What Volkswagen Passat owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Volkswagen Passat safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 268 |
| 2021 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 347 |
| 2020 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 453 |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 535 |
| 2018 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 607 |
| 2017 | 110 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 677 |
| 2016 | 106 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 832 |
| 2015 | 244 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 1,129 |
| 2014 | 594 | 19 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1,565 |
| 2013 | 748 | 29 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 1,592 |
| 2012 | 484 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1,571 |
| 2011 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 583 |
| 2010 | 172 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 834 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Volkswagen Passat complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
I received a recall for the airbag. No lights were on in my car, so I brought in in for the service. I picked up my car, it seemed ok. I went to the gym. When I restarted my car every single light was on on the dashboard. When I brought it back to the dealer they said "oh its the ABS module they just go" and they are expensive to replace. I think they broke the module when they did the airbag. They offered to get me a rebuilt one, so I had it put in. Now when it rains my tires are spinning even though the tread is like new. I have to bring it in tomorrow it's probably something with the module again.
Door sensor is faulty, and is repeatedly giving notifications while driving that the door is open, causing the cabin lights to come on, which causes safety issues when driving at night. Car is only four years old, and a similar issue was reported for the VW ID.4 vehicles, which have a similar wiring harness and circuit board to the VW 2022 Passat
my 2020 vw passat has less than 60k mikes and i am replacing my 3rd wheel sensor. they fail without warning disabling my antilock brakes. And other safety features
The front information center which is responsible for the rear camera system is shutdown due to the radio / entire screen being dead without reason
A prior recall that was supposedly fixed, broke again. Submitted several complaints with Nhtsa and Volkswagen. Volkswagen said i had to pay a fee to verify what was wrong with my vehicle because the recall had already been fixed before. Months of waiting and waiting for an appointment and then vw would still not refix the recall. So years and years went by before the recall was recalled and vw sent out notice. Only to schedule you vehicle for service months out and then call and cancel because there is a shortage of parts and no known time in getting them. Anyways the recalled recall is an air bag spring that caused all of my vehicles "functions" to stop working. No horn, no steering wheel b…
I am reporting a recurring safety-related defect involving the factory-installed infotainment touchscreen in my 2017 Volkswagen Passat SE Technology. The touchscreen intermittently malfunctions in several ways. At times, the entire infotainment system freezes and becomes completely unresponsive, preventing access to any controls. The screen also has developed "dead spots" where touch inputs do not register. Additionally, it sometimes registers "phantom touches," responding to inputs when the screen is not being touched. I believe this presents a safety concern because the infotainment system is an integrated component of the vehicle and is intended to be operated by the driver. When the sy…
While driving and after, we noticed gas fumes both inside and outside of vehicle. The gas tank was approximately half full. Became very concerned over the the possibility of a fire. Did research online and realized that this was and is a common problem with older models of the Passad (ours is a 2020 model that we bought new and had zero accidents) plus Jetta and Golf models. We took it to a VW Dealer (Ken Graff VW Gilbert, AZ ) nearest our home for fear of a fire hazard and safety. They repaired it stating that the gas tank had various creaks neasr the top of the tank which allowed fumes to be released. My cost to repair was approximately $1,100 which for a vehicle with some 62,000 miles and…
Fuel smell in cabin lingering, strong fuel odor around passenger rear side, fuel cap area as well
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
Repair or Replace Information
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward.
Replacement instruction
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
Differences between a leak and seepage
Clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. Foreign bodies into the clock spring.
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) â No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
Inquiries
Multiple campaign closures dealer communication.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen models.Contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to te
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen models.Contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to te
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (SCCM) failures in model year (MY) 2012 Volkswagen Passat and CC models.The SCCM is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system while allowing for the turning of the steering wheel.Complainants alleged that that the cl
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2010–2025, owners most often name: air bags, electrical system, engine. 2,580 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.
