Consumer Complaint Detail

VOLKSWAGEN / PASSAT / 2003

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 007090930 Incident Date: Jan, 05 2007
Consumer's City: NANUET Consumer's State: NY
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Model Name: PASSAT Model Year: 2003
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Exterior lighting:brake lights
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: WVWPD63B83P Date added to File: May, 23 2021
Date Complaint Received: Jan, 05 2007 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Jun, 09 2003
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 4 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: My 2003 vw passat 4-door sedan has experienced multiple occurrences where the brake lights continue to remain on while driving and even after the engine is shut off. this happened again today and i noticed this time that the emergency engine light came on while driving earlier in the day - this is also another issue that also comes on/off for no reason. i've reported the warning light a couple of times as well to the vw service and they don't know why that happens either. the warning light will at least shut off when the car is turned off, unlike my brake lights. since today is saturday, leaving my brake lights on until the service department reopens on a monday is probably going to run my battery dead. with that concern in mind, i immediately called the vw roadside assistance hotline, 800-822-8987, to see if they had any repair instructions i can look into and the operator said she was unable to find any documentation. she advised that vw roadside can come tow my vehicle to a dealership (that won't reopen until monday) or they can come to jump-start my car (which can take up to 45-60 min. after dispatch). this seems a terribly long time to wait & a huge inconvenience esp. since it also took 30 min. just to reach the live operator in the first place. i love driving my passat; i bought it brand new direct from the dealership in 2003. car safety is very important to me which is why i'm adamant about following service guidelines and bring my car in for regular maintenance & oil changes. i only bring it into a vw dealership service, never a local garage mechanic. can nhtsa please look into both issues: 1. sporadic check engine light warning while driving 2. brake lights remaining on while driving and after the car is shut off. i am very concerned as both are major causes for safety concern, in addition to further expensive repairs which may be defects that the manufacturer should cover instead. thanks. *nm