One problem related to air bag on-off switch has been reported for the 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2006 Passat.
Volkswagen has acknowledged to me, both the dealer (dean team in kirkwood) and their customer support group 800-822-8987) that it is a known issue with 2006 Volkswagen Passats that their is a wiring problem with the airbag igniter switch - the problem conveniently tends to occur right at the time when the car exceeds it's 50,000 warranty. This is a safety issue that they are well aware of yet are ignoring it and refusing to assist with the cost of the repair (unless you have been a Volkswagen customer that has owned at least 3 of their cars - they actually told me this!) I'm not one to typically complain about this but it's a safety issue that they are aware of and should be help accountable as they preach how 'safe' their cars are.