Structure › Body
Filed Mar 19, 2017180,000 milesIN
TRUNK EMERGENCY ESCAPE/ENTRAPMENT PREVENTION HANDLE NOT WORKING DUE TO DEFECTIVE TRUNK WIRING HARNESS. ONLY APPLIES TO VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRUNK.
2004 Volkswagen Phaeton
Routine
Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the structure › body › trunk lid. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension › Front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Body › Trunk Lid | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Body | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsSuspension
Filed Apr 1, 2010OH
2004 VOLKSWAGEN PHAETON WITH FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD TO PAY FOR A $3,00 DOLLAR REPAIR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FENDER WHICH WAS CAUSED BY THE HESITATION OF THE CONVERTER ENGAGING. THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE FOR THREE YEARS AND NEVER COULD FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEMS WERE CAUSED BY. HE FINALLY HAD AN INDEPENDENT ELECTRONIC CHECK DONE AND THE PROBLEMS WERE AS FOLLOWS; THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AT ALL TIMES. THE OXYGEN SENSORS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE ESP LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING AND THE ESP SWITCH WOULD NOT TURN OFF THE LIGHT. HE ALSO COMPLAINED FOR YEARS, THAT WHEN HE TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT TOO FAST OR FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE WOULD HESITATE . THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT WAS NORMAL BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS. THE INTERNAL OIL SEAL FAILURE CAUSED THE PROBLEMS. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED, BUT THE CONSUMER WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM. THE RIGHT REAR UPPER CONTROL ARM WAS REPLACED. THE STEERING WHEEL HAD TO BE RE-ALIGNED. COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR. *JB UPDATED 06/08/10.*JB
Structure › Body › Trunk Lid
Filed Sep 8, 200980,000 milesOH
2004 VW PHAETON TRUNK WIRE HOUSING - THE SLEEVE OVER THE WIRE HOUSING CAME OFF AND THEN THE PLASTIC TUBE THAT COVERS THE WIRES BROKE AWAY FROM THE JOINT THAT ENABLES THE WIRES TO COMPRESS BACK INTO THE TRUNK LID WHEN IT IS CLOSED. WHEN HAVING MY TIRES ROTATED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLOSED THE TRUNK LID BUT THE PLASTIC TUBE WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN METAL AND REAR GLASS SHIELD. THE GLASS BROKE AND WAS REPLACE. 2 WEEKS LATER, WHILE HAVING THE 80,000 MILE SERVICE THE TECHNICIAN CLOSED THE TRUNK AND AGAIN THE PLASTIC PIECE WAS CAUGHT AND THE REAR GLASS BROKE. DEALER ESTIMATE TO "FIX" IS $1,300 BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A PRODUCT DEFECT. INTERNET BLOGS AND POSTING SUGGEST A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND VW ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN TO DEALERS ON HOW TO "FIX" - TECHNICAL BULLETIN (TB) NUMBER 97-04-07. *TR
Suspension › Front
Filed Sep 8, 200940,000 milesCA
CONTROL ARM GASKETS CORRODED ON ALL UPPER AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS LEADING TO METAL ON METAL. *TR
4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2004Reading 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.