GOOD NEWS Volkswagen have finally brought out a much cheaper fix for this faulty unit “JUST like I have been saying they should Part number 3C0 905 861 H, this is a new lock unit, you will also need some new bolts, the unit cost £52.23 plus vat plus bolts and about 2 hours labor so the whole job should now cost just shy of £300 including vat at a Main dealer or if you decide to do it yourself or take it elsewhere it will still have to visit a main agent after to have the new lock coded to the vehicle but you can leave the old lock plugged into the system to avoid having to have it towed there.

BUT I RECON if you have good service history and not mega high mileage it should be still be worth while challenging Volkswagen Customer Services as they may be more willing to assist now they have a much cheaper fix.

Wishing everybody the best of Luck, Melvyn.

I just registered to say the same thing happened to our 2006 Passat. The intermittent no start thing started happening so we tried all the temporary fixes (waiting for the light to change color, moving the wheel, etc.) until the whole thing died. We took it to our local dealer here in Salt Lake, described the problem, told them we knew that this was a well documented issue, and that we had already talked with VWofA. They kindly fixed the problem even though the car was just out of warranty. I wanted to let people know that it looks like in at least some cases VW is making this right. Good luck to everyone that still has this problem.

THIS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE-I will never ever buy a VW again. I had been told its a great car, and its just not ! I purchased mine used a year ago, and I have already had so many problems exceeding 3,000 in repairs. EVERY SINGLE TIME I get gas my car wont' start ? what ? yes, will not start for about 5 minutes. Sometimes if its too hot out (which is about 4 days a week right now) it won't start b/c its just too warm I suppose! I wait and I wait and I try again and again and when its good and well ready it will start. Not a minute before ! DEALER say prob a fuel pump but they don't know, they know nothing!

Car wouldn't start and was taken to the dealer to assess the issue 3 separate times. The car completely stopped running on the Sunol Grade in the East Bay near San Francisco in 5 o'clock traffic. I was extremely concerned at this point. The 3rd trip to the dealer to assess this issue. I was told they really didn't know why this was happening and I should have the keys reprogrammed which, didn't fix the issue. I was then told they would have to replace the steering column at a price of $1600 and the car just went out of warranty however, I was told these repairs weren't under warranty anyway. Wow ! This is quite the expense for this repair!

Steering lock defective light goes on and does not allow car to start. Upon googling, there is a site in which many others are having this problem. There are good tips on how to time, press the key in, wait, count, hum and try to outsmart the computer system into letting you start your car and going on with your day. The not funny part is that if you are not under warranty, the average repair cost (per those of us on this site) is between $1200 and $1500. OUCH!!! Apparently, VW Ireland has recognized and recalled. But not the U.S. The answer I don't' have yet is : If I don't repair, how long until the car stops running or there are other more serious problems? When I have time, I will list all the other issues I have had with this car (airbags, trunk not opening, etc). I hope to trade it in before anything else causes me headaches.

One morning back in March 2009, my car would not start. I took it in for repairs and they said something about the computer shutting down. Occasionally the car would not start on the first try, but it would eventually start. The steering wheel light would come on as well as the info display, which would say move steering wheel or immobilizer active. when I took it to the shop they said that the steering column needed to be replaced. HUH? The car is no longer under warranty and I am being asked to pay $1,700 for parts and labor on a 3yr old car?!?

One morning back in Nov of 08, the car shut off and would not start. I took it in for repairs and they said something about the computer shutting down. Fast forward to Dec, occasionally the car would not start on the first try, but it would eventually start.The steering wheel light would come on as well as the info display would say move steering wheel or Immobilizer active. In Jan 09 when I took it to the shop they said that the steering column needed to be replaced. HUH? The car is no longer under warranty and I am being asked to pay $2000 for parts and labor on a 3yr old car. Can anybody tell me if there is a way around this?!

I had this car for two years. The car wouldn't start & it took over five weeks to fix! Originally was told that it was the ignition switch only to be told later that several parts had to be replaced & that it really wasn't the switch at all. When I picked up the car a month later, was told that the other parts didn't need to be replaced & that all along it was the switch. Now I was wondering, was the parts that were replaced going to give me problems down the line? What bothered me was that I had originally brought in the car stating that the "key" (box) stuck occasionally. When the dealership looked at it, I was told this wasn't a problem. So, if you have this problem, be prepared! One day, your car just won't start just like mine did. I only used this car on the weekend & occasionally during the week-hence the low mileage (nearly 15000 miles). I was so fed up with all the issues this car gave me during the short time I had it that when it was finally fixed, I traded it in. Thank God, the car was still under the warranty. Maybe I just didn't have luck with this car, but rest assure, I will never buy another Volkswagen again!