2001 Volkswagen Passat Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2001 Volkswagen Passat, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 39,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “ignition coils” (10% of reports).
- 73electrical system complaints
- 39,500median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 24%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.
- Ignition coils: mentioned in 7 of 73 complaints (10%)
- Coil pack: mentioned in 6 of 73 complaints (8%)
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 5 of 73 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 50 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 73 complaints, 7 a fire, 2 an injury.
Volkswagen Passat electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Passat | 3 | 23% | 90 |
| 2021 Passat | 3 | 17% | — |
| 2020 Passat | 3 | 17% | — |
| 2019 Passat | 4 | 33% | 2,763 |
| 2018 Passat | 10 | 22% | 49,900 |
| 2017 Passat | 18 | 16% | 54,078 |
| 2016 Passat | 22 | 21% | 6,100 |
| 2015 Passat | 48 | 20% | 52,100 |
| 2014 Passat | 74 | 12% | 48,000 |
| 2013 Passat | 93 | 12% | 63,000 |
| 2012 Passat | 95 | 20% | 60,000 |
| 2011 Passat | 4 | 25% | 96,500 |
| 2010 Passat | 21 | 13% | 71,000 |
| 2009 Passat | 18 | 12% | 62,800 |
| 2008 Passat | 21 | 13% | 85,000 |
| 2007 Passat | 34 | 13% | 80,000 |
| 2006 Passat | 79 | 14% | 59,244 |
| 2005 Passat | 9 | 6% | 63,507 |
| 2004 Passat | 23 | 8% | 55,999 |
| 2003 Passat | 90 | 14% | 62,359 |
| 2002 Passat | 220 | 35% | 14,590 |
| 2001 Passat | 73 | 17% | 39,500 |
| 2000 Passat | 43 | 8% | 74,000 |
| 1999 Passat | 58 | 9% | 84,799 |
| 1998 Passat | 28 | 8% | 82,365 |
| 1997 Passat | 13 | 35% | 86,000 |
| 1996 Passat | 14 | 35% | 94,600 |
| 1995 Passat | 15 | 16% | 143,435 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2001 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.
So i got rear ended at the other party's fault at high speed while i was at a stop sign and they neglected to stop pushing me into an intersection full of traffic...no airbags deployed..and since my heater doesn't work but passenger seat heat burned my 12 year old daughters butt...anyone help? I…
I was driving on i-95 at approx. 78 mph when the car suddenly says stop! Brake failure! See volkswagen service. In my research on the issue, i've found this happens on almost all 1998-2001 vw passats and audi a-4s. This needs to be addressed. *tr
Abs module is out, can't get emissions passed unless i pay over 600 dollars. Also i don't have abs, can't see if my check engine light means anything because i'm told it all gets re routed thorough the abs module and can't get past that problem. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2001 Volkswagen Passats have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 73 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2001 Volkswagen Passat (17% of the 430 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 2001 Volkswagen Passat electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 39,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2001 Volkswagen Passat?
The most frequent phrase is “ignition coils”, in 7 of 73 complaints, followed by “coil pack” (6).
Other 2001 Volkswagen Passat problems
See all 2001 Volkswagen Passat problems or electrical system problems across all Passat years.