Worst years for a Volkswagen Passat
Owners have filed 10,333 complaints about the Volkswagen Passat with NHTSA across model years 1990 to 2022. More of them are about the airbags than anything else.
Avoid
2003 Volkswagen Passat816 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly fuel & propulsion.
Cleanest on record
1994 Volkswagen Passat36 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.
Every Volkswagen Passat year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | B | 20 | 3 | 0 | — | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2021 | C | 28 | 3 | 2 | 5,000 | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2020 | C | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2019 | A | 18 | 0 | 0 | 3,500 | Electrical System |
| 2018 | C | 65 | 8 | 0 | 43,117 | Brakes |
| 2017 | C | 175 | 14 | 1 | 24,400 | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2016 | B | 179 | 9 | 0 | 37,000 | Airbags |
| 2015 | C | 389 | 19 | 4 | 47,000 | Airbags |
| 2014 | D | 788 | 34 | 7 | 46,500 | Airbags |
| 2013 | D | 1,027 | 43 | 9 | 50,000 | Airbags |
| 2012 | D | 662 | 16 | 5 | 58,000 | Airbags |
| 2011 | B | 27 | 5 | 3 | 75,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2010 | B | 226 | 7 | 1 | 72,000 | Airbags |
| 2009 | B | 211 | 9 | 16 | 75,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2008 | B | 240 | 3 | 9 | 92,000 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2007 | B | 341 | 7 | 6 | 75,000 | Airbags |
| 2006 | D | 779 | 24 | 7 | 63,500 | Airbags |
| 2005 | B | 172 | 9 | 12 | 71,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2004 | D | 348 | 12 | 31 | 68,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2003 | F | 816 | 18 | 102 | 57,707 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2002 | F | 772 | 15 | 53 | 50,000 | Electrical System |
| 2001 | D | 558 | 20 | 17 | 58,100 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2000 | D | 625 | 13 | 34 | 69,950 | Brakes |
| 1999 | D | 854 | 15 | 18 | 75,959 | Brakes |
| 1998 | C | 476 | 7 | 6 | 80,500 | Brakes |
| 1997 | A | 57 | 1 | 3 | 98,500 | Electrical System |
| 1996 | A | 48 | 0 | 0 | 84,200 | Electrical System |
| 1995 | A | 142 | 4 | 2 | 153,015 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1994 | A | 36 | 0 | 1 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 1993 | B | 90 | 8 | 10 | 107,387 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1992 | — | 60 | 4 | 1 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 1991 | — | 30 | 0 | 1 | — | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1990 | — | 50 | 0 | 5 | 179,000 | Engine & Cooling |
What breaks on a Volkswagen Passat
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Volkswagen Passat
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Volkswagen Passat, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Volkswagen Passat problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Volkswagen Passat
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.