Consumer Complaint Detail
VOLKSWAGEN / PASSAT / 1998
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 004304880 | Incident Date: Oct, 19 2004 |
| Consumer's City: KENSINGTON | Consumer's State: MD |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN | Manufacturers Name: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| Model Name: PASSAT | Model Year: 1998 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: WVWMA63B7WE | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Oct, 24 2004 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: May, 28 1998 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Earlier this month (10/2004), the abs brake failure warning (light and sound) on our 1998 vw passat gls started coming on sporadically.*ak on oct. 20, i took the car to wheaton service center, a vw-only independent shop. they hooked the unit up to the diaganostic computer and got no signal. they also got not signal when they tried to access to engine computer, indicating that the abs computer has a short (the engine computer worked fine after they disconnected the abs computer.) i confirmed this diagnosis over the phone with ftizgerald vw in frederick, md. i later tested the braking on a wet road -- there was no abs, although the conventional brakes worked fine. the 1998 car, which we have owned since new, has been scrupulously maintained, as the regional vw factory rep can attest (from a drivetrain warranty repair done 5,000 miles ago). the car now has 69,000 miles on it. the wsc mechanics tell me that they see numerous abs failures in late '90s passats, the web seems to confirm this. the widespread, premature failure of abs systems is a significant safety issue. since the repair costs $2,500, many owners will simply disconnect the abs computer to avoid the annoying lights and sounds, and avoid the expensive fix. having become accostomed to abs, how many will adjust their braking accordingly, especially the need to pump the brakes to avoid skidding? |