What causes automatic gear transmission failure besides the gearbox itself?

Asked by Taurai Feb 28, 2015 at 12:27 PM about the 2002 Volkswagen Passat

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

2002 vw passat 1.8t auto now has gear transmission failure. the car recently traveled in
water flooded river, can this have any effect?. is there other possible explanation for this
automatic gear transmission failure beside the gearbox itself? What must i check before i
rush ti have the expensive gearbox changed??

8 Answers

143,545

Not much to check,exccesive water to the tranny when hot may have hurt it.

2 people found this helpful.
157,115

Driving with the transmission submerged in water can cause the water to be sucked into the transmission. Drain the fluid to see if it has water in it or look on the dipstick and if the fluid is milky of frothy it has water in it. Water inside a transmission will ruin it pretty quickly. Also some of the electric connectors may have moisture in them causing issues.

5 people found this helpful.
4,385

Transmission control module is located in the passenger side floor area. It is prone to damage if there is water intrusion.

12 people found this helpful.
340

2009 VW passat automatic, reverse gear not working and forward working fine. Plus it's not showing on speedometer D or R or N sign. Any body help me what's the problem.

34 people found this helpful.
150

My 2004 wv passat is only going in frist gear and reverse but won't go in any other gears Wat is happening I just head gasket set job done and now it's only going in frist gear and resvese

15 people found this helpful.
150

2004 wv passat is only going in frist gear and reverse and just had head job done it was not doing this before

40

I drive a 2002 vw Passat and just had to replace a few things for problems like these. The most applicable issue here was definitely the transmission control module, which is located in a compartment underneath the passenger seat. Water gets in from a hole under the battery chamber and shorts the TCM, causing the car to go into emergency transmission mode: you can get into P, N, R, and D, but you'll be stuck in 3rd gear while moveing forward. You can tell this happened in because every transmission indicator on your dash will light up. To fix this, just remove the TCM and drain all the water, then replace it with a new one. You'll also want to take out the battery and clean out the hole underneath where the water seeped in or you'll have to pay $50 for a new TCM every time it rains.

4 people found this helpful.
30

Baz I have problems outlined with my 2005 Passat and I would like to replace the TCM. Any idea what the last two letters after the part number represents.

3 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Passat

Looking for a Used Passat in your area?

CarGurus has 502 nationwide Passat listings starting at $3,500.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Deathjam4
    Reputation
    4,460
  • #2
    Chrisand Edwards
    Reputation
    2,630
  • #3
    tenspeed
    Reputation
    2,400
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Volkswagen Jetta
76 Great Deals out of 1,946 listings starting at $2,495
Used Honda Accord
59 Great Deals out of 1,026 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,140 listings starting at $3,900
Used Honda Civic
190 Great Deals out of 4,208 listings starting at $2,916
Used Volkswagen Jetta GLI
3 Great Deals out of 217 listings starting at $8,990
Used Nissan Altima
32 Great Deals out of 714 listings starting at $654
Used BMW 3 Series
66 Great Deals out of 1,237 listings starting at $3,995
Used Volkswagen Golf
39 Great Deals out of 551 listings starting at $4,495
Used Volkswagen Golf GTI
23 Great Deals out of 593 listings starting at $6,898
Used Audi A4
25 Great Deals out of 596 listings starting at $1,995
Used Nissan Maxima
15 Great Deals out of 208 listings starting at $3,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.