2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

I am facing an issue with my car where it tends to roll back even when it's in park, regardless of whether the engine is on or off. The only time it remains stationary is when I apply the brakes and engage the emergency brake. This situation poses a safety concern for me and my family, and I would like to find a solution to ensure our vehicle stays securely in place when parked.

The Clock Spring Assembly on my vehicle failed. In May 2023 Volkswagen of America issued an extended warranty coverage notice for the part. After doing some research and determining the part failure, I called my local VW dealer to report the problem. They told me they would be happy to schedule an appointment to look at my vehicle but they could not schedule my vehicle for service for at least a month. Considering this issue to be an extreme safely issue and realizing I did not want to drive around in my vehicle for over a month without air bag protection, I had my vehicle repaired at an independent service facility. I have had several communications with VW of America (attached) and they refuse to reimburse me for this repair.

The vehicle had been making mild clunking noises for some time (at least 2.5 years) during some combinations of turns/bumps. When took to mechanic in January 2020, the sound would not reproduce during test drive, so problem was not diagnosed. Clunking sound became more pronounced over time, until on 8/27/21 while driving a neighborhood road, there was a loud clank, as if some metal part came loose. Then there was very loud clunking, as if a metal part was knocking around loose - more pronounced when turning or going over bumps. Upon inspection by a mechanic later in the day, the sway bar had come loose due to one of the bolts on the driver side sway bar bracket had come out. Both this mechanic and later, the Volkswagen dealer mechanic, said this was very odd, since they normally only see sway bar damage when a car has been in an accident. My car has never been in any kind of accident. Sway bars help ensure a vehicle doesn’t roll too much when handling turns. Aside from safety, sway bars help prevent lopsided wheel alignment and work to maintain an overall better grip on the road. A faulty sway bar puts the vehicle at risk for rolling during turns. My belief is that there was something faulty about the sway bar mounting bracket or bolt which explains the mild clunking I heard prior to deterioration (more frequent clunking) and ultimate failure (on 8/27/21). I have a write up of the inspection and repair from the dealer. I also have photos from the dealer prior to the repair.