There are 3 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen Passatin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Clockspring. Failed 1st time under recall and was replaced by dealer. Failed 2nd time and replaced outside of recall by indepenent. Failed 3rd time and has not been replaced. This has affected the adaptive cruise control, the electronic stability control, and now it engages the brake system when not called for.
WHILE GOING THROUGH A CURVE, IF ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN, MY BRAKES SEEM TO MAKE SOME TYPE OF SCRAPING SOUND AND I CAN FEEL THE SCRAPE OR VIBRATION OF THE PROBLEM THROUGH THE PEDAL.
MY VEHICLE ATTEMPTS TO STRAIGHTEN ITSELF OUT AS I'M GOING THROUGH A CURVE AND I ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT MORE EFFORT THAN NECESSARY TO KEEP STEERING WHEEL APPROPRIATELY TURNED TO GO THROUGH THE CURVE ENTIRELY. ALSO WHILE GOING THROUGH A CURVE, IF ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN, MY BRAKES SEEM TO MAKE SOME TYPE OF SCRAPING SOUND AND I CAN FEEL THE SCRAPE OR VIBRATION OF THE PROBLEM THROUGH THE PEDAL. BOTH THESE ISSUES CAN AND HAVE OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING AT A LOW SPEED SUCH AS 30 MPH OR AT HIGHER SPEED, SUCH AS 50-60 MPH. I HAVE HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS WITH OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD DIE TO THESE ISSUES. I WILL SPECIFY A DATE BECAUSE IT ASKS FOR A DATE BUT IT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE.
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026