1995 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 142 complaints
142
Total Complaints
153,015mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
4
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

114,000 25th Percentile
153,015 Median Mileage
165,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
8
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
8
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
8
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
7
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
5
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
4

Severity Assessment

4
Crashes
2
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"GEAR SHIFT MOVES WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE BRAKE. PLEASE EXPLAIN. TT"
"HAD ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE AUG. 22, 1995 AND THE FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH A HOST OF OTHER PROBLEMS. *AK"
"ABS SYSTEM FAILURE, TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING WHILE TRAVELLING AT 64 MPH. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28