10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,216 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #12

Apr 252022

Passat

  • miles
In 2022 I was in an accident on the highway; a dear hit my car while I was traveling at 70 MPH. My airbags did not deploy and I ended up hitting my head on the driver side window really hard and it gave me a concussion and I injured one of the disks in my back. I almost got hit by semi trucks traveling behind me as well. Again, my airbags didn-??t deploy after this and I-??ve seen many recalls on the 2014 VW Passat specifically about the vehicles airbag deployment being that they-??re also Takata airbags that had major recalls too. They should-??ve deployed on a head on collision. My insurance didn-??t total my car but I have proof that the entire frame was bent from the accident and my entire front headlight, fender and bumper are smashed in and wires for my transmission were severed. I still haven't settled this claim yet. I-??m considering getting a lawyer about it.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #11

Dec 192022

Passat

  • miles
Door latch failed to lock driver door. Door can't lock and will fly open when your operating. Acted up on a cold day where it wouldn't open then got stuck in the open position and wouldn't lock afterwards.

- Hyattsville, MD, USA

problem #10

May 152020

Passat

  • miles
Driver side door hinge becomes loose. Service member stated "this is a common issue with the cars"

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #9

Nov 272019

Passat

  • 45,100 miles
The problem below was first experienced when the car was stationary on a city street. The driver door fails to open after being exposed to cold temperatures of about 32F or less. The exterior handle behaves as usual, but does not disengage the latch located in the door jam. During these episodes, the interior handle has a unnatural amount of resistance, so much so that the operator will cease pulling on the handle in fear of damaging the components. Sometimes the door will regain it's normal operation after pressing the lock and unlock button multiple times on the interior drivers side panel. Locking and unlocking the car from the passenger's panel will not yield the same results. When it's executed from the passenger panel, the drivers door lock does not audibly engage and disengage. Please note, even after managing to open the door at the beginning of a trip, does not mean it will open when you arrive at your destination. I've experience this multiple times when departing my place of residence (did not leave until the door was 'fixed') and then arriving at work. This issue is well known in the more recent models of Volkswagen Passats as search engines yield a multitude of results. It was first noticed in the early months of 2019, did not persist over the summer, and began again in November of 2019.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

problem #8

Nov 112019

Passat

  • 44,000 miles
The driver door latch. When in freezing temperatures, the door latch will not open/close. When unlocking/locking the car, you can hear the door latch mechanism trying to unlock/lock but will not. All other doors are working appropriately. I've had to climb though the passenger side to attempt to open the driver door with excessive force. If I am able to open the door from the passenger side, it will then not securely close and lock. However, there have been multiple instances where I cannot get the door open-thus rendering me without transportation/use of my car. There was one instance last winter season, on a freezing morning, where I had to open my car door through the passenger side. I was able to close and lock my door, so I drove to work. However, when rounding a corner when turning, my driver door swung open. Thankfully, myself and no one else was harmed. I then had to hold my door closed while driving the remaining 1/4 mile to work. The latch issue only happens in freezing temperatures to the drivers side door. If it warms later the same day, it will then work appropriately. During the instance where my door opened-while driving to work there was no door open alarm signaling in the car, nor continuous noise of the latch mechanism trying to lock. I have taken my car in 11/11/19 to address this issue and other maintenance, , where the service technician admitted to this being a common complaint of this issue/scenario and that VW has come out with an updated part. This is a known safety issue by their facility.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

problem #7

Aug 172017

Passat

  • 90,000 miles
I got in an accident on the interstate back in the summer of 2017.. I hit a deer going 70 mph. Airbags went off and the body of my car was obviously damaged. After that my car has had oil leaks, break issues, "air bag errors", and way more to list.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #6

Jun 292018

Passat

  • 46,000 miles
Wolfsburg edition. In Feb 2018 at 40,000 miles the passenger seatbelt failed and needed to be replaced. The rear door latch also failed and needed to be replaced at the same time. Now at June 29, 2018 at 46,000 miles the driver side seatbelt has failed and will need to be replaced. The airbag recall was completed at 40,000 miles also. Safety equipment should be designed to last and these seatbelts have already failed throughout the car.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #5

Jan 152018

Passat

  • 67,000 miles
Sunroof exploded at highway speeds for no apparent reason. No other cars, overpasses, or other road debris in area which could have caused issue.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #4

Nov 272017

Passat

  • 50,000 miles
The trunk latch has failed and trunk won't open. The seat release mechanism to access trunk is also inside the trunk. So no way to open the trunk

- Parlin, NJ, USA

problem #3

Jul 132017

Passat

  • 23,890 miles
I have a recalled takata air bag in my vehiclke. I dodged a dog in the road and hit the guard rail where it is buried in the ground. My passet traveled 15-20 feet up the gaurd rail. The car was very damaged and my air bag did not deploy. The state patrolman and the tow truck were confused why the airbag didn't deploy. I was in motion about 75 ft from where I turned left onto the jhwy 96. The speed limit is 45mph. I as going about 20 mph. I turned from a county street onto co 96.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

problem #2

Oct 222016

Passat

  • 24,000 miles
Twice, on May 12 and on October 22, while in a parking lot and pulling into a vertical parking spot at very low speed, I tapped the accelerator, and suddenly the car rapidly sped up. I was unable to stop it with the brake pedal, and I hit a brick planter the first time it happened, and I hit the post holding up the front of a building the second time. The brake pedal on the Passat is approximately 3" wide and located only an inch or so from the accelerator. It is possible that I hit both pedals while trying to stop the vehicle, but that does not explain the sudden acceleration that caused the car to jump the curb and hit the planter and the building. Frightening situation. I wasn't injured the first time but was fairly well shaken up the second. The body shop said the damage to the vehicle was almost exactly the same each time. I took the car to T he VW dealer after the first accident, but they said there was nothing wrong.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #1

Oct 212016

Passat

  • 8,600 miles
Takata recall: VW traveling in right most lane of 4 lane city street when vehicle in opposing lane made an illegal left on turn in front of the vehicle to the left of VW. VW impacted turning vehicle in middle of passenger side. Accident report attached. Deployment of driver/steering wheel airbag resulted in sever gash to driver's left hand - photos attached.

- Sioux City, IA, USA