"How reliable is the 2006 Volkswagen Passat?"

"Based on 779 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Volkswagen Passat has a median complaint mileage of 63000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Volkswagen Passat?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Volkswagen Passat is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 779 total complaints filed."

2006 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 779 complaints

779

Total Complaints

63,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

36,000 25th Percentile

63,000 Median Mileage

100,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

145

Steering

111

Electrical System

Engine

Fuel/Propulsion System

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling

Power Train

Engine

Fuel System, Gasoline

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"IMPENDING HEALTH RISK TO USERS OF THE VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT HERE IS A COPY OF AN EMAIL I RECENTLY SENT TO VOLKSWAGEN, THEIR (SAD) RESPONSE, AND MY REPLY ================================================= DATE: FRI, 21 OCT 2005 08:39:08 -0700 (PDT) FROM: "CATT" <[email protected]> TO: "VIC WE..."

"HERE IS THE ENTIRE UNABRIDGED VERSION OF MY FIRST EMAIL TO VOLKSWAGEN REGARDING THE HEALTH SAFETY ISSUES OF LISTING THEIR GLOVE BOX AS A MINI-REFRIGERATOR. THIS ADDENDUM CAN BE ATTACHED TO COMPLAINT WITH THE CONFIRMATION # 10140486 PREVIOUSLY SENT TO YOU {YOUR SYSTEM WOULD ONLY ALLOW FOR 2000 CHA..."

"DT: THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT A WINDSHIELD WIPER PROBLEM. AFTER ENGAGING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTO THE ON POSITION THEY B WORKED INTERMEDIATELY BASED ON SPEED AT WHICH THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING. THIS ONLY OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. ONCE THE VEHICLE REACHED A..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 145 complaints

25th: 58,250 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 120,750 mi

Steering 111 complaints

25th: 50,000 mi Median: 63,000 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

Electrical System 68 complaints

25th: 43,152 mi Median: 61,000 mi 75th: 109,900 mi

Engine 64 complaints

25th: 83,625 mi Median: 107,114 mi 75th: 136,500 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 41 complaints

25th: 90,000 mi Median: 110,000 mi 75th: 125,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 105 FL: 62 NJ: 50 NY: 49 TX: 41 PA: 37 OH: 32 VA: 30 MA: 28 GA: 28

Who Files Complaints?

12.3%

Original Owners

87.7%

Second+ Owners

Volkswagen Passat — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	50	179,000	Engine	0
1991	30	-	Electrical Heating Element	0
1992	60	-	Engine	4
1993	90	107,387	Heater Core	8
1994	36	-	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	0
1995	142	153,015	Gasoline	4
1996	48	84,200	Switch	0
1997	57	98,500	Heater Core	1
1998	476	80,000	Control Arm	7
1999	854	75,959	Control Unit/Module	15
2000	625	69,950	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	13
2001	557	58,100	Engine	20
2002	772	50,000	Ignition	15
2003	815	57,665	Fuel Pump	18
2004	348	68,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	12
2005	172	71,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	9
2007	340	75,000	Air Bags	7
2008	240	92,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	3
2009	209	75,000	Engine	9
2010	226	71,500	Air Bags	7
2011	27	75,000	Engine	5
2012	658	57,500	Air Bags	15
2013	1023	50,000	Air Bags	43
2014	776	45,100	Air Bags	34
2015	388	47,000	Air Bags	19
2016	175	37,000	Electrical System	9
2017	173	24,200	Air Bags	13
2018	62	40,235	Service Brakes	8
2020	24	2,000	Engine	2
2021	26	5,000	Service Brakes	3

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