2015 Volkswagen Passat: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 242 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 7 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
242
Complaints
7
Recalls
11
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
14
Injuries
69.4
Severity index
Severity index 69.4 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 143 2015 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2015 Volkswagen Passat ranks 69 of 143 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 52% of its model-year peers. See the full 2015 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 88 | 36.4% |
| ENGINE | 53 | 21.9% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 48 | 19.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 40 | 16.5% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 29 | 12.0% |
| STEERING | 26 | 10.7% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 20 | 8.3% |
| SUSPENSION | 16 | 6.6% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 88 of 242 complaints (36.4%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 18 |
| 2016 | 26 |
| 2017 | 13 |
| 2018 | 33 |
| 2019 | 44 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 20 |
| 2022 | 31 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V014000 | 11/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | 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 i |
| 19V389000 | 22/05/2019 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 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 Fede |
| 15V705000 | 26/10/2015 | 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 |
| 14V670000 | 24/10/2014 | SEATS | 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 retain |
| 15V373000 | 15/06/2015 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 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. |
| 15V028000 | 23/01/2015 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL | 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, 2 |
| 19V862000 | 04/12/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | 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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.