There are 2 stored owner reports matching the steering leading-label group for the 2011 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)WHILE PARKED, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, A MESSAGE ON THE CONSOLE SHOWS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE!.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE REVERSING IN A PARKING AREA, A CRACKING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. IN ADDITION, THE POWER STEERING LOST POWER AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE ISSUE WAS RELATED TO A CLOCK SPRING RECALL. THE DEALER RESOLVED THE RECALL ISSUE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SIX MONTHS LATER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE PREVIOUS RECALL REPAIR, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED AGAIN PER THE RECALL AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND RECALL DETAILS WERE NOT PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.
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.