The drives side door lock will not disengage. This condition will not allow the driver to exit the car. In the event of a medical emergency, accident, or fire the driver can not extricate themselves and first responders would be delayed in extricating the driver which could lead to serious injury or death.
Volkswagen Passat door locks problems
101 of the 7,709 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Passat describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 101
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical repair cost reported
- $630
- typical mileage
- 53,978
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Power windows 5Won't start 4Water leak 4Check engine light 4ABS 4Key fob 3Airbag light 3Wipers 2
What owners say
Like many other VW owners, one of the doors of my car would not close and the car was unsafe to operate. Some people reporting having been locked in the car (driver's side door will not open), requiring them to exit the passenger's side door. The problem relates to a design flaw in the door lock actuator. In the winter, if it rains for several days and then freezes, the physical workings of the actuator freeze. The fix in a plastic protective cover, however, it may cost up to $500 to repair this safety issue if the door failed in a locked state adn the door card has to be removed with the door closed. This issue started in the B4 platform and is still a problem in the B7 models. See this TSB [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Day of purchase (Feb2020)Nox sensor went out on way home. Check engine light came on took back to VW dealership they fixed for free. Next component to go bad or become faulty was and still is the fuel door actuator when raining or washing off the car will get wet and fuel door will not open. Reported it to VW dealer after the issue arose at which time I was told it was not covered under the emissions warranty even though it’s listed. Next issue was clock spring broke and had to have VW repair the clock spring. This they did free of charge. Then issues arose with first blinkers bulbs blowing and randomly ceasing to work. It has progressed from blinkers ,to back up lights and tag lights. Recently the OBD displayed a Adblu Error 200 miles to no engine restart. Then it dropped to 50 miles. Then zero at which time the OBD flashed red and car would not start. Filled adblu waited few hours car started up no codes showing on dash. Get on interstate and with little time it flashes the same messages Adblu Error 200 miles to no engine restart. Then to 50 miles down to 10 miles turning red at 0 miles No engine Start. As of 6 days ago I have recently learned of a recall made by VW regarding the Approved Emissions Modification being faulty leading to the exact symptoms the car displays regarding the adblu(DEF system). VW dealer refuses to acknowledge that the recall fix needs fixing since they reported to have fixed it already. All of the issues that we have had with the NOx sensor, clock spring, exterior lighting , fuel door actuator, and the def system corrected approved modification, has been part of a recall that was supposedly already performed prior to the purchase. Now the def system is not working properly due to the malfunctioning of the AEM software. Def injector have clogged due to crystallization of adblu , a affect of inadequate injection from the faulty AEM. Emission mod decals under hood are not in proper locations nor properly filled.
The drivers door lock will stop working, in freezing temperatures and keep the interior door handle from unlocking the door. This morning I had to get out my passenger door, and that could be a problem in an emergency situation. The car/latch assembly is available for inspection. The problem has been reproduced and TSB# 57-14-01 documents it. No warning lamps, indicators, noises, etc that the latch will not happen. You pull the handle, and the door does not open.
Door latch failed to lock driver door. Door can't lock and will fly open when your operating. Acted up on a cold day where it wouldn't open then got stuck in the open position and wouldn't lock afterwards.
Electronic control module, electronic body module starts going out, it will not let you open the doors from the outside without rolling the windows down and sometimes won't even let you open them with the inside door handles. This is a major safety issue in a wreck or fire especially if you cannot get out of the car. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. For a vehicle that everyone complains about with this, and as expensive as it is to fix, are you going to wait until someone dies to make them fix it? When people complain if someone would just Google these issues you would find out just because not everyone knows about the federal safety agency, that these are extremely common issues that need to be fixed by Volkswagon!
The door lock : latches fails in freezing weather. All the door latches are frozen. Doors will sometimes open, but then the door will not shut.
The driver's side airbag of my 2001 VW Passat spontaneously deployed while I drove on Hwy 494 in Woodbury MN. Sometime within 24 hours before the airbag deployed, the airbag fault light turned on in the car's dashboard display. Within 15 minutes before the incident, the car's automatic locking locks unlocked twice while I was driving the car. After the second time, I tried to lock the car doors by pressing the lock button on the driver's door console but the doors would not locked. At that time I noticed that the two interior lights in the back seat area were turned on. All the doors of the car were properly shut. When the airbags deployed I was driving on the smooth 1 year old concrete section of Hwy 494. I did not hit anything on the highway. After the deployment, I parked on the shoulder, shut off the engine and opened the passenger door to air out the car. After about 5 minutes, I got back in the car and drove home. The automatic locks worked again. The interior lights automatically turned off. The drive home was uneventful.
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.
Back up camera, radio do not work on a regular basis. Happened a couple of times in the first year but thought it was just a weird blip. Blue tooth disables my ability to make or receive a call while in the car. Radio cuts off or never comes on while driving or stationary. Telephone voice command is stuck in foreign language and even dealer couldn't get it to change back to english commands. Drivers door lock sticks and won't open from outside and sometimes inside. Need to get out on passenger side. Sometimes getting in I have to go to passenger side and can open from inside. Days can pass and things work ok and then out of no where, they don't work?? Maybe electrical or software issue??
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Volkswagen Passat door locks
Which Volkswagen Passat years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (24 complaints), 2012 (15 complaints) and 2014 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Volkswagen Passat?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $630 (median of 15 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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