The horn on my 2001 VW Passat (and my 1998 VW Passat) does not work when the car is not on. I believe this is a significant design flaw. I have confirmed with the dealer that this is indeed the design of the car. I discovered this design flaw when parked in a gas station with the car turned off getting gas. Another driver pulled into the station and apparently didn't see me. My first reaction was to lean on the horn. I tried but nothing happened. Luckily, the other car narrowly missed me. However, I can think of plenty of scenarios where one would absolutely need an operational horn when the car is turned off. In addition to those involving potential vehicular accident situations, there are also personal safety considerations (e.g. my wife gets in the car and is attacked by an individual prior to starting the car). I did contact VW through their online customer care site. While a customer care case was opended (#10644291), I have not received a satisfactory explanation of the horn design. By the way, it appears that Mercedes and BMW have a similar horn design. Please let me know if there are any safety standards for the manufacturers regarding horn design.

- Branchburg, NJ, USA