THIS WAS POSTED BY USER: DOUGVK

I had a similar experience. My 2000 Passat V6 caught fire in the middle of the night - about 3 hours after it had been driven last. The fire started in the engine compartment, on the right side, near the hood. The damage was so severe that the cause could not be conclusively determined, but an independent investigator hired by my insurance company believes it was an electrical problem. The car had been serviced recently for a malfunctioning radiator fan controller and had numerous electrical problems throughout its brief existence.

Needless to say, I didn't replace it with another VW.

If you are the victim of a Passat fire, please file a report with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsearch.cfm