Steering column lock defective!

**the surfer** · 29-01-2010,08:50 AM

Got in my Passat as usual for my journey into the office and upon starting the engine it cut out after about 2 seconds. Then a message appeared: Steering column lock defective! This was the first time it has appeared. I took the fob out and restarted the engine and it was fine - all clear. Was this likely to be a one-off or can I expect this to continue?

I have heard of this before and seem to remember it being very expensive...

Can anyone help or share their experiences?

Thanks.

**martin1810** · 29-01-2010,11:38 AM

This is occasionally caused by lower than normal battery voltage. One trick is to disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then try again. This is one fault that is almost impossible to diagnose and fix outside the dealer network.

**the surfer** · 29-01-2010,02:08 PM

I feared the worst after a quick search on here and Google... Four-figure bills are never good!

I am aware there was/is a big thing in America regarding defective steering columns.

If it happens again I'll try doing as you said: disconnect the battery and retry.

Thanks!

**vstevenson** · 02-02-2010,02:20 AM

"Steering column defective" happened to me only once a few months ago, crosses my mind from time to time that it might happen again, keeping my fingers crossed! I read recently about lots of gremlins appearing in Jag XK8`s giving warning messages on the display relating to ABS, trac control and other faults causing owners to shell out considerably on new ECU`s etc. The problem was eventually tracked down to tired batteries - new battery- problems disappear. Turns out the modules controlling the components are "voltage critical" and when a drop in battery power occurred "faults" would be flagged up. Seems to happen commonly in cars that are not in daily use with the imobiliser causing a drain on the battery. Some owners invested in trickle chargers to get over the problem. I got a solar powered 12v trickle charger for the wifes MX5 a couple of days ago (maplins £19:99.) as it gets little use in the winter.
Wonder if our Passats might be similarly affected, Ie, tired battery = spurious warning messages??

**the surfer** · 02-02-2010,07:03 PM

This fault hasn't yet returned, although it has only been 4 days....

The battery may have been low as my daily commute is only around 10 miles each way. Add to this the battery is the original (over 4 years old now) and the temperature has been sub-zero lately.

I'll keep an eye on it and report anything further here for everyone else's benefit.

**towcestervag** · 02-02-2010,07:44 PM

check the prefix of the lock if it ends in C then there was a recall

**the surfer** · 03-02-2010,02:16 PM

Originally Posted by towcestervag

check the prefix of the lock if it ends in C then there was a recall

Thanks for this! Where would I find the code?

**Quatrelle** · 03-02-2010,06:21 PM

Originally Posted by towcestervag

check the prefix of the lock if it ends in C then there was a recall

If there was a recall, why have people had failures. I don't doubt for a second what you're saying, it just seems strange that a lot of people seem to have fallen through the net.

There's a VOSA website where recalls are listed, but from memory it doesn't list any sneaky VW ones.

**amu55** · 04-02-2010,09:17 PM

Originally Posted by the surfer

Got in my Passat as usual for my journey into the office and upon starting the engine it cut out after about 2 seconds. Then a message appeared: Steering column lock defective! This was the first time it has appeared. I took the fob out and restarted the engine and it was fine - all clear. Was this likely to be a one-off or can I expect this to continue?

I have heard of this before and seem to remember it being very expensive...

Can anyone help or share their experiences?

Thanks.

Hi mate unfortunately this happened to me just b4 xmas prob went away after vagcom but returned two weeks later and got more and more annoying to live with taking longer and longer to clear each time.The car went to the main dealers between xmas n newyear they said had to replace steering column and convienence pack.got car back only to be told central locking no working,guess what?new convienence pack faulty had to fit another new one total cost to me £608 after getting in touch with vw should have cost £1258 not cheap but seems ok to date (vw passat fo sale ha ha ) good luck with your car mate go 4 big dicount and mention a recall...........