I have an '02 Passat GLS wagon with the 1.8T engine.
Driving home from work this afternoon, just as I got off the freeway and slowed to 35MPH or so, the EPC and ASR lights came on. Engine speed dropped to about 1000RPM and would not respond to the throttle. I was just able to limp to the curb without getting smashed by other traffic.
Thinking that the walk the rest of the way home in -4F + wind wasn't going to be nice, I shut off the engine, crossed my fingers and started it again. This time only the ASR light was on and the car seemed to drive just fine. The ASR light did not respond to the ASR switch on the dash.
In the garage, I shut it down and restarted again, and this time both EPC and ASR lights were off. The ASR light went on and off with the ASR switch.
I see a few references to the EPC light in various places, all of which claimed to be related to a brake switch failure or something related.
This behavior seems a bit severe for such a minor problem.
It's going into the shop tomorrow (if I can make it that far), but would anybody care to venture a remote diagnosis?