general problems of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat

Transmission clunks into gear and loses traction while shifting.

We owned vehicle approx 8yrs and in late 2022 will driving/on highway 55mph or local roads like broadway 15-20mph the vehicle goes into neutral. Very dangerous it wil work as it should after a restart.

The automatic transmissions used in the b6 Volkswagen Passat 2. 0t along with several other vw models are notoriously problematic. There was a recall on the transmission control unit needing a software update which was done on my vehicle, however this does not address the real issue with these transmissions. The widespread and more serious issue with these transmissions is the valve body assembly part of the transmission causing hard shifts usually between first and second or third and fourth gear. These hard shifts cause the entire car and it's passengers to jerk violently during upshifts and sometimes downshifts between these gears. At only 91,000 miles and well taken care of my car has developed this problem between third and fourth gear making it feel very dangerous and unsettling for the driver and passengers of the vehicle when getting up to speed especially on on-ramps to the highway. I also want to mention that this problem has destroyed my motor mounts as well. Vw should take responsibility for this defective part of the transmission similar to the way Honda did with their odyssey, only this does not require the whole transmission to be replaced like with the odyssey. This is an enormous safety concern that needs to be acknowledged and address by Volkswagen, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

Have replaced numerous parts . . . The epx light keeps coming on which may reference to the oil pump bolt failing. . . Crankshaft and cam shafts codes keep coming on even though they were replaced. . . Transmission shifting slightly hard. . Overheating even though new parts were installed. . . Air bag light stays on. . Brakes have been bleed over 10 times and are still too soft cause me to brake at a further distance to avoid a wreck. . . . I am on a fixed income and cant afford a massage bill to fix it and vw is aware over these years of the issues and wont recall to repair any of the issues. . . I have all reciepts for the parts replaced. . .

Misses shifting from 1st to second speed and 2nd to 3rd. Rough shifts. Difficulty to engage in the next speed causing the vehicle to lose propulsion. Malfunction observed when in motion.

There was a valve body recall for rough shifts. I had noticed these a couple of times. Also the vacuum pump, airbags ects.

This is my 2nd time writing only because the problem seems as if it may be more then just one thing! thinking it was ecm or something electrical, now may be the timing chain or fuel pump or combination of all! the car just randomly shuts off! on the highway, or at a stop, or just at cursing speed! some times it comes back on, other time it turns over and shuts right off again! I noticed a lot of people having similar problems with this make and model, also noticed a recall for exact symptom my car has, and for the same make model and year as my car but my VIN is not listed in the recall??? hope something is done to fix this situation soon so that I can remain a loyal volkwagen customer!.

When starting the car this morning the engine cranked hard before starting. The battery is low. When trying to drive it this morning the car told me I needed to depress my clutch peddle. The car is an automatic, there is no clutch. The car is unusable. I was in my driveway at the time.

Have been getting steering lock malfunctions when trying to start the car for about two weeks. Today, the steering wheel locked while driving. Unable to steer the vehicle at all. Was able to stop and turn the vehicle off. Seems this is/ was a common problem for this model Volkswagen and a voluntary recall was available until 2013. Unfortunately, the previous owners of the car never did any recalls or even remembers ever being notified of any recalls. This problem is one of many for this model. I called Volkswagen and they were no help. This is a major safety issue. My 17 year old son drives this car. I cant allow him to drive it now after this. How can Volkswagen allow this? they basically dont care if we crashed and hurt others because of this issue. A voluntary recall for a steering issue?? does that sound safe??.

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the valves inside the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 119,000.

Check engine light was on and car would rattle loudly. One day the car just starts driving slow and shuts off. I took it to mechanic and after several tests, it was noted that the engine coils and turbo cap was broken. Hefty price to get it fix. After two days, the check engine light is back on. I research and talked with mechanic, it seems to be a growing problem with vw cars.

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. While driving approximately 65 mph, the transmission stopped shifting into first gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they were not able to duplicate the failure. The failure occurred every day during the summer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

I have received several recall notices but they are not available and I am afraid my kids could have a fatal accident.

Turbo charger is faulty. I still owe $12,00 on this car. It is appearing thru the forums online that the diesel engine is not the only engine affected by the recent emmision failure of volkswagon car. Please investigate and recall for 2006. . . Not just 2009 thru 2014 cars. This is not fair. Car is smoling so badly you cant see the car behind you and mechanic said that even tho I only have 60,000 miles my turbo charger is toast.

I purchased a 2006 Passat 3. 6 on February 20th,2014 and making payments on it. Two weeks later I had to take it back to the dealer because the idle was up and down. They charged me $700 because the car was as is. Once I got the car back I starter seeing the epc light which is a common issue with Volkswagen and now the car wont go over 40mph , two weeks ago I saw smoke coming from under the hood and oil was all over the place and I cant locate any type of leak. . Read more...

Started driving on the highway, at 55mph suddenly the car lost power and check engine light came on car wouldnt start after I pulled over, loud noise and vibrating came from engine also cra indicated low oil pressure.

Oil pump bolt broken as in the other vw Passats from 2006 & 7 and reported on this site. Damaged timing chain cover, timing chain and a number of other parts. Car was serviced and inspected 5,000 miles previously. All service up to this point completed per owners manual at vw dealer. . Read more...

Like many others, the oil bolt in my transmission sheared-off. Apparently vw is aware of the design flaw and has manufactured a replacement bolt, but vw still expects unsuspecting owners to pay $1,000's to replace it. I bought the car as a certified used car from vw on 9/11/10 and was not told of this issue. This issue needs to be addressed in a recall if vw will not warn customers or fix the issue on their own. . Read more...

2006 vw Passat 3. 6l 4motion, 81k miles. Check engine light (cel) and electronic power control (epc) lights came on at cruising speed. Codes pointed to a cam/crank timing issue. Access to timing chain on this model/trim requires removal of transmission. Upon removal, technician discovered that the oil pump bolt had completely sheared off which could have led to complete engine failure; the only thing keeping the oil pump assembly in place was the cover. The oil pump bolt for this model/trim appears to be defective.

On hot day (90 degree +/-) the 3. 6 engine will suddenly begin to idle at 1000 rpm after being driven for a while. In my latest episode, I had been driving in stop and go city traffic for 30-45 minutes when the engine suddenly began to race. The first notice is when you are stopping or stopped. When stopped it takes extra brake. Pressure and concentration to keep the car braked. This has happened a number of times but, I only recently linked the car's behavior with the high air temps. Dealer was unable to duplicate and did not detect any error codes when the car was taken in for service.

Failure of bolt for oil pump and timing chain caused sudden loss of power. Car currently at dealer awaiting parts including new reinforced bolt. This is a common problem with this make and model of vehicle and has lead to catastrophic engine failures due to loss of oil pressure. According to dealer parts are restricted due to the frequency of this problem.

My wife and I leased a 2006 Passat value edition on 06/24/06 for this company. It came to my wife's attention on 07/20/06 while at work that the car is leaking oil. She called me and I called the dealer. Paul auerbach of mountain states informed me that they would fix the problem. I scheduled the appointment for my wife at 6-6. 30pm since she uses the vehicle. Their service department closes at 7. 00pm. He also advised me that they might have to keep the vehicle depending on the problem so they would give us a loaner if necessary. My wife took the car in at around 5. 40pm on 07/20/06. When she got there someone told her that she would have to wait til 07/21/06 to have it looked at. This was not the agreement. My wife called me when she got to the dealership and I told her to tell them that we weren't going to pay for the repair. She told paul that in the presence of the sales guy who sold us the car(kenny). Then paul went to the serivce guy and he informed him that the damagae was not covered under warranty. I accept that, but this paul a sales manager specifically told my wife that they would repair it at no cost to us. Unless he and kenny are willing to call my wife a liar I consider that a verbal contract. They want us to pay $506. 00 to have it fixed. Now my wife and I have owned a few vehicles in our life and never had a problem like this. I think that this is a manufacturing defect and the dealer should fix it at no cost to us because they said they would, seeing that the car is barnd new. Also the sales guy, kenny was nto forth coming with us when he told us that the car takes any type of fuel. Grade 87 or higher of course. That in it self is ture, but he failed to mention that it was highly recommended to use only premium fuel. No problem.

Vehicles throttle- by- wire system creates unsafe delay in acceleration and an exaggerated lunging effect when unexpected. Unsafe in the event of an evasive maneuver, merging, passing and stop and go traffic.