1993 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

HEATER CORE BAD IN 1993 VW GLX, VERY COMMON IN MY EXPERIENCE. *TR

Mileage: 103,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEAKS AT THE END OF THE HOSE AND HE SMELLED GAS. THE VEHICLE DID NOT RUN AS EFFECTIVELY WHEN THE FUEL BEGAN LEAKING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 115,000.

Mileage: 115,000

FRONT SEAT BELTS FAIL TO POWER, MUST USE EMERGENCY BELTS. *JB

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND NOISY FAN MOTOR SHAFT. FOUND TWO RECALLS REFERRING TO THESE TWO PROBLEMS. NEVER RECEIVED RECALL LETTERS FROM MANUFACTURER. *JB

Mileage: 95,400

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND NOISY FAN MOTOR SHAFT. FOUND TWO RECALLS REFERRING TO THESE TWO PROBLEMS. NEVER RECEIVED RECALL LETTERS FROM MANUFACTURER. *JB

Mileage: 95,400

FAULTY HEATER CORES/HEATER EXCHANGERS LOCATED BEHIND THE DASHBOARD IS A PERVASIVE PROBLEM. HEATER CORE LEAKED. *BF ANTI FREEZE LEAKED INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AROUND THE FEET OF THE PASSENGER. THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. RECALL# 98V295000. *SC

TURN ON AIR CONDITIONER, OR HEATER, AND A STEAM OF ANTIFREEZE COATS WINDSHIELD, AND IT GETS COMPLETELY FOGGED OVER TO THE POINT WHERE I CANNOT SEE. HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. 1993, PASSAT GLX. VR6. *AK

Mileage: 88,000

LETTER CONCERNING THE MANNER IN WHICH VOLKSWAGEN CHOOSE TO HANDLE A RECENT FAILURE ON THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE. (NAR) *PH WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER VEHICLE HEATER CORE EXPLODED. *CB

Mileage: 107,387

VEHICLE WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP WHEN STEAM STARTED COMING THROUGH THE AIR VENTS AND THE WINDOWS FOGGED UP. HOT ANTI FREEZE LEAKED IN AND SCORCHED THE DRIVER'S FEET. THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE THE HEATER CORE CAME APART AT THE SEAM. *AK *JB

Mileage: 88,000

WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *MR

WHILE DRIVING AT ROUGHLY 25 MPH, HEATER CORE FAILED. INTERIOR OF VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN FILLING WITH FOUL SMELLING DENSE SMOKE, AND WINDOWS BECAME COATED WITH A FILM. DRIVER QUICKLY PULLED OFF THE ROAD, WHICH FORTUNATELY WAS EASY AS WE WERE IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. DRIVER AND PASSENGERS BELIEVED THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE, AS THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY KNOWN. WE QUICKLY EVACUATED ALL 4 PASSENGERS, INCLUDING A 5 YEAR OLD CHILD WHO WAS STRAPPED IN A CAR SEAT. THIS WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE. WE HAD EXITED A BUSY FREEWAY LESS THAN 1 MINUTE BEFORE. IF THIS FAILURE HAD OCCURRED WHILE WE WERE STILL ON THE FREEWAY, WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD SAFELY PRIOR TO THE DRIVER'S VISION BEING COMPLETELY IMPAIRED. THIS COULD HAVE PROVED DISASTROUS. AFTER THE ISSUE WAS IDENTIFIED, AND WE BEGAN TO DO SOME RESEARCH, WE WERE VERY UPSET TO FIND THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH OUR VEHICLE. WE WERE ALSO STUNNED TO READ THE COMPLAINT SU

Mileage: 107,387

THE LEFT FOG LIGHT STARTED SMOKING, AND THEN ON FIRE. I WAS SITTING INSIDE THE VEHICLE, CLEANING IT. THE LIGHTS WERE ON, INCLUDING THE FOG LIGHTS. I SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC, AND DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT AT FIRST, IT GOT WORSE, SO I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM AROUND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BUMPER. I GOT UNDER THERE TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, AND SECONDS LATER A PIECE OF BURNING PLASTIC WITH THE BULB STILL IN IT FELL INTO THE INSIDE OF THE BUMBER, APPARENTLY IT SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN UNIT OF THE LIGHT. I HAD TO STUFF IT WITH SNOW TO STOP THE FIRE. THERE WAS NO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE BEYOUND THE LIGHT ITSELF. LATER ON I PURCHASED A PAIR OF USED FOG LIGHTS FROM EBAY TO REPLACE MINE. WHEN TRYING TO REPLACE THEM, IT TURNED OUT THAT THE LEFT LIGHT ON MY VEHICLE WAS ALSO BURNT, AND THE PIECE WITH THE BULB FELL OUT OF IT TOO. THE LIGHTS I BOUGHT ALSO TIRNED OUT TO BE DAMAGED IN SIMILAR WAY, BUT JUST MELTED. THE REASON I MARK PROPERTY DAMAGE ON THIS FORM, IS BECAUSE TO REPLAC

Mileage: 151,000

WHILE DRIVING HEATER CORE WAS STEAMING THE ENGINE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

THE POWER WINDOWS OPERATE BY THEMSELVES-NEED TO PULL FUSE TO STOP THIS, BUT THEN THEY ARE NOT OPERABLE AT ALL--THIS COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN TERMS OF ESCAPE FROM VEHICLE, AND IS VERY INCONVENIENT FROM A VENTILATION STAND POINT. THE ENGINE STALLS WHEN CORNERING AND BRAKING, CREATING VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. *JB ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****760759

Mileage: 150,000

THE POWER WINDOWS OPERATE BY THEMSELVES-NEED TO PULL FUSE TO STOP THIS, BUT THEN THEY ARE NOT OPERABLE AT ALL--THIS COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN TERMS OF ESCAPE FROM VEHICLE, AND IS VERY INCONVENIENT FROM A VENTILATION STAND POINT. THE ENGINE STALLS WHEN CORNERING AND BRAKING, CREATING VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. *JB ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****760759

Mileage: 150,000

LEAKAGE OF HOT ENGINE COOLANT FROM THE HEAT EXCHANGER LOCATED IN THE VEHICLES PASSENGER COMPARTMENT CAUSED MINOR BURNS TO DRIVER'S LOWER LEG AREA. ADDITIONALLY, STEAM FROM THIS EVENT FILLED THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE. THIS EVENT REQUIRED THE DRIVER TO EXECUTE EMERGENCY ACTIONS TO AVOID A COLLISION AND SAFETY STOP THE VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICAN, INC. IMPLEMENTED A RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR THE 1992-1994 VR6 CORRADO WHICH EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR FAILURE (NHTSA INVESTIGATION/ACTION NO. EA98-012). *NLM

Mileage: 160,000

AFTER DRIVING FROM CT TO WASH, D.C., I WAS PARKING MY 1993 VW PASSAT. I HEARD A "POP" SOUND, AND IN < 5 SECONDS, THE CAR FILLED WITH ANTIFREEZE STEAM & SCALDING ANTIFREEZE POURED INTO THE DRIVER SIDE COMPARTMENT. AS THE CAR WAS NEARLY PARKED, WE WERE ABLE TO JUMP OUT OF THE CAR. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE WHEATON SERVICE CENTER IN WHEATON, MD. VIA PHONE, THE MECHANICS IMMEDIATELY SUSPECTED THE HEATER CORE. IRONICALLY, THERE WAS ANOTHER 1993 PASSAT GETTING FIXED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN I GOT THERE. ONCE INVESTIGATED, MY HEATER CORE HAD CRACKED. THEY NOTED THAT THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM IN VWS. I CALLED THE VW CONSUMER CARE LINE. AFTER LENGTHY NEGOTIATION, VW AGREED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE $788 REPAIR, IF I BROUGHT THE BROKEN PART AND THE NEW PART'S PACKAGING TO THE CAR'S HOME DEALERSHIP, RIVERSIDE MOTORS, IN CT. I WAS REIMBURSED SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, AFTER WEEKLY FOLLOW UP PHONE CALLS TO "REMIND" VW OF THEIR REIMBURSEMENT COMMITTMENT. I AM UPSET AND CONCERNED ABOUT THIS MATT

WAS DRIVING 25MPH WHEN FILM STARTED DEVELOPING ON WINDOWS. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE OUT OF WINDSHIELD. HAD SMELLED ANTIFREEZE INSIDE VEHICLE. DROVE TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT HEATER CORE HAD FAILED, CAUSING ANTIFREEZE TO LEAK, WHICH CAUSED THE FILM ON WINDOWS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

THE HEATER COIL BLEW AND CAUSED THE CAR TO RAPIDLY FILL UP WITH STEAM TO THE POINT THAT DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO SEE OUT ANY WINDOWS. DRIVER WAS TRAVELING IN THE FAST LANE OF INERSTATE 285 IN THE ATLANTA AREA AND AMAZINGLY WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND JUMP OUT WITHOUT BEING KILLED. THIS FAILURE OF THE HEATER COIL AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE OF STEAM INTO THE VEHICLE IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY HAZARD THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF THE DRIVER.