2016 Volkswagen Tiguan: clunking or noise when steering

Filed May 14, 2022 · Airbags · RI

I had my clockspring replaced in March 2021 and it broke again January 2022 (less than a year and only 10k miles added) The part is nationally backordered, there has been a 7+ month wait time and no end in sight. The clockspring causes clicking in the steering wheel, the buttons and HORN do not function, and the airbag light goes on. VW just tells you it’s fine to drive even though this is a safety issue. I was not able to pass my inspection, it was over the 30 day extension so my registration was revoked! Corporate said there was nothing they can do so my car was just sitting in my driveway undrivable. I traded it in for a Honda after 4 months because this was stressful not having a car to drive. VW needs to be held responsible and this needs to go public.

Filed Apr 28, 2022 · Airbags · SC

2016 Volkswagen Tiguan - CLOCK SPRING IS BROKEN & THE PART IS BACKORDERED "INDEFINITELY”. MY AIRBAGS, HORN, AND STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS NO LONGER WORK. VW WANTED TO CHARGE ME THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE ( A LITTLE OVER $100) TO PUT ME ON THE WAITING LIST FOR A REPLACEMENT PART. THEN TOLD ME I WAS OVER 3000TH ON THE "WAITING LIST". ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE & A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. MY CAR IS BASICALLY WORTHLESS UNTIL THEY START REMANUFACTURING THE PART. NO TIMELINE GIVEN FOR THIS PROCESS. WILL VW COVER THIS? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS BEING ALLOWED & APPARENTLY IGNORED. Check engine light came on early March 2022. Took it to VW to have checked out. Spent $465 on an intake valve hand cleaning, 4 new spark plugs, and a vehicle inspection. No more than a week later I started hearing clicking noises coming from the steering wheel when I turned. One turn caused a loud pop....after that pop, my airbag light dinged on. My airbags do not work (but can deploy at any time?? WHAT), my horn doesn't work, and neither do any steering controls. In sum: No replacement parts are available / Told I was over 3000th in line for when they start “remanufacturing” the part / Given no timeline of manufacture / Told there was nothing I can do. Took the car to a place that specializes in Audis & VWs. He scanned the car for free and repeated the same thing as VW but put me on two different waiting lists. He said that there are some clock springs available that are made in china and are crap/will not last. He mentioned they could put the “wrong part” in as a replacement for $700 and only the airbag would work, but I would still need to get the correct steering clock from VW put in whenever it’s available. I haven’t decided if I’m going to have that done yet….but in regards to the correct part, they will call when they have the part but that it would probably be 1.5- 2 YEARS. UNREAL. HOW IS THIS ALLOWED? WHAT DO I DO? WILL THE CAR EVEN PASS INSPECTION? CAN IT STILL BE INSURED? HELP!!!

Filed Feb 11, 2022 · Airbags, Electrical · NY

The clock spring has broken. When the wheel turns, this results in a loud clicking from the steering wheel post. The airbag light is on, the horn does not work, and the electrical controls on the wheel do not either. This is a known issue on VW Tiguans. Earlier years have a recall while the 2016 is only covered by an extended warranty. Dealer confirmed the clock spring is the issue. This is the real problem: VWs response is unacceptable. There are no replacement clock springs available in the country. There is no time estimate for the delivery of the replacement part. According to the service center, they are not even in production. I have been waiting weeks for VW to fix a known issue - affecting the horn, airbag and electrical controls - and there is no estimate for when it will be fixed.

Filed Jun 22, 2021 · Electrical · SC

2016 Tiguan - 75k Miles. Steering wheel starting making clicking noises when taking sharper turns, a few days later, the airbag light came on along with an airbag "error" message. That same day, all buttons on the steering wheel stopped working, along with the horn. I took the car into the dealership and they IMMEDIATELY knew what was wrong. The clockspring. Quite frankly, this is absurd... If this is a known issue why isn't this a recall? I was told by the service representative that they see 2-3 CASES OF THIS A DAY... What the heck? Comeon.... This is a serious safety issue... Do something about it.

Filed Oct 14, 2019 · Airbags, Electrical · 55,000 miles · NV

Steering wheel began making a clicking noise every time I would turn the wheel either right or left. Then the volume and skip buttons stopped working on the steering wheel, left side only, the right side control buttons are working just fine. A couple of days later, the airbag light came on the dashboard and my steering wheel is still clicking when I turn the wheel. Doesn't matter if I'm on the freeway or in a residential area, it clicks no matter what and the airbag light has not gone off since.

Filed Jul 23, 2019 · Airbags · 40,000 miles · PA

Turning wheel to park heard clicking noise coming from steering wheel and then airbag light came on. Also discovered that controls on steering wheel stopped functioning including horn.

Filed Jun 27, 2019 · Airbags, Electrical · 69,000 miles · GA

Clicking noise from steering wheel while turning. Error airbag message later appeared along with airbag notification light. Functions in steering wheel cease to work including the horn. Noticed in motion on a neighborhood street.

Filed Aug 27, 2018 · Acceleration, Airbags · 48,500 miles · FL

My vehicle had a faulty clock spring in the steering column. This has been a problem for vw since 2011 and they are not covering it under warranty. It happened while driving. The steering column made a cracking noise then started making a grinding noise. At that point the steering button controls stopped working and the airbag light came on.

Filed Jan 26, 2018 · Airbags · 52,000 miles · MA

When pulling out of my driveway, I heard a tearing sound coming from my steering wheel. Following the noise, my airbag warning light came on. The airbag is deactivated per the owners manual and will not function properly in an accident. I realized later on in my drive that the controls on the steering wheel and the horn also do not work. It is quite dangerous to drive as another driver that day swerved into my lane without checking and I had no method of alerting the driver because my horn doesnt work nor do I have the protection of an airbag. I got my car diagnosed with vw and they confirmed that the clock spring has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. This is the same issue that caused vw to recall hundreds of thousands of vehicles up to I believe the 2012 model year. This recall was subsequently investigated by the federal safety agency up to I believe model year 2014 but I do not know the results of that investigation, clearly vw has not addressed this prevailing issue or properly encompassed all affected vehicles as my model is 2016 and it is still happening.