Lane departure and steering issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
There may not be as many sedans as recognizable as the 2022 VW Passat, but that doesn’t stop VW from pushing it with drivers. This particular model is praised as providing “well-crafted exhilaration,” but some customers are telling another story. Complaints relate to defective steering, malfunctioning transmissions, faulty lane assist, and the electrical system.
Most Common Problems with the 2022 VW Passat
Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Volkswagen Passat are varied. They include problems relating to steering and the powertrain, the electrical system, and lane departure. Latches, locks, and linkages are also implicated in complaints.
There is also a discussion on one of the forums about low engine oil warnings.
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Volkswagen’s lane keeping system is a “corrective steering intervention” that is designed to minimize “risky situations.” But an NHTSA complaint states it is so sensitive it causes problems.
The complaint states that “the lane assist is very aggressive. It will pick up tire marks or tar in the road and jerk the car out of the lane that I am in. I’ve contacted the dealership and they told me that there is nothing they can do to turn the sensitivity down. It has done it several times and almost caused a sideswiped collision.”
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Steering | |
| Engine | |
| Lane Departure: Assist | |
| Lane Departure: Warning | |
| Latches/locks/linkages:doors:lock | |
| Unknown Or Other |
Being able to control a car seems like it should be a given without much thought. Yet, some Passat drivers are struggling to keep the car where it belongs.
One NHTSA complaint states, “The steering tightens up at times when decelerating between 30 – 42 mph. This has occurred three times now since purchase of the vehicle.” The complaint states that “when this steering condition occurs it is as if power to the steering is lost for about 0.7 – 1.2 seconds. It is as if (I am) driving in a vehicle that has an electrical system controlling the power functioning of the steering and there is a loss of electrical feedback to the steering. I have driven over 100 vehicles and this vehicle does have a problem with the steering system.”
He also reports “a noticeable pull back on the vehicle when the automatic shifts down. This steering issue may or may not be related to the automatic transmission downshifting mechanisms.”
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The owner quoted above may well be experiencing a powertrain problem, because it isn’t only customers who are complaining about the 2022 VW Passat powertrain. Even the top auto publications are sounding the alarm.
Car and Driver points out, “Its four-cylinder powertrain operates without fuss, but it’s notably slower than rivals such as the Honda Accord. And VW doesn’t offer all-wheel drive or a hybrid variant like many of its classmates.”
When you park a vehicle and lock it, you expect it to remain locked. But an owner from Texas experienced the opposite when his 2022 Passat had only 90 miles on the clock. Instead, “whenever the vehicle was parked, all 4 doors would automatically unlock. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel.” He took the sedan to a local dealer who was unable to find any failure. So, the Passat wasn’t repaired.
The owner of a 2022 VW Passat Limited Edition Model posted on an auto forum that his sedan displayed low engine oil warnings after 9-months. He checked the oil and found it was low. Then he took it to a dealer to check whether there was a problem. The service advisor said that “sometimes the cars are shipped with half engine oil. Then during the delivery, the dealer has to fill it before selling,” which they may not have done. The service engineer checked everything thoroughly and said “everything looked good.” There was no evidence of leakage, and they topped up the engine oil under warranty.
But soon after, he got the low engine warning error message again. Others in the forum suggested he top up his own oil.
He called the nearest VW dealer and they offered to top up the oil again under warranty. In an update on the forum, he said, “The service advisor told me it’s a known issue in several vehicles, and VW does not suggest anything other than topping up the oil unless there is an engine light on in the instrument cluster or some leak observed. According to him, the low oil warning is quite common in most VW TSI engines, particularly in the Jetta’s 1.4 TSI engines.”
The VW technician suggested keeping engine oil in the boot for long trips.
If your 2022 VW Passat has any significant problems that recur and affect your use or the value of your sedan, you might have bought a lemon. If you think it may be a lemon, you are welcome to call the Lemberg Law Helpline or fill out a contact form. We will assess your problems free of charge and advise you.
The fact is that every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of consumers who find themselves with lemons. The law makes VW pay lemon law legal bills. This is why it won’t cost you a cent.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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New 2022 Passat purchased in December 2021. Brakes started grinding at 600 miles. Have taken to vw service 8 times. They resurfaced the rotors at 6k miles. Still not fixed and now in addition to the embarrassing loud grinding noise when braking the car shakes when braking. VW mechanics at Findlay VW in Vegas are still giving the same story of waiting on a fix from VW. They claim that the brake pads contain too much heavy metal and that’s causing the problem. Now I’m at 20k and the brakes are still messed up. They claim it’s safe to drive and there’s nothing they can do. I’m beyond fed up and this is beyond deceptive. It should be criminal.