Consumer Complaint Detail

VOLKSWAGEN / PASSAT / 2000

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 004034565 Incident Date: Jul, 14 2004
Consumer's City: ROCKVILLE Consumer's State: MD
Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN Manufacturers Name: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Model Name: PASSAT Model Year: 2000
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: WVWMD23B2YP Date added to File: May, 23 2021
Date Complaint Received: Aug, 17 2005 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Aug, 14 2000
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 6 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: while backing up out of a parking spot in july of 2004, i began to smell gas very strongly in the cabin of my 2000 v6 passat and immediately stopped and got out to see what was causing the smell. for unknown reasons, the car was randomly and visibly leaking gasoline onto the ground just in front of the fuel filter on the passenger side. it leaked gasoline in puddles and the engine began running 'lean' almost immediately, with significant valve clatter. due to the serious safety risk posed by the profuse gasoline leak, i immediately turned off the car and had it towed to a reputable vw dealer in a nearby town. upon inspection at the dealer, the fuel line had clearly split on the top side just in front of the fuel filter....for no apparent reason. i submitted a complaint and a reimbursement request to volkswagen of america re. this issue, due to the significant safety risk and repair cost created by the fuel leak. unfortunately, vw ultimately refused to stand by their product citing the age and mileage of the car. at the time, the car was 3 years old and had just over 55k miles. i paid over $700 to have the line replaced, plus towing fees, and vw provided exactly $0 in reimbursement. this episode is on record with vwoa and with martens vw in bethesda, md. feel free to contact me or vw directly for more details.*jb