My 04 Passat suddenly died on the road today. Was driving along and suddenly vehicle lost all power… power eventually completely drained so lights, hazards, etc did not work. Had the vehicle towed and now will need to get it looked at - any ideas on whats wrong?
Dead alternator or broken serpentine belt.
Thanks so much for your response… is this as serious as a blown timing belt which apparently causes thousands of $ damage to the engine?
No.
When the timing belt breaks, your electrical system still works ok, provided that the battery is good. It is only the engine which gets damaged and it will no longer start/turn.
How many miles on this Passat?
Thanks! Just passed 75K
Timing belt
thanks…doesnt seem to jive with what the other responder is saying about the electrical still working when the timing belt fails… it was not working in my case? Oh well, guess ill find out soon enough
Likely your electrical system failed and your engine no longer got fuel. If the timing belt broke, your lights, etc, would still work but the engine would be dead. It would also cost you at least $3500 in repairs.
Suspect alternator, serpentine belt, or other components of the charging system.