Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Volkswagen Passat submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES TEND NOT TO OPERATE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HAVE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. TAKEN TO DEALER FOR CHECK UP AND, RESULTS SHOWED THAT THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. *AK *NM
THE DAYTIME AND NORMAL HEADLIGHTS DON'T WORK WHEN ENGINE IS STARTED. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. SOMETIMES I WOULD SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART IT AND THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON. ANOTHER TIME, I JUST TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND LET THE CAR SIT IN MY GARAGE FOR A FEW DAYS. THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON WHEN I START IT. AT OTHER TIMES, IN ADDITION TO THE HEADLIGHT NOT COMING ON, THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON WHEN THE IGNITION IS STARTED. THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH MY PASSAT, WHICH I HAVE FIXED AND REPORTED HERE. NAMELY, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED.
WHEN CAR IS DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR, THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON. MECHANIC AT VOLKSWAGEN SAYS THAT THE ABS PUMPS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1700. SINCE THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTEN, I DECIDED NOT TO SPEND THE MONEY FOR REPAIR SINCE I CAN STILL BRAKE THOUGH WITHOUT ABS. BUT I EXPLAINED TO FRONT DESK CUSTOMER SERVICE (AT DAVID MICHAEL VW IN FREEHOLD, NJ) THAT ABS FAILURE IS NOT PART OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THAT THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD COVER THE COST, BUT THEY DID NOT ACCEPT THAT ARGUMENT.*AK
LOST POWER ASSIST AND HAD TO USE HAND BRAKE TO STOP. VACUUM LINE WAS REPLACED AND FAILED AGAIN AT 79363 MILES.
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON THE ROAD AND ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP TOLD CONSUMER THAT ABS BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDED A COMPUTER MODULE REPLACED. *AK
ABS LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON, AND THE ABS SYSTEM IS LOCKING UP. ALSO, HORN KEEPS GOING OFF, AND CRUISE CONTROL KEEPS COMING ON. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED ABS LIGHT AND THE BRAKE LIGHT KEEP COMING ON. ALSO, CRUISE CONTROL COMES ON, AND THE ABS SYSTEM LOCKS UP. WHEN CONSUMER GETS OUT OF VEHICLE, HORN WILL KEEP BLOWING. *AK
THE VACUUM HOSE BROKE AT 55000 MILES, WAS REPAIRED AND FAILED AGAIN AT 60000. SINCE A DEALER WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME IT WAS REPAIRED WITH DUCT TAPE. (THE DUCT TAPE PROVED TO BE MORE RELIABLE). THE HOSE WAS THEN REPAIRED AT 70000 MILES AND FAILED FOR THE THIRD TIME AT 72500 MILES. IT IS CURRENTLY REPAIRED WITH DUCT TAPE. THIS PROBLEM IS FURTHER AGREVATED BY THE FACT THAT NONE OF THE THREE DEALERS I HAVE CONTACTED HAVE HAD THE PART. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN RAPID CITY, SD. THE DEALER THERE DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND THE NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR DID NOT HAVE THE PART. ONE WAS FINALLY LOCATED IN TEXAS AND FED-EXED TO RAPID CITY. THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED IN NORTHERN CALIF. THE DEALER IN PALM SPRINGS DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND THE NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND HE COULD NOT LOCATE A DEALER THAT HAD ONE. I DROVE BACK TO FL WITH THE DUCT TAPE REPAIR. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER IN TALLAHASSEE, FL HE DID NOT HAVE THE PART BUT HE ORDERED ONE FROM JACKSONVILLE. I RETURNED TO THE TALLAHASSEE DEALER AFTER THE THIRD FAILURE ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HE DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND COULD NOT GET ONE UNTIL THE NEXT TUESDAY. I HAVE NOT RETURNED! I ACTUALLY FEEL SAFER WITH THE DUCT TAPE THAN I WOULD WITH THEIR REPAIR PART. *AK
ABS FAILURE.
CONSUMER BEGAN TO SMELL BURNING OR SMOKE. HE CHECKED AND FOUND OUT THAT THE SCENT WAS THE BRAKES LEFT REAR WHEEL. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED BRAKES TWICE AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. LEE HIGH VALLEY VOLKSWAGEN--ALLENTOWN, PA. *AK
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
VACUUM PIPE BROKE, CAUSING PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER ASSIST DURING BRAKING. POWER LOSS INCREASES GREATLY WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE STOP.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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