40 of the 389 complaints about the 2015 Volkswagen Passat are about the other systems — 10% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 36,850 miles.
40
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The driver exited the vehicle without assistance. The vehicle is currently preserved at a tow lot.
NHTSA complaint #11713332 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Gas smell inside vehicle Plastic canister under back seat leaking gas smell /has cracked
NHTSA complaint #11695340 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought a 2015 Volkswagen v6 SEL PREMIUM 15 days ago with only 37000 miles on it from car max and I hear my front windshield making a loud sound in upper left corner every morning ….so today I had my kids in car and it was bout 80 degrees we were at park and left park after hour I turned AC on and was driving when I heard a LOUD POP …looked back to my rear windshield shattered in every spot I was only 3 blocks away from home then the glass collapsed all over my kids there all cut up …these windshields do not look normal there’s no rubber surround and I had to pay 250 deductible to get a new one …clearly these Volkswagens have a weak glass issue from temp changes they were mint before this happened no chips or cracks I’m very unhappy with the quality of these I’m in fear if I drive it the front windshield will also do it !!! Not good smh …I’m more scared for winter !!!
NHTSA complaint #11679156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle was totaled but I continue to receive recall notices to the point of harassment. I have called the hotline number and notified them dozens of times. I signed the vehicle over to the insurance. It is scrapped. I don't know how else to make that more clear.
NHTSA complaint #11608870 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The windshield started separating at he top, makes strange popping sounds. That separation has now migrated around the entire screen. Concerned this might cause a failure and lead to harm for the occupants. It could also result in a loss of control causing harm to other drivers or structures.
NHTSA complaint #11547969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I take my car to the dealership for maintenance when it is scheduled. The ignition would not allow me to put the key inside. I did a little internet research and it seems to be a common problem with this car. I could not put the key in the ignition. I then used some wd40 and got it to go in eventually but thought I should report it as this could pose a safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11544526 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Heater core big problem on 2015 vw passat Early models from 2012 to 2014 have a recall on heater core, and they have extended warranty. But problem still occurs on 2015 models, but still no recall or covered warranty, big problem and constantly Heater core broking
NHTSA complaint #11506865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Mice and rodents just love eating various electrical wires, vacuum lines, diesel fuel lines (both from tank to engine & return lines), etc. Never once had any animals issues with my other vehicles. Discovered that VWoA thought it would be a brilliant idea to use Soy in the manufacturing of electrical insulation, fuel hoses, vacuum lines, etc. ANIMALS LIKE EATING SOY. Very frustrating. My vehicle has been disabled before and one time I sprang a nice leak, leaving a trail of diesel behind me. Since all repairs and parts were ordered and conducted at local VW dealership. All records are both on carfax & stored in VWoA servers.
NHTSA complaint #11502406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello, Airbag light on, horn doesn't work, volume control on steering wheel doesn't work, clicking when turning steering wheel. Huge safety issue with the airbag and horn not functioning at all! Cannot get pass Massachusetts inspection in its current state and have reached out to the dealer. Car was brought to Mattie Volkswagen Fall River, MA on 02/18/2022 and was told part was on backorder and they will contact me when it comes in. It has been 6+ months and still now clocksprings in stock. I check in often with them and they either don't respond or say still on backorder with no ETA. This could cause a catastrophic accident and VW needs to step up to either expedite manufacturing of these parts, offer loaner/rental vehicles or replace the vehicle with a comparable model that doesn't have these issues. Dealer needs to replace the Clockspring on the vehicle, which they claim is in warranty. However, the clocksprings have a huge backorder and don't show any signs of being filled.
NHTSA complaint #11480147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The airbag on the driver's side, along with the horn and buttons on the steering wheel do not work. The VW dealership has looked at the car and said it needs a new clock spring, and that it is on back order with no estimation of arrival. The car is unsafe to drive and both the VW dealership and VW head office have not offered a loaner vehicle for me to drive my family in safely while we wait for the parts. Without an airbag, I could be seriously injured in an accident. I was also very nearly in a car accident that would have been prevented had the horn worked to alert the other driver sooner that nearly backed into me. The other continuing issue with this car is that there are still ongoing issues with the Diesel Exhaust Fluid system. This system has had problems for years. The VW dealership has replaced parts on it numerous times but it continues to have problems. This car should never have gone back on the market after the initial recall, as the DEF system was never repaired correctly, and the airbag should be on recall already.
NHTSA complaint #11472349 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The clockspring has failed. It was identified by Safford VW in Fredericksburg in March 3 2022 because of the airbag light illuminating. I was told the clockspring part is on national backorder and given my car back. The Horn does not work, the airbag light is on, the airbags would not function in the steering wheel if needed and none of the steering controls work. The vehicle will not pass state inspection. The dealer will not provide a rental for this issue and VW cannot provide any information on this backordered part. VW requires the dealer to provide a rental for 10 days before they will consider a buyback of the vehicle for a warranty repair and the dealer refuses to provide a rental for clockspring issues. I have repeatedly called Safford VW for updates who told me they have multiple vehicles waiting for the same part and cannot help me. I called VW and they also cannot provide any updates for this part and have no resolve on how to make my vehicle safe to drive on a factory warranted part. I requested a vehicle buy back with VW and the request was denied because the vehicle has to have been at the dealer for more than 10 days OR multiple repairs for the same problem. I am stuck in a loop with VW and a faulty factored warranted part that cannot be produced.
NHTSA complaint #11469780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CATASTROPHIC SAFETY ISSUE MANY of the warning lights on the instrument cluster are illuminated. These include: * ABS is steadily illuminated. * Airbag is steadily illuminated. * The speedometer is not functioning showing "0" so I can't tell how fast I'm going. * The steering system indicator light is steadily illuminated. * Check Engine/Engine Malfunction is intermittent. * The Electric Power Control indicator is intermittent. * ESP/ASR is steadily illuminated. * The Alternator indicator light is intermittent * Tire Pressure Monitoring is steadily illuminated. * The fuel gauge is moving ranging from empty to full therefore the low fuel indictor flashed frequently. * Several times when depressing the accelerator instead of gaining power, acceleration dropped off. In traffic, at highway speeds, this is an additional serious safety issue. I HAVE MADE NO MODIFICATION TO THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND NEW TIRES. I took the car to the local dealership where the on-site technical advisor speculated that the wheel speed sensor was at fault. This did not build confidence.
NHTSA complaint #11446627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Clock Spring failure in June 2020. Vehicle's mileage was 133,390 therefore out of recall warranty by 13K miles. Paid $330.00 to dealer to have clock spring replaced on 6/18/20. A year later, on 6/20/21 the clock spring has once again failed and the dealer is indicating that the clock spring repair is out of warranty. I will now have to pay $400.00 to have a second clock spring installed. I am certainly not the only 2015 Passat owner with this issue of having to replace multiple clock springs. Unfortunately I wasn't lucky enough to even have the first repair covered for the clock spring. Should I expect to have to pay for a new clock spring every year? Please investigate. Thanks very much.
NHTSA complaint #11437598 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The oil light/message comes on, the engine burns oil excessively about 1 quart every 1,000 miles or so. Our biggest fear is that this will continue to get worse and the engine may seize up at some point due to this issue and cause a loss of power and/or a severe accident for us or anyone operating one of these VW vehicles with the same issue. VW indicated that this is "normal" but it does not seem "normal". We have never owned a vehicle (even older vehicles back in the 80s/90s) that had an issue like this, and this is a newer (2015) vehicle that we bought brand new. We had the shop look at the vehicle and they said it is burning oil and there might be a class-action against VW for it burning oil. It did not have this issue until some time after 30,000 miles which tells us that something changed in the engine at some point. With all of the burning oil, this cannot be good for air quality and the environment - not sure how many of these engines are on the road currently, but multiplied out it has to be contrary to any clean air acts that may exist in various states or at the federal level. Additionally, the oil is special "european" and is relatively expensive - the manufacturer indicates up to 10,000 miles between oil changes, so that could be up to 10 quarts of oil burning into the atmosphere (and costing money) for a single VW vehicle every few months, not to mention the safety concern if someones engine seizes up as a result causing a loss of power, loss of power steering, loss of power brakes, etc. The date shown for 'incident' is the most recent date that we had to add oil due to this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11434542 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On May 4th 2021 start button was replaced. While driving back the car from the dealer, car started to idle violently. Same thing happened the next day. So I drove it to the dealer. Service Manager requested a mechanic to drive the car around and this time we could not reproduce the problem. Instead of running any diagnostics, service manager asked me to leave. Then for past 3 months this problem has been happening on and off. For past 3 days the car started to shake violently at lights (awaiting green signal) and ESC warning started to appear on the dash board. Today I took it to the dealer and they suggested me to change intake cam shaft etc with a total estimate of $ 5000.00 Before the change of start button this car ran just fine.
NHTSA complaint #11427545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
For about 2 years my vehicle has been vibrating at the steering wheel. I have replaced the tires twice, have done multiple tire balances, rotations, road force tests, alignments, and have requested multiple inspections of all components associated with the steering assembly. All possible solutions have apparently been insufficient or they have been found inconclusive. The technicians at the dealership have been unable to identify the cause of the vibration. Due to this, my steering wheel has continued to vibrate for about 2 years. The vibration occurs around highway speeds as well as when braking. I have recorded multiple videos that show this as well as having testament from multiple people, including dealership staff. The vibration has slowly but surely gotten worse over time and I am afraid that something will break and cause me to have an accident or severe injuries.
NHTSA complaint #11426183 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AC NOT WORKING UNDER 70K MILES
NHTSA complaint #11407722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I TOOK MY VW IN AT 90000 AND IT WAS IN NEED OF A STEERING CLOCK SPRING, HERE I AM 30K MI LATER AND GUESS WHAT. I AM TOLD THIS IS NORMAL BUT I THINK HE SAME BREATH THE MANGER TELLS THE OTHER CUSTOMER NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT THAT IT WAS ONLY 2015S . 400 BUCKS LATER !!! AND THAT WAS HALF. HOW IS THIS NOT AN ISSUE OR DEFAULT!! I WAS LITERALLY IN THE DRIVE THRU AND HONKED MY HORN NEXT THING J KNOW MY WARNING SYSTEM TELLING ME MY AIRBAGS SUCK.
NHTSA complaint #11405672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM EMPIRE AUTO USED. I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE HORN AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A RECALL ON THE CLOCKSPRING. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER ITSELF FOR THE SERVICE. THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACE LIKE 3 TIMES ALREADY. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT IT KEEPS HAPPENING. PLEASE ADVICE, THE LAST SERVICE DATE WAS ON 01/25/2021. AT THE PRESENT TIME I GOT NO HORN AGAIN.
NHTSA complaint #11395451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THIS IS REGARDING THE AIR CONDITIONER (AC). I PURCHASED A USED 2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT FROM PEARSON CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE ON FEB.16, 2020; ODOMETER READING WAS 54454. I DID NOT TEST DRIVER THE CAR BEFORE I PURCHASED IT. THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP A FEW DAYS LATER, THE SALESPERSON TURNED THE AC ON HIGH SPEED. I TURNED IT OFF AND HE TURNED IT BACK ON. I TURNED IT OFF AGAIN. IT APPEARED HE WAS HIDING SOMETHING. IT WAS FEBRUARY. I DID NOT NEED THE AC ON. MY SON AND I WAS QUICK TO NOTICE THIS NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A HOT WATER HEATER NOISE. DESCRIPTION: THE NOISE IS LIKE A SMALL HOT WATER HEATER MAKES WHEN THE WATER TEMPERATURE IS COOL AND THE HEATER COMES ON TO INCREASE THE TEMPERATURE SO THAT THE WATER IS HOT AGAIN. THE NOISE CONCERNING THE AC CONTINUED. IN MARCH, PEARSON HAD VOLKSWAGEN KIA SERVICE MY VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE FROM WB VOLKSWAGEN KIA, THEY INSTALLED A/C DYE. THE NOISE WAS VERY LOW. IN MAY I NOTICED THE AC WAS NOT COOLING MY CAR. I DROPPED MY CAROFF AT PEARSON SERVICE DEPT.ON JUNE 3 &JUNE 10. PEARSON INVOICE STATED, "SUBLET VEHICLE TO WB VOLKSWAGEN, VW. FOUND CONDENSER FAULTY, VOLKSWAGEN EVACUATED A/C SYSTEM, REMOVED AND REPLACED CONDENSER, RECHARGED A/C TO PROPER LEVEL. RECHECKED. OK" THE NOISE IS STILL THERE. I FIND THIS INTERESTING, THE INVOICE IN MARCH WAS DOCUMENTED FROM VOLKSWAGEN KIA AND THE SECOND INVOICE FROM PEARSON FOR THE RECORD, A SERVICE REP. IN THE SERVICE DEPT. AT PEARSON TOLD ME THAT THEY DO NOT WORK ON FOREIGN CAR. I WOULD LIKE THE NOISE TO CEASE PERTAINING TO THE AIR CONDITIONER. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE WITH AIR CONDITIONER IN CARS THAT OWNED IN THE PAST.
NHTSA complaint #11341328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AT SPEED OF OVER 65MPH. STEERING WHEEL STARTS TO VIBRATE WITHIN 10MINUTES OF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. KEEP RETURNING TO THE DEALER WHICH SAYS THEY HAVE DONE ALL THEY CAN THAT SHOULD HAVE CORRECT THE PROBLEM. BUT AFTER THEY HAVE TRIED FOR OVER 4 TIMES TO CORRECT IT. THE ISSUE STILL THERE.
NHTSA complaint #11286451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PUSH TO START ENGINE FAILING TO START CAR
NHTSA complaint #11196191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AIRBAG LIGHT ON, STEERING CONTROLS (ON STEERING WHEEL, RADIO, HORN) NO LONGER FUNCTIONING
NHTSA complaint #11170598 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
STEERING WHEEL STARTED MAKING A CLICKING SOUND AND CONTROLS AND HORN ON THE STEERING WHEEL NO LONGER FUNCTION. THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY. CAR STARTED HAVINT THIS ISSUE WHEN FIRST STARTED AND BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE.
NHTSA complaint #11157173 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I AM REQUESTING THAT DOT NHTSA INVESTIGATE A SAFETY ISSUE WITH CLOCK SWITCH PART ON MY 2015 VW PASSAT, WHICH CONTROLS BOTH THE AIR BAGS AND THE HORN. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN SEPT 2015. I STARTED MY CAR WITH 42,500 MILES AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A FLAT PARKING LOT THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED THE AIR BAG LIGHT. WHEN I DROVE THE VEHICLE AND TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL THERE WERE CLICKING NOISES COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AREA. WHEN I GOT HOME, I GOOGLED A COUPLE POSSIBLE CAUSES AND SCHEDULED THE VEHICLE IN TO A MECHANIC. BEFORE I COULD GET VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE, THE HORN AND OTHER STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS WENT OUT. I WAS LEFT WITHOUT AIRBAGS AND A HORN ON A VEHICLE THAT I DRIVE DAILY. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIR COSTS. AN AUGUST 2015 CLOCK SPRING RECALL INCLUDED 416,000 VEHICLES INCLUDING 2010-2014 PASSAT VEHICLES. MY VEHICLE REPAIR IS FOR THE SAME PART, BUT THE YEAR OF VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
NHTSA complaint #11133062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
VEHICLE JUMPING WHILE IN PARK CONCERNED WITH SEVERAL RECALLS ON LINE: 24BI FUEL SYSTEM, 72F1- SEATS AND 23R1 ENGINE RECALL
NHTSA complaint #11131596 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MY PREGNANT FIANCE, HER 3YR OLD SON AND I WERE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET APPROXIMATELY 35MPH. A VEHICLE CUT OFF THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME AND THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME SLAMMED ON THEIR BEAKS, WHICH MADE ME SLAM ON MINE. I SLAMMED ON MY BREAKS AND IT DID NOT STOP MY VEHICLE, I TRIED TO USE MY EMERGENCY BREAK AND DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE SO I SWERVED OVER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MY FIANCE'S PASSENGER SIDE FROM BEING HIT. I REAR ENDED THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. EVERYONE SEATBELTS LOCKED EXCEPT MY FIANCE'S. SHE HIT THE DASH, INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED IT DID NOT GET HIT HARD ENOUGH TO DEPLOY AIRBAGS. THERE HAS BEEN A COUPLE TIMES PREVIOUS TO THE ACCIDENT THAT I WOULD BE AT A RED LIGHT WITH MY BREAK PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN AND ALL THE SUDDEN I WOULD START TO SLOWLY ROLL, WITH THE BREAK PEDAL STILL ALL THE WAY DOWN.
NHTSA complaint #11130658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MY SUNROOF SHATTERED, WHILE OPEN, FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON. I WAS JUST DRIVING AND IT POPPED. I LOOKED UP AND THE GLASS SHATTERED. I FOUND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN CA. HTTPS://WWW.LAW360.COM/CASES/59C2EB8D55D0EE381E000001?ARTICLE_SIDEBAR=1 THE PERSON WHO REPAIRED THE ROOF STATED IT DID NOT APPEAR ANYTHING HIT IT, IF ANYTHING IT SHATTERED AROUND THE GLUE AREA.
NHTSA complaint #11104017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AIR BAG SENSOR HAS GONE ON 3 TIMES WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. EACH TIME THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT. IT HAS GONE OFF AGAIN NOW THAT I AM @37,000 MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY. THE STEERING WHEEL IS MAKING A CRANKING NOISE. THE HORN DOES NOT WORK, THE SWITCHES ON THE HORN DO NOT WORK.
NHTSA complaint #11102827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
TIMING CHAIN ELONGATED HEARD LIGHT NOISE AND AROUND 60000 MILES I HAVE BEEN TAKING IT TO DEALER I EVEN ASKED THEM TO LET ME KNOW WHAT ALL IS WRONG WITH CAR AT 90000 MILES NEVER SAID ANYTHING UNTIL SWITCH DEALER AT 110000 MILES TELLS ME THAT IT MAY FAIL AT ANYTIME AND WILL CAUSE ENGINE TO LOOSE POWER
NHTSA complaint #11097693 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.