1997 Volkswagen Passat Engine cooling Problems

“Seat belts never raval all the way (minor issue), air conditioner gets cold only for about a minute (once again minor), and now it misfires on cylinders 5 and 6. I have replaced both o2 sensors, the coil pack (3 times), ignition wires (twice), spark plugs (twice in 4,000 miles), and the ecu. Still misfires after 3 shops and the dealer having it twice for about 2 weeks straight (ken garff orem vw/audi dealership). They told me "there is nothing we can do", vw america said "there is nothing we can do, those dealerships are independent from us". …”

“I purchased a 1997 Volkswagen Passat vr6 at checkered flag bmw in june 2004, and since have discovered that the electrical system is horrible. First, the air conditioner( A/C) quit working, then the airbag light came on, and the AC started working for a day, then blew a chemical cloud into the vehicle, while I was on the highway. My eyes were burning (as well as my face) for the rest of the day. Finally, I have already had to replace the battery, and there's a slow coolant leak. May I suggest that we remove all vw's from america's streets? They are a total menace to anyone who owns them! …”

“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. …”

“I was driving my 1997 Passat when it started to over heat. The temperature gage rose very quickly and I immediately took the next exit off of the freeway ( 1/8 of a mile in distance). When the temperature gage reached 240 degrees my red dashboard light started to flash. I decided that I needed to pull over immediately. Within seconds, not minutes, I heard a loud pop sound, like an explosion. Steam shot out at myself and my daughter inside the car and we were sprayed with boiling liquid on our feet and lower legs. …”

“The contact owns a 1997 Volkswagen Passat. The contact has taken his vehicle to the garage and the dealer eight times. The engine head was replaced at 42,000 miles and the turbo charge is currently failing. The contact stated that the repairs cost more than the actual price of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the computer needed to be replaced in order to correct the turbo charge. The replacement would cost $1,000. The VIN was verified, but appears to be invalid. The current mileage was 46,000 and failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 03/18/08. Updated 03/18/08”