CSR

Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2019 Volkswagen Passat

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 12 safety complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Passat with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 4 complaints, 33% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 3,500 miles, the median across the 11 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2019 to March 2025 · How this is counted

What is on file

12 complaints on file

12

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 33%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 25%
ENGINE 2 · 17%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 8%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 8%
SEATS 1 · 8%
STEERING 1 · 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 8%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 12.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 8.

12 9 6 3
19 20 22 25

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2025.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2019 Volkswagen PASSAT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 10.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

19V389000 · May 22, 2019

The defect
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 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 662,185 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES
Brake issues that consist of brakes not engaging immediately as I press the brake pedal. Brake pedal also doesn't return as fast as my foot lets off of it. It could be inspected upon request. If the brakes dont engage immediately then there is a potential for an accident if I need to brake at a moments notice. Yes the problem has been confirmed. No it hasn't been inspected. No there isn't a warning.

NHTSA complaint 11648532. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

40,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and then lost motive power. The contact pushed the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the fuel injector. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA complaint 11489175. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

15,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM INDEPENDENTLY ACTIVATED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY STOP EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO VEHICLES OR OBJECTS NEARBY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER FAIRFIELD VW LOCATED AT 5071 LYCOMING MALL DR, MONTOURSVILLE, PA 17754 HOWEVER, THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. ADDITIONALLY, ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHEN PUSHING THE START/STOP BUTTON AND THE MESSAGE "NO KEY DETECTED" WAS SOMETIMES DISPLAYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

NHTSA complaint 11354266. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

6,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE IDLED WITH THE EPC LIGHT AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WAS BELABORED WHILE SHIFTING GEARS AND AT LOW SPEEDS. THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (HERITAGE VOLKSWAGEN CATONSVILLE 6624 BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, BALTIMORE, MD 21228) FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIRS. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP MODULE AND FUEL INJECTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE OR RESOLUTION.

NHTSA complaint 11307253, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9 miles

VEHICLE WAS SOLD WITH REMOTE START FEATURE. DEALER AND SALESMAN KNEW THE REMOTE START DID NOT WORK. THIS WAS A SELLING POINT ON THE CAR. THEY KEEP PUTTING OFF FIXING THE ISSUE WITH THE CAR.

NHTSA complaint 11289555. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

300 miles

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS AT SLOWER SPEEDS, IT IS CONSTANTLY SHIFTING TO TRY AND SAVE ON FUEL. THIS RESULTS IN THE VEHICLE NOT PROVIDING A CONSISTENT RIDE. THE NOISE WHEN IT SHIFTS IS VERY LOUD AND CAN SOMETIMES BE FELT THROUGH A JERKING MOTION. BRINGING THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP RESULTED IN THEM SAYING THEY KNOW IT'S AN ISSUE AND HOPEFULLY VW COMES OUT WITH A SOFTWARE FIX. IT'S NOT COMFORTING KNOWING THAT THE DEALERSHIP KNOWS THERE'S AN ISSUE AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE.

NHTSA complaint 11282392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Passat

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 18 1 —
2020 18 3 —
2018 45 4 —
2017 110 7 —
2016 106 5 —
2015 243 7 —
2014 594 10 —
2013 748 9 2
2012 484 11 —
2011 16 0 1
2010 163 4 —

Other 2019 Volkswagen models

Every Volkswagen on this site — 155 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst