2011 Volkswagen CC

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2011 Volkswagen CC has 120 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (27% of all complaints), specifically: while driving my steering wheel controls stopped functioning to include my horn, airbag, esp, and traction control. after researching the web i found this is a common issue on all vw models and occurs around 40,000 miles. apparently the vw clockspring in the steering column assembly has a design fla.

2 crash reports 3 injuries

120

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

32 complaints

27%

• WHILE DRIVING MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS STOPPED FUNCTIONING TO INCLUDE MY HORN, AIRBAG, ESP, AND TRACTION CONTROL. AFTER RESEARCHING THE WEB I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON ALL VW MODELS AND OCCURS AROUND 40,000 MILES. APPARENTLY THE VW CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY HAS A DESIGN FLA
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN CC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE CONTACT BECAME DISTRACTED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDEN
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN CC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE ERROR MESSAGE "STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING DEFECTIVE " DISPLAYED ACROSS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“WHILE DRIVING MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS STOPPED FUNCTIONING TO INCLUDE MY HORN, AIRBAG, ESP, AND TRACTION CONTROL. AFTER RESEARCHING THE WEB I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON ALL VW MODELS AND OCCURS AROUND 40,000 MILES. APPARENTLY THE VW CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY HAS A DESIGN FLA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

27 complaints

23%

• AT 9:30 AM ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD, AND THE CAR CUT OFF. TWO (2) ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE CAR WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. AFTER AN HOURS WAIT (FOR AAA), ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE CAR AND IT STARTED. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND NO USUAL NOISES.
• ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, VEHICLE FAILED TO START, BUT DISPLAYED A "STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECTIVE" ALERT. WHEN KEY IS REMOVED AND REPLACED IN THE IGNITION, IT WILL THEN START. IN ADDITION, THE ENGINE IS NOW IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT DUE TO OIL RUNNING LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS MAINTAINED ON ITS REGULAR 10
• MY 2.0L TSI TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED CAUSING TIMING CHAIN TO JUMP TIMING AND DAMAGING OTHER ENGINE PARTS. I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT AND NOISE CAME IN.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“AT 9:30 AM ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD, AND THE CAR CUT OFF. TWO (2) ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE CAR WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. AFTER AN HOURS WAIT (FOR AAA), ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE CAR AND IT STARTED. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND NO USUAL NOISES. ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

19 complaints

16%

• WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE COMPUTER FLASHED A WARNING THAT THERE IS A PARKING BREAK ERROR AND THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO STOP. WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. FOLLOWING THE REPEATED ( OVER 6 TIMES) SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING OF THE CAR THE PARKING ERROR WARNING
• A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, I WAS LEAVING WORK AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT. I ACCELERATED TO GO AFTER THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND THE CC STARTED TO ACCELERATE, AND THEN WITH NO WARNING, IT COMPLETELY LOCKED DOWN AND STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO CRANK IT BACK UP AND WENT HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO WAR
• I WAS DRIVING THE ENGINE DIED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. WITH NO POWER IT WAS DANGEROUS FOR ME TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. IF IT HAD BEEN AT NIGHT, IM NOT SURE I WOULD HVE MADE IT. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE N205 VALVE. IT IS A KNOW PROBLEM THAT THERE IS A SCREEN THAT CAN FALL APART AND BLOCK T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE COMPUTER FLASHED A WARNING THAT THERE IS A PARKING BREAK ERROR AND THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO STOP. WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. FOLLOWING THE REPEATED ( OVER 6 TIMES) SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING OF THE CAR THE PARKING ERROR WARNING ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

13 complaints

11%

• DRIVING AT 65 MPH SUDDENLY THE STEERING WHEEL SYSTEM WAS BLOCKED. BECOME VERY HARD TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL & ALSO VERY NOISE WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MOVE IT. THE CAR WAS TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID. THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX FAILED. LATER ON THE CUSTOMER SERVICE FREE PHONE LINE OF VW SAID THAT W
• WHILE TURNING ONTO A MAJOR INTERSECTION, A RED STEERING WHEEL LIGHT POPPED UP ON MY DASH DISPLAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IMMEDIATELY... IT TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF STRENGTH TO GET MY CAR TO SAFETY IN A PARKING LOT BEFORE THE STEERING WHEEL COULD NOT BE MOVED AT ALL. CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP I BOUG
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN CC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECTIVE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“DRIVING AT 65 MPH SUDDENLY THE STEERING WHEEL SYSTEM WAS BLOCKED. BECOME VERY HARD TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL & ALSO VERY NOISE WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MOVE IT. THE CAR WAS TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID. THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX FAILED. LATER ON THE CUSTOMER SERVICE FREE PHONE LINE OF VW SAID THAT W”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

7 complaints

• WHILE DRIVING MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS STOPPED FUNCTIONING TO INCLUDE MY HORN, AIRBAG, ESP, AND TRACTION CONTROL. AFTER RESEARCHING THE WEB I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON ALL VW MODELS AND OCCURS AROUND 40,000 MILES. APPARENTLY THE VW CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY HAS A DESIGN FLA
• IGNITION COIL FAILURE ON NUMBER TWO CYLINDER. REPLACED ALL FOUR IGNITION COILS AS RECOMMENDED BY DEALER.
• TAKATA RECALL AND MORE. I DONT KWN THE VEHICLE ANY LONGER, HAD UNTIL OCTOBER 2P16. I DONT BELIEVE WE WERE EVER MADE AWARE OF ANY OF THE SEEMKNGLY SERIOUS RECALLS WITH THIS VEHICLE. I DROVE MY TWO CHILDREN KN THIS VEHICLE DAILY AND AM SHOCKED AT TJE SERIOUS NATURE OF THE RECALLS WE WERE NEVER TOLD

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 120 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: WHILE DRIVING MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS STOPPED FUNCTIONING TO INCLUDE MY HORN, AIRBAG, ESP, AND TRACTION CONTROL. AFTER RESEARCHING THE WEB I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON ALL VW MODELS AND OCCURS AROUND 40,000 MILES. APPARENTLY THE VW CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY HAS A DESIGN FLA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: AT 9:30 AM ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD, AND THE CAR CUT OFF. TWO (2) ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE CAR WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. AFTER AN HOURS WAIT (FOR AAA), ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE CAR AND IT STARTED. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND NO USUAL NOISES.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, THE COMPUTER FLASHED A WARNING THAT THERE IS A PARKING BREAK ERROR AND THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO STOP. WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. FOLLOWING THE REPEATED ( OVER 6 TIMES) SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING OF THE CAR THE PARKING ERROR WARNING
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
STEERING: DRIVING AT 65 MPH SUDDENLY THE STEERING WHEEL SYSTEM WAS BLOCKED. BECOME VERY HARD TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL & ALSO VERY NOISE WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MOVE IT. THE CAR WAS TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID. THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX FAILED. LATER ON THE CUSTOMER SERVICE FREE PHONE LINE OF VW SAID THAT W
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)