2020 Volkswagen Passat problems and recalls

Owners filed 10 complaints on the 2020 Volkswagen Passat in the last three full years, out of 17 on record. The most cited component is the Unknown Or Other.

17
Complaints
3
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
1
Injuries
62.4
Severity index

Severity index 62.4 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 62.4p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Components cited in complaints

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 4 complaints (23.5%)4 24%EngineEngine: 4 complaints (23.5%)4 24%Air BagsAir Bags: 4 complaints (23.5%)4 24%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 3 complaints (17.6%)3 18%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 2 complaints (11.8%)2 12%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 2 complaints (11.8%)2 12%SteeringSteering: 2 complaints (11.8%)2 12%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 1 complaints (5.9%)1 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER423.5%
ENGINE423.5%
AIR BAGS423.5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE317.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM211.8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM211.8%
STEERING211.8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER15.9%

Complaints filed per year

0252020: 22021: 12022: 12023: 32024: 52025: 22026: 3 (partial year)202122232452526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20202
20211
20221
20233
20245
20252
2026 (year to date)3
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 2.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (10 against 4).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V38900022/05/2019EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTSVolkswagen 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
19V21800020/03/2019AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOWVolkswagen 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.
20V53300002/09/2020AIR BAGS:PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL:CUSHIONVolkswagen 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

Other Volkswagen Passat model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 10 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-01. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.