Page 6 of 6 · complaints 251–262 of 262

2007 Volkswagen Passat complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2007 record →

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Aug 26, 200719,000 milesMD

WHEN STOPPED THE ENGINE RPM'S HAS INTERMITTENTLY RAISE SUBSTANTIALLY, TO THE ~1500-2000 RPM RANGE. ALMOST LIKE IT'S RACING. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO HOLD THE CAR STOPPED. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Aug 9, 2007600 milesGA

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHEN DECELERATING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE REVS MORE THAN NORMAL. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Aug 9, 20074,500 milesNV

ON HOT DAYS ENGINE RPM'S RAISE SUBSTANTIALLY, TO THE ~1K RPM RANGE. ALMOST LIKE IT'S RACING. THIS ALSO MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO HOLD THE CAR STOPPED WHEN THIS OCCURS. *JB

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Aug 6, 2007900 milesCA

THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE ( FULL TANK OF GAS) WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON I-91. I COULD NOT START ENGINE AGAIN ON FREEWAY. FORTUNATELY, WE DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT. AAA AND POLICE CAME THERE WITHIN FIVE MINUTES AND WE COULD GET OFF THE FREEWAY BY TOWING. BEFORE STOPPING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EPC LIGHTS CAME ON. MY CAR IS VERY NEW. I'VE JUST DRIVEN MY CAR ONLY FOR TWO WEEKS. THE MILEAGE OF MY CAR IS ABOUT 900 MILES. *TR

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jun 12, 20071,800 milesNV

COMPLETE/CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT APPROX 1,800 MILES. DEALER STATED BOLT RELATING TO TIMING CHAIN FAILED, CAUSING SERIOUS INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE. VEHICHLE WAS REPLACED, BUT NEW VEHICLE HAS SAME ENGINE, AND MANY OTHERS WITH SAME ENGINE ARE HAVING SIMILAR FAILURES.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed May 27, 2007500 milesMD

NO THROTTLE RESPONSE, LONG ACCELERATOR PEDAL REPSONSE FROM A STANDING START OR ROLLING START. TRYING TO MOVE INTO TRAFFIC IS DANGEROUS, PRESS ON THE PEDAL EVEN FLOOR IT AND NOTHING HAPPENS, STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION COMING INTO TRAFFIC, THEN EVENTUALLY, ALL 280 HP COME ON AND THE CAR ALMOST GETS OUT OF CONTROL IF TURNING. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THIS IS A NEW CAR, I HAVE HAD THE CAR SINCE 4/14/07 AND FINALLY TAKING IT TO THE DEALER NEXT WEEK TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. *TR

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed May 26, 200712,000 milesIL

WITH JUST 12,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER THE 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 3.6L 4-MOTION WAGON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A BLOCK FROM THE HOUSE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP RIGHT AWAY AND BROUGHT THE CAR IN THE NEXT MORNING. TURNS OUT THAT MY CAR'S ENGINE HAD A FAIRLY RECENTLY DISCOVERED KNOWN ISSUE WITH SOME SORT OF BOLT IN THE OIL PUMP THAT IS SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE TIMING CHAINS. APPARENTLY, IT'S A NEWLY DISCOVERED DESIGN DEFECT THAT ALLOWS THIS BOLT TO BACK ITSELF OUT AND CREATE BIG PROBLEMS - EVEN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AT FIRST, THE DEALERSHIP ORDERED A REPLACEMENT OIL PUMP AS A FIX BUT THE MASTER TECH WHO WAS WORKING ON MY CAR WAS CONCERNED THAT OTHER UNSEEN DAMAGE MIGHT HAVE BEEN DONE AN APPEALED TO VWOA FOR A TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. VWOA MUST HAVE AGREED WITH THE VALIDITY OF HIS CONCERNS AND AUTHORIZED A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. MY CAR'S BUILD DATE WAS 11/05 . I HAVE ALSO READ FORUM POSTS FROM SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM (HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=3193697). *AK

Child Seat
Filed May 23, 2007PA

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A BRITAX REGENT CLASSIC CHILD RESTRAINT (MODEL # E9L39C5). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BASE OF THE SAFETY SEAT DOES NOT PROPERLY SECURE IN HIS 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT STATION WAGON OR IN HIS 2004 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURED DATE WAS NOVEMBER 10, 2005.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump
Filed May 22, 20072,500 milesMA

MY CAR STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY FIVE YEAR OLD SON. WE WERE LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, THE CAR WAS ONLY 4 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ONLY ABOUT 2500 MILES, AND APPARENTLY THEY INSTALLED IT INCORRECTLY OR ITWAS FAULTY. THEY CLAIMED THAT I RAN OUT OF GAS, ALTHOUGH THE GAUGE READ THAT I HAD HALF A TANK. *AK

Tires › Sidewall
Filed May 1, 2007NJ

PIRELLI 235/40R18 TIRES ON A BRAND NEW 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT (OEM TIRES) DEVELOPED A SIDEWALL BULGE (NO EXCESSIVE SPEEDING, NO POTHOLES, AND NO CURBS ENCOUNTERED). IN LESS THAN 4,000 MILES, THE TIRE DEVELOPED SIDEWALL BUBBLES. MANY OTHERS REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THESE MODEL TIRES (FOUR SEASONS P6) HAVING SOFT SIDEWALLS THAT CAN RUPTURE, HOWEVER PIRELLI HAS NOT BEEN AT ALL WILLING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE TIRES. THEY CLAIM ROAD DAMAGE, HOWEVER THERE IS NO ROAD DAMAGE TO FOUND ON THE TIRE, OR ANYWHERE ELSE ON MY VEHICLE. HAD I BEEN AT HIGH SPEED, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL IF THE TIRE(S) WERE TO RUPTURE. THESE TIRES ARE DANGEROUS. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jul 25, 200620 milesIL

THERE IS AN UNSAFE PROLONGED HESITATION WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ON THE 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 3.6 LITER 4 MOTION. WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU'VE DEPRESSED THE PEDAL APPROXIMATELY 3/4 TO AN INCH OF PEDAL TRAVEL, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR LURCHES AND ACCELERATES AT WHAT FEELS LIKE HALF TO FULL THROTTLE. IT IS A RANDOM HESITATION, YET OCCURS AT PROBABLY 30% OF THE TIME. IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP, YET WILL HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, IF ACCELERATING TO PASS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION. IF THIS ABRUPT ACCELERATION OCCURS IN SNOWY OR ICY CONDITIONS, IT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES, WHEN I EXPECTED MY CAR TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN I DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, ONLY TO HAVE IT HESITATE AND NEARLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS CAR HAS A DRIVE BY WIRE ACCELERATOR, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A FAIRLY RECENT DESIGN CHANGE. WE HAVE ANOTHER CAR WITH THE SAME TYPE OF SYSTEM WHICH DOES NOT DO THIS. *NM *AK

Suspension › Front
Filed Jul 25, 200650 milesAZ

UPON RECEIPT OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, A SHUTTERING OR VIBRATION HAS BEEN NOTICED BETWEEN 65 AND 80 MPH. ORIGINAL DIAGNOSTIC EFFORTS YIELDED A CONFIRMATION OF THE BEHAVIOR FROM THE DEALERSHIP, BUT NO SOLUTION. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE HOME AND NOTICED THAT THE LUG BOLTS WERE NOT TORQUED APPROPRIATELY. TIGHTENING DOWN THE WHEELS IMPROVED THE SHAKING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THE BEHAVIOR RETURNED WITHIN 24 HOURS. SUBSEQUENT DIAGNOSTIC EFFORTS BY THE DEALERSHIP HAVE YIELDED ONLY A "MINOR VIBRATION AT SPEED" DESCRIPTION WITH NO PROPOSED RESOLUTION. *NM *AK

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2007 Volkswagen Passat → · Every Passat year → · How the figures are calculated →