Recall Register

1998 Volkswagen Passat: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1998 Volkswagen Passat. The newest campaign is 02V026000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Jan 2002. The NHTSA record gives the component Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Filler Pipe and Cap. NHTSA has 331 complaints on file for this model year. 6 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 02V026000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will fit passat vehicles with a new wheel house liner that will better protect the car's filler neck. Jetta vehicles will be fitted with a different metal shield designed to enhance abrasion protection in the event of tire disintegration. Owner notification began june 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 647,105 units in total.

  • 02V026000Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Filler Pipe and Cap
  • 99V248000Steering / Linkages / Rod / Relay / Connecting
  • 99V131001Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
  • 98V134000Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System

  1. 02V026000Received . 487,284 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Filler Pipe and Cap

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On some passenger vehicles, the fuel tank filler neck can suffer abrasion damage if the rear tire goes flat and the vehicle is driven until the tire disintegrates.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Fuel leakage can occur increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will fit passat vehicles with a new wheel house liner that will better protect the car's filler neck. Jetta vehicles will be fitted with a different metal shield designed to enhance abrasion protection in the event of tire disintegration. Owner notification began june 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Manufacturer campaign number WK. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 99V248000Received . 51,900 units.

    Steering / Linkages / Rod / Relay / Connecting

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism. It is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If moisture and/or dust particles enter the swivel bearing mechanism, the swivel bearing could wear over time diminishing the steering control of the vehicle.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will replace the tie rods.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Manufacturer campaign number UL/KW. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 99V131001Received . 88,121 units.

    Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. A control valve in the vacuum hose connecting the brake booster to the intake manifold may not open or close fully at temperatures below -4 f under certain driving conditions.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    This condition could cause insufficient vacuum to be provided to the brake booster.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will install a vacuum by-pass system into vehicles operated in these states which is designed to provide sufficient vacuum for full brake assist under all weather conditions.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Manufacturer campaign number UH/KU. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 98V134000Received . 19,800 units.

    Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. If the engine backfires during a cold-start, an air screen which is loosely seated in the air flow meter can become damaged.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Screen pieces could enter the intake air flow system and prevent the throttle plate from returning to its full idle position.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will install a retaining ring to hold the air screen in place.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

331 complaints, 476 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

  • 1998 Volkswagen Passat
  • All 1998 vehicles
1998 Volkswagen Passat: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component1998 PassatAll 1998 vehiclesPassat, all yearsMentions
Suspension20882.639.799
Service Brakes, Hydraulic166106.964.779
Steering123.955.855.659
Engine and Engine Cooling94.5123.791.145
Visibility67.256.132.932
Electrical System60.982.5118.629
Power Train4290.447.620
Fuel System, Gasoline39.936.24419
Service Brakes, Air39.95.610.219
Seats25.216.420.412

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 26.

Complaints that report a crash
6
Complaints that report a fire
4
Injuries in the complaints
12
Deaths in the complaints
1
Date of the newest complaint
13 Oct 2017

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Volkswagen Passat, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 49 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Volkswagen Passat
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA04017Engineering analysisSTUCK-OPEN THROTTLEFuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System30 Jun 200410 Feb 200504V495000
EA03020Engineering analysisPASSENGER AIR BAG LID FAILUREAir Bags / Frontal7 Oct 200323 Apr 2004
PE03021Preliminary evaluationPASSENGER SIR DOOR MOUNTING STUD FAILUREAir Bags / Frontal23 May 20037 Oct 2003
EA00028Engineering analysisFUEL TANK PUNCTUREVehicle Speed Control / Linkages28 Dec 200029 Jan 200202V026000
PE00033Preliminary evaluationFUEL TANK PUNCTUREVehicle Speed Control / Linkages10 Aug 200028 Dec 2000
RQ99008Recall queryPOWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM BY-PASSService Brakes, Hydraulic1 Jun 199914 Nov 200099V131001

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19881
  2. 19891
  3. 19902
  4. 19911
  5. 19921
  6. 19933
  7. 19941
  8. 19951
  9. 19961
  10. 19970
  11. 19984
  12. 19995
  13. 20003
  14. 20013
  15. 20023
  16. 20036
  17. 20043
  18. 20053
  19. 20067
  20. 20077
  21. 20084
  22. 20094
  23. 20104
  24. 20110
  25. 201211
  26. 20139
  27. 201410
  28. 20157
  29. 20165
  30. 20177
  31. 20184
  32. 20191
  33. 20203
  34. 20211
  35. 20220

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Volkswagen Passat: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/passat/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Volkswagen Passat?
647,105 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Volkswagen Passat have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 54 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Passat, model years 1988 to 2022. 4 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Volkswagen Passat name most often?
Suspension: 99 of 476 component mentions, or 208 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 82.6 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Volkswagen Passat open?
No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.