On the 29th of January, upon turning on my car and turning my steering wheel, I heard a "clicking" noise, and immediately on the dash my airbag light displayed along with a message saying, "Error: Airbag". After driving, I realized that my horn no longer worked and the controls on my steering wheel were inoperable. When I arrived at my destination, I began looking up the issue and things that could cause the airbag light to display, along with causing the other issues I was experiencing. The first thing that popped up described a recall that was initiated in 2015 for the clockspring piece failing, which causes the airbag light to display, the horn to not work, as well as the controls on the steering wheel to not work. I looked up the CarFax on my specific vehicle and found that this clockspring piece was replaced on my car back in 2016 (before I owned it), so on the following Monday, I called my local Volkswagen dealership where the guy confirmed that this had been a recall that was previously fixed on my car and offered me an appointment for the 24th of February to confirm that this was the issue going on with my car. As I was unsatisfied with waiting this long, I called other local Volkswagen dealerships to see if they could get me in sooner. The York Volkswagen dealership got me in on the 4th of February, ran diagnostics, and confirmed that this was the issue with the car, the clockspring needed to be replaced, again. However, it was relayed to me that this piece is part of a nationwide backorder and that they could not give me a time frame of when they would be able to replace this piece for me, all they could do was tell me that the part had been ordered for me and they would call me when the part arrived. Upon asking what I was supposed to do in the meantime, as far as driving with this extreme safety issue or do as my inspection is coming up and will not pass inspection with the airbag light on or the horn not working, no one was able to give me any guidance.
2012 Volkswagen Passat electrical complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 95, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen passat. The contact stated while driving 76 MPH, the check engine warning light and exhaust fluid warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted for over a year. An error code stated vehicle shut-off at 200 miles was on the instrument panel however, the vehicle did not shut-off. The contact took the vehicle to overturf volkswagen kia (1016 west columbia drive, kennewick, wa 99336, (509‑586‑3185) however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer replaced the knock sensor and catalytic converter however, the failure persisted. The manufacture was notified of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 76,000.
Failed steering wheel clock spring as described in 2015 recall 69l2. Airbag light is illuminated and all steering wheel buttons, including horn, do not function. All symptoms began while making a turn while driving vehicle. Dealer reports that this vehicle is not eligible for recall repair.
Door lock actuator breaks without the operator realizing it, resulting in a threat to the safety of the operator and security of the vehicle. The only way to diagnose the issue is using vw code scanners, otherwise, there are no obvious traits to an unsuspecting owner that the door locks are inoperative. Vw dealer near by estimates the repair at $400 and regularly keeps the part in stock due to this issue.
Steering wheel had a slight tug and a noise. Lost all functions on steering wheel. Was on a country rd. Took it to a vw mechanic in quincy pa on sept 4 2020. They said the clock spring broke and there was a recall on it. I looked it up and recall number 15v483000 came up. It was already fixed evidently. I guess I should not have it done now it is costing 800 dollars.
When I was driving on the fwy my airbag light came on and my door lock are keep going off as if im hiting the lock button
I went out to start my car on sunday afternoon to run errands but when I put my key in the ignition, I could not get the engine to start and didn't hear a clicking sound. The car had not been moved from the driveway for about a day. All of the lights, radio and dashboards work fine and are fully operational but I get nothing from the engine..I had to take it to the dealership and they said it was a faulty electronic control module. The total cost of the repair is $1,200 and they are not even certain if it can be repaired.
The ABS/ESC and/or brake system warning lights came on. At various times the lights would illuminate and then would turn off after an ignition key cycle. (these are the exact problems that vw had with ABS modules in earlier models. I am not positive if this is true but while doing research on those models, I read that these ABS module issues typically came up after 105,000 to 110,0000 miles on the vehicle. My vehicle is just now with in that range) after taking it to a shop, the mechanic needed to replace the ABS module, totaling around $1200. Note: date listed is an approximate date
My 2012 vw passat will randomly turn off while parked & while waiting at stop lights without any warning.usually this happens while the vehicle is stationary, but once it has happened when I started to move when the stop light turned to green.
My vehicle will not turn off once started. The steering wheel lock and the ignition become stuck and I can no longer turn my car off. Since my car can't turn off, it will be on for hours on end until the gas runs out or until I get someone to cut the battery to make the car stop running. I had to leave my car in a parking lot because I was affraid to take it anywhere and not be able to turn my car off for hours on end. I feel I am not able to use my vehicle. The vehicle has less than 100,000 miles and is not even 10 years old. I feel the vehicle is unsafe to use.
Clock spring malfunction. We had the clock spring cover installed due to recall, but the clock spring is now inoperative which causes loss of drivers airbag functionality and steering wheel electronic controls. The vehicle was being driven when the airbag light came on and the electronic controls failed to work.
My starter has been not working ive replaced it multiple times with original parts. I took it to another mechanic & he told me this car has electrical problems which is why my streering wheel gets locked up that it doesnt read the key. Also recently all the warning lights have been going on & off telling me error check brakes , error check tires & my radio keeps turning on & off, also my lights from inside the car dont work. Yesterday my car didnt want to put the windows up & after my car didnt want to turn on & my key wouldnt come out of the key hole. It turned off on me in the middle of driving on a street going up a hill I had to break so fast because it started rolling backwards. So I towed it home & now it doesnt turn on at all or work.
Feb 2018 vw replaced the airbags and clock spring. Approximately one year later, the airbag lights came on together with the ABS and tire pressure lights. I have no power to the steering wheel, no horn etc. My steering is getting tighter and tighter to turn. I'm sure this poses some sort of a safety risk especially when this is the only vehicle I have. I wish vw would correctly identify the problem and issue a nationwide remedy to cure this defect. The sooner the better since vw has known about this since 2011. All of this happened overnight while my car was parked. I got into it to go to work and this is what happened. Please help your consumers to cure this defect and not put a band-aid on it.
Takata recall. 2017 had airbag recall completed, no issues prior to recall. After recall, horn sounds while driving and while vehicle is running, and can't be shut off. Dealership refuses to fix, identifies as new problem. Changed clock spring to fix horn issue for $500, horn now intermittently sounds while driving, steering wheel controls, and cruise controls no longer work.
Airbag clock spring failure after previous recall work was performed. Encountered steering wheel resistance to cornering and heard crunching noise as airbag light came on. All steering wheel controls including horn were lost. Volkswagen dealer service stated over phone that this was unrelated to previous recall and would not be covered.
Door lock actuators fail to lock car doors. Have had to replace 3 door lock actuators on a 2012 vw passat over approximately 4 years. There is no option to lock the door with a key or manually from within car. The door does not lock when using key fob or lock switch. The car alarm does not go off when door is opened after the car has been locked with fob. When driving the car, after every stop, the doors try to lock again when car moves. Safety issue that door is not locked when driving and also safety issue cannot lock car to keep people and property safe from someone outside..
I received a safety recal 69l2 stating that the steering wheel clock spring in my 2012 volkswagen passat could fail. The clock spring did fail and was repaired in 2015 under the safety recall. On oct 5th 2018 the steering wheel clock spring failed again and volkswagen refused to repair it under the 2015 recall. With a broken clock spring the driver air bag is disabled. The horn is disabled and all controls on the steering wheel are disabled. The steering wheel clock spring broke as I was making a normal right hand turn into my driveway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and the electronic power control (epc) indicator illuminated. The contact called and took the vehicle to teddy volkswagen (718‑920‑1400, located at 3743 boston rd, bronx, ny 10466) where the epc indicator was reset, but the failure recurred. While the contact was headed back to the dealer, the failure recurred. The vehicle was pulled over and, when restarted, the epc indicator turned off. As a result, the dealer stated that there was no failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the matter would be referred to the regional director. The regional director called and stated that nothing could be done unless the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,500.
Clock spring failure resulting in airbag, steering wheel control, and horn malfunction. This seems to be a big issue with other vw owners by doing a simple google search.
The epc light keeps flashing and everytime the car is taken to the vw dealership the replace part but the problem remains. When this happens the car looses power and it stals. Sometimes it would shut off without warning and that could be very dangerous.
My airbag light came on and the horn stopped working as well as the buttons on the steering wheel. Took my car to the dealership for 2 recalls and they said the problem is with my clock spring. One of the recalls they are doing replaces the clock spring cover. They quoted me a new clock spring for ~$500. They are replaced the clock spring cover for a clock spring that is defective.
In march of 2016 our clock spring was replaced due to a the federal safety agency mandated recall. In october of 2017 our airbag was replaced in the takata recall. In january of 2018 the horn started malfunctioning while turning the steering wheel and at times while going straight. This occurred while we were traveling out of town. Fuse was pulled and then replaced by dealer when brought in for service. Couldn't duplicate issue. Same issue occurred end of april. Brought in for service and they informed us the clock spring was broken. It was not under warranty and would be $741 to fix. We declined. We feel this should be covered since a recalled replacement part has failed again in less than two years.
Airbag warning light comes on dash when driving. It appears to only come on while driving on the highway at over 50 MPH. I have had current takata recall warranty work completed already. Volkswagen said this is a separate issue and would not cover under recall warranty. Specifically, they said the air bags will not deploy while this warning light is on if involved in an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen passat. While driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal scraping noise. Also, the air bag indicator illuminated and the horn failed to sound. The vehicle was taken to niello volkswagen (2701 arden way, sacramento, ca 95825) where it was diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the repairs were previously completed; therefore, no further assistance would be provided. The failure mileage was 47,789. *js
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen passat. When the vehicle was started, the air bag indicator illuminated and the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was taken to ontario volkswagen (701 south kettering dr, ontario, ca, 91761) where it was diagnosed that the clock spring was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the warranty expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. *tt carfax not able to display VIN records updated 9/26/18
Got a recall on clock spring in 2016 had it repaired. Went out and light is now on. Told I have to replace the whole clock spring for over $500. I was told it happens, but I just saw that there is an investigation. Dealer told me that I am responsible.
Had a clockspring failure in 2012 passat, causing air bag warning light, and failure of all steering wheel controls. Have noted recall for this item for cars produced just prior to mine based on VIN sequence. Vw apparently did not correct the issue in production because I have had the exact issue covered in the recall, yet my car is not covered. Cost was over $600 for repair. The recall should be expanded based on these failures and what I have seen on repeat failures after the recall was done on many cars. It should be obvious that their initial fix is not a true fix for the issue.
Clock spring failure after recall service was performed. 2-8-2018 - upon starting to drive when I turned the steering wheel I heard a scraping sound in the steering column and then the air bag light came on indicating air bag not working, all control switches on the steering wheel and horn was not working. I had the recall for the protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring installed at the vw dealer in march 2016. Vw dealer and the corporate customer service tell me the replacement of the clock spring is not a warranty issue since the recall was performed over 12 months ago. It's obvious to me that the cover recall fix was not the correct fix and possibly caused the problem I now have with the car. Since vw knew there was a re-design of the clock spring to correct a design flaw the cover recall should have been to automatically replace the clock spring with the improved design. I'm being told I'll have to pay $500 to make the repair which I find very unfair in light of the re-design for the part or the possibility the recall repair was not correct and may be the cause of the probelm now.
Clock spring failure again after recall was done
In 2016 my clock spring broke and was replaced as part of the 2015 clock spring recall. In january 2018 my clock spring went out again. I currently have an airbag light on, the horn is not working, and all controls on the steering wheel do not work. The clock spring that was replaced as part of the recall has failed and vw refuses to pay for a replacement. Thank you
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