2007 Volkswagen Passat Brakes Problems

AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING OUR VOLKSWAGEN HOME FROM WORK, HE WAS MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE AT RUSH HOUR, AND JUST AS HE GOT UP TO SPEED, THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED (IT'S ELECTRIC--IT JUST TURNED ITSELF ON!). HE MANAGED TO STOP SAFELY AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE VW DEALER, WHERE THEY LOOKED AT IT AND CALLED US WITH AN LONG LIST OF THINGS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE FIXED--THE VALVES BLEW, THE CV JOINTS CRACKED, THE TRANSMISSION BASICALLY EXPLODED, ETC ETC ETC. IT'S ABOUT $6K WORTH OF REPAIRS! WE HAD IT INSPECTED ONLY 2 WEEKS BEFORE AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE, SO WE'RE PRETTY SURE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE SUDDENLY ENGAGES AT THAT 70 MPH. I DON'T KNOW HOW MY HUSBAND MANAGED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I AM CERTAIN I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. FURTHER RESEARCH ONLINE SHOWS THAT THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE ON THE 2005-2010 PASSATS FREQUENTLY HAD PROBLEMS, DISENGAGING OR ENGAGING UNPREDICTABLY. THE VW DEALER SERVICE DESK TOLD US THAT THEY HAD SEEN A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON A CC SPORT JUST TWO WEEKS PRIOR (THEY ACTUALLY NOTED THIS IN THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT THEY GAVE US). I WAS TELLING THIS STORY AT CHURCH, AND A LADY OVERHEARD AND TOLD ME THAT THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED IN HER VW--THOUGH LUCKILY THEY WEREN'T GOING SO FAST AND THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS AROUND. *TR

ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND ABNORMALLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE ALSO EXHIBITED AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. NUMBER 06V472000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKING ASSIST SYSTEM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. AFTER DIAGNOSIS, THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE BRAKE VACUUM LINE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. *TR

WENT TO GO GRAB LUNCH YESTERDAY. AS I PARKED I PLACED THE PARKING BRAKE ON. HOWEVER ONCE I CAME BACK TO THE CAR. THE BRAKE WOULD NOT REMOVE ITSELF. THE SYSTEM KEPT READING PARKING BRAKE FAULT. I HAD TO WAIT THERE UNTIL A TOW TRUNK CAME TO TOW ME TO THE DEALER. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE ALSO CAME TO PARK A FEW TIMES IN THE BRAKE PLACED ITSELF ON. *TR

LEAVING MY HOME ON MY WAY TO WORK IN THE AM MY BRAKES FAILED THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN PANIC AND PUMPING THEY RETURNED BEFORE I REACHED THE STOP SIGN, THE 2007 PASSAT WAGON HAS NO EBRAKE JUST A BUTTON FOR THE PARKING BRAKE, WHICH I DID NOT USE. I DROVE THE CAR FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS WITHOUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN, THEN AT THE SAME STOP SIGN (THE FIRST ONE I REACH WHEN I LEAVE MY HOUSE IN THE AM) IT HAPPENED AGAIN, PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, PUMP,PANIC & JUST BEFORE THE INTERSECTION THEY WORK. THE WEATHER ON BOTH OCCASIONS WAS RAINY, AND ABOUT 38 DEGREES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES, THE MECHANIC SAID IF I WAS DESPERATE I COULD PUSH AND HOLD THE PARKING BRAKE BUTTON THIS WOULD LOCK THE CARS BRAKES AND PUT IT INTO A SKID. I AM STILL DRIVING IT WITHOUT ANY MORE FAILURES BUT I FEAR ANOTHER ONE WILL. THE ONLY REASON I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE A CRASH FROM THE FAILURES IS BECAUSE THIS IS RURAL DRIVING. *TR

I OWN A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAGON WITH A 2.0 LITER TURBO ENGINE. IT WAS PURCHASED IN JULY 2008 AS A CERTIFIED PRE OWNED VEHICLE WITH ROUGHLY 8,000 MILES ON IT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, I NOTICED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED HARD, THE PEDAL WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. VW INSPECTED THIS AND TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DESIGNED TO FUNCTION THIS WAY. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS (AS I DISCOVERED LATER ON) IS THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL ARE VERY CLOSE TOGETHER. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED HARD, IT GOES PAST THE GAS PEDAL. ON TWO OCCASSIONS WHEN BRAKING HARD IN AN EMERGENCY, MY FOOT CAUGHT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND I WAS APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE. THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE VERY DANGEROUS. VOLKSWAGEN CONTINUES TO TELL ME THAT THIS IS HOW THE CAR IS AND THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE FOR ME. *TR

MY 2007 VW PASSAT HAS BROKEN DOWN 4 TIMES IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS WITH REAR BRAKE FAILURE. THE MFG. HAS NEVER FIXED THIS PROBLEM, AND IS UNRESPONSIVE TO MY NUMEROUS REQUESTS, TO REPURCHASE OR FIX MY VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A VERY SERIOUS DEFECT AS IT CAUSES MY REAR BRAKES TO BE INOPERABLE. THIS IS THE FIRST PRODUCTION YEAR FOR VW ELECTRIC REAR BRAKES, AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES SLIP AND GRIP RAPIDLY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURS WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH AND BELOW. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR THE THIRD TIME AND IS TAKING LONGER TO REPAIR THAN USUAL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 15,000.