1999 Volkswagen Passat Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 86 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1999 Volkswagen Passat, 13% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 76,623 miles. The words owners use most often: “timing belt” (13% of reports).
- 86engine and engine cooling complaints
- 76,623median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,900typical repair cost reported by owners
- 26%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Timing belt: mentioned in 11 of 86 complaints (13%)
- Oil pump: mentioned in 8 of 86 complaints (9%)
- Provide further: mentioned in 6 of 86 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 1999 Volkswagen Passat at $1,900, and half of them between $810 and $5,950.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2010), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 51 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 86 complaints, 2 a fire.
Volkswagen Passat engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Passat | 1 | 6% | 37,995 |
| 2020 Passat | 1 | 6% | 7,000 |
| 2016 Passat | 2 | 2% | 71,500 |
| 2015 Passat | 2 | 1% | 37,050 |
| 2014 Passat | 4 | 1% | 97,000 |
| 2013 Passat | 5 | 1% | 19,575 |
| 2012 Passat | 4 | 1% | 56,000 |
| 2009 Passat | 4 | 3% | 60,500 |
| 2008 Passat | 9 | 5% | 42,000 |
| 2007 Passat | 32 | 12% | 20,578 |
| 2006 Passat | 66 | 11% | 52,019 |
| 2005 Passat | 50 | 34% | 79,000 |
| 2004 Passat | 59 | 21% | 75,000 |
| 2003 Passat | 131 | 21% | 62,000 |
| 2002 Passat | 135 | 21% | 55,224 |
| 2001 Passat | 92 | 21% | 62,000 |
| 2000 Passat | 94 | 19% | 60,000 |
| 1999 Passat | 86 | 13% | 76,623 |
| 1998 Passat | 39 | 12% | 85,500 |
| 1997 Passat | 7 | 19% | 82,500 |
| 1996 Passat | 5 | 13% | 103,509 |
| 1995 Passat | 19 | 20% | 153,015 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1999 Volkswagen Passat. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Was driving vehicle on the highway , the vehicle's check engine light and brake light came on and the vehicle completely shut down , i pulled over to the side of the highway i seen smoke i opened the hood and it was on fire. I called police and fire. The fire was put out the fans are melted and i'm…
My 1999 volkswagen passat has bad ignition coils. My son was driving the passat. When he got home from school he informed me the car was sluggish and the engine light was blinking. I went out and drove it to see what he was talking about. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that if i…
The engine in my 1999 volkswagen passat 1.8t appears to be dead. Oil pressure light comes on and won't go off. Volkswagen is aware that they provided bad information on oil chnage intervals for this cars, but still insists owners have docements for every oil change ever on the car. As the second…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1999 Volkswagen Passats have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 86 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1999 Volkswagen Passat (13% of the 664 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Volkswagen Passat engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 76,623 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 1999 Volkswagen Passat?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,900 (half paid between $810 and $5,950), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1999 Volkswagen Passat?
The most frequent phrase is “timing belt”, in 11 of 86 complaints, followed by “oil pump” (8).
Other 1999 Volkswagen Passat problems
See all 1999 Volkswagen Passat problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Passat years.