2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Complaints

1) THE CAR HAS 67,000 MILES AND IT HAS BEEN SERVICED EVERY 5,000 MILES AS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER. 2) THE CAR WOULDN'T START AND IT CAME UP WITH A WARNING MESSAGE THAT READ "STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILURE." IT CAME ONLY ONCE, BUT FAILURE OF THIS STATIONARY PART COULD RESULT IN LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. AS PER THOUSANDS OF BLOG THREADS, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON VOLKSWAGEN PASSATS. 3) THE PART HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE MANUFACTURER (VOLKSWAGEN) NO LONGER USES THE SAME PART. THEY USE A NEW IMPROVED PART THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, 'STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE' MESSAGE APPEARS ON 2006 VW PASSAT SCREEN, AND CAR WON'T START. AFTER 5 OR 6 TRIES THE CAR EVENTUALLY STARTS. I SEE POSTINGS SIMILAR TO THIS IN MANY INTERNET FORUMS REGARDING 2006 PASSAT. *TR

VOLKSWAGEN 2006 2.0T PASSAT HAS A DEFECTIVE STEERING WHEEL LOCK THAT IS VERY DANGEROUS. I KNOW OF NUMEROUS PASSAT 2006 DRIVERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS UNSAFE AND THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED. THANK GOD I WAS NOT DRIVING WHEN IT OCCURRED. IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX AND I AM JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY. IT IS UNFAIR AND UNSAFE. IT HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY PASSAT DRIVERS. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO TOW BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS LOCKED UP ON THE CAR, COULDN'T PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, ALL WHEELS WERE LOCKED, BRAKES,ETC. THE SERVICE PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE KEYS ARE NOT BEING READ BY THE CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR OVER $1300. I CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THIS ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS A VW DEFECT. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT 3.6 4-MOTION. 65K MILES. STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILURE. WHILE ON MY HONEYMOON TRIP WITH MY NEW WIFE TO VANCOUVER B.C. MY CAR FAILED TO START AS USUAL. KEY IS PLACED IN DASH AND PRESSED INTO STARTING POSITION. CAR STARTS AND THEN ABRUPTLY ENGINE STOPS. VERY INTERMITTENT. PROBLEM IS WORRYING BECAUSE IT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. *TR

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS LEADING UP TO 07-30-08, VEHICLE WOULD NOT START PROPERLY. VW REPROGRAMMED KEYS BUT REFUSED TO COVER COSTS EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. AROUND APRIL 2009, VEHICLE BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS CRANKING AGAIN. VEHICLE WOULD START THEN THE ENGINE WOULD IMMEDIATELY DIE, BUT NOT EVERY TIME. CONDITION GOT WORSE AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE AND HAD THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR CHECKED OUT. THEY WERE FINE. ON ONE OCCASION THE VEHICLE COMPUTER GAVE A "STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECTIVE" ERROR. TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER ON 06-16-2009. THIS TIME THEY SAID STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE AND COMFORT MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT RELATED TO EARLIER PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED AT DIFFERENT VW DEALER AT OWN COST. I KEPT THE OLD PARTS. *TR

CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN KEY WAS INSERTED. PROBLEM WAS VERY INTERMITTENT AT FIRST AND THEN BECAME MORE AND MORE COMMON. THEN SOMETIMES THE CAR WOULD START BUT STOP IMMEDIATELY. DEALERS AT FIRST TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BUT NOW STATE THAT THE CAR REQUIRES A NEW STEERING COLUMN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED. THE COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $1,200. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY OFFERED TO ASSIST WITH 30% OF THE REPAIR COST. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 78,000.

HAVING ISSUES WITH STEERING COLUMN LOCK, CAR NEVER STARTS, TAKES MULTIPLE TRIES TO GET IT TO START. SAVING MONEY TO PAY FOR 1500.00 REPAIR. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON MONDAY JUNE 22 @ 72 MPH, THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF. THIS WAS EXTREMELY SCARY DUE TO BEING ON MAJOR HIGHWAY AT SUCH A SPEED. I ALMOST DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND. THE VEHICLE TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS FROM THERE TO START AGAIN. *TR

ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN CONTINUES TO PRODUCE WARNING LIGHTS AFTER BEING SENT IN FOR SERVICE. WARNING MESSAGE THAT ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK IS DEFECTIVE CONTINUES COMING ON. ERROR MESSAGE CAUSES THE CAR TO NOT START, SOMETIMES TAKING 2-10 RESTARTS TO GET THE CAR RUNNING. POWER ASSISTANCE AND ELECTRONIC STEERING CAN FAIL (ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL) IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY TO SELF AND OTHERS OR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IF THIS IS NOT FIXED. HAVE RESEARCHED PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIPS SEEM TO HAVE DIFFICULTY DIAGNOSING AND REPAIRS ARE VERY COSTLY. ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1,500-2,600. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR AND MAKE, AND MAY CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IF NOT FIXED. *TR

THE CAR SUDDENLY WOULDN'T START. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING. "STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE" WARNING APPEARED ON THE IN-DASH CONSOLE. THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I REMOVED THE KEY AND TRIED AFTER A FEW MINUTES, AND THE CAR STARTED OKAY. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES IN THE STRETCH OF ONE WEEK OR SO. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. *TR