Steering Lock Warning Light flashes yellow and car takes two to three attempts to start. Periodically light changes to red with audible. Car occasionally shuts down while driving but recovers before stopping completely. This has been happening for over a year and is now getting significantly worse. Dealer serviced about 4 weeks ago and key fob replaced but no other notations. Full dealer inspection but no mention about this issue. There seems to be a lot of comments about this issue. Please research as it is definitely not a "one-off".
Volkswagen Passat steering lock-up problems
55 of the 7,709 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Passat describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 55
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,500
- typical mileage
- 68,000
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 9Won't start 7Engine failure 5Airbag light 4Loss of power 3Check engine light 3Steering noise 2Key fob 2
What owners say
Lost power reconnect batter n steering locked
On Saturday October 30, 2021 my car was parked on the driveway. I tried to put the key in the ignition and the key would not go in. There is a white plastic piece in the ignition that will not allow the key to go in. My steering wheel and front tires locked. I called AAA and had a tow truck come so that I could have the car towed to the dealership. The driver was able to wiggle the key and start the car. I dropped off the car at the dealership on Saturday Oct 30th. I was told by the dealership that the key cylinder and steering wheel lock housing plus keys need to be replaced. I contacted VW of America and was told that they will not replace the part because the car is out of warranty. This is obviously a defect as there have been many recalls with this part in different model VW's. The dealership is trying to charge me $934.03 for this repair which I believe is a defect. Service advisor at Volkswagen stated that it is not safe to drive the car as it could leave me stranded. There were no warning lights or other symptoms prior to failure on Saturday October 30, 2021.
Trying to start car and won't turn on with key all my keys don't work says steering wheel lock defective can't get my car to turn my radio on I am parked in my drive way and can't even tow it to dealer now because it won't go into neutral.
When I turn on AC the car loses power and the batter icon and check engine light comes on and the steering wheel locks up. After I turned off AC and attempted to restart car after a few trys it started back up and the check engine light went off.. This had never happened before
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 volkswagen passat. While driving the vehicle would suddenly shut off. The message "steering lock module failure" had displayed. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was unsafe to drive due random stalling. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle would suddenly shut off and on several occasions the vehicle could not be started. During the failures the message "steering lock module failure" had displayed. The vehicle was towed the local dealer serra of traverse city(1747 s garfield traverse city mi.) who diagnose steering lock module faulty. The module was replaced but the failures continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 137,000. The VIN was invalid.
Vehicle lost power and shut off while driving on the street at approximately 20 MPH. I had driven about 1 block on this street after having turned onto it from another street. When the car died, "steering wheel locked" displayed on dash panel. Car would not start, steering wheel wouldn't move beyond about 1" to the right. Message would display "steering wheel still locked" or "move steering wheel." after 40 minutes of this rotation of messages and trying to start the vehicle, moved the steering wheel up and down. Car finally started but only for 3 seconds. Battery light would come on. Was able to start the car several times doing this and moving it 30 feet to safely park on the side of the road. Temperature outside was about 30 degrees f. For about 1 month prior to this, I would periodically hear a ticking sound after removing the key from the ignition. After the ticking stopped, a message would display on the dash panel "steering column locked. Visit workshop!" it was extremely cold when this happened, but it didn't happen every time I turned off the car, and the car started fine each time after. Outside temp was in the teens (f) when this typically happened.
My vw has been hard to start and getting the steering lock fault warning. I understand there was a voluntary recall, but I was the original owner and do not remember getting the recall notice.
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.
The steering wheel lock was defective on my 2009 volkswagen passat. The vehicle had less than 35000 miles on it. This is a safety issue. The steering wheel locked up on several different occasions while I was trying to take the vehicle out of the garage. The steering wheel lock also caused the vehicle to stall. In addition, it could cause the vehicle to shake while it is being driven. Volkswagen USA admitted that this part is an issue. They issued several technical service bulletins about the steering wheel column lock. Several other makes and models of volkswagens were recalled as a result of this issue. I am seeking judgement from volkswagen in the amount of $588.91, which is the cost of repair. Volkswagen refuses to pay for the safety issue because the car only had a 3 yr warranty. I will never purchase another volkswagen ever. They are not willing to work with the consumer. The vehicle has been repaired by a volkswagen dealer on 12/28/2018.
Related recalls
Steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion)
- What is wrong
- Vw is recalling 130 my 2009 passat, passat wagon, and passat cc vehicles. Some vehicles may have an electromechanical steering gear control unit that can malfunction due to a damaged capacitor. If this malfunction occurs, the driver's steering input is not properly processed by the system and the vehicle may not respond as the driver intends. This defect can only occur immediately after vehicle start-up when the steering wheel is moved for the first time and at speeds less than 5 MPH.
- Risk
- Driver attempts to overcome the system during malfunction will cause (1) vibrations in the steering wheel; (2) the steering system motor to turn off; (3) the red steering system malfunction indicator light to illuminate; and (4) audible warnings to chime. A malfunctioning steering system could lead to a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the steering gear in the affected vehicles. The recall began on december 5, 2008. Owners may contact vw at 1‑800‑822‑8987.
Recall number 08V577000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the left and right tie rod securing nut may be insufficiently torqued.
- Risk
- An insufficiently tightened tie rod nut may loosen, resulting in separation of a tie rod. This can cause a loss of steering control, which could cause a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and install new left and right tie rod securing nuts at the proper torqued specification. The recall began on december 7, 2005. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1‑800‑893‑5298.
Recall number 05V540000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: rod: relay: connecting
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism. It is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly.
- Risk
- If moisture and/or dust particles enter the swivel bearing mechanism, the swivel bearing could wear over time diminishing the steering control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the tie rods.
Recall number 00V414000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: rod: relay: connecting
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism. It is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly.
- Risk
- If moisture and/or dust particles enter the swivel bearing mechanism, the swivel bearing could wear over time diminishing the steering control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the tie rods.
Recall number 99V248000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Passat steering lock-up
Which Volkswagen Passat years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (32 complaints), 2007 (5 complaints) and 2009 (4 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix steering wheel locks up on the Volkswagen Passat?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,500 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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