Problems with 2006 Volkswagen Passat ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2006 passat security system sensor between key and computer in column fails causing the engine to shut down. this has happened to me while starting, but not yet while driving. many posts on http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2006/volkswagen/passat report it happening while driving. *tr

Experiencing an intermittent problem with 2006 vw passat where it will start but will not stay running. have checked website and determined this is a widespread problem with this year/model of vw. am concerned as there is a message that displays that says defective steering wheel lock. there should be a recall on this. the car only has 81k miles. this is an ongoing issue.

Volkswagen 2006 2.0t passat has a defective steering wheel lock that is very dangerous. i know of numerous passat 2006 drivers with the same problem. it is unsafe and this should be recalled. thank god i was not driving when it occurred. it is very expensive to fix and i am just out of the warranty. it is unfair and unsafe. it has happened to so many passat drivers. please do something. the car was difficult to tow because everything is locked up on the car, couldn't put it into neutral, all wheels were locked, brakes,etc. the service person at the dealership said that the keys are not being read by the car and the steering wheel column needs to be replaced for over $1300. i can not afford to pay for this especially since it is a vw defect. *tr

Car will not start, have to keep trying over and over happens almost every day. after a few mins anywhere from 2min till 15min of restarting it will start. *tr

When starting vehicle at most of the times it starts and dies immediately. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact attempted to start the ignition and the steering wheel began to lock up. there were two warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the messages displayed were "embolizater activated move steering wheel" and "steering lock defective". in addition, the ignition key was stuck and failed to release. the failures occured without warning. the driver disconnected and reconnected the battery cable to start the vehicle. the vehicle stalled between six to ten times while in operation. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was towed from her residence to an independent mechanic. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 69,000.

Takata recall

Failure of car to remain running when starting; has happened for two days in a row now. twice in one day. start car and then it stalls right away. also receive steering column error sometimes when this happens. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 30 to 35 mph on normal road conditions; proceeding from a traffic signal with pressure applied to the accelerator pedal there was no power. there were several attempts before the vehicle was able to resume normal operation. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 8,742. updated 3/8/10 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle would hesitate and then stall. the ignition was replaced as well.

Gosh where do i start vw passat 51000 miles alot of things went wrong.. car starter volks came out causing the starter to break my trunk doesn't close pops open in the middle of road/freeway causing me to loose thing from my trunk extremely dangerous in the freeway my steering wheel lock is defected does not lock i have called numerous of vw dealer ships and they want to charge me cause its warranty expired and for steering lock i went before warranty and they want to charge me 90 dollars i don't have that kind of money lying around i have car payment. ins ect... im scared if something was to happened while me driving with my kids. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. when the contact started the ignition, the engine stalled and the "important steering column defective" warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. she experienced difficulty starting the engine on separate occasions. also, the ignition key would not disengage without making several attempts. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and repaired for the malfunction. the contact is waiting for a response from the dealer. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 66,700.

I had a 2006 passat that i bought new in nov. 2006. the car caught fire after i parked it at work. no warning lights came on while driving it and i maintained my car. my car is totaled and the fire was in the engine compartment. i am now without a car. *tr

While driving, the car began hesitating and the "check engine" light began flashing. upon pulling over and opening the hood, the top-rear passenger side of the engine was glowing red and within 30 seconds or so burst into flames. the fire was extinguished by an off-duty volunteer fireman who arrived prior to the fire department. subsequent review by the fire department and the insurance company found the ignition coil was the origin and cause of the fire. perhaps this is similar to nhtsa action number : ea07014, however that action only covered 1999-2005 passats; this is a 2006 passat. *tr

On several occasions leading up to 07-30-08, vehicle would not start properly. vw reprogrammed keys but refused to cover costs even though vehicle was still under warranty. around april 2009, vehicle began having problems cranking again. vehicle would start then the engine would immediately die, but not every time. condition got worse at the beginning of june and had the battery and alternator checked out. they were fine. on one occasion the vehicle computer gave a "steering wheel lock defective" error. took vehicle back to dealer on 06-16-2009. this time they said steering column control module and comfort module would need to be replaced and that this problem was not related to earlier problem that should have been covered under warranty. had vehicle repaired at different vw dealer at own cost. i kept the old parts. *tr

Vehicle will not start 70% of the time. vehicle stalls once started. problem is getting worse. quote was provided to repair, but parts are very expensive. *tr

Abs brakes have been pumping without inclement weather. it pumps randomly at any speed and any weather. nothing has been resolved from the dealer. the brakes also make excessive noise, grinding or metal to metal type of sounds or contact. in addition, multiple electrical or malfunctions within the year i have owned the car- only 9491 miles. a. air bag light went on and stayed on until i brought it to the dealer. b. the driver sun visor shorted and was inoperative. c. ignition was weak and would not start after several times. car would die. brought the car to the dealer, no resolve. the computer could not duplicate problem. finally as i am driving the other day, a malfunciton light appears and the car dies. i had the car towed to the dealer. d. after 5,000 miles check up, the service light appeared and stayed on until i brought it into the dealer to turn off. e. at this time, the car is in the dealer. they found that the ignition switch faulty and will be replacing it. *tr

When the car is traveling approximated 2-10 mph, the automatic transmission accelerates and brakes as the automobile bucks a few times. their is a loud thunking noise and then goes back to normal. from time to time the car gets stuck in 2nd gear, which forces me to pull over and restart the engine. windows are supposedly automatic up and down, but don't work properly 50% of the time. rear back speaker plays intermittently. when parking and shutting down engine, the emergency brakes turn on and off. the engine key is getting stuck in the ignition. overall issues seem to be electrical or computer related. i have taken back to dealer twice in the last 6 moths and the problems keep building. *tr

Steering column lock failure, 2006 volkswagen passat 2.0t at 61,000 miles, vehicle started shutting itself off one second after starting with no message. within 500 miles, diagnostic message reported steering column lock failure. vehicle is 2,000 miles out of warranty (less then 1 year old), dealer insist on replacing steering column, steering column lock, steering column lock control module and the convenience control module for a total of $2400. i have found on various internet forums multiple identical incidents. this steering wheel lock is and was defective from the start and vw has an obligation to make it right. *tr

'07/19/2006: purchased a brand new 2006 volkswagen passat '04/13/2007: radio will not eject cd- the stereo system had to be replaced due to faulty radio '12/06/2007: car will not start ' called tow company, upon arrival checked battery and it was not the problem; tow company could not get the car to start; car was towed to lasher volkswagen '12/14/2007: car will not start again, same issue as before on 12/06/2007; called the tow company and had it towed to lasher dealership; after numerous calls back and forth, vw dealership and manufacturer cannot figure out the problem nor have they fixed the vehicle yet '01/12/08: picked up the vehicle from lasher vw ' seemed to work okay '01/14/08: while driving home from work, door locks began to unlock and lock by themselves and while driving on the freeway; also, suddenly light indicators (blinkers) did not work, high beams did not work, windshield wipers did not work, steering wheel indicator light came on, tire pressure light came on, cruise control light came on; this was an extremely dangerous situation '01/17/08: while driving to berkeley, on the freeway, the blinkers stopped working, and could not get the windshield wipers to work; locks began to lock and unlock while driving; telephone call again, to lasher vw to express great concern and worried about being stranded; was told to bring it in on friday 01/1/08 at 7:30 am; once we arrived in berkeley, we parked the car and turned off the ignition ' the radio was still on and the headlights did not shut off; we started up the car again and the same thing happened; when locking the car with the alarm, the doors locked but the alarm did not turn on; lights remained on for about 20 minutes, fearing that the battery would run low and we would be stranded '08/05/09: took the car to elk grove vw and told that warranty will not cover any of the repairs '10/24/09-12/14/09: the car has not been able to start since 10/23/09 and sitting in our garage & now at neillo vw. *tr

Tl*- the contact stated after driving the 2006 volkswagen and attempting to exit the vehicle she noticed that both the foot lights and the interior hood lights did not work. the contact took the vehicle into a repair shop and they determined that it was a short circuit that they could not pin point. the contact felt unsafe, will not drive the vehicle. *ak

I have had recurrent issues with my 2006 passat. i just got the car back from the dealer after being at the dealer for repairs for 25 days, and i was trying to brake at the end of my street and the car did not brake. the pedal was very hard -- i could barely push it in with two feet. i activated the parking brake, and the car stopped -- thank god, i was only going 10 mph, but if i rolled into the intersection i could have been killed. when the car stopped, the check engine light came on, the engine began revving up and down and the headlights were flickering or surging and getting brighter and dimmer and brighter very rapidly. i turned on the interior lights to better view my dash, and the interior lights were surging/flickering as well. in one of my previous visits for dealer repairs, they told me they put in a brand new electrical system. how can this be happening again? this car is beyond repair. i believe i have a lemon and it is dangerous to continue driving this car. i cannot believe that after a 25-day stint in the dealer repair center it's still not working. this is the last of many trips to the dealer for repairs. incidentally, while i bought the car new, i bought it after using it as a loaner when my 2006 jetta tdi was in the shop more than i drove it during my period of ownership. that car had some issues as well, so when i liked the passat i decided to trade it in. i've only driven this passat for less than 5,000 miles and it is terrible. my wife drives a 2006 jetta tdi (a different one) which runs great. how can only one of three cars purchased in less than a six month period function properly. this is seriously impacting my views of vw quality. i have trouble writing vw and the word quality in the same sentence. thank god i didn't die tonight. *nm

I bought a car brand new and ever since 1700 miles it's been having electrical problems. first it started with windows not wanting to roll up, they'd roll down first then up. my radio was stuck on loud and would not turn off or down or change radio stations. the parking brake (electrical) engaged on me while i was driving on the freeway, a hose came undone at 18k miles on the freeway and caused heavy convulsing. the steering wheel lock randomly had "errors", the airbag has "errors", the transmission downshifted very rough which made me jolt in the car and started making my neck sore. for every incident my car has been to the dealer to be fixed, they fix the problem and a new one happens a week later. i am a valet and other vw owners say the same things happen to their cars. so i know i have a legit complaint here. *tr

The check engine light came on and stayed on while driving my 2006 volkswagen passat. it took the dealer 4 attempts to fix the problem. first they reset the computer two times. the third time they replaced a part. the fourth time they replace the turbocharger. since this last fix the light has come on once then went off. it now is off while driving. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the push key becomes stuck and the gears must be shifted in order to correct the failure. also, the emergency brake failed to operate properly, and the vehicle's interior smelled like rotten eggs. on april 9, 2007 the vehicle was brought to a dealer for a diagnosis. the current mileage was, 10,000 and failure mileage was 9,000.*ak

2006 volkswagen passat 2.0t shortly after acquiring the vehicle i experienced that at times the vehicle would severely decelerate shortly after proceeding from a stop, followed by a rapid acceleration. thankfully drivers behind me avoided rear end collisions. on one occasion a broad side collision was narrowly averted. subsequent trips to the dealership could not duplicate the condition . no diagnostic fault codes were registered and service personnel mentioned the possibility of "turbo lag". after driving the vehicle for a few months i inadvertently duplicated the condition while creeping through a car wash with my left foot lightly on the brake while i accelerated with the right foot. i found that i could easily replicate the condition if i touched the brake pedal with my left foot as i began to accelerate with my right foot. i demonstrated this to a dealership tech as he accompanied me with an analyzer connected . no fault codes registered when the vehicle would "die and then accelerate". the tech had subsequent dialog with a regional vw rep with the end result being ----- "don't left foot brake" apparently this is a vw computer control module issue inherent to this model vw. i believe it to be a serious and potentially hazardous condition. *tr