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Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2020 Volkswagen Passat

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

Owners have filed 18 safety complaints about the 2020 Volkswagen Passat with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 4 complaints, 22% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers September 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

18 complaints on file

18

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

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
AIR BAGS 4 · 22%
ENGINE 4 · 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 · 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 17%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 11%
STEERING 2 · 11%
WHEELS 2 · 11%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 6%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 6%
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 18.

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 2024 at 5.

8 6 4 2
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

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 2020 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

3 on file

AIR BAGS:PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL:CUSHION

20V533000 · September 2, 2020

The defect
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 Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
An incorrectly folded air bag can deploy with too much force, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69AY.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 1,829 vehicles across all model years covered

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

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

19V218000 · March 20, 2019

The defect
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.
The risk
In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 3 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.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

HELLO MY DOUGHTER HAD A ACCIDENT CAR WAS TOTAL LOSS AND AIR BAGS DID NOT POP UP AND SEAT BELT WAS NOT TIGHT ENOUGH

NHTSA complaint 11522933. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
my 2020 vw passat has less than 60k mikes and i am replacing my 3rd wheel sensor. they fail without warning disabling my antilock brakes. And other safety features

NHTSA complaint 11763407. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The front information center which is responsible for the rear camera system is shutdown due to the radio / entire screen being dead without reason

NHTSA complaint 11760236. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving and after, we noticed gas fumes both inside and outside of vehicle. The gas tank was approximately half full. Became very concerned over the the possibility of a fire. Did research online and realized that this was and is a common problem with older models of the Passad (ours is a 2020 model that we bought new and had zero accidents) plus Jetta and Golf models. We took it to a VW Dealer (Ken Graff VW Gilbert, AZ ) nearest our home for fear of a fire hazard and safety. They repaired it stating that the gas tank had various creaks neasr the top of the tank which allowed fumes to be released. My cost to repair was approximately $1,100 which for a vehicle with some 62,000 miles

NHTSA complaint 11759077, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
2020 Volkswagen Passat SE 2.0L VIN: [XXX] Complaint Summary: I am reporting a persistent and unresolved fault involving the secondary air injection system (DTC P0491 – insufficient airflow) that has resulted in repeated, conflicting diagnoses across multiple repair facilities. This raises concerns about a potential systemic defect affecting this vehicle model. Detailed Description: The issue began prior to March 2025 while the vehicle was still under warranty. The vehicle displayed a Check Engine Light associated with diagnostic trouble code P0491 (secondary air injection system insufficient airflow). On April 3, 2025, a repair facility diagnosed the issue as a failed secondary air

NHTSA complaint 11726512, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel controls stopped working, no horn either. Probably no airbag but haven't got into an accident. There was recall on the same part for the until 2018, but the new part I was going to install lists that if fits cars 2016-2022 Part # 5K0-953-569-BC Recall from VW. Number: VWP-18-11, Will replace part for my fiance,

NHTSA complaint 11705961. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Error message alerted to maintenance needed and the air bag light has turned on and remained on. Also said message that front assist inls unavailable.

NHTSA complaint 11648696. 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 —
2019 12 1 —
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 2020 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