2006 Volkswagen Passat Complaint Log

WHEN BRAKING OR IDLE, MY 2006 VW PASSAT (3.6L) WILL IDLE AT AN INCREASED RPM (JUST LESS THAN 1000, TYPICALLY IT IS AT 600-700 WHEN RUNNING CORRECTLY). THIS WILL MAKE THE CAR DIFFICULT TO BRAKE AND HOLD STOPPED AND HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN A ACCIDENT NUMEROUS TIMES. THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO IDLE AT THIS HIGHER RPM UNTIL YOU BEGIN DRIVING AGAIN AND THE PROBLEM WILL LIKELY OCCUR AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR WHEN THIS HAPPENS IS TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO HOLD DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL UNDER THIS INCREASED ENGINE IDLE AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY FREQUENT WHEN UNDER HOT TEMPERATURES OR WHEN THE AC IS BEING RUN. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR YEARS BUT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IT. THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING FROM OTHER DRIVERS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY SOMETIMES WHEN I PUSHING ON THE GAS, IT WILL JUST DIE, I HAVE TO EITHER FLOOR IT TO GET IT BACK AND GOING OR RELEASE THE GAS ALL TOGETHER AND THEN PUSH ON IT AGAIN FOR THE CAR TO PICK UP SPEED. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY AND I CANT AFFORD TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO SEE HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE TO GET FIXED. I AM ALSO GETTING THE AIR BAG FAULT AND I HAD GOTTEN IT FIXED ONCE BEFORE FOR ABOUT $300 AND THEN A WEEK LATER IT CAME BACK ON. THE WAY IT CAME BACK ON IS AFTER I REPROGRAMMED MY KEY BECAUSE THAT WASN'T WORKING EITHER... *TR

STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE DEFECTIVE: SIGNALS WARNING MESSAGES, PREVENTS VEHICLE STARTING, SHUTS VEHICLE OFF. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T . CONVENIENCE CONTROL MODULE FAILURE IS A RAMPANT PROBLEM . CAR WILL NOT START, SUNROOF OPENS ON ITS OWN, DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK WITH THE WIRELESS TRANSMITTER . HAPPENS DAILY SINCE ABOUT MARCH 2010 . CAR PARKED NOW AWAITING REPAIRS DUE TO UNRELIABILITY AND SAFETY ISSUE RELATED TO THIS MALFUNCTION . *TR

1. STARTED HEARING "TICKING" NOISE FROM ENGINE 2. "TICKING" BECAME LOUDER, SLOW PERFORMANCE 3. REPLACED INTAKE CAM / LIFTERS, H.P. FUEL PUMP, VALVE COVER GASKET AND SEALANT, VACUUM PIPE TO LEAK DETECTION PIPE (ALL 2 TIMES EACH). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 63-65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. ALL THE GAUGES WENT TO ZERO YET THE RADIO AND THE RADIO DISPLAY REMAINED ON. THE CONTACT MOVED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY WHERE SHE ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THIS TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE THE KEY DISLODGED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. SHE STATED THIS WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THE FAILURE. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED AND SHE WAS AWAITING A RETURN CALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,300 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,320.

2006 VW PASSAT EXPERIENCING "STEERING WHEEL COLUMN LOCK" FAILURE. THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL SIMPLY TURN OFF WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. MY ONLINE RESEARCH FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2006, 2007, 2008 MODELS. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES CONTINUE RUNNING AFTER THE KEY IS PULLED OUT OF THE IGNITION. DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ARE REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN AND CONTROL MODULE FOR $1500 AND THIS NORMALLY HAPPENS OUTSIDE OF FACTORY WARRANTY SO WE THE CONSUMERS ARE STUCK WITH THE BILL. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL! AND NOT THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OWNERS. *TR

2006 PASSAT PURCHASED OCTOBER 2009 WITH 48,000 MILES, ALREADY OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CAR NOW STARTS AND CUTS OFF IMMEDIATELY AND HAS CUT OFF AROUND 6 OR 7 TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE FREEWAY! I HAVE TO PULL OFF SAFELY BUT IN A HURRY TO AVOID POSSIBLE COLLISIONS. I WOULD LIKE TO START A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST VW FOR NEGLIGENCE. THIS PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE THESE MODELS HAVE. I'M GOING TO CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FOR THIS. IF NOT I WILL SUE MYSELF TO RECOVER THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DEFECT. TO ALL THE OTHER OWNERS, BE SAFE!! *TR

2006 PASSAT WITH 54,000 MILES, SUDDENLY AM HAVING TROUBLE STARTING THE VEHICLE. GOT STRANDED ON DOWNTOWN FLINT, MICHIGAN (NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE AFTER 7:00PM AT NIGHT!). CAR JUST WOULD NOT START, THEN DISCOVERED THAT MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL ALLOWED CAR TO START. HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE, AND TWICE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, MAKING IT VERY HAZARDOUS TO PULL CAR TO SHOULDER. AFTER TALKING WITH THE DEALER, WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE COMFORT SENSOR FOR $1,600! I CALLED VWUSA, AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE IT WAS 4,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY, I WAS ON MY OWN! THIS IS NOT ONLY A DESIGN FLAW, BUT IS PROVING TO BE HAZARDOUS AS IT IS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING. *TR

ON HOT DAY (90 DEGREE +/-) THE 3.6 ENGINE WILL SUDDENLY BEGIN TO IDLE AT 1000 RPM AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR A WHILE. IN MY LATEST EPISODE, I HAD BEEN DRIVING IN STOP AND GO CITY TRAFFIC FOR 30-45 MINUTES WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RACE. THE FIRST NOTICE IS WHEN YOU ARE STOPPING OR STOPPED. WHEN STOPPED IT TAKES EXTRA BRAKE. PRESSURE AND CONCENTRATION TO KEEP THE CAR BRAKED. THIS HAS HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES BUT, I ONLY RECENTLY LINKED THE CAR'S BEHAVIOR WITH THE HIGH AIR TEMPS. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE AND DID NOT DETECT ANY ERROR CODES WHEN THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE. *TR

SYMPTOM #1) CAR WILL NOT START OR IF IT DOES START IT WILL IMMEDIATELY STALL AND STEERING COLUMN WILL LOCK. AFTER MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH REPEATEDLY, REOPENING THE DOOR SEVERAL TIMES AND ATTEMPTING TO START THE PUSH IGNITION 5-10 TIMES IT WILL EVENTUALLY START AND RUN. SYMPTOM #2) MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE! CAR WILL LOSE ALL POWER WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS DEFECT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STALL IMMEDIATELY, THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND THE LOSS OF ALL POWER CONTROLS AT SPEEDS AT LEAST UP TO 70 MPH. THERE IS NO WARNING FROM THE CAR ITSELF. THERE IS NO STUTTERING OR NOISE. SUDDENLY THE CAR IS JUST DEAD AND ROLLING ALONG AT EXTREME SPEEDS. THE FIX IS TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND ATTEMPT TO RESTART BY REMOVING AND REINSERTING THE KEY UNTIL IT STARTS AGAIN. THE DASHBOARD WILL LIGHT UP "STEERING COLUMN DEFECT" AND PROMPT A WARNING LIGHT FOR THE STEERING COLUMN AS IF IT WERE LOCKED FROM A CAR ALARM PROMPT. OCCASIONALLY, I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RESTART THE CAR WHILE IN MOTION AND HAVE HAD TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS DONE WITHOUT THE AID OF POWER STEERING AND CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC AND AT HIGH SPEEDS AS THERE IS NO WAY OF "KNOWING" WHEN THE DEFECT WILL OCCUR. THIS DEFECT IS OCCURRING DAILY. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. WAS TOLD IT WAS A DEFECT IN THE STEERING COLUMN REQUIRING A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT. ESTIMATED COST TO MYSELF WAS $1,000-2,000. CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY (58,000 MILES). I BELIEVE THIS DEFECT IS NOT A RESULT OF ANY HABIT OF MYSELF AS THE DRIVER BUT RATHER A DEFECT IN THE WORKMANSHIP OF THE VEHICLE AND THE DEALER SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL. A SEARCH ON GOOGLE ABOUT THIS ISSUE REVEALED THOUSANDS OF OTHER DRIVERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM (STALL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, DIFFICULTY STARTING AND RESTARTING, POSSIBLE STRANDING OF THE DRIVER). I URGE A RECALL TO MOVE FORWARD IMMEDIATELY! *TR

WHEN BRAKING OR IDOL, MY 2006 VW PASSAT WILL HAVE AN ENGINE SURGE THAT AMOUNTS TO A SUDDEN INCREASE IN RPM. THIS WILL MAKE THE CAR DIFFICULT TO BRAKE AND HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN A ACCIDENT NUMEROUS TIMES. THE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO IDOL AT THIS HIGHER RPM UNTIL YOU BEGIN DRIVING AGAIN AND THE PROBLEM WILL LIKELY OCCUR AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO HOLD DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL UNDER THIS INCREASED ENGINE SPEED AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. MY WIFE STRUGGLES TO KEEP THE CAR STOPPED FOR 3 MINUTES AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE OF THE HIGH AMOUNTS OF FORCE REQUIRED TO KEEP THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN AND THE CAR STOPPED. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY FREQUENT WHEN UNDER HOT TEMPERATURES OR WHEN THE AC IS BEING RUN. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR YEARS BUT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IT. THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING FROM OTHER DRIVERS. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A DEALER 4 TIMES TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE AND CAN EASILY REPEAT IT BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIX IT. THIS CAR IS NOW DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, ESPECIALLY FOR MY WIFE. PLEASE HELP RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. THANKS *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. HE BELIEVED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE KEY FAILING TO SEND AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL TO THE VEHICLE TO INDICATE THAT THE OPERATOR WAS ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS 40,000. UPDATED 10/27/10. *LJ

2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. CAR WILL NOT START AND THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKS UP. THEN AT TIMES THE CAR WILL NOT SHUT OFF AND KEY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THIS HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. *TR

THE 2006 -2009 VW PASSAT IS HAVING MASSIVE PROBLEMS WITH THE ( DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN LOCK ). THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ANTI THEFT MODULE AT THE BASE OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS IS HAPPENING TO PASSAT OWNERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. I AM GIVING YOU AMMUNITION TO GET THE RECALL DONE. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT BOUGHT 14 MONTHS AGO IN SHOP 3 TIMES, THERMOSTAT FIXED MY EXPENSE, COILS REPLACED VW EXPENSE, CAR HAS 90000 MILES AND AM BEING TOLD CAMSHAFT NEEDS REPLACING ALONG WITH FUEL PUMP - NOTICED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. P2293 CODE ON AND OFF FOR 3 MONTHS VW IS NO HELP EXCEPT FOR PAY FOR REPAIRS. *TR

MY 2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T SEDAN REFUSES TO START GIVING A "DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN DEFECT" ERROR. THE FIRST ERROR WAS ON THE 18TH OF MAY, 2010. IT HAPPENS AT LEAST 3-5 TIMES PER WEEK. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO START IT FINALLY STARTS. 3-15 ATTEMPTS STARTS THE CAR. DEALER HAS QUOTED ME $1800 TO REPAIR, CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY IS THEIR RESPONSE. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET, APPARENTLY IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AND VW HASN'T DONE MUCH ABOUT IT. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN MAKING RATTLING AND LOUD POPPING NOISE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE LEAVING WORK, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAME TO A HALT. EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS ON, THE WHEELS WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THE RIGHT AXLE HAD BROKEN. PRIOR TO THE AXLE FAILING, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD TO BE REPLACED WHICH WAS THE CAUSE OF A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND IT ALSO CAUSED THE BRAKE BOOSTER PIPE TO MELT, WHICH LEFT THE CONSUMER WITH NO BRAKES. *JB

PARKING BRAKE (BUTTON PUSH) RANDOMLY ENGAGES WITHOUT THE BUTTON PUSHED. SOMETIMES I ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN I PARK THE CAR, BUT WHEN I COME BACK TO THE CAR AND TRY TO DISENGAGE IT, IT WILL NOT DISENGAGE. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T. 53,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION MAKES HARD KNOCK WHEN DOWNSHIFTING ON COMING TO A STOP AFTER FREEWAY TYPE TRAVEL. THIS IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. IF THIS CONTINUES, I AM EXPECTING THE CV JOINTS OR TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. HAVE REPORTED THIS TO DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX IT. *TR

WHEN TRYING TO START 2006 PASSAT 2.0T, I GET ERROR MESSAGES ABOUT STEERING COLUMN LOCK BEING DEFECTIVE OR THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS AND CAR WON'T TURN OVER. PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. LOCATED ONLINE FORUM WITH 6 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS LIKE MINE. SEE THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?3656214-STEERING-COLUMN-LOCK-FOR-2006-PASSAT/PAGE1. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS OR IDLING, THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE ABNORMALLY AND THE ENGINE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUAL INCREASE IN RPMS. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO MAINTAIN PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES WHEN THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM SURGING FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

STEERING WHEEL COLUMN LOCK ERROR ON COMPUTER OF 2006 VW PASSAT. CAR STALLS ANYTIME THIS LIGHT WARNING COMES ON. IT HAS COME ON WHILE DRIVING CAUSING IT TO STALL AT HIGH SPEEDS MAKING IT HARD TO STEER TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER SAFELY. THIS ISSUE HAS CAUSED TWO INCIDENTS WHILE IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND WAS A NEAR MISS ACCIDENT EACH TIME. IT OCCURS ON A DAILY BASIS NOW AND WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST. I WAS TOLD THAT THE FIX IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN WHICH IS ABOUT $2K. TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO MOVE THE STEERING COLUMN BACK AND FORTH AND AFTER ABOUT 4-10 ATTEMPTS TO START, THE CAR WILL START. THERE IS NO WARNING, IT JUST STALLS WHEN THIS ISSUE ARISES. IT HAS STALLED AT A RAIL ROAD CROSSING WHICH HAS A STOPPING POINT BEFORE YOU CROSS. VERY UNSAFE SITUATION, I WORK FOR THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AS A SAFETY INVESTIGATOR AND IF THIS EXISTED IN OUR AIR FORCE WE WOULD HAVE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL. THIS MATTER NEEDS TO BE PUSHED FORWARD AND INVESTIGATED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE I HAVE NOTICED MULTIPLE FORUMS STATING THE SAME ISSUES AND SAME COMPLAINTS. *TR

06 VW PASSAT STEERING COLUMN LOCK INDICATOR LIGHT ON. MESSAGE READS" STEERING COLUMN LOCKED TAKE TO WORKSHOP. WE HAVE HAD THE MESSAGE A COUPLE TIMES BEFORE. WONDERING ABOUT A RECALL TO HAVE THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM FIXED. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. NO ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR WAS OBSERVED BEFORE THE LIGHT CAME ON. ON SUBSEQUENT STARTS THE ENGINE SPUTTERED THEN DROVE NORMALLY (BUT THE LIGHT STAYED ON). THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A "FAULTY INTAKE FLAP MOTOR" WITH A QUOTED COST OF $475 TO REPLACE. PROBLEM RELATED TO SERVICE BULLETIN NUM : TSB-01-08-12, NHTSA ITEM NUMBER : 10028104. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS IT IS A POLLUTION PROBLEM (CAR CANNOT PASS EMISSIONS INSPECTION). *TR

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMED AND FORCED THE DRIVER TO DRIVE WITH THE HIGH BEAMS AT NIGHT. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT CONCEALMENT DEVICE AND THE SWITCHES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,792. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY 2006 VW PASSAT 2.0 TURBO HAS STEERING COLUMN ISSUES. THE CAR WILL NOT START WITHOUT MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL, AND THEN WAITING AND KEEP ON TRYING. THE CAR WILL START THEN IMMEDIATELY STALL, WITH AN ERROR IN THE MESSAGE BOARD THAT THE STEERING COLUMN IS DEFECTIVE. THIS HAPPENS 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 WHEN GOING TO START THE CAR. THE CAR HAS DIED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, AND THEN RESTARTS. I HAVE SEEN THIS ISSUE REPORTED BY MANY OTHER CONSUMERS ON VARIOUS FORUMS AND COMPLAINT SITES, BUT VW REFUSES TO RECALL FOR THE ISSUE. *TR

VW, 2006 PASSAT, NOW HAS A "STEERING COLUMN DEFECT" WARNING, AND THE CAR DOESN'T START. THE CAR HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT, AND THIS STARTED JUST AFTER THE 50,000 MILE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THE CAR ALSO STALLS AT HIGH SPEED WHEN THIS LIGHT COMES ON WITHOUT WARNING, AND CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE CAR ALSO HAS A PROBLEM WITH DOWNSHIFTING WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY, AND SLAMS INTO LOW GEAR AS THOUGH THE CAR HIT SOMETHING. THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM WHEN THE CAR IS PUT ON THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER. I HAVE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THESE SAME ISSUES WITH THE 2006 PASSAT, AND FOUND THAT THE FIX FOR THE STEERING COLUMN ALONE COSTS BETWEEN $1400 AND $2000. BECAUSE THIS APPEARS TO BE A FACTORY DEFECT, AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE, I WANTED TO REPORT IT AS SUCH. ALTHOUGH THERE HASN'T BEEN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED IN MY CASE, THE POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER IS HUGE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR, BECAUSE THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM, AND CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. *TR

VW PASSAT 2006 2.0T STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILURE LIGHT. COMES ON AND DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO START THE CAR. *TR

MY 2006 VW PASSAT HAS A "STEERING COLUMN LOCK" ERROR AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE HAS BEEN LOTS OF THE 2006 VW PASSATS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM BUT NO RECALL YET. IF I DON'T GET IT FIX IT WILL STOP WHILE DRIVING, AND THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

MY CAR KEEPS GETTING THE MESSAGE, "STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE" MESSAGE IN THE MFD. THE CAR WILL NOT START ON MORE THAN SIX TIMES NOW. WHENEVER, THE MESSAGE "STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE" COMES ON, THE CAR WILL NOT START. I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, AND MANY PEOPLE ONLINE EXPRESSED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLES. *TR

STEERING WHEEL COLUMN LOCK ERROR ON COMPUTER OF 2006 VW PASSAT. I DID RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THIS AND ITS AN KNOWN ISSUE AMONG MANY OWNERS OF THIS TROUBLESOME CAR. ITS NOT FAIR TO HAVE TO PAY OF $ 1500 FOR SOMETHING THE MFG BUILT DEFECTIVELY. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT "DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN LOCK" WARNING SIGN AND THE CAR WON'T START AT ONCE. *TR

1A. I INSERTED THE KEY FOD AND THE "STEERING WHEEL" LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FLASHED YELLOW AND THE MFD ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SAID, "STEERING COLUMN LOCK MALFUNCTION. GO TO VW DEALER IMMEDIATELY" 1B. OTHER TIMES, IT'S THE SAME, BUT THE "STEERING WHEEL" LIGHT FLASHES WITH RED LIGHT. 1C. OTHER TIMES, I MUST INSERT THE KEY FOD ANYWHERE FROM 5-20 TIMES BEFORE THE CAR EVEN STARTS. THE CAR WON'T START AND I MUST REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL IT DOES. 2. IT OCCURS AT LEAST 5-9 TIMES PER WEEK WITH THE YELLOW LIGHT FLASHING, 3-5 TIMES A WEEK WITH RED LIGHT FLASHING, AND 1-3 TIMES PER WEEK WHEN I MUST REPEAT THE INSERTING OF KEY FOD TO TURN ON. 3A. THE VW DEALER SAYS THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM AND IT USUALLY RUNS $1500-$2200 TO FIX. THEY SAID THEY USUALLY REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN MODULE (COMPUTER BOARD STUFF) AND THE STEERING COLUMN AS WELL. THEY SAY THE PROBLEM IS CAUSE BY THE MODULE GOING BAD AND NOT RESPONDING AND TELLING THE COMPUTER TO TURN THE CAR ON. 3B. THE VW CORPORATE CUSTOMER CARE SAID THEY CANNOT HELP BECAUSE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. I HAVE ABOUT 60K MILES AND WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 50K MILES. PLEASE GO TO THIS THREAD TO SEE HOW COMMON THIS PROBLEM IS: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=3656214. *TR

2.0T FSI ENGINE WITH 44K MILES HAS HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH MISFIRES IN CYLINDER #2, UNRESOLVED AFTER 5 VISITS TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY SERVICE. DEALER HAS FOLLOWED VW CORPORATE TECHLINE INSTRUCTIONS AND REPLACED IGNITION COILS (TWICE), CAMSHAFT, FUEL PUMP, HYDRAULIC LIFTER IN BAD CYLINDER, INTAKE BREATHER HOSE, INTAKE MANIFOLD SENSOR AND OTHER PARTS WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. CAR WILL RUN OK WITH NO ERROR CODES FOR AN AVERAGE OF 3 - 5 DAYS AFTER REPAIR BEFORE PROBLEM RECURS, AND CONDITION OF ENGINE CONTINUES TO DETERIORATE. DUE TO MISFIRES, UNBURNED FUEL IS NOW REACHING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER (DETECTED BY SULFUR SMELL) AND LIKELY DAMAGING THAT COMPONENT AS WELL. ENTIRE ENGINE VIBRATES SEVERELY DUE TO IMPROPER FIRING SEQUENCE AND FEELS AS IF IT WANTS TO JUMP OUT OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CAR HAS 1 MONTH LEFT ON WARRANTY; WAS ADVISED BY DEALER THAT "WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS FIXED WHILE THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS OUT OF POCKET," BUT THEY APPEAR EITHER UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO FIX THE ROOT CAUSE. DEALER HAS NOT OFFERED TO PROVIDE RENTAL OR LOANER CAR DURING MULTIPLE REPAIRS, SO I HAVE HAD TO RELY ON A 15-YEAR OLD VEHICLE AS PRIMARY TRANSPORTATION DURING MULTIPLE REPAIRS LASTING 1 TO 5 DAYS. WILL CALL VW CUSTOMER CARE TODAY BUT DO NOT EXPECT SATISFACTION, DESPITE THE RELIABILITY AND SAFETY CONCERNS. *TR

I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE FACT THAT VW HAS FAILED TO OFFER A RECALL FOR 2006 PASSAT STEERING COLUMN AND COMFORT MODULE MALFUNCTION. THOUSANDS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, SAFETY ISSUE IS A POTENTIALLY STRANDED DRIVER. *TR

FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS MY STEERING COLUMN LIGHT HAS BEEN FLASHING ON AND OFF. IT STATES STEERING COLUMN DEFECT. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT TURNS OFF AFTER I RESTART MY CAR A FEW TIMES. I FIGURED IT WAS AN ELECTRIC ISSUE. NOW FOR THE PAST WEEK OR SO, MY CAR HAS PROBLEMS TURNING ON AND IT CONTINUES TO STATE STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE. IT TOOK 10 TIMES TO GET MY CAR STARTED TODAY. MY STEERING COLUMN LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT, PARKING BRAKE LIGHT AND ENGINE ALL CAME ON EACH TIME I TRIED TO START MY CAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND BEFORE I FINISHED EXPLAINING MYSELF, THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG. THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE MY STEERING COLUMN. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX, BUT MY CAR IS CERTIFIED SO IT MAY BE COVERED. THERE ARE OVER 40 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND VOLKSWAGEN NEEDS TO RECALL WHATEVER IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM! *TR

I AM A PHD COMPUTER SCIENTIST AND MY VW'S COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE SPONTANEOUSLY CHANGED ITS SETTING. A VW DEALER TECHNICIAN DOCUMENTED THE CHANGE, AND RESET THE PARAMETER TO FACTORY SETTINGS. I REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES ON MY CAR AT COSTCO. WHEN I STARTED MY CAR, THE "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" WARNING LIGHT LIT. I REPORTED THIS TO THE COSTCO EMPLOYEE WHO HAD DONE THE WORK. HE CHECKED THE FACTORY SETTINGS BY THE DRIVER'S DOOR, AND MADE SURE ALL TIRES WERE SET TO THAT PRESSURE, 35 LBS. THE WARNING LIGHT WENT ON EVERY TIME I DROVE. I SCHEDULED A REGULAR SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH A VW DEALER. THE TECHNICAL FOUND THAT THE CONTROL UNIT'S SETTING HAD CHANGED TO 100101 FROM 100100. HE RESET THE PARAMETER, AND THE START-UP WARNING STOPPED. *TR

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V079000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING THE BRAKES TO AUTOMATICALLY COME ON. LED TO RAPID DECELERATION WHILE DRIVING. ONGOING PROBLEM. *TR

MY WIFE'S CAR 2006 PASSAT HAS BEEN STARTING AND THEN STALLING IMMEDIATELY. A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING "STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECT". IT WAS FINE FOR A WEEK OR TWO, THEN IT STARTED OCCURRING SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK. I TOOK CAR TO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT PROBLEM WOULD NEED A DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP TO CORRECT. AFTER DOING SOME ONLINE SEARCHES FOR PROBLEMS OF THIS NATURE I NOTICED MANY OWNERS WERE HAVING SAME PROBLEM AND WERE TOLD THAT THE STEERING COLUMN AND COMFORT SENSOR WOULD BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED, ESTIMATES FROM $1200 TO $2000 DOLLARS FOR REPAIR. OUR CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AS OF FEB, 2010 BUT HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT. REPORTS FROM MECHANICS SAY A PERSON CAN GET STRANDED AT ANY TIME, BUT IF CAR STARTS IT WILL NOT FAIL WHILE DRIVING. THIS REPLACEMENT SHOULD NOT BE AT THE COST OF THE OWNER. PLEASE INVESTIGATE OCCURRENCES AND REQUEST A RECALL FOR DEFECTIVE NEW VEHICLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT/ STEERING COLUMN. *TR

ALL OF A SUDDEN CAR WOULD NOT START, WOULD TRY OVER AND OVER AND IT WOULD FINALLY START. EVENTUALLY IT WOULD NOT START AT ALL. WAS TOLD I HAD A DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THERE WOULD LIKELY BE A RECALL AND I WOULD BE REIMBURSED THE $2000 I HAD TO SPEND TO GET IT FIXED. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T WITH 30,000 MILES. I'VE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS OVER THE LAST YEAR, KEY WILL NOT COME OUT IN PARK, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS, CAR CONTINUES TO RUN EVEN WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. I BROUGHT THESE ITEMS TO THE DEALER'S ATTENTION, BUT WAS BRUSHED OFF BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE TO "DO IT AGAIN." NOW THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT IS ON. VW DEALERSHIP SAYS I NEED A NEW STEERING COLUMN. IF NOT REPLACED, THE STEERING WHEEL COULD LOCK WHILE DRIVING. I WAS TOLD REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN SHOULD FIX ALL THE ABOVE PROBLEMS. *TR

FOR 2 TIMES THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK AND A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH HAD APPEARED. MAY CAUSE STEERING WELL MALFUNCTION. RISK OF LOSE CONTROL. AFTER RESTART THE ENGINE THE PROBLEM WAS GONE, NO ERRORS ON ECU. *TR

I OWN A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. IN THE LAST YEAR, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT SERVICED FOR DRIVERS AIRBAG FAULTS FIVE TIMES. THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO GUARANTY THAT THE AIRBAG WILL EVER DEPLOY IN CASE OF A CRASH. WHAT CAN I DO? *TR

I PURCHASED A SECOND HAND VEHICLE ON 1/11/10 FROM KOEPPEL VOLKSWAGEN INC AND AT THE TIME OF DELIVERY OUR SALES PERSON TELLS US TO BRING IT BACK BECAUSE HAS MECHANICAL PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED INCLUDING PASSENGER FRONT SEATBELT THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT ON AFTER HE PULLED LAST NIGHT. TODAY I CALLED ASKING THE MANAGER OF THE DEALER HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO SELL A CAR WITH SAFETY DEFECTS AND HE STATED THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE AND IF THAT'S THE CASE TO BRING IT IN FOR REPAIR . HOW THIS CAR PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION. *TR

VOLKSWAGEN HAS ACKNOWLEDGED TO ME, BOTH THE DEALER (DEAN TEAM IN KIRKWOOD) AND THEIR CUSTOMER SUPPORT GROUP 800-822-8987) THAT IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATS THAT THEIR IS A WIRING PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG IGNITER SWITCH - THE PROBLEM CONVENIENTLY TENDS TO OCCUR RIGHT AT THE TIME WHEN THE CAR EXCEEDS IT'S 50,000 WARRANTY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF YET ARE IGNORING IT AND REFUSING TO ASSIST WITH THE COST OF THE REPAIR (UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN A VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER THAT HAS OWNED AT LEAST 3 OF THEIR CARS - THEY ACTUALLY TOLD ME THIS!) I'M NOT ONE TO TYPICALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS BUT IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF AND SHOULD BE HELP ACCOUNTABLE AS THEY PREACH HOW 'SAFE' THEIR CARS ARE. *TR

MY 2006 PASSAT WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND HE STEERING LOCK LIGHT WILL COME ON PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT TRUNK LATCH FAILS IN COLD WEATHER. WILL NOT LATCH PROPERLY AND COMES OPEN WHILE DRIVING. IT OCCURS DURING THE ENTIRE COLD WEATHER SEASONS. NUMEROUS INFO ON WEB SEARCH. VW OF AMERICA DENIES PROBLEM. *TR

VW 2006 PASSAT 2.0 T STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE SIGNAL AND THE CAR DOESN'T START. AFTER DOING INTERNET SEARCH, IT SEEMS MANY OTHER CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH PASSATS AND JETTAS. IT SEEMS THE VW COMPANY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM THIS SEEMS TO BE GENERALIZED. MANY OF US ARE BEING TOLD TO REPLACE THE WHOLE UNIT TO HAVE SOLUTION. *TR