2000 Volkswagen Passat Visibility & Wipers Problems

I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR ON MY 2000 VW PASSAT. A WEEK AGO I THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. TODAY MY FRONT PASSENGER REGULATOR FAILED. THIS SEEMED LIKE A LITTLE MORE THAN BAD LUCK. IT TURNS OUT I'M NOT THE ONLY VW OWNER WHO HAS HAD EXTREMELY BAD LUCK WITH THEIR WINDOW REGULATORS. *TR

PASSENGER REAR WINDOW REGULATOR WENT OUT ON MINE FIRST WITH A CRUNCHING SOUND AND THEN THE GLASS JUST FELL INTO THE DOOR. I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE PASSENGER FRONT REGULATOR. TYPICAL CHEAP PLASTIC VW PARTS. *TR

ON RAISING THE WINDOW, THE GLASS FALLS INTO THE DOOR WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAPPENS WITH BOTH FRONT AND REAR DOORS, DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES. EACH TIME, THE DIAGNOSIS IS THE SAME: THE "REGULATOR" FAILED. REPAIRS COST APPROXIMATELY $400 PER WINDOW. MY WIFE AND I OWN IDENTICAL CARS AND OF THE EIGHT WINDOWS, FOUR HAVE FAILED. AFTER ROUGHLY $1600 FOR THE FOUR WINDOWS, I'M LOSING PATIENCE. A COWORKER OWNS A SIMILAR CAR AND HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START HIS VEHICLE ON A COLD MORNING, THE DEFROST FEATURE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS THE HEATER CORE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE HEATER CORE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,700 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,600.

I JUST BOUGHT MY DAUGHTER A NEW "USED" VEHICLE. BECAUSE IT IS OVER 5 YEARS OLD, THE VEHICLE IS SOLD "AS IS" - NO WARRANTY. SINCE GETTING THE CAR HOME, IN THE FIRST 120 MILES I DROVE, NOT 1, BUT 2 WINDOW REGULATORS BROKE CREATING A LOAD CRASHING NOISE AND A SAFETY CONCERN. THE NOISE CAUSED ME TO BRAKE SUDDENLY SINCE I DID NOT KNOW WHERE THE NOISE CAME FROM. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLES BEHIND WERE ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT CRASHING, BUT IT WAS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION. THE CAR IS IN THE REPAIR SHOP RIGHT NOW AND THE ESTIMATED REPAIR IS COST $501.75. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 35 YEARS AND IN MY LIFETIME, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A VEHICLE HAVE 2 WINDOW REGULATOR FAILURES WITHIN A ONE HOUR TIME SPAN, ALSO WITHIN A 20 MILE DRIVING SPAN. IT SEEM TO ME THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED BY VOLKSWAGON. ALL THIS AFTER I JUST SPENT $7000.00 FOR THIS VEHICLE. IN DOING RESEARCH, I SEE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR VOLKSWAGON. *JB

THERE WERE NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT. THE HEATER CORE BROKE ON MY 2000 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED WHITE SMOKE WAS EMITTING INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT CAUSING A FILM ON THE WINDSHIELD. THIS CAUSED A FOG ON THE WINDOWS REDUCING MY VISIBILITY SEVERELY CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO PULL OVER QUICKLY. THE SMOKE HAS AN ODOR OF ANTIFREEZE AND IN FACT THAT IS WHAT IT WAS. WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED THE ANTIFREEZE AND IT HAD DROPPED TO HALF OF WHAT IT WAS. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AT VOLKSWAGEN WHOSE ONLY RECOURSE IS THAT I SHOULD HAVE PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE WORST PART ABOUT THIS ENTIRE EXPERIENCE IS THAT AFTER NEARLY CRASHING MY CAR I HAVE TO PAY $1200.00 TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT. *NM

AM I FILING THIS REPORT IN THE CORRECT PLACE? I HAVE A 2000 VW PASSAT. THREE OF THE 4 WINDOWS HAVE DROPPED INTO THE DOOR. OPTIONS: COSTS $350 EACH TO FIX OR $60 TO HAVE MECHANIC FREEZE WINDOW IN PLACE, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. MANY MAY GO THIS ROUTE AS THEIR ONLY OPTION. CONSIDERING IT MYSELF. THE REGULATOR IS THE SAME ONE USED IN THE VW JETTA AND THESE HAVE BEEN RECALLED. THE WINDOW REGULATORS IN THE PASSAT NEED TO BE RECALLED ALSO. CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY TEENAGE DRIVERS WHO MAY NEED TO LOWER THE WINDOW (FRONT PASSENGER) IN TIMES OF POOR VISIBILITY. *JB

2000 PASSAT - 82000 MILES - FRONT RIGHT POWER WINDOW - REGULATOR FAILED ALLOWING WINDOW TO DROP INTO DOOR. TECHNICIAN FOUND PLASTIC PART WHICH RIDES IN TRACK BROKEN AND PIECES IN DOOR. VW HAS SIMILAR PROBLEM IN MULITPLE VEHICLES. EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUED TO COVER REPAIR ON OTHER VEHICLES BUT NOT ON PASSAT.

THIS IS THE THIRD POWER WINDOW TO FAIL AND FALL INTO THE DOOR. THE DEALER WON'T PAY FOR IT SINCE VW DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IT AS A DEFECT.

WINDOWS FOGGED UP DUE TO A FAULTY HEATER CORE. THIS WAS CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. *AK *SC *JB

HEATER CORE DEFECT - THIS CAR IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD WITH JUST OVER 50,000 MILES AND NOW NEEDS A NEW HEATER CORE - A $1500 REPAIR! WHEN THE HEAT IS TURNED ON, AN ANTI-FREEZE MIST (NOT TOO HEALTHY FOR THE DRIVER!) COMES OUT OF THE VENTS AND ALL OF THE WINDOWS FOG UP. THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR THE WINDOWS IS TO TURN THE HEAT OFF AND SOMETIMES THAT DOESN'T EVEN WORK AND WE HAVE TO TURN THE A/C ON TO GET THE WINDOWS DE-FOGGED. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT VOLKSWAGENS (VW) HAVE HAD HEATER CORE PROBLEMS FOR 10+ YEARS, AND SOME OF THE OLDER VW'S WERE IN FACT RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. VW HAS OBVIOUSLY NOT MADE ANY CHANGES TO THE HEATER CORES BEING PUT INTO NEWER CARS. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN THE SPRING AND HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE UNTIL IT STARTED TO GET COLD OUTSIDE. NOW I'M STUCK TRYING TO GET VW TO OFFSET THE COST. *LA

SUNROOF MAKING LOUD CLANKING NOISE WHEN IN OPERATION SINCE PURCHASE BACK FOR REPAIR ONE MONTH LATER NOW INFOMED BY DEALER NEEDS NEW SUNROOF FRAME AT A COST OF $850 TO ME. *AK

IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, I HAVE HAD THE WINDOW REGULATOR IN MY VEHICLE REPLACED 4 TIMES. UPON RESEARCHING, THERE APPEARS TO BE (LITERALLY) HUNDREDS OF CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF REPLACEMENT PARTS, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. WILL VOLKSWAGEN DO NOTHING UNTIL SLAPPED WITH A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT BECAUSE SOMEONE DIES FROM A WINDOW MALFUNCTION IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT?*AK

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES SUN ROOF SUDDENLY SHATTERED, CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY STATED IT PROBABLY WAS A ROCK.*JB *JB

MY SUNROOF SHATTERED OUTWARD WITH EXPLOSIVE FORCE, NO WARNING, NO COLLISION.*AK

WINDOW MOLDING AND DOOR MOLDINGS FALL OFF. *AK

DRIVERS SEAT BELT COMES UNLATCHED INTERMITTENTLY, SUNROOF SLIDER JAMBS/HARD TO SLIDE. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE POWER DOOR LOCK UNLOCKS ITSELF WHILE CAR PARKED. INTERVALS VARY. *AK

SINCE I PURCHASE THIS CAR THERE HAS BEEN A BAD ODOR WHEN THE HEAT HAS BEEN TURNED ON, THE DEALER HAS TWICE TRIED TO FIX BY "CLEANING" THE SYSTEM. CANNOT USE HEATER BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM.