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Hello,

My heater core is leaking on my Passat 2001.What year was your car? And do you still have the information for VW America so that I can write to them?

vw beatle 99 i need to no the recalls in this car because i have a lot problems. thank you.

My heater core is leaking on my 1996 VR6 Passat. I am trying to get the dealership to pay for it. Any suggestions?

On my 88 jetta & now 90 passat Coolant berak down lowers boiling temp to 212f-230f and there is no pressure relif vave.A north american hot watter heater it is a manditory saftey equip.But I guess not on a jetta or passat. The heater core is the weakest link and it popps like a tea biscut. Unlike a one pipe heat exchanger ;this one has a plastic end cap pressed on its side to make connections. A oil or transmisson cooler might be a hi pressure answer. But first lets see If the dealer will do the right thing…. I will clean out my car real pretty.Take all my tools out and come in with coolant on my legs and try to pump the dealer to fix it.

I HAVE A 2000 VW JETTA AND I AM HAVING TO HAVE THE MASS AIR FLOW REPLACED AND THERE IS NOT ONE TO BE FOUND,HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART? THANKS FOR REPLYS

I HAVE A 2000 VW JETTA AND I AM HAVING TO HAVE THE MASS AIR FLOW REPLACED AND THERE IS NOT ONE TO BE FOUND,HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART? THANKS FOR REPLYS

i have a 95 passat vr6 and the heater core went out last week ho do i find out if there is a recal on this or not? any help would be good help thanks

My 97 Passat Heater Core just went out also, and my extended warranty, went belly up. Any help would be appreciated.

Jay

My 1996 Passat has a heater core problem too…big time. I need it replaced so any info on how to do it would be great. Also about the recalls.

I have a 2002 VW passat in which i have had to replace some hoses in July which cost about 700 dollars and i have now found out i have a bad heater core which is going to cost around 1000. Used to be a big fan of VW’s - i am no more.

My car is passat 2001 and my heater core blew in the past week I would also like to know about recalls and how to conntact.

I have a 93 passat, how do I fix the heating core myself? I took my dashboard out but I still cant reach it.

The heater core on my 2001 VW Passat with 47K miles,which only had a two year warranty, blew about 4 days before the end of my lease. I took it to the best repair shop I know and it is being fixed; I did not know about the heater core problems of Passat until I called the dealer after taking it to the local shop. Dealer told me that VW may not cover it because I did not bring it to dealer. I certainly don’t think that is right. Plan to call VW customer care 1st thin Monday. Will see if they are responsive.

VW Customer Care: 1-800-822-8987

I’m glad I ran across this site. The heater core on my 2001 passat blew at 39,000 miles. It was a $1,200 job at the dealer. I called VW of America and they agreed to pay the whole bill. I wouldn’t have even considered contacting VW if I didn’t see this site. Thanks.

Per my previous post of March 12, VW has agreed to pay parts, labor, and tax on parts only, not on the labor. So, I am out of pocket about 40.00. I plan to follow up on the labor tax issue. Total cost at a very proficient independent shop was 562.00, including parts, labor and tax. Quite a difference form the dealer charge of 1200.00 but no difference to consumer as long as VW reimburses.

i got 96 gti vr6 my heater core alsp blew out. i went to wv and told them about all the complaints and recalls but they said that was back in 88 or something! they wouldnt even look if i wasnt willing to pay them like $150 for the core and about $700 for labour so i decided to fix it myself! myself you might wonder,but i do have some mechanical experience! i started but taking everything appart even taking the whole dash out and it still wouldnt come out> there are 3 bolts right under the fire wall and another two under windshiled wipers screen that hold it in place and by taking all these off all i had to get rid of air conditioning lines which meant releseing the gas? SO MY QUESTION is does anybody know if its possible to take the heater core out without releasing gas? thanks!

Hi everyone,

I am having the same problem with the heater core going out. Does anyone know if there was a offical recall about the heater core.

Thanks,

Eric

Hey,

I’m so glad I found this site. I had a problem with a heater core on a 96 VW passat and called up VW of America. They told me to take it to a VW dealership, which I did. They paid for the whole thing :) so happy!!

Congrats! VW probably should have recalled this, but I guess they know where the cost-break point is and have chosen appropriately.

More people should know, though, so they can get it taken care of when it happens.

I had the exact same problem with my 2001 Jetta and per everyones advice I e-mailed VW of America. I’m now waiting on a response and I’ll post updates!

I have a 94 Jetta and the heater core has been gone for a while now. It has 154,000 miles on it and I really dont wanna fix it myself. Does anyone think that VW of America will help me on this?

Thanks

I have a ‘95 Passat VR6. The heater core went a few weeks ago. Found this site. Called VW of America and complained.

They covered everythign except the rebuild of the heater box (b/c the antifreeze ate up all the foam) I may still try to have them pay for that portion of the bill.

oh yeah…took some friends out to the bars afterwards on the good news, so I only saved $900 instead of $1000

VW of america just agreed to pay for a damaged heater Core for a 1999 Jetta.

I had been breathing the fumes for about a year as the problem was mis diagnosed.

Is anyone worried about the affects of repeated exposure to antifreeze etc. ?

I have a 1996 V6 Passat and the heater core just went bad Dec 13. I called VW of America, took the car to a dealer and they said “no” so be careful. I’m going to keep trying but it doesn’t look hopeful.

I have a ‘95 Passat and the same thing happened, it blew out while driving and I couldn’t even wipe it off the windshield, it just kept smearing. I will give VW a call. This is unreal, all these cars with the same problem. How has the success rate been lately with getting them to cover it? Thanks Chris

Well I called VW support and spoke with a Shaun McFarland who took my information, then put his regional manger on the line, who wanted to know if there were any injuries as a result(and I imagine pending lawsuit), I said no, then was fed canned answers, that all began with “well Mr. *** we can’t help you…”. This is my second passat and will definately be the last considering this is a well known issue with them. Their customer service line is nothing more than a “sorry we can’t help you unless there has been a recall or injury” line. Considering the cost of aquisition and parts and repairs VW does not seem to be a company worth doing business with. I will post my results to all the VW forums I can find and also point them to this post. Well a lesson learned and remember BUY American!!! What really amazes me is the obvious canned responses from the manager, I think they have to memorize them ALL before they can become manager. Sheeesh…

Sorry to hear it – you may have better luck if you persist.. I got the impression when I talked to them that they were worried about a lawsuit whether or not I indicated I would pursue one.. Once I mentioned the hot coolant spewing all over the inside of the car they seemed a little more eager to placate me..

I am surprised the number of complaints about the heater core in the B4 Passats hasn’t been enough for them to just pay for them as they come in, or even issue a recall, rather than risk a class-action or something, but maybe there’s not enough of a problem for that.

Ill be damn what is it with VW? My 2001 passat at 47k just had the heater core crap out. Misty smoke billwoing out the vents and all. Great to hear they will pick up the tab. I almost took it to a local shop to fix for $1200

My heater core on my 2001 Passat 1.8 Turbo (B5 series) got clogged around 95K miles. Dealer flushed it for about $400, said it would solve problem. Now, four months later it is clogged again and producing very little heat. Wrote letter to VW of America and they called back next day and said sorry can’t help. I called back and complained again and again they said can’t help, car is too old and is too many miles past warranty.

This is not the only problem I’ve had with this car. I’ve spent around $2000 in repairs over the past year - had failed turn signal, tie-rod ends, engine sensor. Now I have a check engine light for emissions, too. VW dealer says $1200 for new heater core.

Needless to say, I won’t be buying another VW. Too high maintenance!! POOR QUALITY!!! It seems this is a continuing problem that VW should be resolving. Is there any way we can apply pressure to VW to remedy this problem?

Well that sucked. They said no warrenty? can’t help ya. I even tried the “i almost got in an accident when it exploded” angle and they said pretty much said “Thats nice sir. You can pick up your car at the dealership. The bill is almost $1200. Have a nice day.” Great way to start off my weekend. :P

IMPORTANT: The same thing happened to my 2002 1.8L Turbo Passat. It had 64,000 miles (out of warranty) but the dealer fought for me and VW America took care of it. Now here is the important part: At 94,000 miles my engine has just blown up. I did everything right (synthetic oil changes, serviced at Volkswagen mostly). This should not happen. I am going to have to fight hard to have them take care of this one. It will cost $8,030 (in Bay Area of CA) to fix. PLEASE consider selling your car now if you own this model!

I just bought a 2001 Passat and the defrost blows but does not defrost. I suspect a heater core leak. How did you discover that your heater core leaked? Did you get results from VW of America? Is this a recall? Will they fix it after warrantee is expired?

My 2002 Passat had the the fumes so bad inside that the I could not see out of the windows. Took it to the dealer and got quoted $2,800. to fix the leaking heater core and fan clutch!!!! I almost fainted. I wrote and called VW America and they said “sorry your car has too many miles on it”(65K)! this is outrageous, I am going to pursue consumer complaint divisions and possibly legal remedies. Please respond back if you are interested in reporting your heater core problems -

I have a 2000 VW Passat 4 Cyl, the heater core is cracked. I contacted VW of America and they said I needed to get a diagnosis by the VW dealer, so I did last week, paid $99.00 for the 1 hr diagnostic fee, even though the service consultant told me they already knew the diagnosis and it took his tech 10 min to diagnosis it professionally. I awaited a call back from VW of America, they said 48 hours. They just told me yesterday that they can’t assist with any of the repairs ($1193.00) because of the age of the car and the mileage 89K Can you believe this? I have read here that 10 yr + cars are getting repaired by VW of America. Is there any recourse here?

So my heater core in my 97 passat goes out the other week, I get sick, miss a couple days of work. I keep driving, get sick again and then my coolant light goes on. so i call vw and the dudes a douche, so i call vw of america and that guy tells me that i do not qualify for any compensation of the repair. he even told me vw knows about the problem but there is not enough of a danger to the owner on the passat to issue a bulletin or recall. this is bullshit. I am the 2nd owner on this car, and vw can damn well expect to hear from me a lot more. I will call them everyday until i get either compensated, a bulletin written, a recall issued, or a lawsuit. I say we go class action on their ass.

the heater core in my 96 gti blew out and damaged the coil pack,the carpets as well as hot coolant all over my feet. vw told me they would not repair or compensate for the work needed. the milage is under 100k and im pissed. can we force them to do a recall with a lawsuit?

Does anyone know of any legal action taking place against VW America? I have a 2003 passat wagon and the engine blew at 23,000 miles, since then I have had nothing but problems. My engine died again at 44,000, hoses had blown and needed a rental car. VW told me where to send the reciepts for reimbursement and then recieved a letter telling me that would not cover the cost because this repair was not covered under warranty but as a “GIFT” to me they covered it and I should be happy that it was covered. I have contacted VW many times regarding all these problems and have had nothing but “Sorry for your problems but there is nothing we can do”. I leased this car and I am turning it in early because I can not trust it to drive anywhere with the kids in it. They told me that they would settle my lease after the car goes to auction. I can’t believe that VW would resell this car to another individual. Volkswagon is the worst company I have every dealt with and would never give them business again. I hope this helps someonelse avoid buying a piece of crap like I unknowingly did. Don’t buy VW!

Have ‘93 Passat VR6, blown heater core @ 210k. VWA(Canada) @ 1-800-822-8987 is a call center and you can’t get through to anyone who can do anything. On a vehicle of this age you can’t go running up a minimum $1200 bill to have the dealer fix it, so you have to do it yourself. It is a nightmare first having to remove the dash and disconnect all the wiring harness, but worse without a factory schematic of how the heater box and evaporator housing can be pulled apart without disconnecting the A/C lines, you are in a jam. All I want is VW to provide this schematic and then I will get on with the job. The local dealer, who didn’t sell the vehicle originally, won’t assist with this, and the call center say that they can’t access it. What a way to sour cutomer relationships? Bring on the class action suit. There will be hundreds of us just itching to get a few licks in. In the meantime, if anyone has a schematic or pictures and can help out, it will be much appreciated.

We have the older 2001 Passat GLX model. The vehicle has approximately 55k miles. Sometime in early 2005, a thick white fog began to roll through the interior compartment. I topped off the fluids, and hoped that the ‘problem’ would correct itself. More than a week after the smoke began, it stopped. No more smoke. I thought, “Great! I guess it’s not the heater core afterall.” Well, it’s now October 2006 and the smoke has returned - more billowy than ever. I just spent $1,135 to replace the CV joints / Boots and Tie Rods - after a mere 55k miles. Now I can only assume this is going to cost another arm and a leg. I hate this car. It has been nothing but a black hole for which my money is siphoned away. I will never, EVER, buy another VW so long as I live. Our car may be rated highly for safety, but it has been nothing but a lemon with regards to reliability, dependability and durability. Volkswagen should realize that quality is more than just a pretty package, what is on the inside is more important.

I have a 2001 1/2 Passat V6. My heater core is bad. I am bringing the car to the dealer next week. I have a call into the Customer Care number. I will find out if they will pay for the heater car. My car has 80,000 miles. My car has many of the other problems listed on this site, CV joints & boots replaced, and evap coil sensor needs replacement, as check engine light comes on sometimes. I also had both heat light assemblies replaced as the wiring was bad and I was getting blown bulbs constantly.

i would not recc’d attempting this job. you will hate your car when done and you may have multiple other problems when your job is done like broken plastic parts which are hard and expensive to come by. good luck… Nate

I HAVE BEEN SERVICING THESE PILES FOR MANY YEARS NOW AND FEEL YOUR FRUSTRATIONS. TRUST ME… HEATER CORES ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE AND COSTLY. I WOULD HIGHLY REC’D STEERING AWAY FROM ALL JOKESWAGONS AND OUCHIES (AUDI’S) INDEFINATELY!

This same thing I have been reading about the heater core of the 01 Passats just happened to my wife and I a couple of hours ago. I got online to see if I could track down any info because my first thought was that it was, in fact, the heater core.

Imagine this… you and your pregnant wife begin to pull out of a fast food drive through, turning on the AC because it’s gotten hot while sitting in line. You’re about to enjoy your food, when, without warning a dense fog saturated with engine coolant begins spraying profusely out of the air vents, initiating corporate panic. Simultaneously, extremely hot liquid coolant begins hitting your wife (who’s driving) on the top of her bare, flip flop-clad feet. Since you’re on a gentle hill and your wife has no desire to place her feet back on the pedals into the stream of scalding coolant, you begin to drift backwards towards the cars that have come up behind you. Luckily, the stream of hot liquid subsides with enough time to depress the brake pedal. You pull over into a parking space and wonder what the heck just happened!

The more I thought about it the more I realized it’s just bizarre for something like that to happen. I’m glad I found these posts from other VW owners. It’s encouraged my wife and I to take action in seeing this problem addressed.

A small addendum…

I forgot to mention that the coolant had apparently spewed down through our instrument panel, rendering the whole assembly inoperable. No tachometer, speedometer, pressure gauges, clock, or odometer. Fortunately, since we lived only a mile down the road we were able to make it home.

My suggestion to you would be to pay for it yourself and stop being cheap. Take responsibility for yourself, if you haven’t already.

i have a 1993 passat. i am doing the heater core any advice

2002 passat v6 4motion 85k miles - $2k to replace heater core. the part is only like 200$ = 1800$ labor! i wonder if they will reimburse at least some of that ridiculous labor bill.

Bill I feel like your twin! My 2000 Passat has the emissions warning, a bad rear turn signal, no heat… I’m scared to think about my tie-rods, etc. MG

what a douchebag

I have the same problem with a 2002 Passat GLS 1.8t. Bad heater core. None of the other symptoms except my heat doesn’t work. $1200 quote to repair it. I called VWofA and talked to the customer care person AND their supervisor. Both of them told me to pound sand. I do have 125k miles on the car, but c’mon. I have had the car serviced EVERY recommended time at a VW dealer since I got it. I have paid to have the entire computer replaced because it fried in a rainstorm, ($5k) and in the first 3 days that I bought the car, the drain system in the sunroof area overflowed and filled my whole car about 6 inches of water. (I parked on a slight incline and had the VW brand sunroof air guard, which caused the water to pool and drain down inside.) THe window motor died - $500 to fix it. Nothing but problems with this car. Anyone know a good non-VW shop to bring this to fix the heater core in the PHiladelphia area? I can’t see paying $1200 if I could only sell the car for about $4500.

sorry meant “core”

I have a 97 Passat and now need the heater core replaced because the fitting sheared off at the firewall. Figured I’d at least take a shot at calling VW and seeing what they would do to help. The Customer Advocate (and don’t you just know how helpful they’re gonna be with a title like that?) told me that VW hasn’t issued a recall because “we haven’t had any reports of this happening to other 97s.” If enough customers complain, they “might” do something.

In the meantime, he could send me a $750 coupon good on the purchase of a brand-new VW. This, he assured me, would enhance my VW ownership experience. Really, $750 off a car that costs how much?! Hard to believe he was actually serious. I used to like my Passat, but with the cost of the repairs, I won’t be buying another one.

Mr. Reynolds, if you understand the theme here… (mind you, having owned 7 VWs myself; several bought new…other bought used from dealer)…

VW has had heater core issues with their cars dating back the first water cooled cars (post-Beetle…which was air cooled and had no heater core).

Several of my cars, having been as old as 6-8 years old, had the heater cores replaced for free by dealer without me even asking. VW has a cult following of owner/drivers partly because they own up to their problems. A heater core is not a part that should fail. It is much like an engine block…which should also not fail. If it does, it suggests a design problem. If many, many VW cars exhibit the very same problem, it confirms the design problem. Many other people have had their heater cores replaced free of charge; why is it a problem to ask VW to chip in?

Before everyone gets in real deep on the heater core issue, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the reason heater cores “explode” coolant into the car or fail to deliver heat is one simple cause: clogged.

Two important notes:

1. Why are they clogged? Most common cause: incorrect coolant used in the car (anything greenish in color…ie Prestone). This will result in the mesh filter in the core clogging since that coolant, when meeting with certain metals and the factory coolant inside the system, will thicken. It’s not a unique problem with VW; my Mercedes had the same problem except it clogs the radiator; not the heater core.
2. The heater core can be “blown out” using compressed air. Back flushing typically does not put enough pressure on the core to pop the clogged filter out.

So, moral to the story: USE ZEREX G05 OR FACTORY COOLANT ONLY KIDS.

Now, since the 2001 Passat GLX 4motio wagon I bought yesterday also doesn’t have heat, but does have fresh Zerex G05, I can guess that it had some yellow Prestone (worst coolant on the planet) in there before I got hold of it.

I have driven VW’s my entire adult life!! My heater core on my 96 GLX VR6 went bad at 85,000 miles - all of the antifreeze ($25.00 per bottle G11 - blue) leaked outside the car. Had to have it towed. Called VW of America - same story - nothing we can do because the car is too old…they sounded like the “stepford wives”! Apparently these heater cores have the same part number as the ones used in the 1990 heater core recall - they are defective and VW knows it and doesn’t give a damn - perhaps that’s why VW dealerships are closing left and right. Right now mine is by-passed (cost $60). Winter is coming and I don’t know what to do. This is a dangerous problem and they don’t care. They asked me if I’d shown “dealer loyalty”!! Who can afford dealer loyalty these days? Does anyone know if those portable heaters that plug into your lighter work?

So glad to find this site! JUST TODAY bought a used 2003 VW Passat that I LOVE and got home to find the heater core is bad and had been bypassed. Anybody know if there is a chance that VW would do anything for me if the dealership will not when I call their hand on it since they said the heat worked fine? Love the car, hate the liars that sold it to me.