Consumer Complaint Detail
VOLKSWAGEN / PASSAT / 1999
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 007093605 | Incident Date: Jan, 12 2007 |
| Consumer's City: DENVER | Consumer's State: CO |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN | Manufacturers Name: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| Model Name: PASSAT | Model Year: 1999 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: WVWNA63B7XE | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jan, 30 2007 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: Yes | Purchase Date: Jan, 18 1999 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: 1999 vw passat 1.8t suffered sudden timing belt failure at only 54,000 miles. incident occurred at night on a major interstate (i-70) in the colorado mountains, leaving me barely able to control my vehicle to coast uphill to a narrow snowy shoulder, where we were forced to call 911 and wait for almost 45 minutes in a cold vehicle, in constant danger of being struck from behind by semi/tractor trailers. i am disappointed that this occurred at such low mileage and endangered my family, and if it were an isolated incident i would not be pursuing this issue as i did miss the 40,000 mile service when a belt inspection was scheduled to be performed. i am concerned that this appears to be a common problem with this vehicle based upon my discussions with independent vw/audi service technicians and the internet, and led to a class action lawsuit of audi and now (ongoing) vw. in the meantime, vw appears to be denying that this is an issue, and refuses to honor its extended powertrain warranty unless it has been very strictly followed. due to the systematic failure with this critical engine part, usually occurring well before vw's own recommended belt change interval of 105,000 miles, i believe that vw should be repairing/recalling these vehicles for replacement of the defective belts and tensioners. sudden and total loss of engine power can lead to loss of vehicle control; in my case the real danger was the location and circumstances of the failure. it appears vw is following the same aggressive stance/denials of warranty claims with another issue with these engines, the oil "sludging" problem which is also well-documented on the internet. *nm |