Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have had my 2003 vw Passat a year now I have just noticed in the past week that it had a leak I thought it was from the window or sun roof I went to vacuum the car out on a nice day and seen that it still had very wet carpet and then noticed the carpet was a green color like it was coolant I then had my bf check it and it is. I run a daycare and use this car daily with my children we have been breathing in this coolant for weeks now and that probably explains my daughter saying she gets headaches when we drive the car. I have done some research and see it is a very common and recalled thing with the heater core and I had no idea I hope us breathing this in hasn't done any damage I have a one year old who has been in it this whole time as well.im very unpleased with this car.
Failure of electrical system due to interior water leaks into the footwell area from blocked plenum drain. As stated in the June 18,2004 vw technical service bulletin vehicle has 28,000miles . It is a lease. First electrical problems began at approx 20,000 miles when air bag light and check engine light came on and remained on. Service department kept car for 3 weeks and repaired. Second problem key lock system failed. Unable to start the vehicle needed to re-do codes and replace keys, also changed steering wheel. Third problem, dampness on floor of drivers side, front and back., trunk opened while driving, interior lights remained on unless turned off manually, door locks opened and closed randomly while driving, alarm system went off randomly, sound system went on and stayed on after car was vacant. Car needed to be jump started in order to use. …
After rainstorm, our 2003 Passat wagon began developing a musty odor with no apparent water inside the vehicle. For a couple of days, the alarm also would go off for no reason. Eventually, the odor subsided and we thought nothing of it until the next major rainstorm a few months later. After this event, water apparently leaked into the front passenger side of the car through a sunroof drain and caused the electrical system in the car to go haywire. My wife had to drive the car 20 minutes with our 4-month old baby while the alarm system went off, lights flashing on and off, and all of the electrical system generally going haywire. The locks ceased to work, the windows could not be put up, and the trunk couldn't be opened. The dealer told us that the leak was caused by clogging in the sunroof drain, which they said is very common. …
I have a 2003 vw Passat. I've had two leaks into the front right floorboard in the past six months from either a sunroof drain line or a air conditioner. The leaks have produced so much water that it has gone to right back floorboard. The plastic on the interior is worn off. The ashtray fell apart. They can't seem to get the alignment right so I keep going through tires and the tires I do have sound uneven when I rotate them, making me think there's a problem. Hove replaced the headlights three times in 1 and 1/2 years. There's a defect investigation into fires in the engine and a recall on oil sludge. This car is an accident waiting to happen and it's very poorly engineered. One thing after another. Vw has on a bunch of recalls already on this model, to many for me to feel safe with. I'm abandoning the car today, trading it in for something else. Will never buy a vw again. …
I have a 2003 vw Passat that has leaked water from the sunroof drain tubes and pollen filter. The water pooled into the floor pans under the carpet all over the car and threatens all of the electronic components stored on the floor of the vehicle. Vw dealer wants over $1000 to fix this issue even though there is nothing stated anywhere in the owner manual regarding drain tube maintenance or pollen filter leaks. These drains are neither easily accessible or visible (especially the rear drain channels). These problems are clearly engineering flaws and there are tons of documented cases all over the internet of the same problem occurring. Vw does not acknowledge this problem and the dealership is charging huge amounts of money for parts and labor to clean up all of the water damage and fried electronics. This really needs to be looked into and considered for action. …
I recently leased a vw passatt station wagon and things have gone wrong with it even before the car had 300 miles on it. The car has less than 5000 miles on it and it has spent some 10 days at the repair shop. Defects have included a transmission that would disengage, heated seats that would not turn off, A/C and side mirrors that would not work, a module had to be replaced, the car had to be aligned, the front spoiler fell off, a speaker had to be replaced, part of the trim on the back was falling off, the memory settings on the driver's seat were not working, and the sun roof was rattling. The sales department has responded to all my calls by saying that I need to talk to the service department or to vw corporate directly. I have done both, when I called vw corporate they responded that as long as the car was driveable they would cover it under warranty and would not replace the car. …
This is a 2003 vw Passat with 27,000 miles. It is kept outside in northern california. There have been rains here recently, expected this time of year. The rear footwell was found to have water in it recently. Neither the sunroof nor windows had been left open. Although the vehicle has been maintained by vw dealers according to schedule, the bottom of the sunroof drain tube was clogged, backing water up. The resulting damage included carpet, dampened transmission control unit, wiring harness and a safety relay amounting to over $3,000 to repair. The dealer is replacing the damaged parts and unclogging the drain tube. There is no guarantee that this will fix the problem permanently. The transmission control module had an internal short
Water leaked in to the passenger compartment of the vw Passat. The transmission electronic controls are located under the floor mat of the passenger side of the auto. The water shorted out the electronics for the transmission disabling the vehicle. A vw dealer repaired the Passat by replacing the electronics at a cost of $2250.00 to us. They also modified the air intake to prevent future damage. This was the second time we had the auto in for cabin water. The service rep. Told me there is a problem with the cabin air intake and this was replaced under a recall on the 2000, 2001 and 2002 years of the Passat. He tried vw for warranty but they declined.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that a new pair of rare brakes failed on her vehicle after 14,952 miles. She usually gets over 36,000 miles on a pair of brakes. She stated that the brake pads failed and damaged the rotors. The contact feels that the pads are defective and should have lasted longer than 14,000 miles. She also feels that the dealer should cover the cost of the new pads. The current and failure mileages were 95,100. Updated 04/21/09. The serpentine belt was cracked, the power steering fluid was low, the vc boot and hood strut was replaced.. Updated 04/21/09.
Car was constantly getting the passenger side (front and back) flooded w water during a rain storm. Had to get new battery cleaned out sunroof drainage. It didn't matter. Whenever it rained the battery would be dead because the control module which is there is all messed up sending mixed messages. Finely just died in the middle of the road. Not worth putting money into the car. I purchased this car less then a year ago and had this problem after the first rain and went down from their. Im so disappointed hoping buying a used vw I was going to be satisfied but had nothing trouble from day one.
Body complaints in other Passat years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Volkswagen Passat?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Volkswagen Passat, 5% of the model year's 631 complaints. The component named most often is body (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Volkswagen Passat body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2003 Volkswagen Passat, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Volkswagen Passat body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.