2000 Volkswagen Passat Brakes Problems

I HAVE HAD MY 2000 VW PASSAT SINCE 2006 AND HAVE HAD ONLY REGULAR WEAR AND TEAR UNITL ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO. I WAS DRIVING ON 95 IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FL MOVING AT ABOUT 65-70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, POWER STEERING WAS GONE AND PUSHING BRAKES TOOK ALL I HAD TO TRY AND SAFELY STEER AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP CROSSING OVER 5 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO THE BREAK-DOWN LANE. ONCE I WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. ASIDE FROM THE ENGINE, STEERING AND BRAKES ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS WERE OR AT LEAST SEEMED TO STILL BE WORKING (IE: DASH LIGHTS, RADIO, WINDOWS) THE VEHICLE DID THIS 4 MORE TIMES WHILE I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE TO THE NEAREST EXIT AND CALL FOR ASSISTANCE. I TESTED ALL THE FUSES AND THEY ALL WERE IN WORKING ORDER AND THE NEXT SET OF SYMPTOMS OCCURRED A WEEK LATER. I WAS TRYING TO UNLOCK THE CAR WITH THE REMOTE AND THERE WAS NOT CONNECTION BEING MADE BETWEEN THE KEY AND THE CAR, I MANUALLY UNLOCKED THE DOORS AND PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE ENGINE DIDNT START OR EVEN ATTEMPT TO TURN OVER. ALL DASH LIGHTS WERE ON AS WELL AS THE RADIO, HOWEVER, I HAD LOST THE POWER WINDOWS, LOCKS, TRUNK, GAS LID AND ALL INTERIOR LIGHT FUNCTIONS. I CURRENTLY HAVE THE VEHICLE BEING LOOKED AT AND HOPE TO GIVE AN UPDATE WHEN I FIND OUT THE ISSUE. UPDATED 12/1/2014 *JS

NHTSA ID

10592205

Incident

May 4, 2014

Mileage

130,000 mi

MY 2000 VW PASSAT GLS WAGON BEGAN EXHIBITING A FLASHING/BEEPING RED BRAKE LIGHT ACCOMPANIED BY A SOLID YELLOW ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT TO INDICATE A FAILURE IN THE ABS SYSTEM. ALSO AT THIS TIME THE INFORMATION HUD HAS "STOP, BRAKE FAULT, SERVICE MANUAL" FLASHING. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE, IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THIS FAILURE IS FAIRLY COMMON ON 1998-2001 PASSATS, BUT NO ACTION HAS EVER BEEN TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER. I INTEND TO HAVE THE ABS MODULE REBUILT AND DO THE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION WORK MYSELF; THE RESULT SHOULD BE AROUND $220 OUT OF POCKET. HOWEVER, MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOUGHT DEALERSHIP SERVICE WORK FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM HAVE SPENT WELL IN EXCESS OF $1,000. GIVEN THE APPARENT FAILURE RATE OF THIS MODULE AND THE FACT THAT IT IS A CORE SAFETY FEATURE OF THE CAR, IT IS MY OPINION THAT IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR RECALL (INCLUDING COMPENSATION FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE THE REPAIR). THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10557858

Incident

Nov 22, 2012

Mileage

190,000 mi

INTERMITTENT WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR:ABS,BRAKE,STOP,BRAKE FAULT ON DASH WARNING AREA. STOPPED AT LOCAL REPAIR CENTER,COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM ON ROAD TEST.UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM WITH ABS CONTROL MODULE.,MUST BE DONE ONLY AT VW DEALERSHIP. DROVE WITHOUT WARNING COMING ON BUT HAPPENED 3 OR SO HOURS LATER. HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM..NHTSA ID NUMBER 10016037 SERVICE BULLETIN NOTED A WARRANTY REPAIR PROCESS FOR ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM(ABS) CONTROL MODULE FOR THIS YEAR OF MY PASSAT AND MANY OTHER YEARS BEFORE AND AFTER AS WELL AS OTHER VW MODELS. VOLKSWAGEN SAID MY VIN # WAS NOT AMONG THE REPAIR CAMPAIGNS.IS THIS A CONCERN ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR ABS CONTROL THAT ALL VEHICLES BE CHECKED AND REPAIRED AS A SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

NHTSA ID

10519844

Incident

Jun 12, 2013

Mileage

122,000 mi

ABS MODULE FAILED. LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD FLASHING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10461397

Incident

Nov 18, 2011

Mileage

125,526 mi

ABS BRAKE PUMP BOSCH 5.3 VOLKSWAGEN PART 8E0 614 111 AH BEGAN LEAKING AND CAUSED BRAKE PRESSURE FAILURE IN BOTH CIRCUITS CAUSING PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR. THIS WAS NOT THE COMMON FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL MODULE ELECTRONICS WHICH MERELY CAUSES A FAILURE IN ANTI-LOCK BEHAVIOR. THIS IS A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TO ALL FOUR WHEELS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10424680

Incident

Sep 9, 2011

Mileage

85,751 mi

ABS/ASR/BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING AND BEEPING. MESSAGE CENTER SAYS STOP, BRAKE FAULT. AFTER HAVING BRAKES REPLACED, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS CONTROL UNIT IS DEFECTIVE MEANING THAT I HAVE NO ABS FUNCTION.

NHTSA ID

10401866

Incident

May 1, 2011

Mileage

96,500 mi

WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, THE ENGINE ACCELERATED BY ITSELF (COMPUTER FAILURE?). MY HUSBAND, WHO WAS DRIVING, HAD TO USE BOTH FEET, PRESSING DOWN AS HARD AS HE COULD, TO STOP THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF US AND WE WERE FAR ENOUGH BACK THAT WE DID NOT ACCELERATE INTO THE INTERSECTION. THE ENGINE SOUND RETURNED TO NORMAL AFTER 15-30 SECONDS AND WE DROVE IT HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT BUT WE HAVE STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR FOR SAFETY REASONS. IN ADDITION, THE ABS COMPUTER MODULE HAS ALSO FAILED, THOUGH WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY INCIDENTS RELATED TO THAT FAILURE AS THE BRAKES ARE OTHERWISE FINE.

NHTSA ID

10370158

Incident

Dec 5, 2010

Mileage

140,000 mi

MY 2000 VW PASSAT V6 ABS BRAKE MODULE HAS FAILED AND I GET THE STOP/ABS LIGHTS FLASHING ON MY DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY, ALONG WITH WARNING BEEPS. THIS MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND COSTS $1000+ TO FIX. VW NEEDS TO RECALL THESE MODELS IMMEDIATELY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10344739

Incident

Jul 1, 2010

MY 2000 VW PASSAT 4 MOTION HAS 9K MILES. JUST RECENTLY THE ABS BRAKES LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CAR PUTS ON THE BRAKES BY ITSELF. YOU ARE DRIVING 65 MPH AND THE CAR SLAMS ON THE BRAKES. FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE HIT A BIG HOLE IN THE ROAD, BUT ONLY WITH THE FRONT WHEELS. VERY SCARY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10325733

Incident

Apr 11, 2008

Mileage

94,000 mi

I HAVE BEEN HAVING DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS COMING ON AND OFF FOR THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON THE ABS SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10321067

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

Mileage

148,000 mi

I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LINE BLEW. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I WAS MAKING A U TURN WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP USING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC HE SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. THE RUPTURE OCCURRED IN THE RUBBER LINING. HE WAS THINKING IT WAS THE STEERING OF THE FRONT WHEELS ALL THE TIME. THE LEFT SIDE ALSO SHOWED SIGNS OF WEAR. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH LINES. I FELT IT WAS TO MUCH OF AN URGENT MATTER TO NOT LET PEOPLE KNOW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10320212

Incident

Feb 27, 2010

Mileage

171,000 mi

ABS MODULE FAILURE. COMMON PROBLEM WITH UNIT. VW WANTS 1200 TO FIX BUT THEY REALIZE THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH ALL OF THE BOSCH ABS UNITS FROM THE PERIOD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10319965

Incident

Jan 10, 2010

Mileage

139,000 mi

THE ABS BRAKING MODULE HAS PREMATURELY FAILED ON OUR 2000 VW PASSAT. MINE OCCURRED 6 MONTHS AGO. AS A 9 YEAR OLD CAR TO HAVE THE PRIMARY BRAKING SAFETY MECHANISM TO FAIL, IS DANGEROUS, SCARY AND ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. THE CAR ITSELF PROPERLY INDICATES HOW VITAL A FAILURE THIS IS BY SHOWING A GIGANTIC STOP BRAKE FAULT FILLING THE DASHBOARD FOLLOWED BY 3 EAR PIERCING BEEPS. IT APPEARS AS THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON VW AND AUDI FAILURES WHEN WE TALKED WITH THE DEALER AND LOCAL VW REPAIR SHOP AS WELL AS LOOKING ON THE FORUMS. IF YOU GOOGLE "STOP BRAKE FAULT VW" OR ANY SIMILAR TERM (AUDI, PASSAT), YOU WILL FIND HUNDREDS OF ISSUES REPORTED. THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPAIR SHOPS SPECIFICALLY SETUP TO ADDRESS THIS TYPE OF ISSUE UNFORTUNATELY. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE. HOPEFULLY YOUR RESEARCH WILL ALSO SHOW THIS. WE DID HAVE OURS REPAIRED FOR $1000 AFTER 5 MONTHS OF LETTING THIS GO AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO PAY FOR THIS. THERE ARE PROBABLY THOUSANDS OF OTHER OWNERS WHO CAN'T SCRAPE UP THE MONEY TO PAY FOR A REPAIR LIKE THIS. VW AND BOSCH SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD THIS FIXED SHOULD BE REIMBURSED. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES: HTTP://WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=173334 HTTP://WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=280206 HTTP://WWW.MYVWLEMON.COM/UBB/FORUM2/HTML/000169.HTML A SMALL SAMPLE OF SITES SETUP TO FIX THIS TYPE OF REPAIR: HTTP://WWW.MODULEMASTER.COM/EN/INDEX.PHP HTTP://WWW.ABSFIXER.COM/ HTTP://WWW.AUTOECU.COM/ REPAIR GUIDES TO SHOW YOU HOW TO FIX THIS: HTTP://WWW.AUDIWORLD.COM/TECH/ELEC116.SHTML HTTP://WWW.BBA-REMAN.COM/CONTENT.ASPX?CONTENT=BOSCH_5.3_ABS_REMOVAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10308251

Incident

Jul 1, 2009

Mileage

90,000 mi

FAILURE OF ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM CONTROL MODULE ON 2000 1.8 T VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WITH 90K MILES. THE FAILURE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. INTERMITTENT FAILURE AT FIRST, THAT INCREASES OVER TIME. BRAKES WILL NOT FUNCTION AS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. BRAKES WILL STILL FUNCTION, BUT MAY LOCK UP IN THE EVENT OF HARD BRAKING, INCREASING STOPPING TIME AND POTENTIALLY CAUSING UNNECESSARY COLLISIONS. TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE, THE ABS CONTROL UNIT MUST BE REPLACED. PART NUMBER (VOLKSWAGEN) 8E0998375G. COST TO REPLACE THIS UNIT IS HIGH AT DEALER THE COST FOR REPLACEMENT IS QUOTED AT $1100. *TR

NHTSA ID

10290933

Incident

Oct 16, 2009

Mileage

90,905 mi

2000 VW PASSAT ABS/BRAKE LIGHTS ON. PROBABLY BAD ABS MODULE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10283406

Incident

Aug 15, 2009

Mileage

80,000 mi

ABS/BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR HAS BEGAN FLASHING WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN CAR TO HAVE THIS VIEWED FOR SAFETY CONCERN & MECHANICS COULD NOTE NO FAILURE W/ THE ABS. STATES THIS MAY BE A MALFUNCTION & WOULD NEED A NEW MODULE. IF THE CAUSE OF THESE LIGHTS TO CONTINUALLY STAY ON WERE DUE TO ANY NEGLECT OF THE CAR ON MY BEHALF I THEN WOULD BE MORE COOPERATIVE IN REMEDYING THE SITUATION, BUT AS I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS NOTHING TO DO W/ANYTHING I HAVE CAUSED RATHER THAN POOR QUALITY OF THIS PART. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED NOT ONLY COULD THIS LOCK MY REAR WHEELS IN SUDDEN STOPPING, BUT COULD HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING AS WELL CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL WHEN STEERING THE VEHICLE. NOW I AM REQUIRED TO FIX A PROBLEM AND AN EXPENSIVE ONE, THAT IS NOT DUE TO ANYTHING THAT I HAVE CAUSED, BUT RATHER THE MANUFACTURER. SO AT MY EXPENSE I WILL HAVE TO FIX THEIR PROBLEM IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF. THIS IS NOT MY PROBLEM AND I DO NOT FEEL AS THOUGH I SHOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THIS AND WOULD REQUEST SOMETHING BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. AS IT IS DOCUMENTED THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE TROUBLED WITH THIS AND YET THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANYTHING DONE TO HELP FIX THIS PROBLEM. DOES IT TAKE AN ACTUAL ACCIDENT OR FATALITY TO OCCUR TO HAVE SOMEONE STEP IN AND GET SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING THIS FIXED? A BAD ABS MODULE IN ALL OF THESE VEHICLES IS JUST NOT A COINCIDENCE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10278345

Incident

Jun 11, 2009

DEFECTIVE ABS MODULE IN 2000 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. ABS AND BRAKE/STOP LIGHTS FLASH BUT BRAKES WORK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10275114

Incident

Oct 8, 2008

2000 PASSAT ABS CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED *TR

NHTSA ID

10274021

Incident

Jun 15, 2009

Mileage

95,000 mi

ABS LIGHT COME ON WHILE DRIVING WITH A FLASHING BRAKE LIGHT.....BRAKES ARE VERY TOUCHY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10265028

Incident

Apr 4, 2009

Mileage

63,000 mi

2000 VW PASSAT DEVELOPED FAILURE OF ABS CONTROL MODULATOR. CAR HAS HAD A SINGLE OWNER AND ALL RECOMMENDED FACTORY MAINTENANCE AT AUTHORIZED DEALERS. TO CORRECT THE FAILURE THE WHOLE PART NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1000. *TR

NHTSA ID

10260246

Incident

Feb 23, 2009

Mileage

128,000 mi

ABS BRAKE FAILURE. DEFECTIVE ABS ELECTRICAL MODULE. STANDARD BRAKING SYSTEM STILL FUNCTIONAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10254182

Incident

Dec 27, 2008

Mileage

145,000 mi

ABS BRAKE FAULT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10253167

Incident

Dec 29, 2008

Mileage

98,500 mi

2000 PASSAT 4 MOTION BOSCH 5.3 ABS MODULE HAS FAILED. 82,000 MI. *TR

NHTSA ID

10252948

Incident

Dec 18, 2008

Mileage

82,000 mi

THE ABS MODULE HAS FAILED, THIS ON SEARCHING THE INTERNET IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH VW'S. THERE HAS BEEN NO EFFORT TO FIX THIS ISSUE BY VW. ON DRIVING THERE ARE 3 BEEPS ON THE DRIVER CONSOLE AND A MESSAGE SAYING BRAKE FAULT APPEARS ON THE SCREEN. ALTHOUGH THE BRAKE IS WORKING AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10248687

Incident

Oct 20, 2008

Mileage

95,000 mi

I HAVE A FAULTY ABS CONTROL UNIT ON MY 2000 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY VOLKSWAGEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10248471

Incident

Nov 11, 2008

Mileage

176,000 mi