There are 2 stored owner reports matching the steering leading-label group for the 2004 Volkswagen Passat in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)PASSAT 2004 ID [XXX] WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH - THE CAR PULLED TO THE RIGHT SIMILAR TO A POSSIBLE FLAT TIRE. I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER AND CHECKED EACH TIRE WITH A FLASHLIGHT ' THEY WERE FINE. I RETURNED TO THE ROAD AND CONTINUED. THE STEERING QUICKLY BECAME STIFF, LESS RESPONSIVE, WITH A SHIMMY IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I DECREASED MY SPEED, PUT ON FLASHERS, AND VERY SLOWLY CONTINUED THE LAST MILE TO MY HOME WHEN A LOUD METAL-ON-METAL SCRAPING SOUND STARTED. THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD TO CONTROL BECAUSE THE STEERING WAS UNRESPONSIVE. HAD MY WIFE OR DAUGHTER BEEN DRIVING, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS, POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM. THIS IS INCONCEIVABLE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR VOLKSWAGEN DEALER TO BE EVALUATED AND WERE TOLD ' BOTH AXLES NEED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL THE STEERING PUMP. THIS IS NOT 'NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR'. THIS VEHICLE HAS 96,000 MILES, HAS NEVER BEEN IN ANY TYPE OF ACCIDENT, IS DRIVEN ONLY ON PAVED ROADS, AND IS KEPT IN THE GARAGE. MY SERVICEMAN REPORTED HE'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. PLEASE CHECK TO DETERMINE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING SOUND. FOLLOWING THAT STEERING FAILED. DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE ON MAY 12, 2004, AND NOTICED THAT POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE STEERING WAS REPAIRED THE FOLLOWING DAY ,AND WAS BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP MAY 14, 2004. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.