NHTSA Complaint #11286740 — 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

THE PROBLEM BELOW WAS FIRST EXPERIENCED WHEN THE CAR WAS STATIONARY ON A CITY STREET. THE DRIVER DOOR FAILS TO OPEN AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO COLD TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT 32F OR LESS. THE EXTERIOR HANDLE BEHAVES AS USUAL, BUT DOES NOT DISENGAGE THE LATCH LOCATED IN THE DOOR JAM. DURING THESE EPISODES, THE INTERIOR HANDLE HAS A UNNATURAL AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE, SO MUCH SO THAT THE OPERATOR WILL CEASE PULLING ON THE HANDLE IN FEAR OF DAMAGING THE COMPONENTS. SOMETIMES THE DOOR WILL REGAIN IT'S NORMAL OPERATION AFTER PRESSING THE LOCK AND UNLOCK BUTTON MULTIPLE TIMES ON THE INTERIOR DRIVERS SIDE PANEL. LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE CAR FROM THE PASSENGER'S PANEL WILL NOT YIELD THE SAME RESULTS. WHEN IT'S EXECUTED FROM THE PASSENGER PANEL, THE DRIVERS DOOR LOCK DOES NOT AUDIBLY ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE. PLEASE NOTE, EVEN AFTER MANAGING TO OPEN THE DOOR AT THE BEGINNING OF A TRIP, DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL OPEN WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION. I'VE EXPERIENCE THIS MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN DEPARTING MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE (DID NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE DOOR WAS 'FIXED') AND THEN ARRIVING AT WORK. THIS ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN IN THE MORE RECENT MODELS OF VOLKSWAGEN PASSATS AS SEARCH ENGINES YIELD A MULTITUDE OF RESULTS. IT WAS FIRST NOTICED IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF 2019, DID NOT PERSIST OVER THE SUMMER, AND BEGAN AGAIN IN NOVEMBER OF 2019.