Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while turning the steering wheel in either direction, there was a clicking sound was coming from the steering column. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated, with the cruise control feature inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the clockspring was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the failure was repaired on two previous occasions. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
I was driving this particular day through a busyfour way stoplight intersection around time school was dismissing so 3:30ish PM. And I lost all power to my vehicle with just the battery light flashing once. I barely made it out of the i intersection and to the shoulder of the road as there was no power steering and i had to pump my breaks to stop. I called the local police and let them know it would be towed tomorrow morning. The tow bill was 100 dollars and i had replaced the battery thinking it was the problem. The brand new battery drained in two minutes tops after install alternator was tested and fuses were in working order all except for one that went to my12 volt charging port which was replaced as well as serpentine belt was replaced with alternator test. The battery still drains instantly and when speaking with volkswagon suntrup in sunset hills st. …
The clock spring has went out on my 2012 VW Passat, but VW does not have them in stock, nor do they know when they'll have them in stock. This means that the drivers air bag will not work in the event of an accident. They are not doing a recall, but are doing an "extended warranty". They are knowingly putting unsafe vehicles out on the road.
Any time it rains and the car goes through a deeper than surface level puddle/wet area where the nose of the car has to dip down (think by railroad tracks, high water retention areas with lack of drainage, etc) as soon as the car dips down into the water, the steering wheel will lock up and I am unable to turn. It's severely dangerous as there is no give at all to the wheel as it is solidly locked and if you happen to be taking a curve or changing lanes etc, you will not be able to turn the car. My husband and myself have narrowly escaped severe car accidents as this is random and there is nothing you can do except try to force the wheel to turn. When I say the wheel is locked, it's a good 15-20 seconds of desperation trying to turn the wheel before it finally unlocks and I am able to correct the direction of the car. …
Last month, September 2018, while driving my car on surface streets, I started to hear a cracking noise coming from my steering wheel whenever I turned the wheel. My airbag light also came on. As I continued to drive, I was worried that my steering would fail from all the noise I was hearing from the steering column. Once I got home, I researched online what the problem might be and I also verified with the vw dealership that it was a broken clock spring coil and my airbag and all electrical components to the steering wheel failed and I was driving my car without the main safety feature which is the airbag. I went to the ventura vw dealership on September 20,2018 to have them replace the clock spring coil. They kept my car overnight and I had to pay for a rental car from them. …
Clock spring failure after recall service was performed. 2-8-2018 - upon starting to drive when I turned the steering wheel I heard a scraping sound in the steering column and then the air bag light came on indicating air bag not working, all control switches on the steering wheel and horn was not working. I had the recall for the protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring installed at the vw dealer in March 2016. Vw dealer and the corporate customer service tell me the replacement of the clock spring is not a warranty issue since the recall was performed over 12 months ago. It's obvious to me that the cover recall fix was not the correct fix and possibly caused the problem I now have with the car. …
Upon pulling out of my driveway and turning the steering wheel there was a cracking noise and then the air bag light went off with an airbag error. At which point all mechanisms within the steering wheel stopped working. After taking the car to the dealership it was determined that the steering wheel clock spring broke, because of this the airbag, horn and other steering wheel mechanisms are not functional without repair. Further research online shows that this has consistently broken on other 2012 Volkswagen Passat between 50K and 60K miles on it. I further addressed my concern with Volkswagen customer cares to ask why there has not been a recall on this part, they indicated that not enough customers have submitted claims. …
October 2014 was turning into driveway from the street at slow speed and heard a crunch while turning the wheel . After completion of the turn the light for the airbag came on and none of the steering wheel controls worked.had dealer repair clock spring and associated items in column.November 2015 we were making a u-turn on a public road,at slow speed , at the completion of the turn there was a resistance in the column and a crunch , followed by the airbag light coming on and no steering wheel controls working . The airbag light is still on , there is constant crunching sounds from the column and the dealer says its been more than a year its not covered under warranty(the previous replacement at more than $500.00) and that they know of no recall or safety issue with the clockspring or airbag on these cars .
Heard a clicking noise coming from the steering column while turning in a parking lot. When I started the car again the airbag light came on and none of the controls on the steering wheel including the horn would work. After investigating online I found several complaints about this issue and discovered that many other owners are experiencing a failure the clock spring in the steering column at about 50,000-60,000 miles 9 I had about 58000 at the time). After discovering that an investigation was started here just days before mine failed I contacted the dealer. I was told that they were not aware of the investigation or the issue.... However they were able to quickly tell me it would cost about $700 to fix, and if vw issues a recall later I could try to get it refunded from corporate at that time.
2012 Volkswagen Passat tdi diesel, heard a small snap in steering wheel while backing up and turning. The air bag light came on and the horn and steering wheel buttons quit working. This is definitely the clockspring under the steering wheel. There is complaints on the internet about this same issue including ntsb looking into the issue as a recall. If accident occurred right now the air bag would not work. Huge safety issue, vw factory said they would not help out with the repairs. I bought the car used two months ago from mossy volkswagon in el cajon, california. They wont help either. Something needs to happen with this recall. Information can be found here. Http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/feds-probe-2012-Volkswagen-Passat-cc-because-drivers-airbag-May-not-deploy-properly.html
Steering complaints in other Passat years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2012 Volkswagen Passat?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, 10% of the model year's 484 complaints. The component named most often is column (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Volkswagen Passat steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Volkswagen Passat steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.