1996 Volkswagen Passat Visibility Problems

HEATERCORE FAILED FOGED UP ALL MY WINDOWS,SOAKED CARPET AND FILLED CABIN WITH TOXIC ANTIFREEZE VAPOR ON MY WAY HOME FROM MY UNCLES FUNERAL. *CN

NHTSA ID

10213657

Incident

Dec 13, 2007

Mileage

83,900 mi

HEATER CORE FAILURE. VENTING OF NOXIOUS FUMES INTO PASSANGER COMPARTMENT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10171999

Incident

Oct 22, 2006

Mileage

68,000 mi

HEATER CORE IS LEAKING, AND MAKES DRIVING IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO DECREASED VISIBILITY, AND THE FUMES COMING OFF THE HEATER CORE CAUSE ME TO COUGH FOR A FEW DAYS IF I ACTUALLY DRIVE MY CAR. *NM

NHTSA ID

10144801

Incident

Dec 6, 2005

Mileage

81,000 mi

IN JANUARY 2004 I DROVE BACK TO SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA AFTER SPENDING CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY. ON THE WAY BACK WHILE I WAS ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURN PIKE MY HEATER CORE BURST, SPRAYING BOILING HOT COOLANT (BOTH LIQUID AND STEAM) INTO THE VEHICLES INTERIOR. THE LIQUID FOR THE MOST PART CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE CARPET, AND FORTUNATELY ANY THAT WAS SPRAYED ON MY SIDE OF THE COMPARTMENT WAS BLOCKED BY MY PANTS. THE STEAM HOWEVER FILLED MY COMPARTMENT, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE AND CAUSING A NEAR COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO OPEN MY WINDOWS AND CLEAR IT OUT. THE INJURY LISTED AS SUCH IS IN REGARDS TO MY BREATHING THE COOLANT IN, WHICH IS HARMFUL TO ONES HEALTH. MAINTENNANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED PREVIOUSLY ON MY VEHICLE JUST BEFORE THAT REPLACING THE AUX WATER PUMP, AND I HAD THE COOLANT SYSTEM FLUSHED AND MAINTENNANCE DONE ON IT AT THAT TIME AT AN AUTHORIZED VW DEALERSHIP. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH MY COOLING SYSTEM, THE AUX WATER PUMP, THE HEATER CORE, AND THE THERMOSTAT. FORTUNATELY POLICE WERE PASSING BY AT THE TIME AND GAVE ASSISTANCE, AS WELL AS CALLING A TOW TRUCK.*AK

NHTSA ID

10114224

Incident

Jan 7, 2004

Mileage

85,000 mi

DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WAS NOISY WHEN CLOSING, NOW HAS FAILED SUCH THAT WINDOW DOES NOT CLOSE COMPLETELY, SLIDES DOWN ALLOWING WATER AND WIND TO ENTER VEHICLE. MOTOR WILL FUNCTION, BUT MAKES SOUNDS AS THOUGH COGS IN REGULATOR ARE STRIPPED. MANY OTHER OWNERS ON VARIOUS DISCUSSION FORUMS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10104595

Incident

Sep 1, 2004

Mileage

88,000 mi

OWNER OF 1996 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GLX. DRIVING LOW SPEED WHEN I HEARD A POP & HISS SOUND. TONS OF STEAM CAME THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS & UNDER THE DASH. I PULLED THE CAR OVER AND FOUND LEAKING COOLANT UNDER VEHICLE ON PASSENGER SIDE. HEATER CORE FAILED. I HAD TO TOW MY VEHICLE BACK TO MY HOUSE AND CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA TO REPAIR. NO RESPONSE FROM VWOA AS OF YET AS I CONTACTED THEM VIA EMAIL A COUPLE DAYS AGO.*AK

NHTSA ID

10096291

Incident

Oct 18, 2004

NO EVENT LEADING TO THE FAILURE... I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN MY HEATER CORE FAILED.. CAUSING SOLDING HOT COOLANT TO RUSH ONTO MY FEET WHILE DRIVING.. I HAD TO BRAKE WHILE COOLANT WAS ALL OVER MY FEET...BURNING THEM...NEARLY CAUSING AND ACCIDENT!*AK

NHTSA ID

10090874

Incident

May 12, 2003

Mileage

99,635 mi

DOOR HANDLES WORE OUT WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER HAD TWO VEHICLES THAT HAD DEFECTIVE DOOR HANDLES. NOT LONG AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO OPEN ANY OF THE DOORS FROM THE INSIDE. *AK DEALER FOUND THE WORN DOOR LOCK ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. BROKEN OUTSIDE MIRROR SWITCH REPLACED. TRUNK LOCK WAS LOOSE. *TT *JB

NHTSA ID

10044276

Incident

Oct 3, 2003

Mileage

10,028 mi

THE PASSENGER DOOR POWER WINDOW DOES NOT WORK MOST OF THE TIME - TRUNK WILL NOT UNLOCK WITH KEY, CRUISE CONTROL ONLY WORKS SOMETIMES.*AK

NHTSA ID

10037569

Incident

Sep 1, 2003

WHILE TRAVELING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME ON AND OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. *AK

NHTSA ID

10026987

Incident

Jul 10, 2003

1. MY CAR HAD IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. THERE IS A RECALL ON IGNITION SWITCH FAILURES FOR THE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL OF MY CAR. WHEN I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER THEY SAID THE RECALL DOESN'T APPLY TO MY VIN. 2. DRIVERS DOOR WINDOW REGISTER HAS FAILED. MANY OWNERS OF SIMILAR VEHICLES HAVE REPORTED SAME.

NHTSA ID

10020684

Incident

Nov 1, 2002

WHILE DRIVING THE WIPERS AND HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. NHTSA RECALL 02 V 256 000 WAS RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM BUT THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10020129

Mileage

58,000 mi

BOTH POWER WINDOWS FAIL AND WINDOW DEFOGGER DOESN'T WORK. SO WHEN THIS OCCURS I DON'T EVEN HAVE THE OPTION OF ROLLING DOWN MY WINDOWS TO CLEAR THE CAR SO THAT I CAN OPERATE THE VEHICLE. VERY DANGEROUS AND HAS LED TO NEAR ACCIDENTS ON 4 OCCASIONS. DRIVER'S WINDOW COMPLETELY FAILED. MUST TRY TO OPEN DOOR WHILE DRIVING TO CLEAR AIR. MUST TRY AND OPEN DOOR IF STOPPED BY POLICEMAN OPENING YOUR DOOR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BY POLICEMAN. AS WITH OTHER VOLKSWAGEN MODELS, THIS MODEL HAS MAJOR POWER WINDOW FAILURE WHICH POSSES A SAFETY THREAT BECAUSE OF INABILITY TO OPERATE BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. DT

NHTSA ID

769409

Incident

Jul 1, 1999

BOTH POWER WINDOWS FAIL. DRIVER'S WINDOW CIMPLETELY FAILED. MUST TRY AND OPEN DOOR IF STOPPED BY POLICEMAN OPENING YOUR DOOR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BY POLICEMAN. AS WITH OTHER VOLKSWAGEN MODELS, THIS MODEL HAS MAJOR POWER WINDOW FAILURE WHICH POSSES A SAFETY THREAT BECAUSE OF INABILITY TO OPERATE BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. DT

NHTSA ID

769407

Incident

Jul 1, 1999

CONSUMER STATES WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. MR

NHTSA ID

8020842

Incident

Oct 1, 2000

COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHILE THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN RESULTING IN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND LIMITED CONTROL OF THE CAR. A SEARCH OF THE WEB INDICATES THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED OCCURANCE. VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NON EXISTENT. AS FOR THE DOOR HANDLE AND WINDOW PROBLEM, AGAIN THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. SO FAR NO ONE HAS LOST THEIR LIFE AT LEAST IN OUR CASE. M. *AK

NHTSA ID

754215

Incident

Nov 6, 2001

INTERMITTENT POWER WINDOW FAILURE COULD CAUSE VEHICLE INHABITANTS TO NOT BE ABLE TO ESCAPE IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. *AK

NHTSA ID

745357

Incident

Jan 7, 2000

THE IGNITION SWITCH PREMATURELY MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO THE DESIGN WHICH CAUSED THE HEADLGHTS AND THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND THE WINDSHEILD WIPERS TO BECOME INOPERABLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

855765

VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERINCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH DAY RUINNING LIGHT/ HEAD LIGHT, HEATER / COOLING SYSTEM WOULD INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT OR STOP OPERATING. SOMETIMES IF KEY IS JIGGLED IT WOULD CAUSE IT TO COME BACK ON OR OPERATE AGAIN. ASLO, SPEEDOMETER / ODOMETER FAIL EDTO OPERATE. DEALER NOTIFIED AND REFUSED TO REPAIR UNLESS COST GOES TO CONSUMER. *AK

NHTSA ID

853600

Incident

Nov 17, 1999

GAUGE CLUSTER AND HVAC CONTROL UNIT BOTH FAILED AT STARTUP. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE CAUSE OF FAILURES. *AK

NHTSA ID

702929

Incident

Jan 13, 1999

WINDSHIELD SEALS LEAK.

NHTSA ID

513295

Incident

Oct 19, 1996