10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 7,479 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.
Clock spring has failed 5 times within a year. The first clock spring replacement failed two weeks after the repair. I the. took it to a different dealership to be repaired. The second clock spring broke about 6 months later. The third clock spring broke two weeks after the repair. The fourth clock spring broke two months later and I am about to have it repaired within the next week. Due to the faulty clock spring, the driver side air bag will not deploy in the event of an accident and I have no use of the horn - both of which are necessary when living in South Florida. There are only two dealerships within reasonable driving distance to have the repair done (while the part is under warranty). It takes at least a week, if not more, to get an appointment at the dealership to ensure they have the part at the time of the repair. During which time, I have no choice but to drive the vehicle without the use of the air bag. Even though I can tell when the clock spring is likely about to break, I cannot take it to the dealership for repair until it has actually broken. This is not only extremely inconvenient, but hazardous as I-??d be without safety mechanisms in the event of an accident. This should not be a reoccurring issue with the vehicle. The dealership has gone as far as contacting VW support to ensure the correct part is replaced and repaired properly, yet it continues to happen. It is unrelated to my driving or the way the part has been repaired. It is simply faulty parts being supplied.
- West Palm Beach, FL, USA
My clock spring has broken. It is giving major safety concerns because my front airbag will not work. The horn does not work, limiting my communication with other drivers in case of impending accidents. None of the buttons work on my steering column as well.
- East Stroudsburg, PA, USA
The following warning lights will randomly turn on & off while driving: Air Bag Malfunction, ABS Brakes, ESC, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front collision, tire pressure, power steering, blind spot detection, low Key Battery detected, and indicate they are not functional. It is a random and items will go back to work while normally driving. Key fob battery has been replaced multiple times...
- Cooper City, FL, USA
Error shown on dashboard, at this time no incident to report. Drivers airbag disabled, ACC disabled, steering wheel functionality disabled.
- Brooklyn , NY, USA
On 1/17/23 I was parking in a parking dot by backing in as I was in reverse I had to turn my steering wheel slightly and noticed that I heard a sound like crunching leaves as I drove in the spot. I proceeded to pull forward and reverse again to make sure I was not hearing wrong. As I left work and turned out the parking lot I heard it again but I noticed that my air bag light popped on and it was saying my front assist was not working and saying air bag error. So by the time I got home I realized that my steering wheel functions were not working at all. Then on top of that my rear detection system is not working properly either I realize that today. I have checked for recalls on the car and have an appointment set for 1/19/23. But this all happened in a matter of a few minutes at (1/19/23) the car will be at the dealership on 1/19/23 for an inspection. I travel for wrk and can-??t afford or risk any mishaps
- Tuscaloosa , AL, USA
Volkswagen has had a history of failed clock springs in which they have not resolved. 2017 Passat with the following items not working due to failed clock spring. Airbag, Horn, cruise control, and all steering wheel controls which impacts vehicle safety.
- Middletown, DE, USA
The Air Bag light, temperature warning, radio and information panel going wacky. The Clockspring is making clicking noises in the steering wheel.
- Long Beach, CA, USA
The clock spring broke inside my steering and my airbags, horn and other controls on the steering wheel do not work.
- Lewistown, PA, USA
Hit a deer head on while travelling at about 40 mph on a rural highway. Airbags did NOT deploy, despite front end damage.
- Boone, IA, USA
no prior warnings before malfunction, all fuses were checked to no fault. OBD scan reported car lost communication with steering column control module On steering wheel, multifunction buttons and horn stopped working. Airbag light illuminated. OBD scan reported driver airbag igniter resistance too high Emergency braking and blind spot were no longer working although front parking assist still worked.
- Harvey, IL, USA
I had my battery changed at the VW dealership and a week later, my horn stopped working, my airbag light came on and my front assist no longer works. There-??s also a clicking noise when I turn my steering wheel. It seems this clock coil issue has been a recall issue for VW for years, but when I search my VIN it list no recalls of this nature.
- Ellenwood , GA, USA
There was big impact front accident with other car, and the air bags did not function. The air bag failed.
- Berkekey , CA, USA
My airbag light came on, the steering wheel started to make crunching noise. Now all functions are now working on the steering wheel and upon looking up online there seems to be many issues with Volkswagen cars clock spring breaking. Why is this not recalled" There is hundreds of customers commenting about the same problem"
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
ABS light, airbag light, front end assist light, steering light all
- North Augusta , SC, USA
Initially heard clicking sound while turning the vehicle followed by airbag warning light. Then noticed driver assistant system not available warning, loss of horn, cruise control, automatic braking, and lane departure warning. Service center has inspected and informed me that the clock spring has failed(common problem with VW).
- Chicago, IL, USA
Turned right after a traffic light while driving. Heard clicking noise from steering column and noticed that the airbag warning light came on. Further investigated and realized that the horn, front crash avoidance, vehicle voice control, cruise control, and all controls on the steering column were not working. No horn. No front crash avoidance. No airbag. After a short period of online research, I recognize that this is neither an isolated issue nor the first time VW has had this problem. Prior safety recalls have required repair of broken clock springs that render multiple pieces of safety equipment useless. This is a manufacturing error or part malfunction that should be repaired by VW at their expense.
- Arlington, VA, USA
The driver airbag light went on, the whole steering wheel control stopped working as soon as this light went on. The Agency advices us that this is a very common issue with this vehicle. That there was a recall for this same issue for the clock coil I believe he called it, and I want to verify why my vehicle is experiencing this same issue and is not one of the recalled models" how do you determine that only certain models where affected, this you use different coils for different vehicles"
- Carlsbad, NM, USA
All three sensors came on at the same time. After having them checked, no issue was found and codes were reset. A couple of days later, all three sensors showed up again. All of this occurred while vehicle was parked, then again in motion.
- Birmingham, AL, USA
On 1/12/21 while turning into a fast food restaurant I heard clicking in the steering column and then the air bag light came on and error codes across the digital screen and a clock emblem signal came on. Pulled over and looked at my manual. Drove on home and did research and found that the clock spring is a major issue with vws. I went back out to test the steering column and sure enough the horn and all controls on the column did not work. Called the local VW dealer the next day. They said there was a recall on this 2017 Passat sel model. They replaced 6 days later.
- Franklin, TN, USA
- Albuquerque , NM, USA