Model year record

2015 Volkswagen Passat

7 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 413 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V862000

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module

Component
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
226
Reported to NHTSA
2019-12-04
Owners notified
2019-12-20

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Safety risk

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V389000

Exterior lighting: headlights

Component
Exterior lighting: headlights
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
662,185
Reported to NHTSA
2019-05-22
Owners notified
2019-07-16

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Safety risk

Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V014000

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module

Component
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
119,394
Reported to NHTSA
2019-01-11
Owners notified
2019-03-04

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Passat, 2015-2016 Eos, 2015-2017 CC, 2016-2017 TT Roadster, TT Coupe, 2017 Audi R8 Coupe, and R8 Spyder vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Safety risk

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298; Audi owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69S8 (Audi) and 69Y5 (Volkswagen).

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V705000

Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
91,867
Reported to NHTSA
2015-10-26
Owners notified
2016-03-09

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.

Safety risk

If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V373000

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
62
Reported to NHTSA
2015-06-15
Owners notified
2015-06-11

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Passat vehicles manufactured May 18, 2015, to May 21, 2015. The affected vehicles have a brake line at the left rear wheel area that may not have been properly tightened.

Safety risk

If the brake line was not properly tightened, it may leak brake fluid, causing a reduction in braking performance, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the brake line fitting, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47M3.

Recall campaignNHTSA 15V028000

Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail

Component
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: fuel rail
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
44,658
Reported to NHTSA
2015-01-23
Owners notified
2015-02-09

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to November 24, 2014, 2014-2015 Passat vehicles manufactured April 7, 2014, to November 18, 2014, 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured July 1, 2014, to November 20, 2014, and 2014-2015 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles manufactured March 31, 2014, to November 27, 2014. A sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment.

Safety risk

A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails with new parts, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BL. Note: This recall expands and supersedes recall 14V-809 (Volkswagen recall number 24Bi) and only affects vehicles not previously repaired under that campaign.

Recall campaignNHTSA 14V670000

Seats

Component
Seats
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
393
Reported to NHTSA
2014-10-24
Owners notified
2014-11-19

Defect description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles manufactured September 23, 2014, to October 9, 2014, and equipped with manual front seatback recliners. In the affected vehicles, the seatback recliner retaining bracket may not engage correctly, resulting in unexpected movement of the seatback.

Safety risk

Unexpected movement of the driver's seatback may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the assembly of the seatback recliner retaining bracket, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72F1.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Air bags8853,000 mi
Engine5843,900 mi
Electrical system4849,300 mi
Unknown or other4336,600 mi
Steering2747,773 mi
Service brakes266,175 mi
Fuel/propulsion system2341,000 mi
Suspension1525,200 mi
Power train1415,000 mi
Vehicle speed control1019,797 mi
Visibility/wiper865,320 mi
Exterior lighting619,000 mi
Structure: body550,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)47,260 mi
Seat belts438,000 mi
Tires460,000 mi
Air bags: frontal: driver clockspring/spiral cassette394,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline3120,000 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system359,000 mi
Electrical system: horn294,000 mi
Electrical system: ignition245,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling23,800 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system: heater core2103,000 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly216,363 mi
Wheels210,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control1
Seats1
Service brakes, hydraulic13,800 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module1
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum1
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs1124,000 mi
Suspension: rear117,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: throttle13,500 mi
Visibility143,900 mi

The 2014 model has about half as many complaints as this one. The 2016 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.