2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

IN OCT/6/2017 TOOK MY CAR TO RUDOLPH VW FOR THE AIR BAG RECALL, IN JUNE 29, 2018. I GOT THE SAME WARNING LIGHTS EXCEPT THIS TIME THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE CLOCK SPRING, THE PART UNDER NIT THE CUP AND AIRBAG AND THIS TIME I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, A PROBLEM ORIGINATED BY THEM AND NOW THEY WANT TO COLLECT $ 610.00 DLLS. ALSO THEY SAID THAT THE WARRANTY EXPIRED, 1 YEAR OR 12,000 MILES, MY CAR ODOMETER RECORD INDICATE BACK THE 28086 IN 10/6/17 AND NOW 80,998 MILES IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE.

THE AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING WAS ORIGINALLY REPLACED BY RECALL IN 2014. WHILE DRIVING OVER THE WEEKEND AND MAKING A TURN I HEARD A NOISE AND FELT A THUMP IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST ALL CONTROLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. REFRAINED FROM DRIVING THE CAR CALLED THE DEALER ON MONDAY 6-25-18 COULDED SCHEDULE APPT UNTIL WED THE 27TH. ON THE 27TH DEER DIAGNOSED IT AS A BROKEN CLOCK SPRING.... AGAIN. SAID THEY DO THE REPAIR IN CONJUNCTION WITH TAKADA AIR BAG RECALL REPAIR BUT THAT I WOULD STILL OWE $450 TO REPAIR CLOCKSPRING. I PROTESTED THE REPAIR BILL AND SAID IT SHOULD BE COVERED SINCE IT WAS REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY. THEY SAID I COULD CALL VW MYSELF AND HAVE THEM REVIEW THE CLAIM. THE CLAIM IS PENDING WITH VE FOR THE THIRD DAY AND I AM WITHOUT VEHICLE UNTIL CLAIM IS RESOLVED. THERE CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THESE FAULTY CLOCKSPRING AND VW NEEDS TO MAKE GOOD ON THE PREVIOUS RECALL REPAIR.

MY STEERING WHEEL HAS BEEN MAKING A CRUNCHING NOISE. WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, I GOT OFF AT AN EXIT TO PURCHASE FOOD. WHILE TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT, ONE LOUD CRUNCH NOISE HAPPENED AND THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I ALSO NOTICED THAT I LOST ALL ELECTRONIC FUNCTIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS VERY CONCERNED SINCE I STILL HAD AN HOURS DRIVE HOME AND WAS UNSURE IF THE CAR WAS SAFE OR NOT.

WHILE DRIVING ONE DAY I HEARD A SNAP IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE AIRBAG SYMBOL ILLUMINATED. THE HORN DOES NOT WORK AND EACH TIME I TURN THE WHEEL I CAN HEAR A NOISE COMING FROM THE COLUMN. AFTER TAKING TO A DEALER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING HAS FAILED IN THE VEHICLE AND VOLKSWAGEN HAS REFUSE TO REPLACE DUE TO PLACING A COVER OVER THE CLOCK SPRING IN JANUARY OF 2016.

MY VEHICLE WAS A PART OF THE VEHICLES THAT HAD THE CLOCKSPRING RECALL. I TOOK IT TO A VW DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE RECALL FIXED AND EXACTLY ONE YEAR AFTER THEY 'FIXED' THE CLOCKSPRING, IT CEASED TO WORK AGAIN. NOW THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON, THE HORN DOES NOT WORK, AND NEITHER DO ANY OF THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS. VW REFUSES TO FIX THE ISSUE WITHOUT A CHARGE OF UPWARDS OF $500, STATING THAT BECAUSE IT IS NOT APART OF THE INITIAL RECALL IT IS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

THE CLOCKSPRING WAS RECALLED AND REPLACED IN 2015. WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT I HEARD A COUPLE OF POPS AND LOST ANY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS, IE: VOLUME CONTROL ECT... THE AIRBAG LIGHT ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE CENTER WHERE THEY ASSESSED THE ISSUE AND CONFIRMED IT WAS THE CLOCKSPRING AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

IN OCTOBER 2017 I PURCHASED A PASSAT TDI FROM ARMSTRONG VOLKSWAGEN IN GLADSTONE OREGON. I THEN FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CLOCK SPRING RECALL. WITHIN A MONTH OF OWNING THE VEHICLE, MY ENTIRE STEERING WHEEL COMPONENTS STOPPED WORKING AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. WHILE DRIVING, MY AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINS ON, NONE OF MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS WORK, WHEN I TURN MY STEERING WHEEL IT ALMOST MAKES A CRUNCHY NOISE BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL, AND I AM CONCERNED FOR MINE AND MY FAMILIES SAFETY WHILE DRIVING MY CAR. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO INFORMED ME THAT THEY PERSONALLY REPLACED THE CLOCK SPRING IN JANUARY 2016. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD PLEASE RE-FIX IT, AS THE FIRST FIX DID NOT WORK, AND THE CLOCK SPRING WAS ALREADY BAD AGAIN, LESS THAN 2 YEARS LATER. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD DONE WHAT WAS LEGALLY REQUIRED OF THEM, AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE FIXING MY CAR. I THEN ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE GENERAL MANAGER, WHOM I LEFT A VOICEMAIL FOR, TO SEE IF HE COULD HELP. HE HAS YET TO CALL ME BACK, TWO WEEKS LATER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000 (AIR BAGS). THE DEALER (JIM ELLIS VOLKSWAGEN ATLANTA, 5901 PEACHTREE BLVD, ATLANTA, GA 30341, (888) 848-3509) SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE RECALL REPAIR; HOWEVER, THE DEALER ONLY PUT A COVER OVER THE PART INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE PART. TWO YEARS LATER, THE HORN FAILED TO FUNCTION AND THERE WAS A SHORT ON THE RIBBON CABLE WIRING THAT AFFECTED THE STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED CONTROL FUNCTIONS. AS A RESULT, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE DEALER REFUSED TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA18003 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES AND INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED TO BE DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY A DEALER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

THESE STEERING WHEEL COMPONENTS STOPPED WORKING: HORN, TURN SIGNALS, HIGH BEAMS, WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND CRUISE CONTROL. NOT SURE IF AIR BAG WILL IN CASE OF A CAR WRECK. INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: "BUTTON FOR DRIVER ASSISTANT SYSTEM DEFECTIVE". BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR THE PAST SINCE BUYING THE CAR 2013, ROUGHLY 5 YEARS AGO. VOLKSWAGENS TECHNICIANS REPAIRED THE ISSUE MULTIPLE TIMES ON SEPERATE OCCASSIONS *WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANT.

I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AS INVESTIGATION RQ 17-009. MY CLOCKSPRING WAS PART OF A RECALL WITH PREVIOUS OWNER HAVING THE RECALL COMPLETED IN 2017. NOW THE CLOCKSPRING IS BROKEN ONCE AGAIN. I CONTACTED VW AND THEY INFORMED ME THE RECALL IS CLOSED AND ON ME TO FIX OR DEALER I PURCHASED THE CAR THROUGH. THIS IS A VW ISSUE. I HEARD AND FELT THE CLOCK SPRING POP WHILE MAKING A HARD TURN A FEW DAYS AGO. LOST ALL HAND CONTROLS, HORN AND AIRBAG LIGHT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH NO AIRBAG.