Q: volume down button not working

Try restarting your iPhone by holding down the on/off and the home buttons at the same time until you see the Apple logo.  Then give it a try. 

538scott -

I had the exact same issue with my iPhone 5.  Volume Up worked great, however, Volume Down worked intermittently.  I restarted my phone a bunch times since I got it in October, with the hopes the button would loosen up and resolve itself on its own (wishful thinking on my part).  It ended up just getting worse over time and I finally got so frustrated I took it in.  When I got to the Apple store, the genius checked it out and wondered why I had not brought it in earlier.  They replaced it on the spot and since then I have had zero problems with my iPhone 5 volume controls.  So, take it in.  It will be worth it in the long run!

yep same issue here

I had the exact same problem with my iPhone5, and nothing else would fix it...

Then I read, on a different thread, to hold the 'down volume button' down and move it around in a circular motion...

You need to apply a good bit of pressure, but it fixed mine right away, and I'm a much happier camper now!

You can use a virtual button by going to settings, general, accessability, and turning on assisive touch. This will give you a square that will always be on your screen. When you touch it, click the arrow and then touch volume up or volume down. Hope this helps

This technique worked great. I'm still going to get it fixed when I have time but this will certainly do for now   Thank You to everyone who responded.