2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,500 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Volkswagen Passat lights problems

lights problem

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1997 Volkswagen Passat Owner Comments

problem #2

Dec 032004

Passat 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving at any speed at night in inclement conditions headlights and windshield wipers worked intermittently. Consumer stated, if he moved the key back and forth in the ignition switch the headlights would come back on.

- Monroe, CT, USA

problem #1

May 091999

(reported on)

Passat

  • miles
Headlights on all the time are a safety hazard, not a safety solution! this is your fault, not the car manufacturers. The number of people who drive around for a while with only their headlights on, not realizing they have failed to turn on the full lights system is infinitely greater than those who are saved from anything by having the stupid headlights-always-on feature. There is absolutely no proof that the headlights staying on ever prevented anything except long bulb life. It is undeniable that the headlights fail sooner because of it. And most severely that many many people will drive around with no tail lights for a while until they realize they haven't turned the full light system on. Note that this will most often occur just after dusk when they are pulling out onto the highway. Wonderful time not to have any tail lights on !!! in dusk lighting they are more likely than any other time not to notice the dash lights aren't on yet which is the only clue they failed to turn on the rest of the lights. "the highlights are perfectly fine" is the mental message. You have done a major disservice to highway safety by forcing the headlights-on feature. It is in fact an obvious hazard ! I have inadvertantly driven a while without full lights because of this dumb feature more than once, and it doesn't take genius to know that anyone with a newer vehicle saddled with this numb nut feature has done the same thing. Admit you screwed up and repeal the feature ! if you weren't so blasted bent on protecting us from ourselves you wouldn't be inventing these stupid messes. There needs to be a recall (the largest in history) to reverse the hazardous feature!

- Patuxent River, MD, USA

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