2022 Passat – J764 Steering Lock Failure at 53,696 Miles. VW Won’t Help

I’m hoping someone here with VW experience can give me some insight.

My 2022 Volkswagen Passat has 53,696 miles, has been properly maintained, and has never given me any major problems. I travel a lot for work, so the car is usually either in my garage or at the airport.

A few days ago, I went to start it and got a red steering wheel icon with an exclamation point. The car wouldn’t start and couldn’t be jumped, so it had to be towed.

The first shop couldn’t communicate with the car. It was eventually towed to an authorized VW dealership, where they diagnosed:

P160A00 – Control Module Faulty / J764 Steering Lock Module

I was told that without the J764, the car will not start and that the entire steering column/assembly needs to be replaced.

What really surprised me was that the service advisor asked if someone had tried to break into the car because, according to him, this component shouldn’t just fail under normal circumstances. There was no attempted break-in or damage to the car.

I asked if VW could help with the repair since this isn't a wear-and-tear item and the car only has 53,696 miles. The advisor told me to call VW Customer Care but basically said, “I wouldn’t even bother. They probably won’t do anything.”

I called anyway.

This is actually my second Passat. My first one also had a major failure shortly after the warranty expired, around 51,000 miles, with a roughly $3,000 repair. VW wouldn't assist then either. I swore I wouldn't buy another Passat... and here I am. 😂

Now I'm 3,696 miles out of warranty, with another major failure that supposedly shouldn't happen under normal circumstances. VW Customer Care declined to provide any goodwill assistance.

So I'm wondering:

Is the J764 steering lock a known failure point on the 2022 Passat?

Are there any TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions, or other information I'm missing?

And has anyone successfully gotten VW Customer Care to provide goodwill assistance for this type of failure?

I'd especially like to hear from VW technicians, service advisors, former VW employees, or anyone who has experienced this issue.

I really like my Passat, but having a component that prevents the car from starting fail at 53,696 miles—and then being told the entire steering column needs to be replaced—is pretty frustrating.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.