2006 Volkswagen Passat

STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILURE, 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2.0T AT 61,000 MILES, VEHICLE STARTED SHUTTING ITSELF OFF ONE SECOND AFTER STARTING WITH NO MESSAGE. WITHIN 500 MILES, DIAGNOSTIC MESSAGE REPORTED STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILURE. VEHICLE IS 2,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY (LESS THEN 1 YEAR OLD), DEALER INSIST ON REPLACING STEERING COLUMN, STEERING COLUMN LOCK, STEERING COLUMN LOCK CONTROL MODULE AND THE CONVENIENCE CONTROL MODULE FOR A TOTAL OF $2400. I HAVE FOUND ON VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS MULTIPLE IDENTICAL INCIDENTS. THIS STEERING WHEEL LOCK IS AND WAS DEFECTIVE FROM THE START AND VW HAS AN OBLIGATION TO MAKE IT RIGHT. *TR

I BOUGHT A CAR BRAND NEW AND EVER SINCE 1700 MILES IT'S BEEN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. FIRST IT STARTED WITH WINDOWS NOT WANTING TO ROLL UP, THEY'D ROLL DOWN FIRST THEN UP. MY RADIO WAS STUCK ON LOUD AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF OR DOWN OR CHANGE RADIO STATIONS. THE PARKING BRAKE (ELECTRICAL) ENGAGED ON ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, A HOSE CAME UNDONE AT 18K MILES ON THE FREEWAY AND CAUSED HEAVY CONVULSING. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK RANDOMLY HAD "ERRORS", THE AIRBAG HAS "ERRORS", THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED VERY ROUGH WHICH MADE ME JOLT IN THE CAR AND STARTED MAKING MY NECK SORE. FOR EVERY INCIDENT MY CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER TO BE FIXED, THEY FIX THE PROBLEM AND A NEW ONE HAPPENS A WEEK LATER. I AM A VALET AND OTHER VW OWNERS SAY THE SAME THINGS HAPPEN TO THEIR CARS. SO I KNOW I HAVE A LEGIT COMPLAINT HERE. *TR

2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2.0T SHORTLY AFTER ACQUIRING THE VEHICLE I EXPERIENCED THAT AT TIMES THE VEHICLE WOULD SEVERELY DECELERATE SHORTLY AFTER PROCEEDING FROM A STOP, FOLLOWED BY A RAPID ACCELERATION. THANKFULLY DRIVERS BEHIND ME AVOIDED REAR END COLLISIONS. ON ONE OCCASION A BROAD SIDE COLLISION WAS NARROWLY AVERTED. SUBSEQUENT TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONDITION . NO DIAGNOSTIC FAULT CODES WERE REGISTERED AND SERVICE PERSONNEL MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF "TURBO LAG". AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW MONTHS I INADVERTENTLY DUPLICATED THE CONDITION WHILE CREEPING THROUGH A CAR WASH WITH MY LEFT FOOT LIGHTLY ON THE BRAKE WHILE I ACCELERATED WITH THE RIGHT FOOT. I FOUND THAT I COULD EASILY REPLICATE THE CONDITION IF I TOUCHED THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH MY LEFT FOOT AS I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITH MY RIGHT FOOT. I DEMONSTRATED THIS TO A DEALERSHIP TECH AS HE ACCOMPANIED ME WITH AN ANALYZER CONNECTED . NO FAULT CODES REGISTERED WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD "DIE AND THEN ACCELERATE". THE TECH HAD SUBSEQUENT DIALOG WITH A REGIONAL VW REP WITH THE END RESULT BEING ----- "DON'T LEFT FOOT BRAKE" APPARENTLY THIS IS A VW COMPUTER CONTROL MODULE ISSUE INHERENT TO THIS MODEL VW. I BELIEVE IT TO BE A SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITION. *TR

WHEN THE CAR IS TRAVELING APPROXIMATED 2-10 MPH, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ACCELERATES AND BRAKES AS THE AUTOMOBILE BUCKS A FEW TIMES. THEIR IS A LOUD THUNKING NOISE AND THEN GOES BACK TO NORMAL. FROM TIME TO TIME THE CAR GETS STUCK IN 2ND GEAR, WHICH FORCES ME TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE ENGINE. WINDOWS ARE SUPPOSEDLY AUTOMATIC UP AND DOWN, BUT DON'T WORK PROPERLY 50% OF THE TIME. REAR BACK SPEAKER PLAYS INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN PARKING AND SHUTTING DOWN ENGINE, THE EMERGENCY BRAKES TURN ON AND OFF. THE ENGINE KEY IS GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION. OVERALL ISSUES SEEM TO BE ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER RELATED. I HAVE TAKEN BACK TO DEALER TWICE IN THE LAST 6 MOTHS AND THE PROBLEMS KEEP BUILDING. *TR

ABS BRAKES HAVE BEEN PUMPING WITHOUT INCLEMENT WEATHER. IT PUMPS RANDOMLY AT ANY SPEED AND ANY WEATHER. NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED FROM THE DEALER. THE BRAKES ALSO MAKE EXCESSIVE NOISE, GRINDING OR METAL TO METAL TYPE OF SOUNDS OR CONTACT. IN ADDITION, MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL OR MALFUNCTIONS WITHIN THE YEAR I HAVE OWNED THE CAR- ONLY 9491 MILES. A. AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON AND STAYED ON UNTIL I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER. B. THE DRIVER SUN VISOR SHORTED AND WAS INOPERATIVE. C. IGNITION WAS WEAK AND WOULD NOT START AFTER SEVERAL TIMES. CAR WOULD DIE. BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER, NO RESOLVE. THE COMPUTER COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. FINALLY AS I AM DRIVING THE OTHER DAY, A MALFUNCITON LIGHT APPEARS AND THE CAR DIES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. D. AFTER 5,000 MILES CHECK UP, THE SERVICE LIGHT APPEARED AND STAYED ON UNTIL I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER TO TURN OFF. E. AT THIS TIME, THE CAR IS IN THE DEALER. THEY FOUND THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAULTY AND WILL BE REPLACING IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PUSH KEY BECOMES STUCK AND THE GEARS MUST BE SHIFTED IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. ALSO, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY, AND THE VEHICLE'S INTERIOR SMELLED LIKE ROTTEN EGGS. ON APRIL 9, 2007 THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS, 10,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000.*AK

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED AFTER DRIVING THE 2006 VOLKSWAGEN AND ATTEMPTING TO EXIT THE VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT BOTH THE FOOT LIGHTS AND THE INTERIOR HOOD LIGHTS DID NOT WORK. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A SHORT CIRCUIT THAT THEY COULD NOT PIN POINT. THE CONTACT FELT UNSAFE, WILL NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE. *AK

I HAVE HAD RECURRENT ISSUES WITH MY 2006 PASSAT. I JUST GOT THE CAR BACK FROM THE DEALER AFTER BEING AT THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS FOR 25 DAYS, AND I WAS TRYING TO BRAKE AT THE END OF MY STREET AND THE CAR DID NOT BRAKE. THE PEDAL WAS VERY HARD -- I COULD BARELY PUSH IT IN WITH TWO FEET. I ACTIVATED THE PARKING BRAKE, AND THE CAR STOPPED -- THANK GOD, I WAS ONLY GOING 10 MPH, BUT IF I ROLLED INTO THE INTERSECTION I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. WHEN THE CAR STOPPED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE ENGINE BEGAN REVVING UP AND DOWN AND THE HEADLIGHTS WERE FLICKERING OR SURGING AND GETTING BRIGHTER AND DIMMER AND BRIGHTER VERY RAPIDLY. I TURNED ON THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TO BETTER VIEW MY DASH, AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WERE SURGING/FLICKERING AS WELL. IN ONE OF MY PREVIOUS VISITS FOR DEALER REPAIRS, THEY TOLD ME THEY PUT IN A BRAND NEW ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING AGAIN? THIS CAR IS BEYOND REPAIR. I BELIEVE I HAVE A LEMON AND IT IS DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE DRIVING THIS CAR. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT AFTER A 25-DAY STINT IN THE DEALER REPAIR CENTER IT'S STILL NOT WORKING. THIS IS THE LAST OF MANY TRIPS TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. INCIDENTALLY, WHILE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, I BOUGHT IT AFTER USING IT AS A LOANER WHEN MY 2006 JETTA TDI WAS IN THE SHOP MORE THAN I DROVE IT DURING MY PERIOD OF OWNERSHIP. THAT CAR HAD SOME ISSUES AS WELL, SO WHEN I LIKED THE PASSAT I DECIDED TO TRADE IT IN. I'VE ONLY DRIVEN THIS PASSAT FOR LESS THAN 5,000 MILES AND IT IS TERRIBLE. MY WIFE DRIVES A 2006 JETTA TDI (A DIFFERENT ONE) WHICH RUNS GREAT. HOW CAN ONLY ONE OF THREE CARS PURCHASED IN LESS THAN A SIX MONTH PERIOD FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS IS SERIOUSLY IMPACTING MY VIEWS OF VW QUALITY. I HAVE TROUBLE WRITING VW AND THE WORD QUALITY IN THE SAME SENTENCE. THANK GOD I DIDN'T DIE TONIGHT. *NM

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. IT TOOK THE DEALER 4 ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. FIRST THEY RESET THE COMPUTER TWO TIMES. THE THIRD TIME THEY REPLACED A PART. THE FOURTH TIME THEY REPLACE THE TURBOCHARGER. SINCE THIS LAST FIX THE LIGHT HAS COME ON ONCE THEN WENT OFF. IT NOW IS OFF WHILE DRIVING. *JB