NHTSA Complaint #10100466 — 1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

LIKE MANY, MANY OTHERS, MY 1998 VW PASSAT 2.8 LITER WITH TIPTRONIC (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSION HAS THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: 1) ABS LIGHT ON (ABS NOT WORKING); 2) BRAKE LIGHT ON (BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER ALL ROTORS & PADS WERE REPLACED AND FLUID CHANGED); 3) TACHOMETER NOT WORKING; 4) OIL LIGHT ON (BUT OIL LEVEL AND PRESSURE ARE OKAY). THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT BEGAN EARLY THIS YEAR BUT IS NOW ALMOST CONSTANT. ALL PROBLEMS APPEAR TO BE CAUSED BY A BAD ABS CONTROLLER, WHICH IS ALSO USED IN AUDI A4 MODELS (PART # 8E0 614 111R). VW DEALERSHIP QUOTES OVER $1000 FOR THE PART ALONE. SOMETIMES, IF THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING A FEW DAYS OR IF IT IS COLD OUTSIDE, THE LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON AND THE TACHOMETER WORKS CORRECTLY FOR AWHILE. THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL THE ABOVE-MENTIONED PROBLEMS HAPPEN. OR, I WILL BE DRIVING THE CAR WITH THE PROBLEMS, THEN THE TACH JUMPS TO LIFE AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS GO OUT. AS I SAID BEFORE: THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE (NO ABS COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS) AS WELL AS A QUALITY ISSUE: ABS CONTROLLERS SHOULD NOT FAIL SO FREQUENTLY ON SUCH RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLES. A RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED BY VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDI TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE ABS CONTROLLERS IN THEIR 1998-ON PASSAT AND 1996-ON A4 MODELS. THANK YOU, [XXX]. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR