2003 Volkswagen Passat electrical system problems
Owners reported electrical system problems in 95 complaints for the 2003 Volkswagen Passat, 12% of the complaints on file.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 95 12% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 62,000 miles 79 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 14
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 79 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 62,000 miles, and 47% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 14 fires, 4 injuries.
What owners wrote
A third ignition coil failure in 18 months, the last one allowing raw gasoline into the catalytic converter, where it caught fire, destroying the turbo and causing a large amount of black smoke. I lost power while drive, was unable to accelerate in a safe manner and eventually suffered smoke inhalation. All coils need to be replaced.
Volkswagen of america will not recall faulty coil packs in 2001/2002/2003 passat 1.8ts, even though they know the installed part is defective. My first coil pack failed, and will be replaced under warranty but VW will not replace all coil packs, as they should. This is a dangerous situation, as coil pack failure while on the road may cause accidents.
Other problems reported for the 2003 Volkswagen Passat
- Fuel system 180 complaints
- Engine 147 complaints
- Seats 98 complaints
- Air conditioning & heating 83 complaints
- Brakes 46 complaints
- Lighting 45 complaints
- Body & structure 30 complaints
- Air bags 23 complaints