2001 Volkswagen Passat electrical system problems
Owners reported electrical system problems in 83 complaints for the 2001 Volkswagen Passat, 15% of the complaints on file. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 83 15% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 36,000 miles 58 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 18 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 13 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 58 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 36,000 miles, and 69% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 9 fires, 2 injuries.
What owners wrote
2001.5 passat gls 1.8t the coil pack fouled and caught the coil on fire. Had I not opened it up and removed the valve cover along with the coil pack itself, the car would have went up in flames. I feel sorry for those who dont know much about cars. This is an ongoing issue with VW coil packs. VW claims that if they go bad you can still drive it to the dealership. I dont believe this to be a safe idea.
Vehicle died while driving on 45 MPH road. Starter and engine turn, but would not run. Advised dealer that this happened 1 year ago and engine fuse and horn fuse had to be replaced. No codes were in the computer. Dealer replaced fuse s232 and car started. During road test, car died again. Fuse s232 blew again and dealer found ECM and harness melted and was smoking. Dealer replaced ECM, harness and fuse and car ran. When customer received the car, the cruise control and dash lights were inoperative.
Other problems reported for the 2001 Volkswagen Passat
- Engine 91 complaints
- Brakes 69 complaints
- Fuel system 46 complaints
- Lighting 39 complaints
- Suspension 32 complaints
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 32 complaints
- Air bags 26 complaints
- Body & structure 25 complaints