NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Steering complaints
19 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · May 3, 2026
Air BagsElectrical SystemSteering
The clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. The airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. The instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. The safety risks associated with the malfunctions could r…
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The clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. The airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. The instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. The safety risks associated with the malfunctions could result in great harm to the driver and passengers in the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11735422
Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2024
Air BagsSteeringVehicle Speed Control
Air bag error light is on and steering wheel controls/horn are inoperable. Cause is most likely a clock spring failure as has been reported in numerous VW vehicle models including the 2016 VW Passat but the current recall 69L2 doesn’t appear to cover our vehicle. With recall problems on numerous other vehicles, it is hard to bel…
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Air bag error light is on and steering wheel controls/horn are inoperable. Cause is most likely a clock spring failure as has been reported in numerous VW vehicle models including the 2016 VW Passat but the current recall 69L2 doesn’t appear to cover our vehicle. With recall problems on numerous other vehicles, it is hard to believe this isn’t caused by the same issue. Repair cost is estimated at $900 for an item that should be covered by VW.
NHTSA ODI #11618315
Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2024
Steering
During sharp turn would hear cracking sound coming from steering wheel, after some days air bag warning light appeared on dahsboard and honk and steering wheel buttons stopped working. Dealer replaced the clockspring under warranty that fixed airbag warning issue, but still had honk and steering wheel buttons persisted. Dealer…
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During sharp turn would hear cracking sound coming from steering wheel, after some days air bag warning light appeared on dahsboard and honk and steering wheel buttons stopped working. Dealer replaced the clockspring under warranty that fixed airbag warning issue, but still had honk and steering wheel buttons persisted. Dealer recommended replacing steering wheel control button module to fix both honk and steering wheel buttons. It appears all the problems are related and should have been fixed under warranty
NHTSA ODI #11609237
Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2023
Air BagsElectrical SystemSteering
Steering column makes noises when turning. Airbag Light is on and the none of the steering wheel controls for the radio, phone etc are functioning properly. This is my college age daughter’s car and I fear the airbag won’t deploy in the event she was in a collision.
NHTSA ODI #11547711
Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceSteering
My sensors cause the car to break in the middle of traffic. Almost causing accidents for the people behind me. This has happened 3x in the last month.
NHTSA ODI #11531558
Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2022
Air BagsElectrical SystemSteering
steering wheel clock spring failure which faults steering wheel controls, air bag and horn. Key safety features failed!
NHTSA ODI #11483857
Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2022
EngineSeat BeltsSteering
I purchased this car brand new Oct 2016. Since then I have experienced multiple sensor failures year after year… At first we thought this was a one time failure but as more and more issues came our concerns grew. I have changed out the radio, 3 speed sensors, and now am having more issues with different symptoms. For example …
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I purchased this car brand new Oct 2016. Since then I have experienced multiple sensor failures year after year… At first we thought this was a one time failure but as more and more issues came our concerns grew. I have changed out the radio, 3 speed sensors, and now am having more issues with different symptoms. For example my epc light is no and my check engine is on along with the other typical light i have seen with my speed sensor issues. I can not confidently pass any cars because the car stalls at 3000 rpms. I consider this car a safety issue on the road and i do not want this car anymore because i do not know what hidden failures will appear later on after fixing these.
NHTSA ODI #11457655
Mileage unknown · Jan 21, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceSteering
The clock spring has failed in my car unexpectedly and rapidly, exposing me as a teenage driver in college to complete unsafely while driving my car, as the airbags and brake assist that my parents wanted in my car to keep me safe do not function. There have been recalls on volkswagens for the clock spring before, and there shou…
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The clock spring has failed in my car unexpectedly and rapidly, exposing me as a teenage driver in college to complete unsafely while driving my car, as the airbags and brake assist that my parents wanted in my car to keep me safe do not function. There have been recalls on volkswagens for the clock spring before, and there should be one now. The car is 7 years old and has a little less than 73,000 miles on it - the clock spring should not be failing.
NHTSA ODI #11448373
81,700 miles · Mar 21, 2021
Air BagsSteering
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON SURFACE STREETS AND WHEN MAKING TURNS I STARTED TO HEAR CLICKING NOISES. NEXT TIME I TURNED ON MY CAR AND WENT TO PULL OUT, AN AIRBAG WARNING APPEARED AS WELL AS THE SYMBOL, AND I LOST ALL USE OF MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS AS WELL AS MY HORN. IT SEEMS TO BE A FAULTY CLOCK SPRING WHICH IS A REPORTED PROBLE…
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I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON SURFACE STREETS AND WHEN MAKING TURNS I STARTED TO HEAR CLICKING NOISES. NEXT TIME I TURNED ON MY CAR AND WENT TO PULL OUT, AN AIRBAG WARNING APPEARED AS WELL AS THE SYMBOL, AND I LOST ALL USE OF MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS AS WELL AS MY HORN. IT SEEMS TO BE A FAULTY CLOCK SPRING WHICH IS A REPORTED PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED BUT NOT WITH MY 2016. THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THESE ISSUES THAT I HAVE TO REPAIR OUT OF POCKET.
NHTSA ODI #11404116
50,000 miles · Jun 23, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)SteeringVehicle Speed Control
WHILE DRIVING THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON (CONSTANT SPEED, HIGHWAY, DRY CONDITIONS), DISABLING CRUISE CONTROL. THE AIRBAG LIGHT THEN CAME ON. THEN THE TIRE SENSOR LIGHT AND FINALLY THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT AND EXCLAMATION POINT ICON NEXT TO THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #11330287
Official recalls
5May 5, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Remedy: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
Sep 16, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
May 22, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
Jun 6, 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
Oct 26, 2015
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Consequence: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Consequence: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
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