2005 Volkswagen Passat Brakes Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 3%of 148 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 32,575miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Volkswagen Passat, 3% of the 148 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 32,575 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was turning onto a local busy street when my accelerator stuck to the floor and quickly shot up near 50mph. I had to quickly weave through traffic to not hit anyone while it stayed in a high speed. When I'd press the brakes, the car would slow down but still be going. When I let off the brake pedal, it quickly shot back up to 50mph. I was lucky to be able to turn onto a side street maybe 1 minute later and avoided hitting anyone else. I am beyond surprised that I was able to avoid hitting anyone with the amount of traffic. …”
NHTSA complaint #10447985, filed 2012-02, 45,150 miles“It just died and I lost brakes, power steering, and only know what else stopped working. Come to find out the splines wear off of the oil pump shift after the counter balance and chain goes out. This is so common a problem that when you Google what happened there are numerous videos and complaints about this issue, with ways to stop it from happening. Korea has already recalled them and Europe has recalled them, why are we so far behind on this. …”
NHTSA complaint #11479966, filed 2022-08“The contact's friend owns a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the ABS indicator illuminates on the instrument panel and does not dim. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The current mileage was 60,000 and failure mileage was 20,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10247247, filed 2008-10, 20,000 miles“The contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the brake pedal would travel to the floor when depressed. The dealer stated that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for state inspection and no failure codes were present at that time. The dealer was unable to repair the vehicle. A couple of weeks later, while driving 32 MPH, the brakes failed and the contact crashed into the rear passenger side bumper of the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. …”
NHTSA complaint #10637530, filed 2014-09, 189,000 miles“The contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 5 MPH, the brakes failed. The contact stated that the brakes made a loud grinding noise when the pedal was depressed and the brake light remained illuminated. The dealer stated that the failure was unrecognizable. The contact also crashed into the rear of another vehicle while attempting to brake. The rear bumper of the other vehicle was destroyed. The VIN and dealer information were unknown. The current mileage was 58,700 and failure mileage was 700.”
NHTSA complaint #10201766, filed 2007-09, 700 milesRelated recalls
- 07V063000Feb 20, 2007On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed…Covers: Volkswagen Passat 2003–2005, Golf 1999–2006, GTI 1999–2006 +3 more
Related service bulletins
- 10181413Oct 2, 2020Mandatory fastener.
- 10180603Sep 25, 2020Antilock brake function test direction.
- 10180101Sep 4, 2020Antilock brake function test direction.
- 10238963Nov 7, 2014Fault code 02543 000 ?Brake Vacuum Sensor no Display? may be encountered in the ABS module. This may be caused by the hydraulic brake boost function (HBV) in adaptation value 61…
Brakes: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 23% |
| 2021 | 5 | 25% |
| 2020 | 2 | 11% |
| 2019 | 3 | 25% |
| 2018 | 13 | 28% |
| 2017 | 17 | 15% |
| 2016 | 17 | 16% |
| 2015 | 28 | 12% |
| 2014 | 8 | 1% |
| 2013 | 8 | 1% |
| 2012 | 12 | 2% |
| 2010 | 5 | 3% |
| 2009 | 4 | 3% |
| 2008 | 6 | 4% |
| 2007 | 16 | 6% |
| 2006 | 49 | 9% |
| 2005 | 5 | 3% |
| 2004 | 15 | 5% |
| 2003 | 42 | 7% |
| 2002 | 72 | 11% |
| 2001 | 63 | 15% |
| 2000 | 207 | 41% |
| 1999 | 233 | 35% |
| 1998 | 90 | 27% |
| 1996 | 1 | 3% |
| 1995 | 14 | 15% |
| 1994 | 4 | 16% |
| 1993 | 7 | 10% |
| 1992 | 3 | 8% |
| 1991 | 3 | 13% |
| 1990 | 3 | 9% |
Other parts of the 2005 Volkswagen Passat
50 complaintsFuel system
23 complaintsSeats
13 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
13 complaintsEngine
12 complaintsElectrical system
9 complaintsOther or unknown
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsTires
5 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Volkswagen Passat
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology