NHTSA Complaint #11138937 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

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. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, VW KNEW THAT THE CLOCK SPRING COIL COULD BREAK AND THEREFORE THEY ISSUED THE VW RECALL # 15V483000 IN 8/14/2015, TO PLACE A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING. I HAD THIS RECALL ALREADY DONE TO MY CAR PRIOR TO THIS ISSUE HAPPENING. THEREFORE IT SEEMS THAT VW'S RECALL FIX DID NOT PREVENT THE CLOCK SPRING FROM BREAKING IN MY CAR. THE VENTURA VW DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER ATTEMPTED TO HAVE VW REIMBURSE ME FOR THIS ISSUE BUT THEY WOULD NOT. IT SEEMS LIKE THIS SHOULD BE FIXED BY VW SINCE THEY KNEW THIS IS A PROBLEM AND ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT WITH A RECALL IN 2015 WHICH FAILED. MY CAR'S CLOCK SPRING BROKE DESPITE HAVING THE VW RECALL PROTECTIVE COVER IN PLACE AND IT WAS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR.