2008 Volkswagen Passat

Steering Lock Warning Light flashes yellow and car takes two to three attempts to start. Periodically light changes to red with audible. Car occasionally shuts down while driving but recovers before stopping completely. This has been happening for over a year and is now getting significantly worse. Dealer serviced about 4 weeks ago and key fob replaced but no other notations. Full dealer inspection but no mention about this issue. There seems to be a lot of comments about this issue. Please research as it is definitely not a "one-off".

"STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE" WARNING DISPLAYS ON THE OBD PANEL REGULARLY, YET RANDOMLY SINCE PURCHASING VEHICLE. BOUGHT IN 2011 ODOMETER 5,989, NOW IN 2019 60,000 MI. HAVE REPORTED THIS TO VW DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES DURING SERVICE MAINTENANCE. ALWAYS TOLD THAT NO CODE POPS, AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. YET IT OCCURS REGULARLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. ON ONE OCCASION, VEHICLE DID START WHILE WARNING WAS ON DISPLAY, ATTEMPTED TO EXIT PARKING LOT, AND WHILE MOVING FORWARD STEERING WAS UNRESPONSIVE. SHUT OFF VEHICLE AND RESTARTED. WARNING DID NOT REAPPEAR. IF YOU REFERENCE - SAFERCAR.GOV - THERE ARE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS THAT DISCUSS THIS SAME FACTORY DESIGN FLAW; SOME CONSUMERS REPORT VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THIS DEFECT. ALL HAVE THE SAME QUANTRY: VW WILL NOT ADDRESS. A VOLUNTARY RECALL WAS ISSUED WITHOUT NOTIFICATION TO OWNERS IN USA. IT LIMITED MODEL/YEARS AND IMPOSED AN EXPIRATION DATE, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY AFFECT ALL B6 PASSATS MADE DURING 2005-2010. APPARENTLY, AN OPEN RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR UK OWNERS. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS DEFECT HAS SERIOUS IF NOT FATAL SAFETY CONCERNS THAT VW IS BEING ALLOWED TO PASS ON AT THE BUYERS EXPENSE. (DEALER QUOTES RANGE FROM $1,500-2,000 AND ABOVE) NOW THAT VW IS MANUFACTURING IN THE US I AM URGING THIS AGENCY TO REINVESTIGATE THIS MANUFACTURE DEFECT AFFECTING SAFE OPERATION. I DO HAVE DATE/TIME STAMPED PHOTOS OF THIS OBD WARNING DISPLAY. IF VW WANTS TO ENJOY CONTINUED MANUFACTURING IN THE US THEN THEY SHOULD BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE FOR REPLACING DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN SYSTEMS THROUGH OPEN RECALL TO US BUYERS. THIS HELD TRUE FOR EMISSIONS VIOLATIONS (US STANDARDS VS UK) SHOULDN'T US BUYERS BE GIVEN THE SAME SAFETY CONSIDERATION AS UK BUYERS.

WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED IT IMMEDIATELY SHUTS ITSELF OFF AND SAYS STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TODAY AND THEY TOLD ME THIS COULD CAUSE MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE CARS AND COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS WHILE DRIVING. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALS HOARDS OF PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL PASSAT.

WHILE MERGING ONTO AN ON-RAMP ON A TOLL ROAD, AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE STEERING TRIED TO PULL THE CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE ONE I WAS TURNING. THIS WAS A "CLOVERLEAF" ON-RAMP, WITH A TIGHT TURNING ANGLE. I IMMEDIATELY SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 30 OR 35 MPH, AS I WAS BEGINNING TO COME OUT OF THE TURN AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I WAS TURNING THE RIGHT AND STEERING WOULD TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT FOR A SECOND OR TWO. I WAS FORCED TO TRY TO MAINTAIN THE CORRECT DIRECTION AND AVOID CRASHING. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT ONLY SEEMED TO HAPPEN ON THIS ONE PARTICULAR ON-RAMP AT THE TIME. APPROXIMATELY A MONTH LATER (ON A MONDAY, 10/20/2014), I WAS ON ANOTHER SIMILAR "CLOVERLEAF" ON-RAMP BUT AT DIFFERENT LOCATION AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED, WHILE TURNING TO THE RIGHT. LATER THAT DAY THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS TURNING TO THE LEFT ON A LESSER EXIT RAMP, AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD "GLITCH" AND TRY TO PULL THE CAR TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. BEING AWARE THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES, I WAS VERY CAUTIOUS ABOUT MY SPEED ON THESE RAMPS. REGARDLESS OF THE SPEED, THE ISSUE WOULD STILL OCCUR. THE NEXT DAY, THE STEERING ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION, THREE TIMES WHILE ON THE RAMP, PULLING THE CAR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT SAME WEEK ON FRIDAY (10/24/2014). THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND SAID I NEEDED TO HAVE THE ENTIRE STEERING RACK REPLACED. SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS GETTING WORSE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, I WAS FORCED TO HAVE THE REPAIR MADE, WHICH COST MORE THAN $1,700. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY ISSUE AND I WAS VERY AFRAID IT WOULD CAUSE ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES PER HOUR ON STATE HIGHWAY CAR SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER. STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD AND COAST INTO PARKING LOT. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR 24 HOURS TO MOVE TO REPAIR SHOP. AFTER DIFFICULTY DIAGNOSING DUE TO LOSS OF ALL POWER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE POWER SUPPLY RELAY WAS APPARENTLY BAD. COULD FIND NO RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE. SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A CAR WITH SO FEW MILES WHICH HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY ISSUE! WAS VERY LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO PULL OVER IN TIME TO AVOID TRAFFIC. *TR

VEHICLE HAS APPROX ONE YEAR OF DIFFICULT STARTS REQUIRING MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. ON 7/20/14 WHILE DRIVING IN PARKING LOT VEHICLE STALLED AND REFUSED TO RESTART DESPITE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS. TOWED HOME. DTC SHOWED CONTROL MODULE FOR ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK LEAKING. VEHICLE REFUSING TO START DESPITE ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CHECKING OUT. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NOT ON. *TR

THE CAR WAS PARKED AND WOULD NOT START EVEN AFTER A CHECK OF THE BATTERY. THE CAR HAD NO POWER WHATSOEVER AND COULD NOT BE PLACED INTO NEUTRAL TO TOW-THE ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ALSO LOCKED.THE VEHICLE SAT TWO NIGHTS IN A SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT BEFORE A TOWING COMPANY COULD FIGURE SOMETHING OUT. THE TOW WAS $106.00 TO THE VW DEALERSHIP.THE DEALER WANTED $107 LABOR CHARGE FOR EACH PROBLEM. I ALREADY LOOKING AT A $214.00 BILL FOR THE STARTING ISSUE AND BRAKE.I TOLD THE TECHNICIAN IF THE CAR STARTS THE BRAKE SHOULD RELEASE ACCORDING THE OPERATORS MANUAL-ITS ELECTRONIC.HOW THIS HAPPENED IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY AS THERE HAD NEVER BEEN EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INDICATION.I HAVE SEEN MANY, MANY REPORTS OF THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THIS CAR ON THE INTERNET AS I DID SOME RESEARCH AFTER THIS HAPPENED. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP- THE STEERING WHEEL MODULE WAS $565 SINCE THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO MOVE THE CAR AND TRY AND GET IT STARTED , ,,WHICH SEEMS RIDICULOUS TO ME GIVEN THAT THE CAR ONLY HAS 90,000 MILES. I TRIED TO GET SOME HELP FROM VW CUSTOMER CARE GIVEN THAT THIS SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN FLAW...IT REALLY IS UPSETTING TO HAVE TO PAY SO MUCH FOR A CAR SO LIGHTLY USED WITH ONLY MAKING 3 MONTHLY VEHICLE PAYMENTS AND. VW WAS COMPLETELY UNWILLING TO WORK WITH ME IN ANY WAY. GERMAN ENGINEERING = GERMAN JUNK! *TR