One problem related to steering failed has been reported for the 2001 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2001 Passat.
The Passat has been a well maintained family wagon. The car has always been garaged and has mostly easy highway miles. My wife was driving with my daughter on a rainy evening. After making a right hand turn, the steering wheel would not turn back to the left past centered. She stopped the disabled car on the right shoulder and called me and the tow truck. When I arrived I confirmed her analysis. The tow driver had never seen anything like it. The vw dealer called the next day and indicated that the steering rack had failed. They also replaced upper arms and the right axle. I spent $1950 for the repair and another $200 for the rack, if needed for analysis by NHTSA or others. If this failure had happened at a different place or at higher speed it could have resulted in a catastrophe.