (seal ring) cannot be removed and replaced. if the seal were warped or damaged in some way (perhaps overtorquing or dropping the plug) it might not seal properly. would like for someone to contact me as volkswagen has been less than helpful (especially with the jetta).*ak

Check engine light came on after only 300+ miles. *ak

Engine continues to misfire, loses power and starts to stall while driving . four attempts to correct the problem have failed. problem presents a significant safety issue for driver and passengers. *la

Problems with engine shut down on 2003 volkswagen passat. *mr there was a problem with the odometer reading. the ecp light would constantly come on, the engine would go out intermittently, and there was rough idling. *sc *jb

Brake failure light appears even after multiple brake repairs. driver?s side rear upper brake light replaced for 29th time in less than 2 yrs. multiple coolant leaks still present even after repair and water pump replacement. radio/amplifier not functioning even after replacement (radio was only used twice in vehicle?s lifetime). diagnostics show airbag malfunction. regulator pin on rear passenger side window keeps breaking (3rd replacement since 2003). engine cover below car keeps falling off due to rusted bolts. homelink system keeps malfunctioning. fuses keep blowing out. dashboard panel lights out (odometer, fuel gauge, etc.). ccm module keeps breaking down. car needs to be jumpstarted when not in use for over 48 hrs. climate control (a/c and heater) works only sporadically. all repairs performed by vw dealership, yet same issues keep reappearing just a few weeks after repairs. repairs performed in past 2 years: ecu unit replaced, brake light switch replaced 3 times, a/c compressor unit replaced, abs module replaced, alternator replaced, brakes replaced 3 times. *tr

Our car has been into the dealer 6 times in nine months. 5 times for the same, serious problem. the car stalls with no warning and for apparently no reason. the dealer was able to duplicate the problem once, but unable to fix it and unable to duplicate the problem the next 4 times. i don't know what causes the car to stall other than it seems to happen on hot days when the air condition is on and often in traffic. when the car stalls neither the brakes nor the steering will work until it can be restarted. vw cannot fix the car and will not replace it or refund my money. their response, "sue us." *la

In follow up to reading an article about "oil sludge" problems in vw's. i have recently had my engine replaced on a 2003 vw 1.8 liter turbocharged passat. the engine seized due to oil sludge problems. the engine was replaced approximately 2 months ago. the vehicle had 36,000 miles and was properly maintained. *ak

Owner was driving the volkswagen and smelled a weird odor, so he pulled over to the side of the road. he opened the hood and looked toward the back of the engine and observed smoke and smelled something burning. he stated he observed fire from the bottom part of a wire harness. a subsequent examination revealed the spark plugs showed a slightly rich fuel/air mixture in the cylinders, resulting in possible overheated exhaust components. cause of fire undetermined. *nm

I purchased a new 2003 volkswagen passat from smith volkswagen of wilmington, de. from the beginning the car would intermittently experience total engine shutdown at mid-rpm while under full acceleration. this made any kind of merging into traffic maneuver a hazardous undertaking. the car was returned to the dealer several times for repair but with no success. this caused us for the entire time we owned the vehicle to completely modify the way we drove - never knowing when the engine would die out. now after struggling with this for 3 years i receive recall notice "safety recall m7", one month after we traded in the volkswagen on another car. this notice describes our problem but underplays the havoc the problem can actually cause when it occurs to your car. these vehicles are a danger to their drivers and to all the cars around them on the road. they should be removed from the highway until they are fixed now that volkswagen has finally admitted something is wrong 3 years later. *nm

On april 14, 2005 i was going to work when a warning light came on that said stop. i called commonwealth motors and was told by larry riggins to check the oil level to see if needed to add oil, so i did. that did not resolve problem. i called back the dealer, who gave me the tow number for volkswagen, and said that he would set up an appointment that day. after waiting for two hours we were towed in only to find that they would not even look at car till next day. next day, larry called and said that they needed to pull engine and look at oil pan which could add up to a lot of money. when questioned due to the car's warranty, larry informed me that only if i had all of the maintenance records, including oil changes, volkswagen would not honor the 5 year power train warranty, under 50,000 miles. car has been there for 3 days with no resolution. after researching i found a site called vwlemon.com and discovered that known to volkswagen ,but unbeknownst to me, volkswagen passats with 1.8 turbo engine had a design flaw that caused engine to become clogged with sludge which could completely seize the engine. i was fortunately not on the freeway when this occurred so that i could safely pull over. certainly it was a safety issue and a manufactured design flaw that volkswagen of america will not pay for. *ak

After starting vehicle and reversing out of driveway, oil pressure light came on after the egine rpm's reached 18000. 40000 miles service was done 6 mths prior. dealer claims it resulted from oil overfill. not the case, oil overfill resulted after the fact. vw america will not honor powertrain warranty, saying maintenance records incomplete. *nlm

Multiple problems with the 2001 vw passat. problems began at 16000 miles and have continued up to the current date and mileage of 33000 miles. car has been seen in vw service department 11 times since november 2001. lawsuit has been filed against vw america.

Heater stopped working-heater core checked and found to be okay. thermastat replaced. water pump found to be non-functional and replaced. problem not solved. head gaskets replaced and found cracked head. head replaced -s still did not solve the heat problem. heater core replaced-still did not solve the problem. radiator replaced - problem appears to be solved, however car runs worse than it did before spending $3,500-. totall frustrated and no help from audi after numerous phone calls. car warranty ran out in december-problem occured in january.

2003 passat v6 engines upper end of the engine drains of oil allowing knocking for 1-2 seconds before the oil circulates. (metal on metal noise). *nlm