# Surging Passat

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/surging-passat/34219>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** volkswagen, passat\
**Created:** [July 30, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/surging-passat/34219 "2009-07-30T01:00:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![areynolds967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@areynolds967](https://community.cartalk.com/u/areynolds967)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/surging-passat/34219/1 "2009-07-30T01:00:41Z")

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I own a 2001.5 VW Passat wagon that surges slightly forward when the car is idling. I have had a VW dealership look at it and they said it was a vacuum line leak. I had them replace all of the vacuum lines, but it continues to surge while idling. I was in an auto parts store some after the dealership replaced the lines and the guy behind the counter had also owned a Passat previously, and he told me that there was a simple fix to the problem, but I don’t remember what it was. Some kind of a valve or gasket or something. If any one knows about this, please help, I am planning on driving up to Rhode Island from Virginia very soon and I would like this problem resolved if possible.

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**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/surging-passat/34219/2 "2009-07-30T01:42:55Z")

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You MAY have a broken or loose TPS (Throttle Position Sensor).

If so, you’ll get intermittent bursts of fuel from the injectors and an unstable idle because the PCM thinks the throttle is moving.