Wait! My Windows Won’t Go Down!
This was our experience after buying a 1998 VW Passat, cheap. After doing some research we realized that the wires in the Comfort Control Module might be corroded, leading to electrical problems. Our windows didn’t work and neither did some interior lights or the power locks, but our sunroof and other interior lights worked just fine.
Whoever decided to put a major electrical module under the feet of the driver where water might (will!) get to it…well, they weren’t walking on the bright side of the road that day. And VW not changing it in the 7 years they made this model of Passat?! Thus you have a very common problem. There are good how-tos online that explain cleaning the drain holes out that could be causing water to hit the CCM, so if you do find corrosion make sure to clean the holes as well.
There is another website that has a “how to” for this issue with photos on headfuzz. When we tried to find this website before it was down, so that’s why we decided to take lots of photos when we repaired our Passat. After reading this and seeing how doable the repair is, I hope you might be encouraged to fix your own lovable lemon!
What you need
These are the things you might need for your CCM repair: pliers, screwdriver, electrical tape, butt connectors and a sharp knife.
Getting Started
The first thing to do is take the plastic footguard off with your screwdriver. This is the place your left foot usually rests.
Next you need to pop off the long plastic piece that goes between the metal frame and the footwell fabric. 
Lifting the fabric up you will see a bundle of wires attached to a black box. The fabric may be a little hard to lift but it’s doable. To make it easier to pull up you can flip off the clips that hold it down. Reaching in, grab the black box out and place it on top of the fabric.
Open the box
The snaps may be tight on yours, we had to use the screwdriver to pop ours open. Once you’ve gotten the box open, take a close look at the wires.
As you can see, once unwrapped there was clearly a problem with the black wires. This is actually one black wire that is connected to four other wires.
If you don’t see any problems at all with your wires then you have two options. One: disconnect the wires (harness) from the computer box and check each one with a multimeter. Two: open the computer box (printed circuit board or PCB) and look at it to see if it is corroded or burnt out. If it is, then you’ll probably need to replace the board itself.
Take the corroded wire ends and using your sharp blade, cut around the wire about a 1/2″ away from the end. Peel the 1/2″ of plastic off. You should now have clean wires at the tip, if they are not clean you can use a little reflux to take off the corrosion. Make sure all wire ends on the affected circuit have visible metal ends.
Take a connector butt and put it on one side of the circuit.
In this picture, all four black wires are in the connector already. 
Place the other wire end into the connector. Hold it together carefully and get the pliers. Place the pliers on the middle of the connector. 
Squeeze tightly on the pliers; what you are doing in essence is binding the wires on each side together in a metal envelope that is covered in plastic.
When you are done squeezing, the connector should look like this. 
The wires on either end should be firmly connected. If wires do come out, then you have to do it over again (with a new connector or with the same one after you’ve unbent the metal inside).
Now you can put the keys in the ignition and try using what wasn’t working before. For us, it was the windows. They work! Yay!
Make sure you inspect all of the wires in the CCM and repair any that need it. If the wires are not badly damaged, a little electrical tape around the connection may be all that’s necessary.
Once you’ve repaired all the wires, close the box and replace it under the footwell fabric. Close up the gap between the frame and fabric with the plastic cover again and replace the footguard. 
There! You’re done!
As you can see, although this is an electrical repair, it is easily within the grasp of anyone. Don’t be afraid to try! You’ll feel like you have a new car!
THANK YOU!!!
Now the internal lights work, the fuel tank opener works!!
Thank you
I jus hope mine works my car don’t start
@Jimbob: Although I am not sure of exactly every wire that goes through the CCM, I’m guessing you may have a more serious problem than a faulty CCM. By all means, open ‘er up and take a look, but don’t be too surprised if it still doesn’t start after fixing any CCM issues – car ignition relies on many different systems, and you will have to simply go down the list til you find the issue (battery, alternator, ignition switch, etc). Best of luck!
I’m going to try this out this weekend. The previous owner had the car and all of a sudden one day it wouldn’t start. He replaced a fuse and got it to start but the fob, power locks, power mirrors, and dome lights, all do not work. So I’m going to try this and hopefully it does the trick. On my Passat the CCM is located on the passenger side. Wish me luck.
I’m in the exact same situation with my 2001 jetta. First, it was the fuse, then the locks, windows, and dome lights. I’ve got my fingers crossed…good luck!
Thanks for sharing! I got 2002 vw passat 1.8T my CCM is broken and has to be replaced. Can I buy any CCM for my vw passat or the part number or any serial number has to be the same as my old CCM’s number? Do I have to programm it after when I will replace it?
thanks for your help it was just great—–! about four splices in wiring going to control unit under left front seat, all required reconecting as they were separated by corrosion not easy to spot as they are taped up, they have to be uncovered to reveal the faults, just as you indicated, when fixed all systems were go, except rear left hand door which had three broken wires due to door being opened and closed a million times
I have read that the gasket where the pollen filter seats wears out. I have a huge leak and I suspect it is from there. The odd thing is that the pollen filter is on the opposite side of the driver’s…My CCM is COMPLETELY shot. 5 gallons of water pulled from the drivers side with a shop vac. The plugs to the CCM are shot too. The car wont start. The plugs to the CCM and the CCM need replacing. Need to find where to get one second hand.
This is very helpful, as I have found many corroded splices down there since I first looked at your page. However I’m trouble locating the wire that goes to the windows. Was it solid black or did it have a different color tracer? Also, did it run to the blue connector or the tan one.
Thank you,
Greg
Hi Greg,
It was a couple of years ago, but my memory says that the wire was black only. Greg, the only wire we ended up repairing was the windows one, so all the pics above are of the windows wires. I hope that helps!
I got in there the day before yesterday and fixed another 4 or so splices, now everything works again! Thank you.
your tip worked wonders for several electrical problems. Unfortunately upon reassemble the fuel pump is not pumping. Is there anything that will need to be reset?
Thanks!!!
Hi Clint,
I am so not a mechanic, so I asked my brother your question (who, btw, is). Ok, choice #1: the fuel pump just chose a lousy time to crap out. Is this it? Well, try out the other choice fixes but you may land here at the end of the day and just have to buy a new one. Choice #2: something got screwy with the wires when you fixed your other probs. Check the grounding on your wires. Choice #3: what year is your Passat? Because later models (than our ’98) have an immobilizer; bro theorizes that if your immobilizer got reset it might have messed up your pump (I’m not quoting verbatim, so excuse me if that doesn’t make sense)…um…don’t know how to fix that if it is your prob. Quick crazy check: bang on the gas tank. Try to start the car. If it starts, then doesn’t start again after being turned off, it’s the pump itself. If it starts again after another whack, definitely replace the pump.
I hope all this helps, it’s the best I can do. Blessings!
Katherine
Thanks for this great How-To.
This got me through me repair and now it is like a new car.
thank you for all your advice. My car is flooded with water and pulled out my box and it was drenched. Letting everything dry out, but am sure I have to buy a new CCM. Everyone talks about a used one. What are the prices of a new one and how do I prevent my car from getting water in the inside. Can I cover the box up with a plastic bag to prevent this in the future.
Hi there,
Make sure you don’t try using it before it’s dry; it may actually work after all and you won’t have to buy a new one. I don’t know the pricing on these, sorry. I would suggest checking your drainage holes to make sure they’re not plugged, as they are often the culprit for CCM damage. On the plastic bag idea – sure, why not? But checking the drainage holes will be a more direct solve.
salve a me non funzionano più le chiusure centralinizzate ma tutto il resto si i telecomandi sono perfetti come posso risolvere?
salve a me non funzionano più le chiusure centralinizzate della mia passat del 2002 i telecomandi fuzionano i vetri anche e anche le luci come posso risolvere?
Scusate se questo è difficile da capire, ma ho dovuto usare il traduttore di Google. Io non sono sicuro di come risolvere il problema. Provare a riparare i cavi che sono rotte, come descritto qui. Se ancora non funziona penso che dovrà portarlo ad un meccanico. Spero che questo aiuta!
My A/C quit working, presures ok, compressor ok when jumped with voltage clutch engages, plug at compressor seems dead what should or could I check next, does the comfort control module control this ????
Thanks Don B
Hi Don, I don’t think the CCM controls anything to do with the AC. But, I am not a mechanic, just related to several. On the other hand, we had a very similar problem with our AC in our 02 Safari van that cleared up once the system was vacuumed out and refilled. I would suggest you get somebody who knows what they are doing to take a look. Best wishes!
I your bog is very helpful thanks!!do you by. Chance know whew I can find the ccm in a 98 beetle?is it in the same spot?
No, sorry, I don’t know. If I find out I’ll let you know!!
thanks for all this information! iam taking my passat apart to dry my ccm and carpet! live in colorado and we have had alot of rain and have been with 2 plus inches at least 4 times in two months. my dash light stoopeed working, everything else works except i have never had dome lilghts since i bought this 2001 3 years ago iam hoping this fixes all my interior lighting problems. one question? my carpet really doesnt want to let me get the box out, do i just pull it out and hope i get it back in correctly? and do i need to take the left foor rest ( the plastic piece) off first?
Hi Christina, sorry about the wait. Have you tried releasing the carpet hook? I don’t have a pic of that, but I think that the headfuzz article does. You do need to take off the foot rest first. Have fun!
my CCM is in water, if buy another ccm does it work in my car?
Hi Nick,
Well, if your CCM is or has been completely submerged, I would guess it would need to be replaced. First dry it out and make sure though. Next, all your wires will probably need to be replaced, so if I were you I would look to replace the whole unit. You will have to check with the dealer or someone who knows more about which CCM will work in your car, I don’t know enough to answer that. Best wishes!
Thanks for the article – I have the same problem and will give it a go this weekend. You refer to the
location of the CCM as in the driver foot well – presumably this is the left hand foot well in the USA.
I am in the UK – the article in headfuzz.co.uk refers to the passenger foot well – so I take it the left
side. I will explore the passenger foot well first in my right hand drive UK car.
Thanks again Alex
Hi Alex! I would be interested to see which side you find the CCM in! Can you reply to this with the results of your fix? Thanks, Katherine
Oct 2011 – Skoda Superb 2.8 Petrol 2002 UK model.
The CCM is always found under the left front carpet – i.e. Driver side if Left Hand Drive model (USA etc), or Passenger side if Right Hand Drive model (UK etc). The problem is caused by water leaking in from a broken seal underneath the black plastic housing of the pollen filter. Water soaks into sound proofing sponge and dripps onto a main wiring loom where it tracks along the wires into the CCM unit and eventually fills the front and rear footwells.
Therefore, sealing the CCM in a plastic bag will NOT fix the problem as water will eventually find it’s way back in again using capillary action along the wiring loom.
To fix the pollen filter seal sounds like a lot of work but is actually quite easy. The only out of the ordinary tool you’ll need is a spline key (sometimes called a star key) It looks a bit like an alan key and just as cheap to buy.
The pollen filter is located under the bonnet (hood) on the same side of the car as the CCM. It’s just under the windscreen beside the battery.
Ok, from this point all references to left and right are used as if you are standing in front of the car looking into the engine bay.
Remove rubber seal running right accross the engine bay that holds the large black plastic cover at the rear of the engine bay (this just clips on so simply pull it towards you gently).
Remove large black plastic cover to expose battery and pollen filter etc.
Remove small black plastic rain deflector near top right hand corner of engine bay using spline or star key (only one bolt holding this on).
Remove small black plastic caps on windscreen wipers (lever them off with a small flatblade screwdriver).
Remove both wiper arms by undoing nuts and gently levering up with large flatblade screwdriver.
Remove the two clips holding the black plastic moulding attached to the bottom of the windscreen (one is approx’ in the centre and the other is on the left.
Starting at one end, carefully ease the black plasting moulding away from the windscreen (pops out in the same way that the two seals on either side of the windsceen – but you dont need to remove these). You may need to use a wide blade such as a wallpaper scraper or similar to start with, then it should just pop off).
Remove three nuts holding the black pollen filter housing.
Remove pollen filter housing to reveal rubber seal underneath (it’s the outer seal not the sponge inner seal).
At this point you can buy a new seal but it comes complete with the black plastic housing as an assembly at a cost of approx’ 15 UK pounds sterling from a main dealer.
OR
You can remove the seal and replave it with some silcon mastic sealant (the type that you’d use to seal the bath) and leave it overnight to set. Be sure to clean and dry all surfaces before resealing.
Next, reassemble everything in reverse order and that’s the leak fixed!
Obviously, you’ll need to thoroughly dry and clean out the CCM, carpets etc as described in other blogs above, but if you need a new CCM it’ll cost approx’ 250 UK pounds sterling and if it needs programming that’ll be about another 50 UK pounds sterling from a main dealer. Therefore, it’ll be worth searching the web to see if anyone does a cheaper repair/replacement CCM.
Hope this helps, Regards, Mike H
have a 01 passat glx 4motion. None of the steering wheel controls work.Cruise,volume and horn.All the fuses are good. The air bag light is not on also the controls don’t light up.Could this be related to the CCM or the wiring leading to it.
Thanks
Hi Dave,
From your description, it doesn’t sound like a CCM issue. But that’s all I can tell you, sorry!
1998 Volkswagon Beetle 2.0 Liter engine light is on it doesn’t communicate with OBD scan tool for DTCs. Has an after market radio we removed it, unhooked the battery for 15 min. and still can’t communicate with it. Has anyone had this problem? Thank you.
My daughter just bought a 2001 Passat. It ran good for 2 months. She drove it to a meeting and when she came back out the car would not start. It has a new battery and they horn does not blow, no lights, no nothing. I am stumped, could this be the CCM or something else. It is like someone pulled a kill switch. I appreciate your help.
Brenda
Brenda–
This just happened with a 2001 Passat I just bought. . .Did you find the solution? I would be super grateful to know what went wrong or what fixed the problem. . .
Thank you! Jacob
my 1998 passat 1.8l 20 v turbo switches air con on when car starts. Any solutions
I know you are talking about a Passat but I have a problem with a Jetta 2000. my dashboard lights do not work and then one of my tail lights is not working and the diagnostic was that my comfort control unit is bad. where can I find it in my jetta plus how do I repair and if I replace it does it needs to be programmed?
Thank you SO much for this advice. Interior lights,windows,and starter would not work. We found some corroted wires and it was such an easy fix.
Thanks Guys, Am keen to try this tonight and will let you know the outcome. Just for the record, I checked with 2 X VW dealers (their spare parts depts) and was quoted $400+ to replace the module (new only available) plus fitting, so your solution certainly has appeal !
I will let you know how I go.
Best regards,
Rob Gersbeck