Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Volkswagen Passat submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 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
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHENEVER THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACTIVATE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS OR HEADLIGHTS, THEY FAILED TO TURN ON. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HEARD AN UNFAMILIAR NOISE AND THE AIR CONDITIONING BEGAN TO BLOW HOT AIR. HE EXITED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED WATER LEAKING FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE. HE BELIEVES THAT THE HEATER CORE MAY HAVE FAILED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 157,000.
ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 5TH, 2007, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WITH MY 7 YEAR OLD SON IN THE BACK SEAT, DENSE, NOXIOUS 'STEAM'/SMOKE BEGAN TO COME OUT OF ALL VENTS AND AROUND THE DASH AREA IN MY WELL-MAINTAINED VOLKSWAGEN. HOT COOLANT ALSO LEAKED INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF MY PASSAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. NOTE THAT THIS OCCURRED WHILE AIR CONDITIONING (A/C) WAS ON & CONTINUED TO POUR OUT OF VENTS WITHOUT A/C ON. MY 'LOW COOLANT' INDICATOR LIGHT (RED LED IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER) ALSO BEGAN FLASHING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR (AND MY SON) HOME WITHOUT OVERHEATING AFTER STOPPING ON THE SIDE OF A BUSY WASHINGTON DC THOROUGHFARE (WISCONSIN AVENUE), OPENING THE FOGGED-UP WINDOWS, CLEANING THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, AND REFILLING THE COOLANT RESERVOIR/'OVERFLOW' TANK WITH ANTIFREEZE PURCHASED NEARBY. SINCE THE 'STEAM' SMELLED LIKE COOLANT/ANTIFREEZE, I IMMEDIATELY SUSPECTED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A FAILURE OF MY CAR'S HEATER CORE. I SUBSEQUENTLY CONFIRMED THIS DIAGNOSIS AFTER DROPPING OFF THE PASSAT AT MY LONG-TIME, CERTIFIED, MECHANIC, BEAHM'S AUTO SERVICE OF SILVER SPRING MARYLAND. BEAHM'S DIAGNOSED, BUT DID NOT REPLACE MY HEATER CORE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 7TH, 2007 (THE HEATER CORE HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY BYPASSED SO THAT THE CAR COULD BE DRIVEN WITHOUT ADDITIONAL COOLANT LOSS OR OF THE CAR'S WINDOWS/INTERIOR). MY PASSAT IS OTHERWISE IN EXCELLENT, WELL-MAINTAINED CONDITION WITH ONLY 116,000 MILES, NO ACCIDENTS, AND IT PASSED WASHINGTON DC SAFETY AND EMISSIONS INSPECTION IN AUGUST, 2007. *TR
HEATER CORE FAILED- CLOUDING THE WINDOW TO A DEGREE THAT WE NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT BEFORE WE COULD GET THE CAR PULLED OVER.
HOT COOLANT SUDDENLY STARTED COMING OUT OF THE VENTS AND CAUSED ALL THE WINDOWS TO FOG OVER. HAD TO PULL OF FREEWAY AND GET A TOW. NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. PROBLEM TURNS OUT TO BE A BAD HEATER CORE. HAD HEATER CORE BYPASSED BECAUSE OF THE COST OF THE REPAIR. *NM
DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEATER CORE WAS LEAKING COOLANT ONTO THE FLOOR, NOT ALLOWING THE WINDSHIELD TO COMPLETELY DEFROST. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A DEALER AND NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK UPDATED 01/19/06. *JB
HEATER CORE FAILURE. INITIALLY I ONLY SMELL THE RADIATOR FLUID. THEN IT QUICKLY CHANGES OVER TO STEAM ACTUALLY COMING OUT OF YOUR VENTS. THIS CAUSES YOUR WINDOWS TO FOG UP. RADIATOR FLUID CAME SHOOTING OUT OF THE DASH BUT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THIS PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SCALDED SOMEONE IF THEY WERE SITTING THERE. *JB
I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCE A FAILURE YET, BUT I HAVE A 1997 PASSAT VR6 AND IT SEEMS THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH MY MODEL HAVE EXPERIENCED HEATER CORE FAILURES, ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING. I'M FILING THIS REPORT AS A PREEMPTIVE MECHANISM.*AK
HEATER CORE FAILURE - HEATER CORE FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY, DUMPING HOT COOLANT IN THE DRIVERS SIDE FOOT WELL, AND OBSCURING VISIBILITY BY RAPIDLY STEAMING UP ALL WINDOWS.*AK UPON REQUEST, VWOA REPLACED THE HEATER CORE AND COVERED PARTS/LABOR 100% AS A GOOD WILL GESTURE. THIS SHOULD BE A FORMAL RECALL AS THE HEATER CORE IN THIS VEHICLE IS THE SAME PART (SAME PART NUMBER, MANUFACTURER, ETC...) THAT WAS THE SUBJECT OF FORMAL RECALLS IN THE LATE 1980'S AND EARLY 1990'S GOLF/JETTA/CORRADO/PASSAT CHASSIS.
DRIVER'S POWER WINDOW REGULATOR MECHANISM HAS REPEATED FAILURES DESPITE REPLACEMENT/REPAIR ON SIX OCCASIONS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, SINCE THE WINDOW MUST BE CLOSED BY GRASPING THE GLASS AND MANIPULATING IT WHICH CAN RESULT IN FINGERS BEING TRAPPED AND BROKEN. ALSO, ONCE THIS FAILURE HAS HAPPENED, THE WINDOW MAY DROP DOWN INTO THE DOOR UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGH SPEED CAUSING DRIVER DISTRACTION, OR FAIL TO OPEN IN AN EMERGENCY PRECLUDING AN ESCAPE PATH. THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY FAULTY DOOR LATCH MECHANISM ACTUATORS WHICH PRECLUDE DOOR OPENING FROM OUTSIDE BY RESCUE PERSONNEL. THE FAILURE IS CAUSED BY A FAULTY ROLL PIN SLIPPING OUT OF THE DOOR LATCH TRIGGER MECHANISM CAUSING FAILURE OF AND BINDING OF THE LINKAGE WHICH CAUSES THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATING MECHANISM TO FAIL, TRAPPING PASSENGERS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. PLEASE NOTE THAT PER THE GE INFORMATION SERVICES, JAPAN ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AT NIGHT IN INCLEMENT CONDITIONS HEADLIGHTS AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER STATED, IF HE MOVED THE KEY BACK AND FORTH IN THE IGNITION SWITCH THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD COME BACK ON. *AK
NUMEROUS OCASSIONS MY PASSAT WILL "SHUT DOWN" WHILE DRIVING. LOSE ALL POWER, A/C, HEADLIGHTS, WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND NUMEROUS OTHER POWER RELATED ITEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER BEFORE BEING HIT, OR HITTING SOMEONE.*AK
ON TOP OF ALL THE CHRONIC DESIGN AND OTHER FAILURES THAT HAVE BEEN ENDURED, ADD THE FOLLOWING : DRIVERS OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR - LENS FALLS OFF ON OWN ACCORD. ALSO, ALTHOUGH NOT IMMEDIATELY SAFETY RELATED - PASSENGER SIDE VISOR PLASTIC HOLES BROKE OUT SO SCREWS WILL NOT HOLD VISOR IN PLACE. *LA
SUNROOF SUDDENLY AND LOUDLY EXPLODED OUTWARDS FROM CABIN AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING WITH HEAT ON HIGH/MEDIUM HIGH AT APPROX 65 MPH. SLIDING SUNROOF PARTITION WAS OPEN. ONLY A FEW PIECES OF GLASS FELL INTO CABIN, BUT ENTIRE SUNROOF WAS SHATTERED INTO THOUSANDS OF UNIFORM PIECES, EXPANDING OUTWARD FROM CABIN AND REMAINING IN A SLIGHTLY OUTWARDS EXPANDED SHAPE. *JB
HEATER CORE FAILED SPONTANEOUSLY, CAUSING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SWEET SMELLING WHITE/GREY SMOKE AND HOT MIST TO FILL THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, CAUSING A TOTAL VISUAL OBSTRUCTION TO THE DRIVER AND CHOKING/COUGHING OF A 5 YEAR OLD PASSENGER. THE DRIVER, MY DAUGHTER, MANAGER TO PULL SAFELY OFF THE BUSY ROAD (US RT 1), BUT SHE AND HER CHILD WERE VERY SHAKEN BY THE EVENT. THE FAILURE OF THE HEATER CORE COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATALITY! I HAVE REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO VW OF AMERICA. I EXPECTED TO HEAR BACK TODAY FROM THE VW DEALERSHIP, BUT DID NOT. I REQUESTED THAT THEY PAY IN ENTIRETY FOR THE REPAIR. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS RESISTANT, AS THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ON THIS MODEL VW, ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN ON MANY OTHERS. THE CAR HAS BEEN A LEMON, VERY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN. IT WAS A MODEL BUILT EITHER IN BRAZIL OR MEXICO. AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED WITH THE DEALER, WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED VW MECHANIC WHO WAS METICULOUS ABOUT MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE MECHANICALLY--WE HAVE DETAILED COMPUTERIZED DOCUMENTATION. NEVERTHELESS, THERE HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE DOORS AND LOCKS, EITHER THE DOORS NOT STAYING SECURELY LATCHED DURING DRIVING, PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER WINDOWS, AND NOW THE DOORS MAY BE LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE ONLY--NOT WHEN ONE IS DRIVING AND WISHES SECURITY. I DID NOT REPORT THIS TO VW. I WILL BE DELIGHTED IF THEY COME THROUGH FOR ME ON THE HEATER CORE. ONE THING AT A TIME.
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING CHEMICAL FUMES ARE COMING THROUGH THE VENTS. DEALER STATED HEATER CORE FAILED. *AK
NOTHING
DOOR HANDLE HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES.
REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER POWER BUTTON SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED, AND CURRENTLY WORKS ONLY WHEN HELD IN THE ON POSITION. THIS IS A FAFETY ISSUE WHEN DRIVING, AS ONE HAND IS REQUIRED TO HOLD THE BUTTON ON UNTIL DEFROSTER CLEARS, TAKING CONCENTRATION AND COORDINATION OFF DRIVING. *AK
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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