Recall campaigns by affected system, 2016–2024.
Showing the 12 most recent of 13 campaigns, newest first, from NHTSA records. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
24V834000NHTSA report received October 2024Model years: 2017
NHTSA campaign 24V834000: Volkswagen Passat air bags recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge.
21V812000NHTSA report received October 2021Model years: 2021
NHTSA campaign 21V812000: Volkswagen Passat wheels recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.
Consequence: The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge.
21V321000NHTSA report received May 2021Model years: 2016–2017
NHTSA campaign 21V321000: Volkswagen Passat unknown or other recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles.
20V561000NHTSA report received September 2020Model years: 2016–2018
NHTSA campaign 20V561000: Volkswagen Passat unknown or other recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles.
20V533000NHTSA report received September 2020Model years: 2020
NHTSA campaign 20V533000: Volkswagen Passat air bags recall
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."
Consequence: An incorrectly folded air bag can deploy with too much force, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge.
19V679000NHTSA report received September 2019Model years: 2017
NHTSA campaign 19V679000: Volkswagen Passat unknown or other recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Consequence: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles.
19V389000NHTSA report received May 2019Model years: 2016–2020
NHTSA campaign 19V389000: Volkswagen Passat exterior lighting recall
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."
Consequence: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge.
19V218000NHTSA report received March 2019Model years: 2020
NHTSA campaign 19V218000: Volkswagen Passat air bags recall
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.
Consequence: In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge.
18V536000NHTSA report received August 2018Model years: 2017–2018
NHTSA campaign 18V536000: Volkswagen Passat service brakes recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
Consequence: The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge.
18V369000NHTSA report received June 2018NHTSA: do not drive until repairedModel years: 2018
NHTSA campaign 18V369000: Volkswagen Passat service brakes recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes.
17V075000NHTSA report received February 2017Model years: 2017
NHTSA campaign 17V075000: Volkswagen Passat service brakes recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Passat vehicles. Brake fluid may leak slowly from the some of the brake line connections, resulting in a low brake fluid level.
Consequence: A low brake fluid level may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected brake lines, free of charge.
16V403000NHTSA report received June 2016Model years: 2016
NHTSA campaign 16V403000: Volkswagen Passat fuel system recall
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
Consequence: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge.
The same full inspection at every tier, at the seller’s location, with a photo-documented report:
Other midsize sedans to weigh against the Volkswagen Passat. Recall counts cover different model-year spans and are not a reliability ranking.
How many recalls does the Volkswagen Passat have?
As of NHTSA records retrieved 2026-08-27, NHTSA lists 13 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Passat, model years 2016–2024. A recall applies to specific VIN ranges, variants, trims or build dates, so a particular vehicle may be affected by all, some, or none of them, and a campaign count is not a reliability ranking. Whether an open recall is a safety risk depends on the campaign, so read the NHTSA entry for the VIN. Each campaign below shows the remedy NHTSA records, which may be a dealer or service-center repair, an over-the-air software update, or, for some campaigns, a repurchase. This page details the most recent campaigns; the full record for any VIN is at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What should an inspector check on a used Volkswagen Passat?
Beyond the standard pre-purchase checks, the recall history for this model concentrates in: unknown or other, service brakes, air bags, exterior lighting, fuel system, engine and engine cooling. An inspector documents the visible and operational condition of those systems without disassembly; internal parts, software-only issues and whether a recall remedy was performed are VIN-lookup questions, not inspection findings.
Can a pre-purchase inspection tell me whether a Volkswagen Passat recall was done?
No. Whether a recall repair was performed is recorded against the VIN, so NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls (or the manufacturer's own) is the authoritative check. Run it before you travel. The inspection covers what a VIN lookup cannot: the physical condition of the vehicle in front of you.
Can you inspect a Volkswagen Passat at a dealer, a private seller, or out of state?
Yes. The inspector usually travels to the vehicle at the seller's location — a dealer lot or a private seller — and you do not need to be there. Vehicle Inspectors dispatches an independent inspector within 50 miles of any US ZIP code, widening to 150 miles if needed; more remote locations are quoted case by case. You get a photo-documented PDF report in 24–48 hours.
How much does a Volkswagen Passat pre-purchase inspection cost?
A pre-purchase inspection of a Volkswagen Passat through Vehicle Inspectors: Bronze $249 · Silver $349 · Gold $449. Your card is saved at booking, not charged. A hold is placed when an inspector schedules, and you are charged after the inspection is completed. If no inspector accepts within 72 hours, the request auto-cancels and nothing is charged.
Vehicle Inspectors matches buyers with independent inspectors nationwide. Local pages for cities with active inspectors:
