10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 6 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 29,365 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The airbag light came on and when I took the care in to get checked out I was told that something on the inside rubs the wires and due to that turns off the entire airbag system. It is not an issue caused by consumers since it is internal and a very critical safety issue. They pass on the charge to the consumer which is right around $1,200. This is completely unacceptable on multiple levels.
- Alexandria, VA, USA
The air bag control module needed to be replaced. The cost should be covered by a recall. Volkswagen is refusing to pay.
- Milton, MA, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated and failed to turn off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring connection to the harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician notified the contact that they were retrieving random codes. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.
- Charlotte, NC, USA
During mild acceleration the airbag warning light came on for the passenger side airbag, the seat was unoccupied at the time. The dealer unplugged and reconnected the light and reset the waning light. He then ordered a new wiring harness pn 3C0971366de which was installed on 11/26/2014. This part is connected to a part repaired under recall 97U3 pn 5K0998582 on 01/14/2011. I do not trust the air bag system in this car and think there is reason for an investigation. The explanation of the problem was inadequate and other complaints on the internet indicate an on going problem. I was told the probable problem was salt and corrosion but this is not the case. I have the old wiring harness and it is in mint condition. I think the most likely problem is poor contact mating. (the part is available for your inspection if you would like.) please add this vehicle to your on going investigation of similar Passat's and jetta's.
- Arden Hills, MN, USA
Air bag warning light came on while driving.
- Grand Island, NE, USA
Broken seatbelt sensor causes airbag fault. I am not sure now if airbag will work. Online search indicates many people have same problem. Airbag fault should be covered by recall because seatbelts should not fail under normal use after 105000 miles.
- Haddonfield, NJ, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the passenger's side air bag sensor could not detect when the passenger's seat was occupied. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who advised the contact that the passenger's side air bag sensor was defective and referred the contact to an authorized dealer for a software update. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the air bag module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 153,000.
- Acushnet, MA, USA
Air bag light came on when car started in 2006 VW Passat. I called the dealer since there was a recall on the airbag, they claimed that they fixed my airbag a few appointments back and it wouldn't be a part of this recall. When I asked if it would have a recall due to it being a major safety issue, Volkswagen advised me that I can pay to have it fixed. My car is "too old for a warranty extension". this bothers me since I have 9 airbags in which none will deploy and they refuse to service this safety issue for free. Upon googling the issue, it seems to be a widespread problem with not only the Passat but the jetta's made the same year.
- Canonsburg, PA, USA
The air bag light came on and when I took it to the dealership (Volkswagen) they said it needed to be replaced the first time they quoted $900. I did not have it done do to the car was never in an accident to affect the airbag. I told the dealership it was Volkswagen problem and they should fix it without charge. They denied. I took the car in for the 80,000 mile check and once again they stated the airbag system needed to be replaced and now they quoted $750. Once again I told them it was Volkswagen problem and they should stand behind their cars. Once again no satisfaction (the light is still on).
- Aurora, IL, USA
Trunk has difficulty closing. Seat belt don't work properly. Airbag light along with the motor light turn on. These lights were never really fixed by the car dealer. The passenger back door does not lock most of the time leaving the car without the alarm working.
- Salinas, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the horn stopped functioning when the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, the dealer previously replaced the wiring harness for the air bag and a bolt in the steering wheel. The dealer did not inspect the vehicle, but the dealer stated that the previous wiring harness replacement was not related to the current failure. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 93,000.
- Marvate, FL, USA
April 6, 2012 while driving the vehicle the airbag fault light came on - drove it immediately to the closest VW dealer who said the repairs would not be covered by any warranty, and the entire bill would be my responsibility. Problem could be caused by one of six possibilities, and the cost to repair could not be determined until it was diagnosed by a shop tech. Complaint made directly to VW the following day, with no reply yet. Am now driving a car with 8 airbags that won't work in the event of an accident - a car I purchased new in 06 with cash specifically for the airbag safety features and which has had one problem after another earning it the lemon designation.
- Maricopa, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The driver was traveling approximately 55 mph when a vehicle crashed into the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The crash caused the driver to crash into the vehicle in front of her and damage the front end. The vehicle came to a stop when it crashed into a guard rail on the highway. A police report was filed. The driver of the vehicle was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The driver sustained injuries to her chest. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company where it was being inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,925.
- North Bethesda, MD, USA
Airbags have failed five times on Passat because of bad sensors.
- Round Rock, TX, USA
While driving on the freeway sometimes when I pushing on the gas, it will just die, I have to either floor it to get it back and going or release the gas all together and then push on it again for the car to pick up speed. I have no idea why and I cant afford to take it to the dealer to see how much it would be to get fixed. I am also getting the air bag fault and I had gotten it fixed once before for about $300 and then a week later it came back on. The way it came back on is after I reprogrammed my key because that wasn't working either...
- Costa Mesa, CA, USA
I advised Volkswagen that I had the airbag malfunction indicator lamp on. They told me they could fix the issue for me but it would cost me about 900 dollars to fix. I have not fixed the issue because of the high cost. There is an issue with the 2006 Passat I own. The rep told me that a wiring harness under the passenger seat was built wrong. It is to short and the tsb that is out for this issue explains that a wiring harness with longer wires is needed. This is a serious safety issue. I have not been able to afford to fix the issue and Volkswagen of America denied my claim saying it was not there fault and that I was out of warranty. After looking at your recalls I noticed there is an exact recall for the Volkswagen cc with the same issue. Please help me.
- Santa Clarita, CA, USA
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.
- St. Louis, MO, USA
Me and my wife were traveling rt. 80 West bound to exit 61 elmwood park at about 12:45 am, weather condition was wet with rain and roads were slick. As my wife(driver) merged towards the exit the Jeep in front of us dead stopped because as we later found out there was a car before it that spun out earlier. Our car collided with the stopped vehicle hitting it on the rear right side and ours was the left side front. My wife hit her chest on the steering wheel and I hit my knees in the dashboard needless to say the airbags on our vehicle didn't deploy. It was a 2006 VW Passat. I called VW of America and according to them the other safety features did work and that air bags were the last resort to save lives. This collision and impact would have seriously injured us if we didn't wear our seatbelts. I believe there should be product liability of VW of America with this, their defective air bags.
- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA
Defected airbag. My light is always on my 06 VW Passat. I have had it in the shop numerous times (like once a month) to have them replace sensors. The problem keeps re-occurring and is getting expensive. The dealerships solution is obviously temporary and cannot fix the problem.
- Lebanon, TN, USA
- Fort Lee, NJ, USA