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2001 Volkswagen Passat Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 430 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Volkswagen Passat, most often about the engine (23% of complaints, typically around 62,000 miles). It is 8th of 23 Passat model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2001 Volkswagen Passat problems
Engine
97 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
We have a 2001 Passat and put about 10k miles/year. The car has been serviced about twice every year at our local vw dealership since we bought it new. We originally bought the car with safety in mind. While driving on the interstate about a week ago, the engine light came on. The car seized/stalled as I was getting…
At approx 60k check engine light came on read "emissions workshop". Dealer hooked up computer and told me it was an oxygen sensor and some of the vacuum hoses had to be replaced. I took the vehicle to a vw specialty shop and they confirmed the o2 sensor problem and replaced a few vacuum hoses. The cars computer was…
Electrical
73 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 39,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring, instrument cluster/panel, horn.
2001.5 Passat gls 1.8t the coil pack fouled and caught the coil on fire. Had I not opened it up and removed the valve cover along with the coil pack itself, the car would have went up in flames. I feel sorry for those who dont know much about cars. This is an ongoing issue with vw coil packs. Vw claims that if they go…
Pollen filter seal failure. This problem is documented in many international Passat owner groups. The seal around the pollen filter fails. The car's interior becomes flooded in rain. Electrical components that get wet fail over time at accelerated and unpredictable rate. Safety concern: it is difficult to operate…
Brakes
59 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, power assist, disc.
At approx. 74,300 mi. Our 2001 vw Passat gls v6 automatic had an ABS failure. We purchased the vehicle new from a vw dealer in 2001 and have it serviced by vw dealers. Other vw owners I have spoken to (some while in the service area of the dealership!) have also had ABS failure. The ABS unit is back-ordered and wait…
I have a 2001 vw Passat, in the past month, my ABS warning light, and e-brake light, have been coming on randomly. The ABS light comes on and then the brake light flashes and beeps/rings for a few seconds. Half of the time the lights go out after a few seconds, sometimes the only way they go out is to stop, turn the…
Fuel system
44 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage, fuel injection system.
Dt: consumer ran out of gas on a two lane street going over a [], there was no place to pull to the side when vehicle ran out of gas. There was no warning of low gas from the vehicle. There was no warning light, no warning tone, or warning of any kind. Gauge did not show empty or show the correct gas level. This…
Tl contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Passat. The vehicle failed a routine inspection because the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument control panel. The inspector advised the contact of a recall on her vehicle pertaining to the failure. The dealer stated that the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id…
Transmission
34 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, clutch assembly.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Passat. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the "stop vehicle do not drive", and oil pressure warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and they repaired…
Lack of power when pressing the accelerator may have caused an accident, pulling out in traffic. This was due to water leak in pollen filter box (cracked) which affected the shift lock solenoid, affecting the transmission control module.
Lights
32 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, hazard flashing warning lights, tail lights.
The consumer experienced a problem with the headlights. The owner stated that while trying to take the vehicle through state inspection the vehicle failed because the headlights would not adjust. The adjustments were done from the reflector. The adjustment screw vibrated, and eventually fell off, making this very…
Upper control arms on both sides are worn out. Tie rods are worn out on both sides. Catalytic converters needed replaced. I paid for the tie rods, warranty covered converters, and I have not had the upper control arms replaced. Oil leaks on engine. Interior lights do not activate when drivers door is opened.
Visibility and wipers
31 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 55,500 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, defroster/defogger/hvac system, glass, side/rear, sun/moon roof assembly.
I would like to report the failure of the automatic dimming rear view mirror on my 2001 vw Passat. It is a donnelly mirror, part 3bo857511e (also has the number 4231909 on it). The electromagnetic fluid suddenly created a bubble and leaked when I had it replaced. I have since learned that these mirrors were used in a…
I was traveling at freeway speed outside of pendelton oregon when the wind blew my sun roof off of my car. The sun roof was closed, and the car just erupted and the roof was literally peeled off the top of my car. I have taken photos of the problem, and it seems Volkswagen is using a plastic caliper system to connect…
Air bags
26 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 64,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Dec 12th 2008 the interior of my passt was flooded with water, vw service removed 10 + gallons of water which entered from air plenum /pollen filter hosing(cabin area). Service informed me of the p9 recall for the passats manufactured nov '00 to dec '05. But, vw of america will not help me they said my VIN # is not in…
2/18/03 - reported air bag light on to dealer. Dealer could not find problem and reset light. Airbag light came back on again in may '03. Returned to dealer on 6/28/03 for service. Told that airbag spiral spring and harness be replaced. Could not change on that day (saturday) due to time constraints. Returned to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2001 Volkswagen Passat recalls
Fuel system: delivery
Risk: A heat shield that may contact the exhaust system can result in a vehicle fire. In addition, a fuel leak from a fuel line or fuel tank ventilation valve, in the presence of an ignition source, can lead to a vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealers will install additional underbody heat shields on vehicles with automatic transmissions to cover the possibly damaged areas and flash all 1.8t engines with a precautionary software update. Dealers will also inspect and adjust the fuel line routing on 1.8t vehicles and the fuel tank ventilation valve on 4motion/all wheel drive vehicles, and replace components if necessary free of charge. The recall began on june 13, 2008. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen is recalling 412,000 my 1999-2005 passat (5th generation) vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and produced after june 14, 1999. These vehicles may have an underbody heat shield that can become damaged. In addition, affected vehicles with automatic or manual transmissions may have a fuel line (1.8t engines only) or fuel tank ventilation valve (4motion/all wheel drive only) that can leak due to fracture.
Fuel system: filler pipe and cap
Risk: Fuel leakage can occur increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will fit passat vehicles with a new wheel house liner that will better protect the car's filler neck. Jetta vehicles will be fitted with a different metal shield designed to enhance abrasion protection in the event of tire disintegration. Owner notification began june 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
On some passenger vehicles, the fuel tank filler neck can suffer abrasion damage if the rear tire goes flat and the vehicle is driven until the tire disintegrates.
Fuel system: tank assembly
Risk: Running out of fuel without warning while the fuel gauge indicates that there is sufficient fuel in the tank lead to safety problems.
Fix: Dealers will remove the existing fuel level sending units and replace them with fuel level sending units using a new alloy composed of gold, silver, and a small amount of nickel, which will not chemically react with sulfur. Vw/audi will also call back vehicles that were repaired under a previous recall last june in order to install the updated fuel sending units NHTSA 00v137/audi lb). Owner notification began may 1, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact audi at 1-866
Full defect summary
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Sulfur in fuel interacts with certain additives found in widely available gasoline causing sulfur to become deposited on the contact points of three fuel sending units mounted inside the fuel tank. This could cause the fuel gauge to read full while the fuel tank may not in fact be full or could be empty.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine compartment fire
Summary
In july 2010, the agency opened pe10-027 to investigate allegations of coil on plug (cop) ignition coil fires in my2002-2003 vw passat vehicles.the investigation was upgraded in january 2011 to include all my2001-2007 4-cylinder vw passat, gasoline, turbo-charged vehicles.based on the analysis of vw's response, and including odi's consumer complaints, odi has since identified 135 unique engine fire reports attributable to the cop coils.after further review of the details as contained in each report, odi determined that 43 of the 135 fire reports were actual fire/flame incidents, 83 fire reports were thermal events (smoke, spark, heat or wire melt), and another 9 fire reports were undetermine
Fuel tank leak
Summary
Volkswagen (vw) is recalling certain vw passat 4motion and audi a6 quattro and allroad quattro all-wheel drive passenger cars.vw vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from november 22, 2000 through may 31, 2005 and audi vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from june 2, 2001 to june 1, 2005.the NHTSA recall number for the vw vehicles is 08v-156 (vw also is correcting defects related to heat shield and fuel line hazards for these vehicles and for 1999-2000 passats in this recall action.)the NHTSA recall number for the audi vehicles is 08v-157.since 2006, odi has received 17 complaints of fuel leaking from the subject vehicles' fuel tanks.the 400 complaints shown above may includ
Passenger engine compartment fires
Summary
The manufacturer notified NHTSA on 04-apr-08 that a safety recall action would be initiated to remedy the issue.in june 2008, the manufacturer issued a technical service bulletin (code 26e5/r5) regarding the specific procedures to be employed in this campaign.vehicle owner notification letters were sent beginning approximately june 13, 2008.the campaign was assigned NHTSA no. 08v-156.this recall affects all my 1999-2005, 5th generation gasoline-powered passat sedans and station wagons.approximately 412,000 vehicles are affected.corrective action will consist of installing additional exhaust system heat shielding to mitigate the potential thermal effects of engine ignition problems.based on t
Passenger/engine compartment fires
Summary
Many of the fire reports allege that the vehicle fire was attributed to ignition coil failure.vw provided additional data regarding its analysis of vehicle fires and a detailed description of the three different engines and ignition systems for the subject vehicles.odifinds the need to further investigate this issue.to facilitate acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigationhas been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea07-014).
Engine stalling
Summary
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling events as a result of one or more ignition coil plugs malfunctioning on his 2002 vw jetta sedan.as a result of the engine stalling, the petitioner experienced a loss of power steering and increased braking efforts when he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to control the vehicle.after a few minutes parked on the shoulder he was able to restart the vehicle although the
Passenger air bag lid failure
Summary
This investigation involves the volkswagen (vw) passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) lid utilized in my 1998-2002 vw passat.the psir lid may detach from the instrument panel during air bag deployment.the office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) opened the preliminary evaluation on may 23, 2003 to determine whether alleged psir lid detachment presents an unreasonable safety risk to passengers in the vehicle.odi?s investigation reveals that detachment of the psir lid during air bag deployment may occur for two reasons: 1) the shape of the psir lid, and the length of the attaching tether, may snag the air bag during deploy
Passenger sir door mounting stud failure
Summary
Odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe03-021) based on two reports of failed bolt studs that attach the passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) door cover to the instrument panel (ip) on the volkswagen (vw) passat (model years 2000, 2002).vw has indicated to odi that it has no additional reports.vw implemented a process change on march 1, 2002.this process change consisted of changing the bolt application that fastens the psir door to the ip from a weld on application to a press on application.vw also changed the material of the bolt.vw stated that the changes were made to ease production by eliminating a welding process.odi has upgraded its investigation to engineering analysis
Questions about the 2001 Volkswagen Passat
- What are the most common problems with the 2001 Volkswagen Passat?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (97 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles); electrical (73 complaints, typically around 39,500 miles); brakes (59 complaints, typically around 74,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2001 Volkswagen Passat have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 7, 2008 (fuel system). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2001 a bad year for the Volkswagen Passat?
- It is 8th of 23 Passat model years by number of complaints, with 430 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.