PlainCars

VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN · model year

2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN

11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2001VOLKSWAGENVOLKSWAGEN carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN is power train:automatic transmission with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc (1) and electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 33 investigation files overlapping the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

11
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20100315POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

2001 VW BORA VR6. VIN [XXX] , 79,999 MILES. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION JUMPS INTO GEAR GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARDS FROM A STOP. THE GEARS JUMP FROM ONE TO THE OTHER CAUSING CAN TO PUSH YOU BACK IN THE SEAT. IF IT WERE NOT FOR HEAD RESTS YOU WOULD HAVE WHIP LASH. BEEN TO VW OF ORANGE PARK, FL 32073 TWICE. I HAVE NO MORE MONEY TO HAVE IT FIXED HAS THERE BEEN ANY RECALLS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 79,999

20090210CrashAIR BAGS

DEAR SIR/MADAM, I HAD AN ACCIDENT A FEW DAYS AGO WHERE I CRASHED INTO A CAR INFRONT OF ME. I HAD MY MOTHER ON IN THE PASSENGERS SEAT , AND MY SISTER AND BROTHER IN THE REAR SEATS. MY AIR BAG DEPLOYED WHILE THE PASSENGERS AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY , NOTE THAT THE CRASH WAS MAINLY ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE. I RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES WHILE MY MOTHER WAS SEVERELY INJURED AND IS STILL IN HOSPITAL. *TR

Mileage: 84,000

20070705ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

WHILE DRIVING 2001 PASSAT 1.8 TURBO ON INTERSTATE WHEN STOPPING ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TURNED CAR OFF, AND HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER, WHO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL SLUDGE PROBLEM, AND ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE TORN DOWN AND REBUILT. PURCHASED CAR IN MARCH 2005 ,AND HAD OIL CHANGED BY DEALER, WHO NEVER INFORMED ME OF LETTER ISSUED BY VOLKSWAGEN, MODIFYING INFORMATION IN OWNERS MANUAL ABOUT DECREASING TIME BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND TYPE OF OIL TO USE.*AK

Mileage: 71,100

20060919ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

CATALYTIC CONVERTOR FAILURE AT 82,000 REPLACED CONVERTOR. *JB

Mileage: 82,000

20060226ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

I HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS OR WIPERS ON THIS 2001 EUROVAN. IT SEEMS TO BE THE IGNITION SWITCH. I HAD NOTICED THE 1996 PASSAT WAS RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. SEEM TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WHICH IS UNSAFE SINCE YOU HAVE NO LIGHTS OR WIPERS. WHY HASN'T THIS PROBLEM BEEN RECALLED FOR ALL OF THE SAME TYPE OF IGNITION SWITCHES???? BY VW.??? PLEASE INFORM ME IF THERE ARE ANY INVESTIGATIONS ON THIS PROBLEM. *NM

Mileage: 58,000

20050620POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

DT: CONSUMER STATED AT 51000 MILES TRANSMISSION BUSTED. CONSUMER SOME TIMES VEHICLE DID NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE AND E BACK FIRED. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SOMETIMES HESITATED OR BOGGED DOWN. VEHICLE HAS BEEN ACTING THIS WAY SINCE APRIL. CONSUMER SAYS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED IN FLORENCE, KENTUCKY. . VEHICLE WAS CHECKED OUT BY DEALER, BUT TRANSMISSION WAS REPAIRED BY ANOTHER GARAGE. *AK

Mileage: 51,000

20041208ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

2001 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAGON. ENGINE FAILURE, VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOT REPAIR EVEN THOUGH IT IS UNDER WARRANTY. CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED 13 TIMES IN 14 MONTHS. *AK

Mileage: 48,000

20040810SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

NAR 06/05/2003 *MR THE CONSUMER HAS HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR ROTORS AND BRAKES PADS ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS. * CB

Mileage: 15,590

20040810SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS

NAR 06/05/2003 *MR THE CONSUMER HAS HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR ROTORS AND BRAKES PADS ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS. * CB

Mileage: 15,590

20020506SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

20020506ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

Compare 2001VOLKSWAGENVOLKSWAGEN to Similar Vehicles

VOLKSWAGEN vs FORDF-150 → VOLKSWAGEN vs FORDEXPLORER → VOLKSWAGEN vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → VOLKSWAGEN vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

EA24004Engineering AnalysisOpen

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

RQ24010Recall QueryClosed

Inadvertent Door Opening

RQ23007Recall QueryClosed

Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

PE23017Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

EQ22001EQClosed

LGES High Voltage Battery Failures

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN have?▼
The 2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN has 11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN?▼
The most-complained component for the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH.
Is the 2001 VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

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Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.