2020 Volkswagen Passat: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
15
Complaints
3
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
1
Injuries
80.0
Severity index
Severity index 80.0 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 | 26.7% |
| ENGINE | 4 | 26.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 4 | 26.7% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 20.0% |
| STEERING | 2 | 13.3% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 6.7% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 6.7% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 6.7% |
The single most-reported system is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, cited in 4 of 15 complaints (26.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 1 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 2.5x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
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 |
| 19V218000 | 20/03/2019 | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed. |
| 20V533000 | 02/09/2020 | AIR BAGS:PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL:CUSHION | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Passat vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag may have been folded incorrectly affecting its deployment force. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety |
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.