Problems · by component
1999 Volkswagen Passat vehicle speed control problems
32 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1999 Volkswagen Passat cite vehicle speed control, 5% of all 664 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
32
5% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I WOS DRIVING FROM WORK TO HOME I TOOK THE PARKWAY I WOS GOING 60 MILES THEN IN HIS OWN THE CAR STARTING INCREASING SPEED SO I MOVE THE SHOULDER I PUT THE CAR NEUTRAL AND STOP THE CAR.THE TOOK ME 3 TRY TO THE CAR GO BACK TO NORMAL. I DONT KNOW IF THIS CAR GOT I RECALL.”
“PASSAT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE UNDER NO PRESSURE TO PEDAL. PASSAT STARTED TO ACCELERATE FAIRLY SLOWLY BUT STEADILY AT FIRST, THEN IT INCREASED. IT WASN'T POSSIBLE TO DECELERATE/NO PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL STOPPED THE ACCELERATION. IT BEGAN TO REACH AN UNSAFE SPEED THEN I BEGAN TO DOWNSHIFT AND TO APPLY THE BRAKE IN SEQUENCE TO SLOW THE PASSAT, THEN I TRIED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE TO COAST IT ONTO THE SHOULDER, BUT THE SPEED REMAINED TOO HIGH TO HALT THE CAR. HAVING NO OTHER WAY TO SLOW THE VEHICLE, I STARTED TO DOWNSHIFT AND TO APPLY EXTREME PRESSURE TO THE BREAKS, AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE ENOUGH AFTER SEVERAL MILES OF DOWNSHIFTING AND RIDING THE BREAKS TO REACH A POINT AT WHICH I COULD SHIFT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, THEN BEGAN COASTING IT UP A LONG DRIVEWAY WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE AND REV. I THEN DROPPED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BREAK, THEN FORCED THE TRANS INTO PARK AND SHUT THE PASSAT OFF. THE FRONT BREAKS WERE BOTH GLOWING, WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAVING BURST INTO FLAMES AS A RESULT OF THE FRICTION AND HEAT FROM HAVING RIDDEN THEM FOR SEVERAL MILES. SHOP THAT EXAMINED THE PASSAT ASSESSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY CONTROL MODULE…”
“1999 VW PASSAT GLX ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND WOULD NOT STOP WHEN BRAKES WERE PRESSED OR CAR WAS PUT INTO NEUTRAL. CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND SPEED KEPT INCREASING. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY PRESSING THE BRAKES. CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. *TR”
“WINTER 2008-2009 HAD SEVERAL TIMES WHEN CAR WOULD ACCELERATE ON IT'S OWN. BRAKES DID NOT HELP. ONLY WAY TO STOP IS TO APPLY BRAKES WITH BOTH FEET AND SLOW DOWN ENOUGH TO PULL OVER AND PUT IN NEUTRAL, WHICH MAKES TAC GO OVER 7000 RPM'S. HAD THROTTLE BODY CLEANED AND RESET IN SPRING OF 2009 BUT PROBLEM RECURRED AGAIN THIS YEAR. ON MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2010 TEMPERATURE WAS IN LOW TEENS. WARMED CAR FOR APPROX. 7 MIN. DROVE SLOWLY DUE TO BAD ROAD CONDITIONS AND AT APPROX. 3 MILES INTO DRIVE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING AGAIN ON ITS OWN AND NO PLACE TO PULL OFF. HAD TO STOP IN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS POSITION AND PRAY I WASN'T HIT BEFORE I COULD SAFELY START CAR AGAIN. FINALLY ABLE TO RESTART ENGINE AFTER APPROX. 5 MIN. WITHOUT REVVING PROBLEM BUT APPROX. 2 MILES LATER CAR AGAIN ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY DID A GENERAL DIAGNOSIS WHICH SHOWED NOTHING. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND MAKES ME EXTREMELY NERVOUS TO DRIVE MY CAR. VW OF AMERICA STATES THAT MY CAR WAS NOT IN ANY RECALL AND THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEM WITH MY CAR AND COULD NOT DIVULGE IF THEY RECEIVED ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS. *TR”
“2PM IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH PERFECT DRIVING CONDITIONS.... DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH DOWN CITY SURFACE STREET - WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR ACCELERATED TO 60MPH - VERY SCARY - 1999 VW PASSAT GLX CAR IS A BIT OVER 115K MILES IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. CAR WAS PULLED OVER AFTER BRAKING AND PULLING UP EMERGENCY BRAKE - CAR CONTINUED REVVING UNTIL CAR WAS QUICKLY TURNED OFF. POPPED HOOD - LET ENGINE COOL FOR 10 - 15 MINUTES - TRIED TO RESTART BUT CAR REVVED AGAIN SO SHUT IT OFF AND WILL HAVE REPAIR SHOP RETRIEVE IT & BRING TO SHOP TO GET LOOKED AT. TOO SCARED TO DRIVE AGAIN. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED SINCE PURCHASING CAR A FEW MONTHS AGO. *TR”
“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THERE WAS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND THE ENGINE REVVED EXCESSIVELY HIGH AND UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION AND WAS DRIVEN WITH CAUTION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 3/19/09 *CN UPDATED 03/23/09.*JB”
Showing 6 of 32 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.