NHTSA Complaint #10786372 — 2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

ATTEMPTED TO START MY VEHICLE BY PRESSING THE KEY FOB INTO THE IGNITION. CAR DID NOT START AND THE MESSAGE "STEERING COLUMN DEFECTIVE" WAS DISPLAYED. ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME THE CAR FAILED TO EVEN TURN THE ENGINE OVER. IN ADDITION, THE KEY FOB CANNOT BE EXTRACTED FROM THE IGNITION. NOW THE CAR IS IMMOBILE. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND QUICKLY DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A PREVALENT ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. MANY OTHER'S HAVE VOICED THEIR COMPLAINT WITH VW REGARDING THIS ISSUE BUT DESPITE THIS, VW STILL HAS YET TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE CAR, BEING BOUGHT THROUGH A VW DEALERSHIP PRE-OWNED, WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 80K MILES ON IT AND HAD ONLY ACCRUED 10K MILES SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED, BY ME AND FROM THE DEALERSHIP, 14 MONTHS AGO.