One problem related to transmission stuck in gear has been reported for the 2005 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2005 Passat.
I decided to change the oil myself in my car, since I wanted to save money and I knew what I was doing. Instead of draining the oil, I accidentally drained the transmission fluid. I didn't figure out that it was transmission fluid because it looked like oil! so, this is what happened after; I drove home (not knowing there was no tranny fluid in it) and I noticed that the car wanted to take off by itself. It kept doing tis two or three more times when it became stuck in 4th gear. I managed to safely get home, and figured out what happened. I am reporting this because this is a design flaw!!! the transmission fluid drain hole is where the engine oil drain hole should be! luckily, after I put fresh tranny fluid in it, the car was fine. I wonder how many other people this happened to.