What breaks most · 1990 to 2022 model years
Volkswagen Passat problems by year
Owners have filed 7,702 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Passat across model years 1990 to 2022. Three years stand out: 2013 for air bags complaints, 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2002 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2019, 2011 and 2020.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 1999, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 2019, 2011, 2020
- Complaints on file
- 77021990 to 2022, all trims
- Worst year
- 2013748 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 227297 fires · 243 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 134Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (12) | |
| 24 | 0 | 1 | Visibility (6) | |
| 39 | 3 | 1 | Engine and cooling (17) | |
| 68 | 3 | 3 | Engine and cooling (18) | |
| 25 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (9) | |
| 93 | 3 | 1 | Visibility (20) | |
| 40 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 37 | 1 | 1 | Visibility (16) | |
| 331 | 6 | 5 | Suspension (90) | |
| 664 | 11 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (184) | |
| 507 | 11 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (160) | |
| 430 | 14 | 4 | Engine and cooling (92) | |
| 636 | 10 | 4 | Electrical system (220) | |
| 628 | 14 | 7 | Fuel system (137) | |
| 279 | 9 | 4 | Engine and cooling (59) | |
| 148 | 7 | 4 | Engine and cooling (50) | |
| 576 | 21 | 7 | Air bags (148) | |
| 262 | 4 | 7 | Air bags (106) | |
| 168 | 3 | 4 | Fuel system (44) | |
| 146 | 5 | 4 | Engine (60) | |
| 163 | 5 | 4 | Air bags (45) | |
| 16 | 3 | 0 | Engine (6) | |
| 483 | 14 | 11 | Air bags (295) | |
| 748 | 29 | 9 | Air bags (382) | |
| 594 | 19 | 10 | Air bags (354) | |
| 243 | 11 | 7 | Air bags (88) | |
| 106 | 4 | 5 | Air bags (25) | |
| 110 | 9 | 7 | Air bags (28) | |
| 45 | 5 | 4 | Brakes (12) | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 17 | 1 | 3 | Engine (4) | |
| 18 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (5) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Engine (3) |
What fails on the 2013 Volkswagen Passat
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 51% |
382 | 21 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
104 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
93 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
77 | 2 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
65 | 4 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 8% |
60 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
51 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
33 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Speed was suddenly dropped and blinking glow plug light on when driving on highway. Had to carefully pull the car to the shoulder. Tow the car to the auto shop and confirmed that the turbocharger was failed. This TDI car was just over 120,000 miles
-
ABS failure. ABS unit stopped working, mechanic says this is a common failure in this car. New unit costs $900 just for the part.
-
Traveling down the street and smelled smoke. Smoke began emitting from under the dash and vehicle cut off. Fire department was called and extinguished the fire. Vehicle was a total loss.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volkswagen Passat years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2013, 1999, 2002 carry the most filings on the Volkswagen Passat. The 2013 alone has 748 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Volkswagen Passat problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 382 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Passat problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volkswagen Passat complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.