1998 Volkswagen Passat Steering Problems

“Tie rod failure (excessive wear), leading to loose steering on a 1998 Volkswagen Passat. Some Passat's of this model year have been previously recalled for this type of problem; vw informs me that my car is not subject to the recall.”

“The front of my car constantly groans when I move the steering wheel (while driving or not) and if I apply pressure to the front end. I took the car to my mechanic (not vw) who said that there is something going on with the struts, tie rods, or something in that area. He recommended I talk to vw to see if the item is recalled or covered by warranty in any way. I called vw gave my VIN and it is not part of the current recall regarding tie rods. I bought one of the first 1998 vw passats of the b5 series.”

“Mechanic is telling me all four tie rod assemlbies and control arms need replaced. I have been hearin a loud crunching noice everytime I go over a small bump or turn a corner.”

“My 1998 vw Passat has a loud grinding, rumbling sound and vibration coming from the front suspension, sounds like the wheels are going to fall off. The dealer replaced the cross link arms at a cost of approx $300. I also had the tie rods replaced under recall. But noise/vibration still there. Now the dealer tells me it might be bushings on either the upper control arm or the lower control arm, each costing about $1300 to replace. I asked the dealer if this was a normal repair item, they said sure , your car has 90k miles on it. …”

“The consumer's vehicle had smoke coming from the steering column. The smoke had an odor of burning oil and smoke combined. The appearance was white. This started one year ago and went away, and now the problem recurred. Took car to dealer in rapid city sd. They said there was an excess of grease on certain parts under the stering wheel / in the stering wheel. This build up of dust would cause smoke and smell.”