2006 Volkswagen Passat

2006 VW PASSAT WITH STEERING ISSUE. MESSAGE IN DASH INDICATES "STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE." LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP SAYS ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT MY COST SINCE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY WITH 69,000 MILES. COST OF REPAIR IS CLOSE TO $2,000. THE CAR HAS PROBLEMS STARTING DAILY BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE. AFTER SEARCHING VARIOUS INTERNET SITES IT LOOKS LIKE OTHER 2006 PASSAT OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE CONTACTED VW OF AMERICA, TRYING TO HAVE THEM COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE/DEFECT. IT SOUNDS LIKE A COMMON TREND FOR THE 2006 MODEL AND SHOULD POSSIBLY BE A RECALL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY VW PASSAT 2006 2.0T TODAY WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR. WE STOPPED FOR A SHORT BREAK. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR, I GOT THE "STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE" MESSAGE ON THE CAR COMPUTER. AFTER I RESTARTED THE CAR A COUPLE OF TIMES, THE MESSAGE WAS GONE. WHEN I CHECKED THE PASSAT OWNERS FORUM, I REALIZED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS CAR. I DECIDED TO INFORM NHTSA ABOUT IT. I WILL SEE THE DEALER TOMORROW TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. *TR

THE TRUNK ON MY 06 PASSAT WON'T ALWAYS STAY CLOSED. NOTHING IN PARTICULAR PRECIPITATED THE FIRST EVENT. I HAVE TO SLAM IT SHUT EVERY TIME AND IT'S BECOMING HARDER AND HARDER TO CLOSE. I WAS REAR-ENDED IN MARCH 2008 AND THE TRUNK WAS REPLACED. THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL TRUNK. THE ORIGINAL TRUNK WAS NOT WANTING TO LATCH PROPERLY AND THE "REPLACEMENT" TRUNK DOES THE EXACT SAME THING. IT MUST BE SOMETHING ABOUT 06 PASSAT TRUNKS. I DID NOTICE THAT BEFORE THE TRUNK HAD ISSUES CLOSING, IT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY OPEN WHEN I PRESSED THE TRUNK BUTTON ON THE KEY. ONCE AGAIN, EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED WITH BOTH THE ORIGINAL TRUNK AND THE "REPLACEMENT" TRUNK. *TR

DRIVING DOWN SNOW AND ICE COVERED MOUNTAIN PASS IN COLORADO WHEN I SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED HEAVY RESISTANCE OF BRAKE PEDAL AND LOSS OF BRAKING. BRAKE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. FORTUNATELY, I MADE IT HOME SAFELY. SUBSEQUENTLY BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER AND FOUND OUT THAT THE VACUUM LINE FOR THE BRAKE HAD CRACKED CAUSING LOSS OF VACUUM PRESSURE AND DECREASED BRAKING. *TR

FAILURE OF BOLT FOR OIL PUMP AND TIMING CHAIN CAUSED SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. CAR CURRENTLY AT DEALER AWAITING PARTS INCLUDING NEW REINFORCED BOLT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE AND HAS LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURES DUE TO LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. ACCORDING TO DEALER PARTS ARE RESTRICTED DUE TO THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2006 VW PASSAT 2.0T TRUNK WILL NOT LATCH WHEN IT'S COLD. BROUGHT IT TO VW DEALER WHO TOLD ME THEY'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE AND THEY'VE REPLACED SEVERAL LOCKS AND THEY COULD REPLACE THE LOCK FOR $305. THEY LUBRICATED THE LOCK IN THE HOPES THAT IT MAY RESOLVE THE LATCH ISSUE. IF THIS IS HAPPENING WITH OTHER PASSATS IT IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT. - I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW AND HAVE HAD THE CAM SHAFT REPLACED, CAM SEAL LEAK REPAIRED 4 TIMES, CD PLAYER REPLACED, HEATER BLOWER RESISTOR REPLACED TWICE AND BLOWER MOTOR REPLACED ONCE. ALL WAS UNDER WARRANTY EXCEPT THE CAM SEAL LEAK AND THE TRUNK THAT WON'T CATCH AND CLOSE. A FORMAL COMPLAINED WAS LODGED WITH VW OF AMERICA GIVEN ALL OF THE REPAIRS THE VEHICLE NEEDED; VW OFFERED ME $750 TOWARDS A NEW VW! NO OFFER TO PAY FOR A TRUNK THAT WON'T LATCH. RESEARCH ON LINE FOUND OTHER COMPLAINTS OF TRUNKS NOT LATCHING AND SOME OPENING WHILE BEING DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY. VW REFUSES TO RECALL THE VEHICLE TO REPLACE THE TRUNK LOCK . I WAS TOLD THEY DON'T MAKE RECALL DECISIONS BASED ON LINE COMPLAINTS. I TRAVEL ALONE FOR BUSINESS AND DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE MY SUITCASE, LAPTOP, ETC VISIBLE IN THE CAR BUT CAN'T USE THE TRUNK BECAUSE I COULD BE STUCK WITH A TRUNK THAT WON'T LATCH. THIS HAPPENED TO ME YESTERDAY AND I WAS STUCK IN FREEZING RAIN WITH A TRUNK FULL OF HOLIDAY GIFTS AND NO WAY OF CLOSING MY TRUNK. AFTER 20 MINUTES OF TRYING TO GET THE TRUNK TO LATCH IN THE FREEZING RAIN A GENTLEMAN WHO OWNS AN AUTO SHOP STOPPED AND TRIED WORKING ON THE LOCK ; COULD NOT GET IT TO LATCH. HE ENDED UP TRYING THE TRUNK DOWN WITH ROPE HE HAD IN HIS TRUCK SO I COULD GET HOME. AFTER 4 HOURS OF WARMING UP IN MY GARAGE I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO CLOSE THE TRUNK. *TR

ME AND MY WIFE WERE TRAVELING RT. 80 WEST BOUND TO EXIT 61 ELMWOOD PARK AT ABOUT 12:45 AM, WEATHER CONDITION WAS WET WITH RAIN AND ROADS WERE SLICK. AS MY WIFE(DRIVER) MERGED TOWARDS THE EXIT THE JEEP IN FRONT OF US DEAD STOPPED BECAUSE AS WE LATER FOUND OUT THERE WAS A CAR BEFORE IT THAT SPUN OUT EARLIER. OUR CAR COLLIDED WITH THE STOPPED VEHICLE HITTING IT ON THE REAR RIGHT SIDE AND OURS WAS THE LEFT SIDE FRONT . MY WIFE HIT HER CHEST ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND I HIT MY KNEES IN THE DASHBOARD NEEDLESS TO SAY THE AIRBAGS ON OUR VEHICLE DIDN'T DEPLOY. IT WAS A 2006 VW PASSAT. I CALLED VW OF AMERICA AND ACCORDING TO THEM THE OTHER SAFETY FEATURES DID WORK AND THAT AIR BAGS WERE THE LAST RESORT TO SAVE LIVES. THIS COLLISION AND IMPACT WOULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED US IF WE DIDN'T WEAR OUR SEATBELTS. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE PRODUCT LIABILITY OF VW OF AMERICA WITH THIS, THEIR DEFECTIVE AIR BAGS. *TR

MY TRUNK LATCH ON MY 2006 VW PASSAT WILL NOT LATCH. THIS CAUSES THE TRUNK TO OPEN UNLESS I HAVE IT DUCK TAPED DOWN. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHEN I OPENED IT TO GET SOMETHING OUT AND IT WOULD NOT SHUT. I TAPED IT DOWN AND THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS CLOSED PROPERLY. AFTER GROCERY SHOPPING, I WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE TRUNK AND PUT THE STUFF IN IT, BUT IT WOULD NOT CLOSE AGAIN. IT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE SINCE. I CALLED THE DEALER WHO TOLD ME I WAS THE 5TH OR 6TH PERSON THAT DAY WITH THE PROBLEM. I CALLED VW AMERICA WHO SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL. OBVIOUSLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE TAPE CAN FAIL AND THE TRUNK WILL SPRING OPEN WHILE DRIVING. *TR