1999 Volkswagen Passat GL from North America - Comments

When I had had the car about 5-months the accelerator stuck for almost a minute. The brakes slowed it somewhat but I couldn't get the car to slow down until it was going well over 90 MPH. VW's comment to me - you were mistaken.

Glove box door broke at 25,000 miles.

The tie rods died in December 99 with 40,000 miles on the car. Cost to repair - over $330. VW told me at that point that having to replace tie rods at 40K miles was not unusual. They subsequently failed to advise me of a recall for - tie rods. The recall came out in January 2000 but I had mysteriously fallen off their mailing list.

The front ball joints need to be replaced at 50,200 miles. VW Customer Care comments to me "... We have no records of other problems of this nature". The VW tech from my dealership told me what was wrong before he saw the car and before I told him anything other than the front end creaked. He said that there is a major problem with the ball joints but that VW will not acknowledge it.

I've had a Honda, an Olds, an Eagle, and a Dodge. If there was a problem, they would advise you of it. VW will not do so.

Ball joints don't go bad at 50,000 miles of highway driving - gravel roads, maybe... freeways, no.

Bad product, bad customer relations.

The package was great originally, smart, stylish, responsive.

The customer service and the quality of the suspension are atrocious for a car in this price range.

Agree with you 100%, my Passat 99 1.8T had expended more time on the dealership than my old 97 Jetta, service is been awful, VW do not take any responsibility.

Jorge Bucio

Monterrey, Mexico.

I have run my passat wagon 1999 for 4 years and 75,00KM. I love how the car ride, but I am a lot disappointed by the low longevity of the front suspension. The value of the suspension parts and repairs performed on the car up to now is around 6,000 $Can. 2/3 of the expenses were paid by VW. And recently, a new loose join noise appeared.

I plan to change my car in the next month of so before the other regular part replacement start (muffler, turbo, ignition, radiator, battery,...?)

I am a bit sad I will have to find another make of wagon as pleasant and exiting to drive!

I've just spent a total of 22 hours waiting at a VW dealer for yet another set of problems with my '98 1.8T Passat wagon (purchased 2nd hand from a dealer at 29 000 miles). The noise from the front end was originally put down to alignment; a $US330 alignment and two new tires revealed that the tie rods (another $US335) were worn; curious as these had been replaced at 19k by the first owner. Once these were fixed on visit 2 the problem then became a worn front wheel bearing (another $US325 and a tussle over who should pay for the ABS sensor broken in the process).

This is in addition to, in no particular order, 10 new tires in 20K, the FM radio packed up, the rear washer hose was broken, the vacuum hose on the turbo was replaced, 4 new brake rotors and as yet undiagnosed wiring fault that interferes with the keyless entry. Oh and the trim on the luggage rack came off.

Other than that it's been a sublime ownership experience.

98 VW Passat V6.

Life with the Passat started out great...4 years later - it is now a complete nightmare!

This Passat has been in the shop 5 times over the past 3 months - and the 1st visit was for routine service!

Problems have included: Oxygen sensor, driver door lock sensor, trunk light, driver door noise, vibration while stopped in gear, oil leak, toxic fumes inside (from oil leak), trunk light.

However here's the latest and best one:

Much like a in a previous review on this site - I have experienced accelerator "sticking". Initially my wife complained (hysterically) of this problem and I (and the dealer) dismissed her claim as "not possible". It happened to her again, and I immediately test drove the car myself.

After backing out of a parking space and putting the transmission into drive - the engine revved to 4,000 rpm and the car took off! As I applied as much brake pressure as I could, the car still surged forward. Fortunately, I had the sense to drop the car in neutral, where the engine then surged up to as high as 5000 rpm - with my foot no-where near the gas pedal!!!

The good news? - No one was hurt.

I checked for the obvious mechanical "sticking" on the gas pedal and found nothing.

I am very upset at this stage, since this is a potentially deadly issue, and am considering legal action (in the form of negligence). If anyone has some advice - I would love to hear it.

I had so many problems with my 98' VW passat. Pointless to list them all. And customer service is terrible. This is my last VW.

Val.

I've definitely had problems with my '99 Passat, with cooling leaks and the engine revs. Little stuff as well, but minor enough that it hasn't bothered me. My cup holders are broken, my radio always switches stations every time I turn my car off. Continual squealing in my brakes. If anyone is starting a class- action lawsuit, I"m happy to join in. Too bad the car is so cute!

Can anyone tell me how I can file a complaint with the Volkswagon Corporate headquarters?

I've had 3 nighmare, costly experiences with a Volkswagon dealership and can't get any satisfaction on the local or state level.

I looked on the internet and found(I think) the corporate headquarters in Auburn, Michigan(?) But the site lists no departments(like customer service) or even a main switchboard number(?!)

I am desperate to vent my story, but the more I read, the more stories I hear like mine about the terrible SERVICE at these Volkswagon dealerships everywhere!

Is there any one out there who had gotten response or satisfaction in taking their dissatisfaction to the corporate level?

Any contact names or numbers would really be appreciated.

Sheila C. In Richmond, VA.

I have owned my 1999 Passat for almost three (3) years and have encountered numerous problems, starting around six (6) months into ownership.

At approximately sixty thousand (60k) miles, I experienced a rattling noise in the front-end suspension, which resulted in the replacement of the top control arms. I had the problem resolved through my own, reliable mechanic, who expressed to me that a problem of this nature should have been non-existent in a car with that many miles, and that this wasn't due to normal wear and tear. The cost of repair was just over $400. His opinion suggested that a recall should have been issued by VW, and to my dismay, a month later, one was.

Recently, with approximately 85k miles, I experienced an alarming decrease in power. A diagnosis, performed by the aforementioned mechanic, suggested the replacement of all the spark plugs, which cost me over $300. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was incorrect and the spark plugs were not the source of the problem.

My local VW Service Center diagnosed my car and found that a component called the Power Output, which provides the coil packs with a spark, which ultimately power the cylinders, was the actual problem. They estimate that cost at just over $600. They also discovered that my Oil Cooler Lines, and two (2) other related lines, need to be replaced. They estimate the cost of those repairs at just over $800. In other, unrelated findings, they estimate additional costs to be approximately $300.

I am not a mechanic, however, after researching 1999 Passats, it's my conclusion that this particular model is problem prone and that the issues I've experienced are atypical, especially for a seven (7) year old car with under ninety thousand (90k) miles. I do not drive my car hard or tamper with its mechanics in any way that might suggest my troubles to be normal. I understand the need to replace timing belts, brake pads, rotors and other components that experience typical wear and tear, but not the components I've had to replace.

To those contemplating the purchase of a Passat, my vote is against the 1999 model. It's possible that my problems are completely random, but they are nonetheless, disconcerting.