general problems of the 2009 Volkswagen Passat

The power steering system failed. At first I thought the steering wheel was locked. I started the car and could not turn the wheel. The power steering light illuminated in red and there was a loud beeping sound when the car is turned on. It was not until the car was towed that I realized that the wheel was not locked. The tow truck driver was able to turn the wheel to steer the vehicle on to the truck bed. I had someone plug in a diagnostic machine. I do not recall the exact code but he said the power steering system was not getting a signal. He replaced the steering angle sensor but that did not fix the issue. I had passenger at the time and was concerned for my safety. Luckily, the system failed while the car was parked, but we were left stranded. I have come across the following information on the kelley blue book website: steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion) NHTSA campaign 08v577000 report date: oct 31 2008 vehicles affected: 130 consequence: driver attempts to overcome the system during malfunction will cause (1) vibrations in the steering wheel; (2) the steering system motor to turn off; (3) the red steering system malfunction indicator light to illuminate; and (4) audible warnings to chime. A malfunctioning steering system could lead to a crash without warning. What you should dealers will replace the steering gear in the affected vehicles. The recall is expected to begin on or about December 5, 2008. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-4822-8987. Summary: vw is recalling 130 2009 Passat, Passat wagon, and Passat cc vehicles. Some vehicles may have an electromechanical steering gear control unit that can malfunction due to a damaged capacitor. If this malfunction occurs, the driver's steering input is not properly processed by the system and the vehicle may not respond as the driver intends. This defect can only occur immediately after vehicle start-up when the steering wheel is moved for the first time and at speeds less than 5 mph.

The power steering system fails when the engine/engine compartment gets hot. The problem has appeared after the car has been shut down (such as when refueling or a quick run into a store) and then restarted. When the key is pushed in to start the car, there is a loud grinding noise, a visible shimmy of the steering wheel, followed by the red steering wheel icon indicating there is a problem and 3 chimes. The steering wheel is locked in position with very limited turning ability and ability to control the direction of the car.

Since I bought my car with 75000 mi on it 3 years ago, when I put the key in the ignition and start it the car shuts down and tells me steering control lock malfunction. Someone had told me to change the battery, I did so and the problem still persists. It is due to a faulty immobilizer key. Sometimes the car won't even start, and sometimes it directs me to take it to the workshop. I have spoken to Volkswagen a number of times about this issue, because it was a recall for the 2008 model of my car, but they insist that 2009 didn't have the problem. I know from speaking with others that have the same year make and model that I am not experiencing an isolated incident. Just as a number of other problems vw needs to own up to it's mistakes and offer a resolution to this problem. Even if it is changing the ignition system to a regular turn style key.

The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the eps warning indicator randomly illuminated. The vehicle was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 08v577000 (steering). The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was excluded from a manufacturer steering recall. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

I tried to hit my breaks and they failed to work and I hit the car in front of me.

When backing up, or going forward slow, to park with front wheels turning there is a snapping sound which a an arizone vw dealer blames on salt/sand from ne. Car was on lift in maine and I painted undercarraige and there was no sign of rust except on parts of clamps/screws. Vehicle was washed a minimum of once a week during winter. Moved to az and the snapping is more evident. Vw replaced much of the front end and had car for three weeks. I have an extended warranty on the car and still had to pay over $1200. 00. I was told to take it to a vehicle repair service to have it checked out.

Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while he attempted the park the power steering illuminated and steering wheel became hard to turn. The vehicle was taken to the local body shop whom performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the steering gear control unit. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer advised the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 08v577000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 59,000. Li.

Stopped to get gas came come back outside to start the car car would not start indicator on dashboard said the power steering system has locked up.

The description of the recall on the 130 earlier Passat vehicles was exactly what we had. The steering wheel made a grinding noise when started and the warning light came on. The car was somewhat drivable but w/o any power assist whatsoever. I am a man and could wrestle with it to get the car out of the parking space and over to the local dealer. But my wife would have been stranded. And I fear what may happen if this failure occurred when the vehicle was in motion. There would likely be an accident through no fault of the driver. This had happened to my wife several times but if she shut the engine off and restarted the car, the problem went away. The dealer said they could not duplicate the problem and even sold us a new battery as their machine was showing low voltage codes. The tech even said that may affect the steering, since it has electronics. Not sure why in the world we need steering systems that have electrical components. I think that vw has underestimated the number of vehicles that likely were manufactured with this defective part. The repair was an entire new steering rack for the car.

The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Passat cc. The contact stated that while driving 2 mph, the steering wheel seized and would not turn in any direction. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 112,199 and the current mileage was 112,400.

Takata recall wanting to know if my car is one that has been recalled for 18v148000 and 08v57700 for suspension.