Volkswagen Passat Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 7,707 consumer complaints across the 33 model years of the Volkswagen Passat (1990–2022) that have at least 5 complaints. 2013 has the most, with 749. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (1,652 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Passat model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 13 | 90 | 0 | 270 | — | Not enough data |
| 2021 | 18 | 16,116 | 1 | 349 | — | Rising |
| 2020 | 18 | 4,500 | 3 | 455 | — | Rising |
| 2019 | 12 | 3,500 | 1 | 537 | — | Not enough data |
| 2018 | 46 | 35,000 | 4 | 609 | 20 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2017 | 110 | 32,000 | 7 | 679 | 54 · Typical | Falling |
| 2016 | 106 | 34,000 | 5 | 834 | 45 · Typical | Stable |
| 2015 | 243 | 47,386 | 7 | 1,131 | 77 · More | Falling |
| 2014 | 594 | 49,220 | 10 | 1,567 | 100 · More | Stable |
| 2013 | 749 | 51,000 | 9 | 1,595 | 100 · More | Stable |
| 2012 | 484 | 58,000 | 11 | 1,573 | 98 · More | Falling |
| 2011 | 16 | 85,000 | 0 | 583 | — | Falling |
| 2010 | 163 | 71,000 | 4 | 836 | 38 · Typical | Falling |
| 2009 | 146 | 79,826 | 4 | 753 | 36 · Typical | Falling |
| 2008 | 168 | 90,000 | 4 | 622 | 25 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2007 | 262 | 71,000 | 7 | 541 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 576 | 64,000 | 7 | 522 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2005 | 148 | 71,000 | 3 | 261 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 279 | 69,800 | 3 | 223 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 628 | 59,000 | 6 | 201 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 636 | 48,973 | 3 | 204 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2001 | 430 | 60,000 | 3 | 193 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 507 | 69,250 | 3 | 179 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 664 | 75,000 | 5 | 102 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 331 | 80,000 | 4 | 83 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 37 | 100,300 | 0 | 40 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 40 | 84,200 | 1 | 28 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 93 | 130,853 | 1 | 19 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 25 | 120,000 | 1 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 68 | 107,387 | 3 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 39 | 120,000 | 1 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 24 | 180,995 | 1 | 12 | — | Stable |
| 1990 | 34 | 146,000 | 2 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags1,652 22%
- Electrical system1,162 16%
- Fuel system986 13%
- Brakes958 13%
- Engine cooling909 12%
- Engine644 8.8%
- Steering572 7.8%
- Transmission and drivetrain477 6.5%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2013: “When I was driving on a city street, the engine started to misfire and shake. As a result, I have to stop and park my car in a parking lot. After a professional check of the car, the report stated that the timing chain and camshaft broke and have to be replaced, which cost more than the worth of the car itself at 83000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11400237, filed 2021-03, 83,000 miles2014: “As I was driving on shiver pond rd. In camden, sc I notice a pothole was on the right side of the road and there was no way for me to avoid it at the time because another vehicle was driving on the opposite side of the road. Immediately the tire went down and I had to pull over and call for help to get a spare on. I had to go buy another tire for $90 from walmart.”
NHTSA complaint #11375053, filed 2020-11, 173,000 miles2006: “We have 2006 3.6l vw Passat with 55k miles for my daughter. Just recently the oil light came on and the engine seized while driving under 30 MPH. It had been running good and no oil was leaking. This seems to be related to an issue many other Passat owners experienced where the oil pump bolt becomes lose and causes a fatal failure.”
NHTSA complaint #11383386, filed 2020-12, 55,000 milesOther Volkswagen models
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1,396 complaintsVolkswagen ID.4
1,025 complaintsVolkswagen CC
978 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology