1993 Volkswagen Passat
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Volkswagen › Passat › 1993
These records cover every 1993 Volkswagen Passat. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 1993 Volkswagen Passat. Newest first.
Improper material was used in manufacturing the radiator fan motor shaft causing the shaft to wear and become noisy.
Risk and remedy
Risk
A worn and noisy fan motor shaft can seize renderingthe fan motor inoperative, eventually causing the engine to overheat and stall. a stalled vehicle in traffic can increase the potential for a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the complete cooling fan assembly on vehicle having the potential shaft material problem. Dealers will install a new fan blade including a new lock nut on vehicle with loose fan blade lock nuts.
Lock nuts used to hold the left and right front axles to the suspension struts may not have been properly manufactured. The lock nuts may break and cause separation of the axle from the suspension struts.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Separation of the axle can cause the vehicle to pull tothe side of the separation and result in loss of vehicle control and anaccident.
Remedy
Replace the lock nuts.
The fuel hose attached to the fuel distribution rail on the engine may shrink beyond the clamp force of the fuel hose clamps, allowing fuel to leak.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel leakage in the engine compartment can cause an underhood fire if the fuel comes in contact with a source of ignition.
Remedy
Replace the fuel hose attached to the fuel rail and install a new spring type self-tightening clamp.
Owner complaints
68 complaints3 involved a crash10 involved a fire4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Engine and engine cooling
Heater core bad in 1993 VW glx, very common in my experience. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
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.
- Seat belts › Front
Front seat belts fail to power, must use emergency belts. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan · Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
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
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
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
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
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
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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
- Power train › Automatic transmission
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
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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…
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 summaries on the nhtsa site which noted that some drivers/passengers were injured by hot steam/coolant leaking into the passenger compartment. it IS amazing that a technical service bulletin or recall has not yet been issued for this problem. as of the time this complaint IS being filed, we are also drafting a letter to volkswagen to urge them to address this failure. a failure that can cause total loss of visibility in a brief period of time, and therefore loss of control of a vehicle, should be considered extremely serious. we strongly urge the nhtsa to take appropriate measures to ensure that this failure IS addressed.*ak
- Exterior lighting › Fog lights
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…
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 replace one of the units costs $135, without any guarantee that this same thing will not happen again. I believe that this IS an obvious and hazardous design flaw, and VW should replace the units with fire proof ones. VW shoud also pay for that, not i.*ak
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
While driving heater core was steaming the engine. Dealer notified. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
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
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
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…
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
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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…
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 matter for several reasons: 1) I bought the car used in 1998. the only issue with the car was that the windows tended to "fog up", particularly when the a/c or heat was on, which had been logged at service visits. at no time was the heater core looked at. but, there are numerous heater core and "defogging" consumer complaints. further, I began the review of complaints after listening to a recent npr car talk show, b/c they referenced the problem with VW heater cores. what IS conspicuously missing IS a saftey bulletin for this known problem. 2) as many of the complaints noted, (see oid ID 755858 for example), they could have been killed or seriously injured, as was the case for me. 30 minutes earlier & I would have been driving 65mph on the highway. While I understand that every complaint cannont be investigated, this IS a failure that can result in a life-or-death situation. I expect that you will investigate this problem further, and at minimum issue a safety bulletin.
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
No summary listed for above vehicle. *Ak
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
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 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.
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system
115F degree day. Used a/c. Parked car. Return 15 min later. Floor/dash/instruments wet/fog/hot.*ak
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner · Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
While driving at an unknown speed, steam and hot engine coolant fluids started coming out of ventilation system, burning drivers feet and legs, and reducing visibility out of vehicle. dealership examined vehicle and made repairs to heater core. then on august 2, 2001, air conditioning…
While driving at an unknown speed, steam and hot engine coolant fluids started coming out of ventilation system, burning drivers feet and legs, and reducing visibility out of vehicle. dealership examined vehicle and made repairs to heater core. then on august 2, 2001, air conditioning started making a strange noise, and started producing steam and hot fluids from the ventilation again. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
Air conditioner stopped working. mechanic has advised that air conditioner's wiring melted and glued to each other. a minor fire errupted, causing melting. please additional information. *Ak
- Tires
I had two blowouts of this goodyear eagle ga touring tire over a period of 10 months driving freeway speed of 70 when one blowout occurred and 50 mph with the other. Even though I accepted a settlement of $176.04 from goodyear, this amount was slightly higher than the cost of one tire. I had 4 goodyears on the car. (Tiresize: 215/50r15)( dot number: tire size: 215/50r15 )
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
The heater core ruptured and flooded the passenger compartment with steam and hot coolant. fortunately, the car had just come to a complete stop. this has occured in the only other VW vehicle I have owned, a 1986 jetta GL. that vehicle was recalled for this very same problem. I find it very…
The heater core ruptured and flooded the passenger compartment with steam and hot coolant. fortunately, the car had just come to a complete stop. this has occured in the only other VW vehicle I have owned, a 1986 jetta GL. that vehicle was recalled for this very same problem. I find it very disturbing that the passenger compartment of the vehicle can be affected by such an equipment failure. I can accept the heater core leaking in the passenger compartment, but not exploiding like a bomb. witnessess thought the car was on fire. luckily, my wife and child were not cruising down the freeway at 65 mph.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Possible engine failure caused consumer to smelled gas fumes, minutes later the vehicle caught on fire. nlm
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Vehicle experienced failure of the recall component prior to notification (95v-178). *mjs
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Fuel tank puncture
- Fuel tank puncture
The office of defects investigation opened this investigation on august 10, 2000 based on 9 reports regarding punctured fuel tanks involving the jetta, passat, and cabrio models.the reports indicate additional reports in its response to the preliminary evaluation.this investigation has been upgraded for further study.
- Fog lamp fire
Alleged that the fog lamp housing catches fire during use
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10213836Airbag Issues.
- 10159010The part number listed in the document is to be returned if it meets the criteria provided.
- 10157383VAS 6154 Replacement Part Setup Guide
- 10155644This special notice is to inform dealers to return all part numbers listed in the document and order the superseded part numbers going forward.
- 10128105This document contains the VW Elsa Newsletter that contains a general overview of wiring diagrams updates, technical bulletins, pending service solutions, tech tips, campaigns, updates, and suggestions.
- 10128104This document contains the VW Elsa Newsletter that contains a general overview of wiring diagrams updates, ElsaPro infomedia icons grayed out, workshop equipment tool storage application, technical bulletins, pending service solutions, tech tips, campaigns, updates, and suggestions.
- 10128055This communication is to update our ProFi dealers of the current status of the latest inbound and outbound ProFi requests.
- 10126785Update model year applicability to include 2017.
- 10125848Passat Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections: A checklist to insure a customer receives a wonderful delivery of a vehicle that looks, feels, and meets the expectations of a new vehicle that he/she has purchased
- 10125762Passat Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections: A checklist to insure a customer receives a wonderful delivery of a vehicle that looks, feels, and meets the expectations of a new vehicle that he/she has purchased
- 10124454Assembly Instructions: Installation of original remote start feature accessory, Volkswagen Passat.
- 10026848Volkswagen: exhaust heat shield, replacement guidelines. Heat shields are to be inspected after completion o any type of repair to the underbody (exhaust system transmission, etc.), and if damaged, replaced.
- 53604Conditions with engine intermittently will not start.
- 42010R-134a expansion valve noisy.
Every Volkswagen Passat model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.