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2016 Volkswagen Passat

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 110.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

54 reports with mileage · 52 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints

5 reports
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52,000 miles · Jul 3, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING AND TRYING TO STOP IT APPEARS THAT BRAKES/ABS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ABS, TPMS, TRACTION CONTROL, SRS WARNING LIGHTS HAVE COME ON FOR THE SECOND TIME IN JUST A FEW MONTHS SPAN. DEALER SAID IT WAS FAULTY ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSORS BOTH TIMES (BOTH REAR). IT APPEARS THAT IT IS THE SAME ISSUE AS NHTSA ID NUMBER: 1…

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WHILE DRIVING AND TRYING TO STOP IT APPEARS THAT BRAKES/ABS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ABS, TPMS, TRACTION CONTROL, SRS WARNING LIGHTS HAVE COME ON FOR THE SECOND TIME IN JUST A FEW MONTHS SPAN. DEALER SAID IT WAS FAULTY ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSORS BOTH TIMES (BOTH REAR). IT APPEARS THAT IT IS THE SAME ISSUE AS NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11265312. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11337346

50,000 miles · Jun 23, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)SteeringVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON (CONSTANT SPEED, HIGHWAY, DRY CONDITIONS), DISABLING CRUISE CONTROL. THE AIRBAG LIGHT THEN CAME ON. THEN THE TIRE SENSOR LIGHT AND FINALLY THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT AND EXCLAMATION POINT ICON NEXT TO THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11330287

112,000 miles · Mar 9, 2019
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel/propulsion System

UPON ENTERING THE FREEWAY MY CAR STALLED OUT AND LOSS POWER. TOOK TO THE NEARBY DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE ECM CONTROL MODULE WHICH WILL COST ME $1697.00 TO FIX . IT'S A FIVE DAY FIX AND MY CAR WONT RETURN UNTIL WEDNESDAY. 2016 VW PASSAT ELECTRICAL ENGINE MISFIRE. DEALERSHIP IS VW OF ONTARIO THE CAR IS THERE NOW. SINCE T…

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UPON ENTERING THE FREEWAY MY CAR STALLED OUT AND LOSS POWER. TOOK TO THE NEARBY DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE ECM CONTROL MODULE WHICH WILL COST ME $1697.00 TO FIX . IT'S A FIVE DAY FIX AND MY CAR WONT RETURN UNTIL WEDNESDAY. 2016 VW PASSAT ELECTRICAL ENGINE MISFIRE. DEALERSHIP IS VW OF ONTARIO THE CAR IS THERE NOW. SINCE THERE IS A RECALL I'M WONDERING ABOUT REIMBURSEMENT. THE COMPUTER MODULE OF A CAR DOWN NOT USUALLY GO OUT AT 100K MILES. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. CONTACT ME AT [XXX]. MY NAME IS [XXX]. THANKS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #11185501

Mileage unknown · Mar 5, 2019
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHTS GO VERY DIM 2 SECONDS AFTER THEY ARE TURNED ON. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE YOU CANT SEE ANYTHING MORE THAN 3 INCHES IN FRONT OF YOU.

NHTSA ODI #11184477

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2017
Air BagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CLOCK SPRING. I BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE AND IT GOT REPLACED 10/7/15. IT SNAPPED AGAIN 5 MONTHS LATER WAS REPLACED 3/8/16. IT SNAPPED AGAIN 6 MONTHS LATER. NOW VOLKWAGON OFFERS A 12,000 MILE 12 YEAR WARRANTY ON PARTS. I BRIGHT THE VEHICLE IN 10/18/16 AND THEY TOLD ME IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. T…

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THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CLOCK SPRING. I BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE AND IT GOT REPLACED 10/7/15. IT SNAPPED AGAIN 5 MONTHS LATER WAS REPLACED 3/8/16. IT SNAPPED AGAIN 6 MONTHS LATER. NOW VOLKWAGON OFFERS A 12,000 MILE 12 YEAR WARRANTY ON PARTS. I BRIGHT THE VEHICLE IN 10/18/16 AND THEY TOLD ME IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SEEING THAT IT CONTROLS MY HORN AND WILL NOT LET MY AIRBAG DEPLOY. I HAVE CONTACTED VW HEADQUARTERS SEVERAL TIMES CONCERNING THIS ON GOING ISSUE. THEY REPLACED THE PART UNDER A 'GOODWILL' WHICH IT SHOULD'VE BEEN REPLACED UNDER THE RECALL & THE WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI #11040513

Official recalls

5

21V321000 · Unknown Or Other

May 5, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

20V561000 · Unknown Or Other

Sep 16, 2020

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.

19V389000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

May 22, 2019

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."

Consequence & remedy

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

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.

16V403000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail

Jun 6, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.

Consequence & remedy

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

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.

15V705000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

Oct 26, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

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.

Consequence: 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.

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.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

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.

Consequence: 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.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.