Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| TT-97-12-01 | 12/07/2012 | 10050944 | Volkswagen: no terminal 15 power, fault 02403-012. terminal 15 relay activation can be checked in measured value blocks for module that controls relay, and j519 vehicle electrical system control module. measured value block number varies | 02/12/2013 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| TB-27-09-01 | 03/06/2009 | 10030116 | Volkswagen: the positive battery cable on passat vehicles with v6 engine may corrode and in individual cases break. as a result, the power supply may be disrupted and e.g. the vehicle cannot be started. *pe | 08/04/2009 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||||
| SA-97R7 | 04/01/2010 | 10034370 | Volkswagen: inspect, and if necessary, replace positive battery cable. vehicles affected by this action may have a positive battery cable that may corrode and, in rare cases, break. if this happens, the power supply may be disrupted and | 11/08/2010 | |
| SB-97P4-Y5 | 03/01/2009 | 10030449 | Volkswagen: this is to inform you of the release of a new required vehicle update. check and, if necessary, replace positive battery cable. models passat, passat wagon, passat cc. *pe | 10/06/2009 | |
| TB-27-09-01 | 03/06/2009 | 10030116 | Volkswagen: the positive battery cable on passat vehicles with v6 engine may corrode and in individual cases break. as a result, the power supply may be disrupted and e.g. the vehicle cannot be started. *pe | 08/04/2009 | |
| TB-27+09-01 | 03/06/2009 | 10029033 | Volkswagen: the positive battery cable on vehicles may corrode and in individual cases break. as a result, the power supply may be disrupted and e.g. the vehicle cannot be started. *pe | 06/12/2009 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| SAC-28F3/P1-REV | 08/01/2010 | 10036496 | Volkswagen: gasoline engine vehicles inspect, and if necessary, replace ignition coils. vehicles affected by this action may have ignition coils that could malfunction under certain conditions. models passat and wagon; golf; gti; jetta a | 03/23/2011 | |
| TSB-28-10-02 | 05/10/2010 | 10034745 | Volkswagen: mil on or flashing, misfire dtcs p0300-0312 stored in ecm. the misfire condition may be caused by a malfunctioning ignition coil. vehicles are out of production. *pe | 01/10/2011 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| SA-97U3 | 01/01/2011 | 10038595 | Ready | 06/22/2011 | |
| SA-97U3 | 01/01/2011 | 10038595 | Volkswagen service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. resistance in the air bag system can cause the air bag light to turn on even though there is no problem. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA11002 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 01/26/2011 | 02/17/2012 | Engine Compartment Fire | ||
| In july 2010, the agency opened pe10-027 to investigate allegations of coil on plug (cop) ignition coil fires in my2002-2003 vw passat vehicles.the investigation was upgraded in january 2011 to include all my2001-2007 4-cylinder vw passat, gasoline, turbo-charged vehicles.based on the analysis of vw's response, and including odi's consumer complaints, odi has since identified 135 unique engine fire reports attributable to the cop coils.after further review of the details as contained in each report, odi determined that 43 of the 135 fire reports were actual fire/flame incidents, 83 fire reports were thermal events (smoke, spark, heat or wire melt), and another 9 fire reports were undetermined in severity due to the lack of information.these cop coil fires were characterized as initiated from within the cop coil circuit located at the top of the engine block and below the plastic engine cover.the fires observed were contained in the engine compartment and did not reach into the passenger compartment in contrast to those caused by an overheated catalytic converter examined in odi | ||||||
| EA11002 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 01/26/2011 | Engine Compartment Fire | |||
| Odi has received 14 complaints alleging that a fire started in the engine compartment of the vehicle that may be related to ignition coil failure, and 21 complaints of ignition coil failure that did not result in a fire.reports state that the vehicle hesitated or lost power, and the check engine or dashboard lights illuminated.the vehicles were repaired by replacing the faulty ignition coil(s). some of the complaints indicated that the ignition coils were replaced more than once.the scope of pe10-027 focused on model years (my) 2002-2003 passat vehicles and volkswagen provided data regarding their analysis of the vehicle fires and faulty ignition coils for these vehicles.however, based on consumer complaints, odi also requested and received data from volkswagen regarding my2006-2007 passat vehicles.the failure report for this engineering analysis contains data for my 2002-2003 and my 2006-2007 vehicles.odi needs to further investigate this issue.to facilitate the acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis.odi is expanding the scope to include my 2001-2007 passat vehicles. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/11/2010 | 2011 | ||
| Trunk has difficulty closing. seat belt don't work properly. airbag light along with the motor light turne on. these lights were never really fixed by the car dealer. the passenger back door does not lock most of the time leaving the car without the alarm working. | |||
| 02/11/2012 | 38046 | ||
| Almost home on a saturday afternoon with the cruise control (cc) on, and it suddenly goes off - car running fine but it won't go back on cc. checked other electrical controls at the steering wheel, and none were working - no horn, no turn signals, no w/s wipers, no lights (headlights still worked as they are always on when the engine is running). made it safely home, and turned the engine off - but, the headlights won't go off. tried it several times without success. then tried to get the key out, but it would not come out so i was left with the headlights on and unable to get the key out. disconnected the battery to get the lights off. monday prepared to drive the car into the nearest vw dealer 35 miles away - connected the battery and started the engine, but it quit right away - tried it several times without success. finally had the car towed to the vw dealer at my expense. vw dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty steering module, and said the bill would be over $1,000 but that i would only have to pay for the labor. dealer replaced the module and then found that the ignition/starter switch was faulty. final bill came to much more than a $1,000.00, of which i was required to pay $382.75 if i wanted my car back. | |||
| 07/20/2011 | 67000 | ||
| Check engine (mil) light turned on, car all of a sudden idles at a higher rpm while we were driving!!! vehicle was taken into the dealership. car is only under warranty for 36,000 miles or 3 years! dealership ran diagnostic, came up with: code p0123 (throttle high input), p0299 (turbo under boost), p0456 (evap leak), p1098 (intake turning valve short to b+), code p2004 (intake runner stuck), code p3237 (intake runner basic settings). dealer recommended intake runner motor replacement & replacement of turbo & n80 valve, also cv boot needs replacement. total cost of repairs over $1200!!! we always take care of our vehicles and have them serviced at the dealership. vehicle has also had defective interior parts. interior trim (all switches - lock, window & radio are bubbling and chipping). door panel trim (rubber is peeling). shift knob - metallic piece on shift knob, peeled and dug into skin and caused injury. carbon fiber dash is peeling apart. contacted vw of america, per their customer service rep, they are unable to make any repairs due to the age and mileage of the vehicle. car is a 2006 - 67,000 miles. less than 5 years old. i would have never purchased a volkswagen had i known they were not reliable vehicles. unknowledgable sales reps, or just after customers to make a buck. selling people unreliable vehicles and volkswagen clearly does not take care of their customers nor do they care about customer loyalty or safety. | |||
| 10/17/2010 | |||
| 2006 passat, engine light will not go off, car on numerous events has staled after starting, dealer has no explaination | |||
| 06/24/2010 | 50037 | ||
| 1. started hearing ticking noise from engine 2. ticking became louder, slow performance 3. replaced intake cam / lifters, h.p. fuel pump, valve cover gasket and sealant, vacuum pipe to leak detection pipe (all 2 times each). | |||
| 11/17/2010 | 55328 | ||
| The problem that i am having with my 2006 volkswagen passat is that while i am driving the car shuts down completely. this has happened to me about five times this year. it has almost caused me to be in two accidents and to have to quickly pull off the road. the dealer wants me to pay $1,700 to repair it. | |||
| 11/04/2010 | 66222 | ||
| 2006 volkswagen passat - steering column lock defective error message. 1. car will not start immediately; sometimes up to 20 minutes after initiating the starting procedure. 2. failure occurs several times a week. consquence for first incident was a lost contract for an independent consulting position. car is currently out of service requiring me to use public transportation and/or walk to work and appointments. 3. issue has not been corrected. car is currently out of service. | |||
| 11/17/2010 | 55328 | ||
| The problem that i am having with my 2006 volkswagen passat is that while i am driving the car shuts down completely. this has happened to me about five times this year. it has almost caused me to be in two accidents and to have to quickly pull off the road. the dealer wants me to pay $1,700 to repair it. | |||
| 11/04/2010 | 66222 | ||
| 2006 volkswagen passat - steering column lock defective error message. 1. car will not start immediately; sometimes up to 20 minutes after initiating the starting procedure. 2. failure occurs several times a week. consquence for first incident was a lost contract for an independent consulting position. car is currently out of service requiring me to use public transportation and/or walk to work and appointments. 3. issue has not been corrected. car is currently out of service. | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 75000 | ||
| My car is 2006 vw passat - 2.0t. around 60,000miles, car becoming increasingly harder to start. but it works. and 75,000miles looks likely battery died and steering column lock defective. so i talked dealership, service guy told me it happened battery is low voltage. so i changed, but it happed same problem with new battery. i don't know it happen only my car or other vw also has same problem. when i 73,000 miles, i did it regular maintainence service, after that i felf car wasn't same because wheel side had more noise but i trusted dealer ship. dealership didn't say anything, so i thought everything ok. but after that it happened. | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 31000 | ||
| 2006 vw passat defective steering column lock warning sign and the car won't start at once. | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 75000 | ||
| My car is 2006 vw passat - 2.0t. around 60,000miles, car becoming increasingly harder to start. but it works. and 75,000miles looks likely battery died and steering column lock defective. so i talked dealership, service guy told me it happened battery is low voltage. so i changed, but it happed same problem with new battery. i don't know it happen only my car or other vw also has same problem. when i 73,000 miles, i did it regular maintainence service, after that i felf car wasn't same because wheel side had more noise but i trusted dealer ship. dealership didn't say anything, so i thought everything ok. but after that it happened. | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 31000 | ||
| 2006 vw passat defective steering column lock warning sign and the car won't start at once. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 37000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the steering locked up. the contact stated a little red light blinked on and off and the steering was failed. the contact looked in the manual and it stated if this light comes on the vehicle will lock up. the contact stated the manual states that coils in the dashboard control the steering and dashboard functions. the vehicle was unable to be towed because the failure has everything locked, including the wheels, because of the failure. the vin was not available at the time at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage and current mileages was 37000.rl | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 72000 | ||
| 2006 vw passat has intermittent problems starting (steering column lock, etc - same as everyone else) and then one day while driving @ 55 mph, my car died. i had to try and get over to the side of the road. very scary! i tried to restart with no luck and just about the time i was ready to give up, i tried one more time (while waiting for aaa to answer the phone) and it worked. i've had it into my mechanic several times for the starting issue and the dealer gave me the replace the whole steering column thing. i have been holding off bc its so expensive and i can go for weeks or even months without having the problem, then it flairs up again in spades. my biggest concern now is the motor cutting out on me again while i'm driving. there should be a recall based on the hundreds of complaints for this same issue. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 37000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the steering locked up. the contact stated a little red light blinked on and off and the steering was failed. the contact looked in the manual and it stated if this light comes on the vehicle will lock up. the contact stated the manual states that coils in the dashboard control the steering and dashboard functions. the vehicle was unable to be towed because the failure has everything locked, including the wheels, because of the failure. the vin was not available at the time at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage and current mileages was 37000.rl | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 72000 | ||
| 2006 vw passat has intermittent problems starting (steering column lock, etc - same as everyone else) and then one day while driving @ 55 mph, my car died. i had to try and get over to the side of the road. very scary! i tried to restart with no luck and just about the time i was ready to give up, i tried one more time (while waiting for aaa to answer the phone) and it worked. i've had it into my mechanic several times for the starting issue and the dealer gave me the replace the whole steering column thing. i have been holding off bc its so expensive and i can go for weeks or even months without having the problem, then it flairs up again in spades. my biggest concern now is the motor cutting out on me again while i'm driving. there should be a recall based on the hundreds of complaints for this same issue. | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 37000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the steering locked up. the contact stated a little red light blinked on and off and the steering was failed. the contact looked in the manual and it stated if this light comes on the vehicle will lock up. the contact stated the manual states that coils in the dashboard control the steering and dashboard functions. the vehicle was unable to be towed because the failure has everything locked, including the wheels, because of the failure. the vin was not available at the time at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage and current mileages was 37000.rl | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 72000 | ||
| 2006 vw passat has intermittent problems starting (steering column lock, etc - same as everyone else) and then one day while driving @ 55 mph, my car died. i had to try and get over to the side of the road. very scary! i tried to restart with no luck and just about the time i was ready to give up, i tried one more time (while waiting for aaa to answer the phone) and it worked. i've had it into my mechanic several times for the starting issue and the dealer gave me the replace the whole steering column thing. i have been holding off bc its so expensive and i can go for weeks or even months without having the problem, then it flairs up again in spades. my biggest concern now is the motor cutting out on me again while i'm driving. there should be a recall based on the hundreds of complaints for this same issue. | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 44960 | ||
| 06 vw passat, i was driving and the engine light, the epc and another light came on and all of a sudden the car lost all power and wouldn't go past 15 mph and 20 rpm. very dangerous when you are driving and this happens, there should be a recall for this problem. car has 44, 960 miles and not sure if it's under warranty, will find out tomorrow. | |||
| 09/28/2010 | 44891 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact pulled from a light making a left turn and the vehicle loss all power and stalled. the battery light was dim and the epc light came on. the vehicle needed to be towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the failure was caused by a bad cell in the starter. the failure mileage and current mileages was 44891.rl | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 44960 | ||
| 06 vw passat, i was driving and the engine light, the epc and another light came on and all of a sudden the car lost all power and wouldn't go past 15 mph and 20 rpm. very dangerous when you are driving and this happens, there should be a recall for this problem. car has 44, 960 miles and not sure if it's under warranty, will find out tomorrow. | |||
| 09/28/2010 | 44891 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact pulled from a light making a left turn and the vehicle loss all power and stalled. the battery light was dim and the epc light came on. the vehicle needed to be towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the failure was caused by a bad cell in the starter. the failure mileage and current mileages was 44891.rl | |||
| 06/08/2010 | 38000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the key is not sending the electrical signal needed to start the vehicle and even though you may get the vehicle started that the signal can still go out and cause the vehicle to stall. the vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. the contact stated that they saw online that the steering column would need to be replaced. the failure mileage was 38000 and current is 40000.rl | |||
| 06/12/2010 | 58000 | ||
| Symptom #1) car will not start or if it does start it will immediately stall and steering column will lock. after moving the steering wheel back and forth repeatedly, reopening the door several times and attempting to start the push ignition 5-10 times it will eventually start and run. symptom #2) major safety issue! car will lose all power without warning at highway speeds. this defect causes the engine to stall immediately, the loss of power steering and the loss of all power controls at speeds at least up to 70 mph. there is no warning from the car itself. there is no stuttering or noise. suddenly the car is just dead and rolling along at extreme speeds. the fix is to shift the car into neutral and attempt to restart by removing and reinserting the key until it starts again. the dashboard will light up steering column defect and prompt a warning light for the steering column as if it were locked from a car alarm prompt. occasionally, i have been unable to restart the car while in motion and have had to pull off to the side of the road. this is done without the aid of power steering and can be very dangerous in traffic and at high speeds as there is no way of knowing when the defect will occur. this defect is occurring daily. i took the car into the dealer for diagnosis. was told it was a defect in the steering column requiring a complete replacement. estimated cost to myself was $1,000-2,000. car is now out of warranty (58,000 miles). i believe this defect is not a result of any habit of myself as the driver but rather a defect in the workmanship of the vehicle and the dealer should be subject to a recall. a search on google about this issue revealed thousands of other drivers with the exact same problem (stall at highway speeds, loss of power steering, difficulty starting and restarting, possible stranding of the driver). i urge a recall to move forward immediately! | |||
| 05/10/2010 | 53000 | ||
| When trying to start 2006 passay 2.0t, i get error messages about steering column lock being defective or there are no dash lights and car won't turn over. problem is getting worse. located online forum with 6 pages of complaints like mine. see the following website: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3656214-steering-column-lock-for-2006-passat/page1 | |||
| 02/03/2010 | 36000 | ||
| My wife's car 2006 passat has been starting and then stalling immediately. a warning light comes on indicating steering column lock defect. it was fine for a week or two, then it started occurring several times a week. i took car to repair shop and was told that problem would need a dealership repair shop to correct. after doing some online searches for problems of this nature i noticed many owners were having same problem and were told that the steering column and comfort sensor would both have to be replaced, estimates from $1200 to $2000 dollars for repair. our car is out of warrantee as of feb, 2010 but has less than 50,000 miles on it. reports from mechanics say a person can get stranded at any time, but if car starts it will not fail while driving. this replacement should not be at the cost of the owner. please investigate occurances and request a recall for defective new vehicle electrical equipment/ steering column. | |||
| 03/05/2010 | 60000 | ||
| 1a. i inserted the key fod and the steering wheel light on the instrument panel flashed yellow and the mfd on the instrument panel said, steering column lock malfunction. go to vw dealer immediately 1b. other times, it's the same, but the steering wheel light flashes with red light. 1c. other times, i must insert the key fod anywhere from 5-20 times before the car even starts. the car won't start and i must repeat the process until it does. 2. it occurs at least 5-9 times per week with the yellow light flasing, 3-5 times a week with red light flashing, and 1-3 times per week when i must repeat the inserting of key fod to turn on. 3a. the vw dealer says they have seen this problem and it usually runs $1500-$2200 to fix. they said they usually replace the steering column module (computer board stuff) and the steering column as well. they say the problem is cause by the module going bad and not responding and telling the computer to turn the car on. 3b. th vw corporate customer care said they cannot help because warranty has expired. i have about 60k miles and warranty expired at 50k miles. please go to this thread to see how common this problem is: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3656214 | |||
| 03/23/2010 | 76000 | ||
| My car keeps getting the message, steering column defective message in the mfd. the car will not start on more than six times now. whenever, the message steering column defective comes on, the car will not start. i did a google search regarding this problme, and many people online expressed the same problem with their vehicles. | |||
| 08/02/2009 | 68000 | 1 | |
| Car will not start, have to keep trying over and over happens almost every day. after a few mins anywhere from 2min till 15min of restarting it will start. *tr | |||
| 04/13/2007 | 17815 | 1 | |
| 10/13/2009 | 81000 | 1 | |
| Experiencing an intermittent problem with 2006 vw passat where it will start but will not stay running. have checked website and determined this is a widespread problem with this year/model of vw. am concerned as there is a message that displays that says defective steering wheel lock. there should be a recall on this. the car only has 81k miles. this is an ongoing issue. | |||
| 10/20/2009 | 660000 | 1 | |
| 2006 passat security system sensor between key and computer in column fails causing the engine to shut down. this has happened to me while starting, but not yet while driving. many posts on http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2006/volkswagen/passat report it happening while driving. *tr | |||
| 07/20/2009 | 1 | ||
| When starting vehicle at most of the times it starts and dies immediately. *tr | |||
| 08/05/2009 | 57000 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 07/30/2008 | 42305 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 02/28/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle will not start 70% of the time. vehicle stalls once started. problem is getting worse. quote was provided to repair, but parts are very expensive. *tr | |||
| 05/18/2009 | 69000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact attempted to start the ignition and the steering wheel began to lock up. there were two warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the messages displayed were embolizater activated move steering wheel and steering lock defective. in addition, the ignition key was stuck and failed to release. the failures occured without warning. the driver disconnected and reconnected the battery cable to start the vehicle. the vehicle stalled between six to ten times while in operation. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was towed from her residence to an independent mechanic. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 69,000. | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Gosh where do i start vw passat 51000 miles alot of things went wrong.. car starter volks came out causing the starter to break my trunk doesn't close pops open in the middle of road/freeway causing me to loose thing from my trunk extremely dangerous in the freeway my steering wheel lock is defected does not lock i have called numerous of vw dealer ships and they want to charge me cause its warranty expired and for steering lock i went before warranty and they want to charge me 90 dollars i don't have that kind of money lying around i have car payment. ins ect... im scared if something was to happened while me driving with my kids. *tr | |||
| 01/11/2009 | 31800 | 1 | |
| Failure of car to remain running when starting; has happened for two days in a row now. twice in one day. start car and then it stalls right away. also receive steering column error sometimes when this happens. *tr | |||
| 09/14/2008 | 18000 | 1 | |
| I had a 2006 passat that i bought new in nov. 2006. the car caught fire after i parked it at work. no warning lights came on while driving it and i maintained my car. my car is totaled and the fire was in the engine compartment. i am now without a car. *tr | |||
| 09/28/2008 | 66700 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. when the contact started the ignition, the engine stalled and the important steering column defective warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. she experienced difficulty starting the engine on separate occasions. also, the ignition key would not disengage without making several attempts. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and repaired for the malfunction. the contact is waiting for a response from the dealer. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 66,700. | |||
| 09/05/2008 | 37535 | 1 | |
| While driving, the car began hesitating and the check engine light began flashing. upon pulling over and opening the hood, the top-rear passenger side of the engine was glowing red and within 30 seconds or so burst into flames. the fire was extinguished by an off-duty volunteer fireman who arrived prior to the fire department. subsequent review by the fire department and the insurance company found the ignition coil was the origin and cause of the fire. perhaps this is similar to nhtsa action number : ea07014, however that action only covered 1999-2005 passats; this is a 2006 passat. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2007 | 61000 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 10/31/2006 | 1700 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 11/30/2005 | 200 | 10 | 11/21/2005 |
| 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 | |||
| 01/11/2008 | 9491 | 5 | 11/13/2006 |
| 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 | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 07/23/2007 | 59244 | 35 | 02/27/2006 |
| 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 | |||
| 06/29/2006 | 9000 | 6 | 03/29/2006 |
| 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 | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 11/06/2006 | 14811 | 3 | 06/20/2006 |
| 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 | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 01/16/2007 | 700 | 2 | 12/15/2006 |
| 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 | |||