2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT — Complaint #1762527
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:INTERLOCK/LOCKOUT filed August 11, 2021
NHTSA complaint #1762527 (ODI reference 11428647) concerns a 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT and was filed on August 11, 2021. The owner reports the failure occurred on August 11, 2021. The report was geocoded to Alabama based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as electrical system:ignition:interlock/lockout, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT cohort independently describe similar electrical system:ignition:interlock/lockout failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The vehicle can be turned off while in drive, and gives no extra signals (beeps, flashing lights, etc.) with the exception of a brief message on the dash and single ding (same ding for door open, and other low importance messages). The vehicle will then roll until the brake is applied or it comes to a rest on a flat surface or against a pole or hard object. This is a significant safety hazard that has occurred to me 3-4 times, the most recent was today when the vehicle rolled backwards down my mothers driveway. Crossed the street, entered the neighbors driveway/yard, contacted the mail box and came to rest in the front yard. The vehicle rolled approx. 200ft. The vehicle is equipped with auto braking and parking collision warning, that are capable of sensing a collision while driving and notifying the driver of objects while parking. The same system should be able to prevent a car turned off while in drive from rolling uncontrolled and striking a person or object. In addition the
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1762527 |
| ODI Number | 11428647 |
| Date Filed | August 11, 2021 |
| Failure Date | August 11, 2021 |
| VIN | 1VWBA7A34JC |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.