2002 Volkswagen Passat Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I started my car and proceeded to drive down around city streets for about 5 minutes. I was going speed limit(25-30 MPH) during a cool night(60*f). I stopped at a red light and then my temperature gauge spiked(car was slightly below normal temperature prior(190*f; according to gauge); this gauge spike was followed by a battery indicator light which simultaneously cut off my engine. My car became immobile and I lost brake and steering function. However, my radio and car lights still worked! Luckily there was no surrounding cars and my parking brake was functional. …”

“About 9 months ago I was caught in a heavy rainstorm with my 2002 Passat 1.8t. Water flooded the battery compartment due to drainage hole located under the battery clogged with leaf debris. All power (steering, brakes, etc.) was lost and car stalled out on the highway. Now the car's brakes are malfunctioning in freezing weather. The brake pedal sticks to the floor at times; other times the pedal is very hard and must be stomped on to stop the car. I cannot use the car under these circumstances as it is too dangerous. …”

“3 1/2 months after purchasing my 2002 vw Passat, I was driving on the highway went my oil pressure light came on with a grinding noise and the computer advised me to shut down my engine immediately. I though my oil was low since I missed my last oil change and was planning on getting one done that weekend and added more oil to my car. The problem never went away and I had to tow my car to the vw dealer (heritage vw). I was charged $1178 for a desludge because the warranty was no good since my oil changed was overdue. …”

“My car has suddenly started to downshift on it's own , RPM's will also continue to increase when taking foot off accelerator, and then suddenly when attempting to accelerate from a stop the car will not react at all for several seconds and then rapidly surges forward uncontrollably. This all in conjunction with a continued complaint of a burning smell from my central dashboard vent. ( this burning was supposed to have been remedied by a recent recall. The mechanic and service advisor were able to duplicate this , but it was deemed normal and without duplication by the head mechanic. …”

“My 2002 Passat has had the turbo replaced twice, the comfort control module replaced twice, and numerous other recalls. Thursday, 10/7/04 my car was at the dealer to replace the comfort control module for the second time. I drove home (8 miles, low speed). The next morning while driving to a meeting I noticed a strong petroleum smell, I thought it was the truck ahead of me. Sunday 10/10/04 I noticed spots on the side of my car, and after crawling under it I noticed that my cv joint boot had split. This is after 67000 miles. …”