Every 2016 Volkswagen Passat recall
Each campaign as NHTSA published it: what is wrong, what can happen, and the fix. Newest first.
Unknown Or Other · NHTSA 21V321000
May 5, 2021Unknown Or Other
- Problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Risk
- Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
- Fix
- Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
Full recall details for 21V321000 →Unknown Or Other · NHTSA 20V561000
Sep 16, 2020Unknown Or Other
- Problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Risk
- Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
- Fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
Full recall details for 20V561000 →Exterior Lighting · NHTSA 19V389000
May 22, 2019Exterior Lighting:Headlights
- Problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
Full recall details for 19V389000 →Fuel System, Gasoline · NHTSA 16V403000
Jun 6, 2016Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System:Fuel Rail
- Problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
- Fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
Full recall details for 16V403000 →Engine and Engine Cooling · NHTSA 15V705000
Oct 26, 2015Engine and Engine Cooling:Engine
- Problem
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
- Risk
- If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Fix
- Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Full recall details for 15V705000 →
2016 Volkswagen Passat complaints and service bulletins
Owners filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Volkswagen Passat, reporting 4 crashes, 3 injuries. Volkswagen has issued at least 834 technical service bulletins (repair instructions to dealers) for this model year. Complaints are unverified owner reports; a recall is the manufacturer’s admission of a safety defect.
Most-reported components
- Air Bags25
- Electrical System22
- Steering19
- Engine17
- Fuel/Propulsion System15
- Service Brakes15
Service bulletins by component
- Equipment (386)
- Electrical System (186)
- Engine and Engine Cooling (116)
- Engine (94)
- Power Train (43)
- Structure (40)
Read Volkswagen Passat owner complaints and bulletins, every year
What people reported
Owners have filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Volkswagen Passat. A few in their own words, shortened. Complaints are unverified and are not proof of a defect or of any recall.
Crash
“SAME ISSUE AS NHTSA ID # 11096639. CAR WAS PARKED, TURNED OFF, AND LOCKED AFTER 3 ADULTS EXITED THE CAR AND ENTERED A STORY. A FEW MINUTES LATER A CONCERNED PERSON RAN IN THE STORE ASKING WHO OWNS A BLACK VW? THE CAR HAD ROLLED AWAY, UNATTENDED, AFTER BEING PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE.”
2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATDec 2, 2019
Complaint filed with NHTSA, not verified by the agency · NHTSA complaint 11286286
Injury reported
“THE CAR HAS AUTONOMOUS BRAKING ISSUE. THE SYSTEM THAT BRAKES THE CAR IF ANOTHER CAR IS DETECTED IN FRONT OF YOU WILL BRAKE EVEN IF NO ONE IS IN FRONT OF YOU. THE CAR WAS IN AT THE DEALER FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE ABURT STOP.”
2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATSep 16, 2019
Complaint filed with NHTSA, not verified by the agency · NHTSA complaint 11256041
Crash
“TAKATA RECALL- NOT SURE IF IT IS BUT MY CAR HAS ISSUE ON THE STEERING. ALSO MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND ALONG WITH THAT MY HORN IS DISABLED. NOT SURE IF ITS UNDER RECALL BUT HOW DO I GET THOSE REPAIR”
2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATJul 4, 2018
Complaint filed with NHTSA, not verified by the agency · NHTSA complaint 11109539
Injury reportedCrash
“THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY.”
2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATJun 5, 2017
Complaint filed with NHTSA, not verified by the agency · NHTSA complaint 10993193
Injury reported
“MY 2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSET SE MODEL CAR APPLIES THE BRAKES WHILE IN MOTION ON ITS OWN. THIS HAS OCCURRED 6 TIMED OVER THE PAST 7 MONTHS. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE ON DECEMBER 12 2015. IT IS GETTING WORSE EACH TIME. ONE TIME IT HAPPENED AS I WAS ABOUT 100 FEET FROM A INTERSECTION.”
2016 VOLKSWAGEN PASSATJul 12, 2016
Complaint filed with NHTSA, not verified by the agency · NHTSA complaint 10884433
Check your Passat by VIN
Not every 2016 Volkswagen Passat is in every recall. Enter your 17-character VIN to see the recalls on record for your exact vehicle, then confirm which are still open at NHTSA.gov or with any Volkswagen dealer.
Run a free VIN recall check →