2.4

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,400 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.

1999 Volkswagen Passat brakes problems

brakes problem

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1999 Volkswagen Passat Owner Comments

problem #1

Mar 112005

Passat 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,400 miles

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

I own a 1999 VW Passat with anti-lock brakes. Many Audi and VW models manufactured starting in the later '90S and continuing to present (including mine), use the Bosch 5.3 ABS controller, which is prone to catastrophic failure, ostensibly due to defective design. This module controls multiple brake-related functions including the ABS which is important for winter driving, but the most critical function of this module is probably the electronic brake force distribution, or ebd. These vehicles are designed such that if the ebd is inoperative, the proportion of hydraulic force applied to the rear brakes during emergency braking is as great as it is during moderate braking effort when there is minimal transfer of vehicle weight to the front wheels. The ebd is supposed to adjust the front/rear braking distribution dynamically according to the measure of the deceleration, so that the rear wheels will not lock up during emergency braking. If this module should fail during emergency braking on dry pavement, the rear wheels could lock up and cause an accident which could easily include fatalities. This is an expensive repair for owners, costing roughly $2000, and many owners have probably put off the repair indefinitely. The VW company has provided absolutely no assistance in helping owners despite knowing of hundreds if not thousands of these types of failures as early as 30K miles. Services that charge ~$300 to rebuild the failed ABS module are unreliable and cause drivers to work on their cars with no mechanical sense because of their desperation. Evidence which can be found through a simple web search, suggests that the problem is widespread, and that if it has not already led to serious accidents, it is only a question of time. This problem is genuine, and VW/Audi should be compelled to take immediate corrective action.

- Maryland Heights, MO, USA

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