Faults:

CV boot (driver side).

CV joint (passenger side).

Front left upper control arm.

On-board computer goes blank and/or resets once in a while.

Alternator is noisy, will need to be replaced soon.

Secondary air injection pump noisy when the engine is cold.

Rear wiper washer failed...

... and as a result the tailgate lock is not working properly, as well as the trunk light is not working.

The seat heaters are not working properly: barely warm on 4 and very hot on 5. 1-3 gives no heat at all.

Water in left taillight and right headlight assembly.

Hood lock needed to be replaced.

Driver's window switch.

General Comments:

Handling is awesome for a family wagon.

Engine is very strong once the turbo kicks in. Effortless passing on back roads.

Very roomy trunk and the seats fold flat.

Fit and finish is above standard for the class, materials are very good.

Faults:

4 window motors.

Warped rotors twice.

Turbo replaced.

Flex pipe.

Both front axles.

Water pump.

Rattles everywhere from inside and out.

Tie rods.

Ball joints

Two speakers stopped working.

What hasn't gone bad.

General Comments:

This car is slow and gets horrible gas mileage for being a 4 banger.

I thought VW had good build quality; guess not, it has way too many rattles inside the cabin.

Horrible in snow.

Non power seats; you have to reach behind you to adjust, they only adjust a certain way; very uncomfortable!!!

So much for german engineering.

Faults:

No major issues as I read in this forum... I have only had regular maintenance issues.

General Comments:

Great car in terms of the drive, comfort, looks, safety...

Faults:

L.E.D information cluster not functioning properly, back seat power supply flip-out tray lasted 3 months after purchase, recently replaced oil pump and several other internal engine components that were not covered under my bumper to bumper manufacturer warranty. At this point I don't have much faith in the V.A.G group when it comes to honoring their obligation to a warranty. I purchased a 20th anniversary GTI shortly after purchasing the Passat wagon. I'm considering trading them both in on something more reliable. Both my cars have been serviced with full synthetic oil since purchase.

General Comments:

Handles great at all speeds, very quick for a wagon. Cheap on gas.

Faults:

Brake wear warning light comes on intermittently (mostly when it is very cold -10 deg up in the mountains), even though there is 4/5 mm left on the pads. Not a real problem. Suspect the wear limit is set high to cover the risk of brakes wearing out without you noticing.

Slight vibration noise from engine at 1500 revs. Checked under warranty - VW didn't identify problem officially, but a mechanic mentioned he had heard something similar with a Skoda Octavia. Found to be slightly loose air intake pipes - I eventually fixed with gaffer tape. Vibration has stopped!

General Comments:

Goes like a bat out of Hell! - watch out for speed cameras !

Really luxurious on a long run and very very comfortable.

Faults:

Tiptronic would not shift down in "manual mode".

Condensation in headlamp.

General Comments:

Both problems promptly fixed by courteous dealer under warranty.

This is my second Passat (first was a 2000 V6 GLS Wagon, which was excellent apart from a failing water pump at 40K).

Beats the pants off Camrys & Accords. Build quality light years ahead of American cars.

MPG: 22 town,30 highway. Premium gas.