2003 Volkswagen Passat Suspension Problems

“I took my car to Volkswagen dealership to find out why my brake light was on and why my brakes would flutter at times when using them. I got estimate that my brake reservoir was bad and the sensor that it would be okay to drive till I got fixed in a week. I faxed my warranty papers to dealership to find out to see what was covered..on saturday 5 days later when I was driving 35 miles an hour tried to stop and brake pedal went to floor had nothing to stop me but the car in front of me. I was issued a ticket had my car towed and I. …”

“Front control arms failure. Very common in this suspension design. There has been a recall issued in europe for the same problem. Likewise, the audi a4 shares the same chassis and same front end suspension. These control arms are seriously under designed. This is dangerous! Having this fail while driving will result in death or serious injury. This is a design flaw, and is being overlooked. The bushings on my control arms (all 4 for each of my front wheels, eight in total) are seriously cracked and need replacement. This is not something that should be failing at 50k and 70k miles. …”

“Car went in for brake job at 39,000 miles. Mechanic found that both front cv joints were cracked and front axles and cv boots would need replacement. This was close to a $1,000.00 repair job on a car with under 40,000 miles. Apparently this is a not uncommon problem with 5th generation Passat vehicles. I feel Volkswagen should do a recall on this problem.”

“Vehicle has major fuel pump issue, currently at 132,000 and noticing loss of power, car shaking, and occasional stall. A code reader is unable able to detect the issue which is a major concern. I have contacted the volkswagen Manufacturer and I consistently keep getting ignored after bringing up the recall that was put out for the fuel pump. While driving on the highway my rear and front suspension failed and dropped suddenly while moving slowly during traffic. I whave only been able to repair the front shocks and struts so far, but the rear are needed as well. …”

“I have a 2003 vw Passat sw. About a year after I bought it I noticed when it started to get cold in the winter the right front suspension would make noises as if something was grinding or broke in the suspension. I brought the car to victory vw in harrisburg, pa in the late fall/early winter of 03'. They ended up changing the control arms that time I believe. Well, this year when it started getting cold the noises came back. I have had the car in the same dealership twice to have the problem checked out. …”