2004 Volkswagen Passat Fuel System Problems

Which parts fail

• Delivery › Fuel pump
  6
• Delivery
  5
• Fuel injection system
  1
• Storage › Tank assembly › Filling/charging
  1

Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  12%
• 25k–50k
  00%
• 50k–75k
  1428%
• 75k–100k
  1428%
• 100k–150k
  1224%
• 150k+
  918%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that there was gasoline leaking in his driveway where the vehicle was parked, after he had refueled the vehicle the day before. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic informed the contact that it was a known failure related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V156000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the failure was addressed in 2012 and the recall was closed on the VIN. The failure mileage was 97,361.

There was a recall reported by the manufacturer, Volkswagenm in 2008. There were multiple Fuel System issues: A Heat Shield that may contact the exhaust system and result in a vehicle fire; a fuel leak from a fuel line or fuel tank ventilation valve, in the presence of an ignition source, can lead to a vehicle fire. In 2008, my car was inspected and the recall was deemed "complete." However, the car was only 4 years old at the time and no repairs were made. Only a visual inspection was done. I bought the car used 6 years ago, and it has been diagnosed as having a defective fuel tank ventilation valve. VW should pay for the parts and labor to have this fixed because it was never fixed. I've been told there's no statue of limitations on recalls. VW claims that because the recall was deemed "Complete" that they "fixed" the issue but they didn't.

A fuel leak has developed from the top side of the fuel tank on the drivers side of me vehicle. A fuel leak in this manner is a serious critical and immediate safety risk. Recall 08V156000 was 'performed' on my vehicle back in 2008 but the exact same fuel system safety defect has returned. VW acknowledges the recall and claims it was completed while only an inspection to check for fuel leaks was performed at the time. VW Care and my local dealership refuse to address the ongoing issue. This poses a continued fire risk, and I am now being told to pay out of pocket for a known safety recall that clearly failed to remedy the original defect.

The Passat ignited in our driveway at 4:00 a.m. It had not been started/driven in a week. We woke to the sound of the tire bursting. There is a houston police department /arson case # [redacted] - phone # [redacted]. Inspector [redacted]. He said the ignition area of the car was the start of the fire. I think he was arson department. The car was totaled. We are lucky we did not loose our house and neighbor's if we had not heard the tire blow. I am not exactly sure of the mileage but know it was low for the year and think it was below 90,000...updated 05/02/16

I purchased a 2004 vw Passat 1.8 liter turbo 4motion station wagon on August 12, 2015. Within one hour of purchasing I took it to fill it up with fuel. The fuel tank began leaking immediately. I took it back to the dealer I bought it from and they attempted to fix it by replacing an o-ring about three weeks later, meanwhile advising me to not fill the tank past the 3/4 full mark until they fixed it. This did not fix the problem, it still leaked when it was filled above the 3/4 tank level. I took it to another mechanic who reinstalled the same o-ring, again unsuccessfully, at my expense. I subsequently learned of a recall regarding the failure of the fuel tank and the venting system. I called Volkswagen and was informed that they had "fixed" the recall issue in 2008 and that any further action would be at my expense and could involve replacing the fuel tank, a very expensive proposition. …

Purchased a used 2004 vw Passat glx 4motion with 91K miles and no accident or damage history per carfax.. First fill of the gas tank revealed a severe leak of greater than 180 drops per minute. The leak occurred at all times with the car running or turned off and the key removed. The leak stopped after the gas gauge moved below f. Removed rear seat and noticed fuel wetting on the exterior of the tank adjacent to the fuel level sensor. Using a mirror fuel was visible coming from the vent boss adjacent to the fuel level sensor. This exact issue is covered under vwoa recall 26e5/r5 NHTSA campaign # 08V156000. I contacted vw customer service and they informed me my vehicle VIN [redacted] is not eligible however they did not say why. The carfax report states that a heat shield was replaced 8/11/2008. Recall 26e5/r5 involves a heat shield as well as the fuel tank. …

When you fill up the fuel tank it leaks it leaks a quarter of a tank of fuel roughly 4 to 5 gallons of fuel drip out there's a factory recall on this issue I took it to the Volkswagen dealer paid money to have them inspect it and they said yes it's leaking at the factory recall I've had an independent dealer confirm that! Volkswagen will not do anything due to what they claim a remedy was done by moving fuel lines 10 years ago, obviously it was not or I would not have 4 gallons of fuel spill in my driveway vehicle is basically in operable and they want $3000 to put a new fuel tank in when it's a factory recall which never expires I have talk to the Volkswagen rep and the only thing I have found in forums is do you have to go to volts wagon of America and fight them and this is ridiculous when they know they have an issue!! …

2004 Volkswagen Passat 4motion, the fuel tank rollover/vent valve on the top of the tank has cracked and is leaking gasoline onto the exhaust system. The tank was filled up on 2/22/2015 and started leaking large amounts of fuel from the top of the tank over the exhaust. This continued until the tank reached 3/4 full. If the fuel tank is filled above 3/4 it will leak fuel until it gets to 3/4. If the vehicle is parked with the front downhill, it continues to leak beyond the 3/4 point. This failure was part of a previous vw 2008 NHTSA mandated recall 08V156000, but only required dealer inspection of the rollover/vent valve and not replacement of the fuel tank with a functional part, if it was not leaking when inspected then do nothing. The rollover/vent is integral to the vw Passat AWD tank, and the complete fuel tank has to be replaced. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Passat. After refueling and parking the vehicle, the contact later discovered fuel had leaked out from the vehicle onto the floor of the garage. Fuel was also visible underneath the rear seat of the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that fuel was leaking from the fuel valve. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Passat. While pumping fuel into the vehicle, the strong odor of fuel was present. In addition, while driving 35 MPH, the odor was still present. The failure recurred constantly. The dealer diagnosed that the fuel tank ventilation valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Fuel System complaints in other Passat years