VW, 2006 Passat, now has a "steering column defect" warning, and the car doesn't start. The car has 60,000 miles on it, and this started just after the 50,000 mile warranty expired. The car also stalls at high speed when this light comes on without warning, and can cause a serious accident. The car also has a problem with downshifting when on the highway, and slams into low gear as though the car hit something. The dealer cannot find the problem when the car is put on the diagnostic computer. I have read many other complaints on the internet about these same issues with the 2006 Passat, and found that the fix for the steering column alone costs between $1400 and $2000. Because this appears to be a factory defect, and it is a safety issue, I wanted to report it as such. Although there hasn't been an accident caused in my case, the potential for disaster is huge. I'm afraid to drive the car, because this is a recurring problem, and can happen at any time.

- Fairhaven, MA, USA

My daughter owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. Recently the key box, has not always worked to start the car. It has become very undependable. I took it to my mechanic and he checked everything and could find nothing wrong. He thought it might be the chip in the key that had a problem and maybe the key needed to be reprogrammed. She starting using her other key and there was no problem for a few weeks. Called about having the key reprogrammed and the local Volkswagen dealership in braintree thought it wasn't the problem. The car wouldn't start again and took the car back to the mechanic and googled the problem and discovered many websites where there were descriptions of the same problem and all when the car had just gone past the warranty and all were attributed to the steering column locking up. All were solved if the owners were willing to pay $1500-$2000 to replace the steering column. This has been going on for years according to the information I read. I think this is outrageous. The car only has 72,000 miles and is only 4 years old. In the process of contacting the main Volkswagen office to complain, but according to all the people and sites I found on the web, they were of no help.

- Hanover, MA, USA

2006 VW Passat 2.0 turbo difficult to start taking several tries. Steering colum lock immobilizer activated code shown. Vehicle will now not start at all. Called dealership and informed of steering column failure need to be replaced at $1800.

- Keokuk, IA, USA

I have a 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T with 65,000 miles on it. For the past several days I've been receiving several error messages from the hud / heads-up display: "defective steering column lock" and "immobilizer active". this is always accompanied by the car firing for a few seconds and then stalling out. Attempting to start the car again immediately only results in a strange and loud on/off "clicking" type sound (as if it's trying to unlock the steering wheel and failing to do so). Waiting 2-3 minutes and trying again usually seems to do the trick, but today the car wouldn't start at all. Had to have it towed to the dealer and have the entire steering column replaced-- nearly $2000 in repairs. Of course, curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to research into this a bit more. Turns out there are literally hundreds of thousands of posts online of VW customers having the exact same problem with the exact same year and model. It's sort of insulting, especially learning that VW initiated a recall in ireland for the same issue, just not in the United States. This has class-action law suit written all over it. Obviously I was not harmed by this defect, but I can see how it *could* harm somebody, and read of several other victims who have had this happen in the middle of rush hour traffic. It's only a matter of time. It's just sad that it takes something as awful as personal injury, death or property damage before somebody steps up and takes action. This is not right...

- Westminster, CO, USA

All of a sudden car would not start, would try over and over and it would finally start. Eventually it would not start at all. Was told I had a defective steering column. Was also told that there would likely be a recall and I would be reimbursed the $2000 I had to spend to get it fixed.

- Olive Branch, MS, USA

The car will occasionally, yet sporadically, not start. The key gets stuck in the ignition. The car sounds like it is going to start but it stalls. The error message sometimes says steering wheel lock defective. This happens at all times of the day, including when I leave from work. The car was taken to the dealership once before the warranty ran out and once after and they could not diagnose the problem.

- North Brunswick, NJ, USA

Steering lock control module defective: Signals warning messages, prevents vehicle starting, shuts vehicle off.

- Colfax, NC, USA

2006 Passat with 54,000 miles, suddenly am having trouble starting the vehicle. Got stranded on downtown flint, Michigan (not where you want to be after 7:00pm at night!). car just would not start, then discovered that moving the steering wheel allowed car to start. Has happened several times since, and twice while driving at highway speed, making it very hazardous to pull car to shoulder. After talking with the dealer, was informed that they would need to replace the steering column and the comfort sensor for $1,600! I called vwusa, and was told that since it was 4,000 miles out of warranty, I was on my own! this is not only a design flaw, but is proving to be hazardous as it is causing the vehicle to stall during highway driving.

- Mount Morris, MI, USA

2006 VW Passat steering column lock defective due, evidently to computer module malfunction inside steering column which prevents the car from starting reliably. Not covered by recall or warranty. Dealer want $2,000 for new steering column, new steering column, lock, new steering column module and then the convenience module has to be replaced to sync them. With 8-10 hours over labor over 2 days estimate is $2,000. All because their crappy design put the defective computer module inside the steering column and they won't update the software or replace the module. They replace the entire steering column!

- Fairport, NY, USA

My 2006 VW Passat 2.0T sedan refuses to start giving a "defective steering column defect" error. The first error was on the 18th of may, 2010. It happens at least 3-5 times per week. After repeated attempts to start it finally starts. 3-15 attempts starts the car. Dealer has quoted me $1800 to repair, car is out of warranty is their response. After searching the internet, apparently it's a known issue and VW hasn't done much about it.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

In April 2009, while driving, the "steering column lock defect" message appeared. As directed, took it immediately to dealership. After service, they indicated no problem could be found. After this, I would have this same error message appear when trying to start the car. Many times, it would take 5-10 minutes of trying before the vehicle would start. Had it in for other service over the past year & each time relayed the problem. They never could diagnose it & said it was probably just an issue with the computer. In April of 2010, the problem started occurring more & more frequently. In late May 2010, could not get the vehicle to start after same steering column lock message. Then could not remove the key. Finally got the key out; however, the dash and internal lights stayed on and ran down the battery. Was able to get a charge to the battery but then the anti-theft system immobilizer engaged rendering the vehicle unusable. After a year of repeatedly taking the car to the dealership, it is now back there but it had to be towed. Doing research I have found that this seems to be a very common occurrence with this make and model of car; however, no recalls, etc. Have been issued and obviously the local dealership was unable to diagnose/fix the problem before it came to the point of the car being totally unusable.

- Pawleys Island, SC, USA

2006 VW Passat experiencing "steering wheel column lock" failure. The light comes on and the car will not start. Sometimes the car will simply turn off when driving down the road. My online research found that this is a common problem with 2006, 2007, 2008 models. This is also a safety issue because the car will sometimes continue running after the key is pulled out of the ignition. Dealership service departments all over the country are replacing the steering column and control module for $1500 and this normally happens outside of factory warranty so we the consumers are stuck with the bill. Please look into this as this should be a safety recall! and not the financial responsibility of the owners.

- Arlington, TX, USA

The 2006 -2009 VW Passat is having massive problems with the ( defective steering column lock ). there is a problem with the anti theft module at the base of the steering column. This is happening to Passat owners all over the country and there should be a recall. I am giving you ammunition to get the recall done.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

Symptom #1) car will not start or if it does start it will immediately stall and steering column will lock. After moving the steering wheel back and forth repeatedly, reopening the door several times and attempting to start the push ignition 5-10 times it will eventually start and run. Symptom #2) major safety issue! car will lose all power without warning at highway speeds. This defect causes the engine to stall immediately, the loss of power steering and the loss of all power controls at speeds at least up to 70 mph. There is no warning from the car itself. There is no stuttering or noise. Suddenly the car is just dead and rolling along at extreme speeds. The fix is to shift the car into neutral and attempt to restart by removing and reinserting the key until it starts again. The dashboard will light up "steering column defect" and prompt a warning light for the steering column as if it were locked from a car alarm prompt. Occasionally, I have been unable to restart the car while in motion and have had to pull off to the side of the road. This is done without the aid of power steering and can be very dangerous in traffic and at high speeds as there is no way of "knowing" when the defect will occur. This defect is occurring daily. I took the car into the dealer for diagnosis. Was told it was a defect in the steering column requiring a complete replacement. Estimated cost to myself was $1,000-2,000. Car is now out of warranty (58,000 miles). I believe this defect is not a result of any habit of myself as the driver but rather a defect in the workmanship of the vehicle and the dealer should be subject to a recall. A search on google about this issue revealed thousands of other drivers with the exact same problem (stall at highway speeds, loss of power steering, difficulty starting and restarting, possible stranding of the driver). I urge a recall to move forward immediately!

- Louisville, KY, USA

2006 Volkswagen Passat. Car will not start and the steering column locks up. Then at times the car will not shut off and key gets stuck in the ignition. This happens at least once a day.

- Allentown, PA, USA

My 2006 VW Passat 2.0 turbo has steering column issues. The car will not start without moving the steering wheel, and then waiting and keep on trying. The car will start then immediately stall, with an error in the message board that the steering column is defective. This happens 9 times out of 10 when going to start the car. The car has died while driving on the highway, and then restarts. I have seen this issue reported by many other consumers on various forums and complaint sites, but VW refuses to recall for the issue.

- Cliffside Park, NJ, USA

VW Passat 2006 2.0T steering wheel lock failure light. Comes on and does not allow you to start the car.

- Elk River, MN, USA

When trying to start 2006 Passat 2.0T, I get error messages about steering column lock being defective or there are no dash lights and car won't turn over. Problem is getting worse. Located online forum with 6 pages of complaints like mine. See the following website: forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3656214-steering-column-lock-for-2006-Passat/page1.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

2006 Passat starts and stall immediately. "steering column lock defect". dealer wants $2000 to replace it along with comfort sensor.

- Mt. Arlington, NJ, USA

Steering wheel column lock error on computer of 2006 VW Passat. Car stalls anytime this light warning comes on. It has come on while driving causing it to stall at high speeds making it hard to steer to the right shoulder safely. This issue has caused two incidents while in highway traffic and was a near miss accident each time. It occurs on a daily basis now and was intermittent at first. I was told that the fix is to replace the entire steering column which is about $2K. To get the car started again, you have to move the steering column back and forth and after about 4-10 attempts to start, the car will start. There is no warning, it just stalls when this issue arises. It has stalled at a rail road crossing which has a stopping point before you cross. Very unsafe situation, I work for the United States air force as a safety investigator and if this existed in our air force we would have an immediate recall. This matter needs to be pushed forward and investigated. After researching this issue I have noticed multiple forums stating the same issues and same complaints.

- Vacaville, CA, USA