2019 Volkswagen Passat: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 12 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 1 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
12
Complaints
1
Recalls
0
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
0
Injuries
0.0
Severity index
Severity index 0.0 - Low. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 33.3% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 25.0% |
| ENGINE | 2 | 16.7% |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 | 16.7% |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 1 | 8.3% |
| GASOLINE | 1 | 8.3% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 8.3% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 8.3% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 4 of 12 complaints (33.3%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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.