Two problems related to starter have been reported for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2012 Passat.
My starter has been not working ive replaced it multiple times with original parts. I took it to another mechanic & he told me this car has electrical problems which is why my streering wheel gets locked up that it doesnt read the key. Also recently all the warning lights have been going on & off telling me error check brakes , error check tires & my radio keeps turning on & off, also my lights from inside the car dont work. Yesterday my car didnt want to put the windows up & after my car didnt want to turn on & my key wouldnt come out of the key hole. It turned off on me in the middle of driving on a street going up a hill I had to break so fast because it started rolling backwards. So I towed it home & now it doesnt turn on at all or work.
Despite performing the regularly scheduled (very expensive) maintenance for this vehicle, we had many issues with our 2012 Volkswagen Passat tdi. This car was a commuter vehicle and was driven 110 miles/5 days per week at 55-65 mph. We thought that with proper care and maintenance this car with its diesel engine would last more than 111,000 miles. . . We are so disappointed and frankly irate. What a waste of money. Our issues were: at numerous mileages, our head, tail and running lights had to be replaced at about $50/instance. At 104,738 miles, the passenger window would not go up or down. The window pin was replaced for $184. 05. At 101,019 miles, the timing belt was replaced at a cost of $1,260. 76. At 111,166 miles, our 2012 Volkswagen Passat tdi began to run very rough and loud on trip. We made it home and my husband brought the car to the Volkswagen shop where we were told that bearings broke off and destroyed the interior of our engine. We replaced the engine at a whopping $6,865. 76. At 127,115 miles the car would not start. We towed it to the dealer where we were told the starter had gone out and needed to be replaced. We sold the Passat on the spot to the dealer before fixing this issue. We could not bear to sell this car to a private party.