Car intermittently will not start for several minutes, and display reads "steering column lock defective". has happened dozens of times. Dealer denies anything wrong with car after inspection.

- Ossining, NY, USA

2006 VW Passat steering lock failure..will cost me 1500 to fix even though there are countless pages of people have the same problem with car. Volkswagen does not recognize it as big enough for a recall.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

2006 VW Passat "steering wheel lock defective". car will not start consistency.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

Gosh where do I start VW Passat 51000 miles alot of things went wrong.. car starter volks came out causing the starter to break my trunk doesn't close pops open in the middle of road/freeway causing me to loose thing from my trunk extremely dangerous in the freeway my steering wheel lock is defected does not lock I have called numerous of VW dealer ships and they want to charge me cause its warranty expired and for steering lock I went before warranty and they want to charge me 90 dollars I don't have that kind of money lying around I have car payment. Ins ect... im scared if something was to happened while me driving with my kids.

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

Back in the summer of 2008, I was having minimal issues with having the key stick into the ignition. I was able easily push the key in and take it back out without a problem. Around December 2008 I had a "steering column lock defective" appear on my dashboard and my car shut off. This continues to happen about once every 10 times I turn the car on. I took it to the Volkswagen dealership and it was stated that the electronic steering column needs to be replaced as well as the comfort system module. Total cost: $1,500.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

2006 VW Passat with steering issue. Message in dash indicates "steering column lock defective." Local VW dealership says entire steering column needs to be replaced at my cost since car is out of warranty with 69,000 miles. Cost of repair is close to $2,000. The car has problems starting daily because of the issue. After searching various internet sites it looks like other 2006 Passat owners are having the same issue. I have contacted VW of America, trying to have them cover the cost of the repair. I was told by the dealership that this is an electrical issue/defect. It sounds like a common trend for the 2006 model and should possibly be a recall.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

I was driving my VW Passat 2006 2.0T today with my two children in the car. We stopped for a short break. When I restarted the car, I got the "steering column lock defective" message on the car computer. After I restarted the car a couple of times, the message was gone. When I checked the Passat owners forum, I realized this is a very common problem for this car. I decided to inform NHTSA about it. I will see the dealer tomorrow to rectify the problem.

- Edgewater, MD, USA

Steering column lock defective causing the car to shut off very often. VW dealer replacing the steering column and computer under warranty.

- Waukesha, WI, USA

Steering column lock failure, 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T at 61,000 miles, vehicle started shutting itself off one second after starting with no message. Within 500 miles, diagnostic message reported steering column lock failure. Vehicle is 2,000 miles out of warranty (less then 1 year old), dealer insist on replacing steering column, steering column lock, steering column lock control module and the convenience control module for a total of $2400. I have found on various internet forums multiple identical incidents. This steering wheel lock is and was defective from the start and VW has an obligation to make it right.

- Longmont, CO, USA

When trying to start our 2006 Passat the info panel shows "steering wheel defective". a quick google search came up with 4 of the same situations in 2006 Passats on one site. Solution is to replace the steering column at $1700. This obviously is not an isolated issue. It's also a safety issue. VW told the dealer they would pay for the part only for "good faith". no, it's a factory defect from the start which is also a huge potential safety hazard. They should be held responsible for the complete cost in addition to a recall.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

I bought a car brand new and ever since 1700 miles it's been having electrical problems. First it started with windows not wanting to roll up, they'd roll down first then up. My radio was stuck on loud and would not turn off or down or change radio stations. The parking brake (electrical) engaged on me while I was driving on the freeway, a hose came undone at 18K miles on the freeway and caused heavy convulsing. The steering wheel lock randomly had "errors", the airbag has "errors", the transmission downshifted very rough which made me jolt in the car and started making my neck sore. For every incident my car has been to the dealer to be fixed, they fix the problem and a new one happens a week later. I am a valet and other VW owners say the same things happen to their cars. So I know I have a legit complaint here.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA