Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jul 7, 2017121,353 milesUT
WHEN IN MOTION CAR DIED WHILE DRIVING
2003 Volkswagen Passat Wagon
Routine
Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel/propulsion system. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsElectrical SystemFire1 injured
Filed Feb 17, 2016165,459 milesNY
MY FRONT DRIVER SEAT WARMER WAS TURNED ON LOW. I COULD FEEL THE SEAT GETTING WARMER AND CHECKED TO BE SURE THE SETTING WAS NOT ON HIGH WHICH IT WASN'T. I THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS BEING SENSITIVE AND STUCK MY MITTEN UNDER MY THIGH. I THEN NOTICED A FUNNY SMELL AND SUDDENLY THINGS GOT VERY HOT AND STARTED TO BURN MY LEG AS I WAS DRIVING. I LOOKED DOWN AND ACTUALLY STARTED TO SEE SMOKE. I WAS NOT ABLE TO JUST PULL OVER BUT QUICKLY TURNED THE SEAT OFF. I PULLED OUT MY MITTEN AND FLEECE WAS ACTUALLY MELTED. I WAS A BLOCK OR TWO FROM WORK AND TRIED TO KEEP FROM SITTING COMPLETELY DOWN AS IT BURNED. I ARRIVED AND JUMPED OUT TO SEE A BLACKENED AREA AND HOLE IN MY SEAT!! THE CAR WAS SMELLING AND I AM STILL IN SHOCK OVER THIS. I HAVE LOOKED AND CAN'T FIND A RECALL ON THE SEAT. THIS IS VERY DISTURBING AND DANGEROUS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN NO MATTER HOW OLD THE CAR IS.
Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed May 3, 2013115,000 milesCT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAGON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED A LEAK FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE LEAK WAS NOTICED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 02V026000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.