Had a creaking sound in the front end of my 1998 VW Passat 1.8T. Took it in to the dealer and was told the left front upper control arm tie rods were bad (and dangerous) and had to be replaced at my cost. Did this and 6 weeks later the upper control arm on the right front side failed while driving and caused me to have an accident. Dealer "fixed" this problem at no charge and now 4 months later the same sound is back and now the dealer tells me that the majority of the front suspension must be replaced and expects me to pay for it.

- Auburn, WA, USA

The vehicle made a loud noise. The dealer stated it was the control arm bushings.

- Fairport, NY, USA

1998 VW Passat: Heard loud clanking noises especially when turning vehicle. Reported to VW service department local dealership. Advised the the upper control arm joint is worn and need replacement. Further, both left and right tie rods are totally shot and need replacing. Checked and found that the tie rod problem was recalled by NHTSA Sep. 1999 (99V-248) but that my vehicle was not included in recall. Do not know why as the problem described is the same. Additionally, numerous complaints about the control arms have been noted on this site, yet VW of America, who advised me are aware and sensitive to the problem, refused assistance in repairing the vehicle. Also the recalled tie rods replacement was refused to be fixed by them. Please follow up and investigate VW of America for these very important safety issues since I was told that they can cause serious driver accidents. I am also wondering why the brake rotors needed replacement when new brakes were installed. Do not trust VW to be a safe vehicle at this time.

- Walnut Creek, CA, USA

I purchased a pre-owned 1998 VW Passat sedan with 36,000 miles on it in 2002 which was a great deal!! or so I thought. Since that time I have started hearing a noise coming from the front right tire.. or suspension.. like a creaking, crunching, knocking noise. I took it to a VW dealership and was told that the control arms on the right and the tie rods needed to be replaced. I found out that the tie rods had been recalled and the ones on my vehicle had been replaced under that recall in 2001, but had again worn out. I find it hard to believe that tie rods would wear out over a 3 year period since the car barely has 70,000 miles on it. I have viewed this website and found over 200 complaints concerning this problem and am curious what VW plans to do.. wait until someone dies when a control arm snaps? VW needs to recall this item now!

- Plano, TX, USA

When turning wheel there was noise at the front of vehicle, dealer determined that the bushings needed to be replaced.. consumer states he replaced the tie rod end.

- Bemus Point, NY, USA

The authorized VW dealer was aware of the problem on 03/23/2001 and recommended 2 upper control arms be replaced. I contacted VW with this information during this time (VW case case# 10272316). Instead of repairing the upper control arms VW replaced the lower control arms. The car is still in need of upper control arms and VW will not cover it.

- Walden, NY, USA

Front suspension is making crunching noises, esp. At lower speed. The right steering control arm was changed under warranty and squeeking noises dissappeared, but still very noisy when driving at low speed. Car was serviced by an authorized VW service station, but different from dealership.

- Shaker Heights, OH, USA