Volkswagen
Volkswagen Passat years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014, 2015 and 2017. Best years: 2019, 2020 and 2022.
The 2014, 2015 and 2017 Volkswagen Passat draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2014 has 565 complaints (43 for each year on the road), 2015 has 242 complaints (20 for each year on the road) and 2017 has 110 complaints (11 for each year on the road), against a median of 5 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is airbag (354 reports).
- 1,023complaints
- 20recall campaigns
- 4model years with a page
Newest report Aug 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: airbag (354 reports, median 53,000 miles) and stalling (34 reports, median 60,846 miles).
2015
Most reported: airbag (88 reports, median 53,200 miles) and brake wear (28 reports, median 8,932 miles).
2017
Most reported: airbag (28 reports) and brake wear (17 reports, median 40,000 miles).
Best years
2019
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2020
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2022
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 alone holds 565 of the 1,023 complaints across the 4 model years with a page here (55%).
- Problem across the years
- Airbag is the top problem in every model year with a page, 495 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 153 owners who gave a mileage for airbag were under about 53,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 5% of Volkswagen Passat complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2017, 10 of its 110 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 3 of the 4 model years where owners report airbag have a recall on the same system. The 2016 has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2016 at 201 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 67. So far in 2026, 20 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
NMS, first generation (A32/A33)
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2018 (45), 2019 (12), 2020 (18), 2021 (18), 2022 (13).
Year by year
2017 Volkswagen Passat avoid
110 owner complaints, 11 for each year on the road (2.2 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (28 reports), brake wear (17 reports, median 40,000 miles) and infotainment (11 reports). 9 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 24V-834 on the airbags and 21V-321 on an unlisted component.
2016 Volkswagen Passat
106 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (1.9 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (25 reports, median 47,425 miles) and brake wear (17 reports, median 33,000 miles). 4 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 21V-321 on an unlisted component and 20V-561 on an unlisted component.
2015 Volkswagen Passat avoid
242 owner complaints, 20 for each year on the road (4.0 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (88 reports, median 53,200 miles), brake wear (28 reports, median 8,932 miles) and stalling (24 reports, median 49,300 miles). 11 reports involved a crash and 14 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 19V-862 on the airbags and 19V-014 on the airbags.
2014 Volkswagen Passat avoid
565 owner complaints, 43 for each year on the road (8.7 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (354 reports, median 53,000 miles), stalling (34 reports, median 60,846 miles) and fuel pump (20 reports, median 67,000 miles). 17 reports involved a crash and 14 people were hurt. 10 recalls, including 24V-834 on the airbags and 19V-862 on the airbags.
Recalls that cover several model years
The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed.
The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
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.
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.
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.
A sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment.
Compare the Passat with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Passat vs Volkswagen Jetta2014 to 2017
Questions
What Volkswagen Passat years should you avoid?
The 2014, 2015 and 2017 Volkswagen Passat draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2014 has 565 complaints (43 for each year on the road), 2015 has 242 complaints (20 for each year on the road) and 2017 has 110 complaints (11 for each year on the road), against a median of 5 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is airbag (354 reports).
What are the best years for the Volkswagen Passat?
The 2019, 2020 and 2022 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2019 has 12 (2 a year), 2020 has 18 (3 a year) and 2022 has 13 (3 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Volkswagen Passat?
Airbag, with 495 reports across the 4 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
How many recalls does the Volkswagen Passat have?
20 recall campaigns cover the Volkswagen Passat model years 2014 to 2017 on this site. The widest, 19V-389 on the exterior lighting, covers 4 model years.
How many Volkswagen Passat complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
5% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2017 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for airbag on the Volkswagen Passat?
On 3 of the 4 model years where owners report it: 2014, 2015 and 2017.