Reliability & cost of ownership
Volkswagen Passat Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Volkswagen Passat? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Volkswagen Passat problems by model year
126 recall entries across 27 model years and 7,634 owner complaints across 28 model years on file, sourced from the federal NHTSA database. We couldn't confirm the NHTSA recall list for the remaining model year — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Volkswagen Passat, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags1,654 complaints
- electrical system1,172 complaints
- engine and engine cooling852 complaints
- engine645 complaints
- service brakes, hydraulic612 complaints
- steering562 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system472 complaints
- power train457 complaints