1998 Volkswagen Passat electrical system problems
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 1998 Volkswagen Passat — 8% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Fire in rubber boot housing between left rear door and car frame. Preceding events, left rear door speaker was not functioning, left rear window functioned sometimes. Door was closed after returning home and parking garage. Arcing was heard and smoke came from door. Owner removed many fuses from…”
filed Sep 14, 2010
“The abs light comes on,followed by the brake light blinking the engine oil light comes on and the tachometer goes to 0 and stops working even though I am accelerating. There are many others with this same issue it can be researched on…”
filed Jan 14, 2009
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger. Updated to include additional model year applicability.
V271901201189422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2022
Electrical System problems in other Passat years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Passat | 10 | 22% |
| 2017 Passat | 17 | 16% |
| 2016 Passat | 22 | 21% |
| 2015 Passat | 48 | 20% |
| 2014 Passat | 73 | 12% |
| 2013 Passat | 93 | 12% |
| 2012 Passat | 95 | 20% |
| 2010 Passat | 21 | 13% |
| 2009 Passat | 18 | 12% |
| 2008 Passat | 21 | 13% |
| 2007 Passat | 34 | 13% |
| 2006 Passat | 79 | 14% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 Volkswagen Passat
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.