I purchased a 2002 Volkswagen (VW) Passat Wagon in August of 2010. It had approximately 107,000 miles on it. I decided to purchase this car because I also have a 2001 VW Golf that is a year older and has about 60,000 more miles on it (we purchased it brand new in 2000, so have had it for a decade) and have never had a problem with the car. It's very reliable, no needed repairs beyond usual wear and tear, etc. My natural assumption then follows that VW is reliable and for a Passat, being a higher class of car within their model range, as well as being newer and having less miles should be of at least equal if not superior quality and life. After a little over 3 months of owning this Passat and putting about 4,000 miles on it, I experienced an unexpected and severe problem.
The electrical system started going haywire, giving me lots of error messages regarding my doors being open (when I checked they were not open), and then my rear hatch was repeatedly and rapidly locking and unlocking all by itself. I turned my car off, but many of my exterior lights remained on, even with the key removed and the lights switched off. When I tried to turn my car back on, it would not let me turn the key far enough to start the car, no matter what gear I put the car in and with and without the parking brake on. I had just left work when this occurred, and had only made it about 100 feet from work. At a loss, and with the rear hatch still stuttering locked and unlocked, I decided to unhook my battery to stop the strange problem.
When I went to get the tool to loosen the battery hook-up, I noticed something strange about the foot well behind the driver's seat. When I pulled up the floor mat and stepped on the carpeting underneath, water pooled up around my foot. I checked my headliner immediately, thinking the sunroof might have been partially open or otherwise letting rain in, but the sunroof was closed and my headliner was completely dry. I then checked the door, the door frame, and the seat behind the driver's seat for any moisture, and they were all dry as well. The only thing wet in my car was the foot well behind the driver's seat. I was completely dumbfounded, but knew that the mystery water (clear and with no odor, like regular water) was likely in contact with wires somewhere, causing the error messages and the rear hatch issues.
I disconnected the battery and waited for my mom who by this time I had called and asked to come pick me up and help me. And when my mom arrived about 15 minutes later, we hooked the battery back up. My car allowed me to start it again, but continued to give various alarms for doors being open, etc. and the back hatch continued to malfunction. I drove my car back to work (I work at a high school) because I did not feel confident about my car making it back the 20-30 miles home. I parked my car in the auto shop area so it would be protected from rain, and tried to dry it out. After 3-4 rolls of paper towels, the footwell was still wet, and my car was still acting very strangely. I decided to leave my car in the covered area and hoped it would dry out over night enough to work correctly.
When I went home, my husband and I researched the symptoms I had noted on the internet, looking for answers. We did a search to the effect of 2002 VW Passat strange water leak. A shocking number of results came up with people talking about the exact same problem and symptoms with their Volkswagens, specifically 2002 Passats (regular and wagon style). They talked about taking their car to be fixed, and the same main causes kept coming up when it was explained by the mechanicdrainage associated the sunroof or drainage associated with the battery area, which would become clogged and un-drained water would find a route into the car.
Obviously, since my headliner was not wet, I figured it was probable that my issues were likely associated with the battery drain being clogged. Along with the battery drain being clogged, people were reporting a few ways that water in the engine bay found its way into the car because of the clog. It would come through the pollen filter area and following gravity, come through the heating system and into the rear foot well. Many other people, however, mentioned it finding another way besides the pollen filter to come into the car.
In all cases though, the battery drain clogging was where water first accumulated, and then found a way to enter the cabin of the car. The problems with electrical shorts, and a damaged or ruined computer module housed in the foot well area because of the water ended up costing most people in the vicinity of $1,000 in repairs. Most people were commenting not just on their frustrations regarding the damage, but that once shown the drain by the battery, were bothered by how poorly it seemed to be designed so that it could clog easily. I ultimately had my car towed to the local VW dealer (Parr Volkswagen in Bremerton, Washington) to be serviced and to determine precisely what the problem was and how to fix it.
They confirmed what I had read on the internet: the drain near the battery had become clogged. And the battery itself was sitting, according to the mechanic at VW, in about 4 inches of water and filled the whole area the battery was sitting in from one side of the car to the other. They then said that the water had gotten in through a hole drilled into a separating wall (the hole was apparently drilled for an after-market remote start system installed in the car before I bought it), rather than through the pollen filter.
The water then came down to the foot well behind the driver's seat. In addition to wiring down there that was submerged in several inches of water, a computer unit called the "comfort control module" had also been submerged and was irreparably damaged and would need to be replaced. The module was responsible for controlling the keyless entry and door locks that all VW's come with standard, as well the anti-theft system and the immobilizer that activates if the car has been stolen.
Because the module was destroyed (in terms of function), my car could not and cannot operate without a new one. I told the service people that I felt that since the water would likely not have gotten through the after market hole if it were not for the design flaw (By Volkswagen) of the battery drain clogging and causing flooding in the engine bay, then part of the repair cost (quoted at $1,092.00 before tax) should be taken care of by Volkswagen. I was told to contact the company's customer service line because the dealership was not allowed to make that call/deal themselves. I called customer service, explaining my concerns and was told that because the drain was not a recall item and my car was not under any warranty, they would not do anything for me.
I argued my case, reiterating that VW had a design flaw in the drain hole becoming easily clogged (regardless of car age or mileage), and that water would not have come in anywhere, aftermarket area or factory, if not for the clogged drain in the first place. I also pointed out that no regular maintenance done by a regular service shop, Volkswagen or otherwise, was regularly checking, maintaining, or servicing that drain, so there was no reasonable expectation that anyone would be checking and clearing that drain to prevent the clog and resulting flood of water.
I then asked them how such a design flaw was not yet a recall, and how Volkswagen as a company could be claiming to operate with "good faith" with their customers by not standing behind their product and admitting the design flaw. Through several phone calls with customer service, including a call back by a regional manager of "customer care", the response was the same: "Your car is not under warranty and this is not a recall, so we are not going to do anything for you in regards to the repairs or repair cost. You must pay it yourself."
The only offer I was given was a voucher of $1,500 off my next purchase of a new VW vehicle. I asked those that offered me that why they thought I would want to purchase another car, spending tens of thousands of more dollars with the company, when they would not stand behind their previous product. I pointed out that even the voice mail I received from the Regional Customer Care Manager stated that the service people at the dealership had said both the after market hole and the battery drain clog were likely at fault for the resulting flooding and damage elsewhere in my car, but that they were still not offering me any help with repair costs or future service check ups to check on the drain, only a voucher to buy another car from them.
I agree that some of the service repair cost ultimately falls on me as I inherited the aftermarket system when I bought the car, but I believe, as severe of damage as is done to the car, and the clear safety issue of water pooling around not only the battery but around wiring and other electrical systems in the car, that Volkswagen needs to take up some of the responsibility regarding their design flaw.
If my car had ceased function on the freeway, I could have been involved in a severe car accident. If I had touched water or wiring at the wrong instant, I might have suffered an electrical shock. And ultimately, if nothing else, it completely incapacitated my car, and thousands of other people's cars because of this drainage problem. It is not just minor, inconvenient water damage. I believe the Volkswagen is not operating under "good faith" with their customers by failing to acknowledge this design flaw and do something about it for their VW customers.
I personally am concerned about the quality of their products and their lack of operation under good faith with their customers and will not be a customer of theirs again until they properly address this issue. I am out over $1,000 plus tax for the repairs that are at least partially caused by a Volkswagen design flaw. And I am now concerned about it becoming a repeat problem (and cost) because the design flaw has not been addressed.
