2004 Volkswagen Passat Wagon Fuel system Problems

“Approximately two years ago I left my parents' house in this vehicle and immediately noticed a strong smell of gasoline. I pulled over and turned the engine off, and quickly found that fuel was leaking from the rigid line where it is fastened to the firewall in the engine compartment. The metal tube had cracked inside the rubber lined bracket that holds it in place. At the time I thought this was an odd but isolated incident; I have since seen other reports of people experiencing similar failures, so it seems worth documenting considering the high risk of fire involved.”

“I purchased a 2004 vw passat 1.8 liter turbo 4motion station wagon on august 12, 2015. Within one hour of purchasing I took it to fill it up with fuel. The fuel tank began leaking immediately. I took it back to the dealer I bought it from and they attempted to fix it by replacing an o-ring about three weeks later, meanwhile advising me to not fill the tank past the 3/4 full mark until they fixed it. This did not fix the problem, it still leaked when it was filled above the 3/4 tank level. I took it to another mechanic who reinstalled the same o-ring, again unsuccessfully, at my expense. …”

“Purchased car used. First time I filled the gas tank strong smell of raw gas was present during the next several miles of travel. When I came out of the store from paying for the second fill up there was a big puddle of raw fuel all over the ground directly under the car. I did some research & discovered a manufacture recall for this very issue. Further investigation indicated the recall had already been repaired by the dealer. After explaining my dilemma to the appropriate corporate department I was told there was nothing more they could/would do to remedy this very hazardous defect. …”