This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I take my car to the dealership for maintenance when it is scheduled. The ignition would not allow me to put the key inside. I did a little internet research and it seems to be a common problem with this car. I could not put the key in the ignition. I then used some wd40 and got it to go in eventually but thought I should report it as this could pose a safety hazard.
Failed part: Clock spring. Yes, the work was appropriately installed. This is my fourth replacement within less than 100k miles. No additional inspections as of yet. No warning lights, just a faint click coming from the steering wheels while making turns two days prior to hearing a snapping noise. My air bag light illuminated and my dash notified me of an air bag error. Lost all connection to steering wheel controls and horn. This is the same thing that has happened every time prior. The car is inoperable, once again, due to clock spring failure. I cannot drive my vehicle as I am concerned about not having safety features of an air bag and a horn. This has been an ongoing issue with VW. I have been the only owner of this vehicle for almost nine years.
The Clock Spring issue that was recalled on 2012-2014 Passat's occurred on my vehicle which was manufactured July 2014 as a 2015. The car only has 60k miles on it. Clicking while turning the wheel, no steering wheel controls work and air bag light is on meaning it will not deploy and my vehicle will not pass inspection. I have spent days calling the dealer and left messages but they are not returning my calls. From the my research it appears that my vehicle is not covered by the current recall so in addition the safety concern I will pay a large sum to fix this issue and have no idea how long it will last. I've read where some of the clock springs fail at 30k.
The clock spring has broken again. The clock spring had been replaced on this vehicle in spring 2020, it is currently summer 2022. The vehicle currently has approximately 162,000 miles. I am concerned because the VW dealers state that there is a nationwide back order on this part, with people waiting since early 2022 for the part at this time.
While at the dealership for other emission related warranty items, the vehicle clock spring broke which disabled the driver side air bag, the horn and other steering wheel related controls. This occurred in late December 2021. The replacement part was on back order with no definitive delivery date provided. As of today, 4/5/22, the item is still on backorder with no estimate date for parts.
- Mascoutah, IL, USA
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For about 2 years my vehicle has been vibrating at the steering wheel. I have replaced the tires twice, have done multiple tire balances, rotations, road force tests, alignments, and have requested multiple inspections of all components associated with the steering assembly. All possible solutions have apparently been insufficient or they have been found inconclusive. The technicians at the dealership have been unable to identify the cause of the vibration. Due to this, my steering wheel has continued to vibrate for about 2 years. The vibration occurs around highway speeds as well as when braking. I have recorded multiple videos that show this as well as having testament from multiple people, including dealership staff. The vibration has slowly but surely gotten worse over time and I am afraid that something will break and cause me to have an accident or severe injuries.
I took my VW in at 90000 and it was in need of a steering clock spring, here I am 30K mi later and guess what. I am told this is normal but I think he same breath the manger tells the other customer not to worry about it that it was only 2015S. 400 bucks later !!! and that was half. How is this not an issue or default!! I was literally in the drive thru and honked my horn next thing J know my warning system telling me my airbags suck.
Update June 2019 - now my car has 53,000 miles. My replaced clock spring has failed again. No horn, or steering wheel controls and the airbag light is on. This is 8 months/10 miles after I had it replaced. This is a safety issue. I am requesting that dot NHTSA investigate a safety issue with clock spring part on my 2015 VW Passat, which controls both the air bags and the horn. I purchased the car new in Sept 2015. I started my car with 42,500 miles and the airbag light came on and stayed on. The vehicle was stationary in a flat parking lot the first time I noticed the air bag light. When I drove the vehicle and turned the steering wheel there were clicking noises coming from the steering wheel area. When I got home, I googled a couple possible causes and scheduled the vehicle in to a mechanic. Before I could get vehicle in for service, the horn and other steering wheel controls went out. I was left without airbags and a horn on a vehicle that I drive daily. The mechanic determined that the clock spring needs to be replaced.
Clock spring failure!!! clock spring failure!!! clock spring failure!!! while moving and executing a right turn a crunching noise was heard from the center of the steering wheel. The airbag light immediately came on. Also, the horn & all steering wheel buttons/controls failed. This car was purchased a week prior from carvana. 49,300 miles on the odo. Too late to return it. The clock spring failure means that the airbag system is not active until the part is replaced, installed, and the system is reset. A quick read thru of these numerous complaints from model year 2015 show these failures of a safety-critical part over the last 18 months are now occurng with increasing frequency. It is quite obvious to me that vwoa/chattanooga installed the same defective part, from the same supplier, that fails after about 2.5-3 years in service. This problem is no different than that of the thousands of identical failures in VW Passat model years 2012, 2013, & 2014 leading to a recall of the defective component. Immediate action is required by dot to readdress and recall this previously recalled part. VW dealers are currently charging 2015 Passat owners between $500 and $800 to install a $35 part. If their Passat is older than 2015, the part is installed gratis as part of that recall.. VW will not act until prompted/ordered to do so. Something is rotten in wolfsburg again! let's quickly act before more are harmed/killed because an airbag system failed to operate when parameters dictated it should have deployed.
Steering wheel started making a clicking sound and controls and horn on the steering wheel no longer function. The air bag light came on immediately. Car started havint this issue when first started and backing out of a parking space.
I was parked on flat ground while starting my car this morning and noticed the air bag light on the dash board stayed light. Then I noticed the stereo control on the steering wheel was not light and did not work. At work I did some research and found that it could be the clock spring. When I got home from work I tested my horn to find that my horn does not work. My vehicle has 47773 miles and I bought it new. I'm almost positive it is the clock spring after all the research I have done. I feel VW should extend the recall past 2014 because it seems obvious that the issue continued into 2015 models.
Clock spring failed. If accident were to happen, airbags wouldn't deploy due to failed clock spring. Very frustrating to spend $700 to repair the clock spring, considering VW has known about this issue for several years.
Excessive inside front tire wear can lead to tire failure. Font end can not be properly aligned because there is no camber adjustment. Tires showed excessive wear at 10,000 miles. Tires were rotated and front end realigned and these tires have the inside about wore out after 16,000 miles. The wear seems to occur when making sharp turns when exiting on the freeway cloverleaf. The inside wear pattern will be a dark black from scuffing on the turn.
Air bag sensor has gone on 3 times while under warranty. Each time the dealership fixed it. It has gone off again now that I am @37,000 miles and out of warranty. The steering wheel is making a cranking noise. The horn does not work, the switches on the horn do not work.
Air bag error message and light illuminates. The steering wheel makes a cracking sound while turning in either direction. Also the buttons on the steering wheel do not work to include the horn.
I was in my drive way and started my car when the air bag malfunction light came on in my car. At that point the horn, cruise control, phone, and radio functions all stopped working on my steering wheel. I looked in my owner manual and it said to call the dealership immediately. When I called - the VW dealership I normally go to said it would be 2-3 weeks before they could get me in. I asked if the vehicle was safe to drive and they, of course, would not tell me "yes or no." Only to find out later that the entire time I was driving with this light on - my airbags would not have deployed if I were in an accident. I have 2 children and if we were in a wreck and me or one of my children were injured due to my airbags not working -- VW would have a lawsuit on their hands. It is a matter of time before this occurs. So, I took my vehicle to an authorized VW dealership. After running a diagnostic on the car - I was told that the steering wheel clock spring was faulty. I left the car to be repaired. While I was without my vehicle (one week due to having to order parts, etc.) I researched the issue. I was excited to see that VW had issued a recall in Aug. 2015 for the steering wheel clock spring. Unfortunately, it is only for 2010-2014 Passat. My Passat is considered a 2015; however, the production date is Dec. 2014. I was told at the dealership that I would have to pay for this repair out of pocket because my car was not covered under the recall. I contacted VW care center and even emailed several managers from the corporate location. My emails were never answered and the customer care center said there was nothing they could do. I am left with paying over $500 in repairs and almost $200 for the rental car I had to get for the 7 days my car was at the dealership. I would like to know why my car is not covered under the recall when it has the exact same issues.
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- Gilbert, AZ, USA