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 2012 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
FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL/PUMP ON MY 2012 VW PASSAT WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES ON IT CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. I LOOK ONLINE AND SEE THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE FOR VW OWNERS I SENT THIS TO VW AS A CONCERN AND TO NHTSA AS A CONCERN PREVIOUSLY BUT NEVER HEARD ANYTHING FROM EITHER ONE.
I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR THE BREAK WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO PUSH, IT WAS LIKE PUSHING A LEAD WEIGHT AND FINALLY THE CAR STOPPED AFTER PUSHING WITH ALL MY STRENGTH WITH BOTH FEET. I WAS DRIVING INTO THE PUBLIX PARKING LOT AT MIRASOL IN PALM BEACH GARDENS AND PARKING THE CAR IN THE PARKING SPOT, LUCKILY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON MY WAY TO THE STORE OR I WOULD HAVE CRASHED. SO I WAS ACTUALLY IN MOTION IN THE PARKING LOT TRYING TO PARK MY CAR.
A LOT OF INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON IN MY DASHBOARD INCLUDING ABS CONTROL FAILURE AMONG OTHER INDICATORS. I HAD THIS DIAGNOSED AT MY LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FAILURE IN THE ABS CONTROL/PUMP UNIT AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A $2,500 REPAIR. I DID RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VWS. THIS SAFETY RELATED PART FAILURE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY OR RECALL GIVEN IT IS PART THAT HAS A HIGH FAILURE RATE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, A SQUEAKING NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. IN ADDITION, A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO FUEL VISIBLE ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE LOCATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A HIGHWAY SIGN POST. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUFFER ANY INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.
MY VEHICLE JUST STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I TRIED TO PUT IT ON. ALL IT SAYS IS "ERROR: AIR BAGS" "ERROR: BRAKES"
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT SIXTY MILES AN HOUR AS I TRY TO COME OFF THE FREEWAY TO MY EXIT THE BRAKES DO NOT SEEM TO ENGAGE AS I GET CLOSER TO MY TURN I DEPRESS THE CAR EVEN DEEPER THE CAR DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO STOP OR SLOWDOWN SO I BRACE FOR IMPACT AND NOW THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, MULTIPLE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT WORKING. I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY, CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE CAR WOULD NOT START FOR THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT TDI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL SUNK INTO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,500. *TR
METALLIC CLICKING, LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WHEN BRAKES APPLIED, ALWAYS IN REVERSE AND CONSTANT (FORWARD AND REVERSE) WHEN WET OR COLD. ONLY LESS FREQUENT IN WARMER TEMPS. ON 3RD SERVICE VISIT TO HAVE NOISE CHECKED, VW ISSUED WARRANTY CLAIM AND THEN DENIED REPAIR SAYING NO FIX AVAILABLE. I APPEALED TO NO AVAIL. NOISE IS EXCESSIVE AND PROBLEMATIC. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, HE WOULD HEAR A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE NOISE WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE AS THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000.
OUR NEW PASSAT HAS PROBLEM CONTROLLING THE CAR WHILE USING REVERSE ON A HILL. IT APPEARS THAT VW HAS TIED THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKING FUNCTION TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT THE DRIVER MAY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE IN REVERSE. IF THE BRAKE IS PRESSED, THE ACCELERATOR IS DISENGAGED THUS ALLOWING THE ENGINE FALL TO AN IDLE AND NOT DEVELOP ANY THRUST. IF THE DRIVER IS USING BOTH FEET TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE, RIGHT FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE DEVELOPS NO POWER EVEN IF THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED FULLY. BY RELEASING THE BRAKE WHILE THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED FULLY, THE VEHICLE WILL LURCH AT FULL THROTTLE IN REVERSE IN AN OUT OF CONTROL CONDITION UNTIL THE DRIVER REALIZES WHAT IS HAPPENING AND REMOVES THEIR FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR. IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT NO ONE WAS BEHIND THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME OR THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN INJURY OR EVEN A FATALITY. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE VW ENGINEERING STAFF HAS NEVER TRIED PARALLEL PARKING THE PASSAT ON A HILL IN SAN FRANCISCO. VW ENGINEERS SHOULD REMOVE THE SOFTWARE CODE THAT TIES THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE FUNCTION TOGETHER WHILE IN REVERSE OR AT LEAST ACTIVATE IT WHEN THE SPEED IS GREATER THAN 5 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU DONT USE TWO FEET AND ONLY USE ONE, THEN THE HILL HOLD WILL BE EFFECTIVE AND GENERALLY YOU CAN CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO WARNING THAT THIS IMPLEMENTATION EXISTS AND WHEN PARKING ON A STEEP HILL, IN A VERY TIGHT SPOT, YOU ALMOST ALWAYS USE TWO FEET TO HAVE TOTAL CONTROL. VOLKSWAGEN ENGINEERS, IN GOOD FAITH, IMPLEMENTED THE NHTSA RECOMMENDATION FOR "BRAKE THROTTLE OVERRIDE". DOCKET NO. NHTSA-2012-0038. PAGE 16 HAS SPECIFIC COMMENTS ON INTENTIONAL "TWO FOOTED USE". THE VW DEALER INVESTIGATED AND OFFERED US A FULL RETURN AND REFUND. WE ARE HOPING THE NHTSA WILL WORK WITH VW TO HELP RECONCILE THIS SOFTWARE ANOMALY.
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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