"How reliable is the 2009 Volkswagen Passat?"

"Based on 209 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Volkswagen Passat has a median complaint mileage of 75000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Volkswagen Passat?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Volkswagen Passat is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 209 total complaints filed."

2009 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 209 complaints

209

Total Complaints

75,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

46,400 25th Percentile

75,000 Median Mileage

105,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Fuel/Propulsion System

Steering

Electrical System

Air Bags

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Suspension

Fuel System, Gasoline

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A NEW 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC SPORT VEHICLE THROUGH BOARDWALK VOLKSWAGEN OF RICHARDSON TEXAS, WHO HAD THE CAR SHIPPED TO THEIR LOCATION FROM TYNAN'S VW IN COLORADO. I PICKED UP MY BRAND NEW 2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC SPORT VEHICLE WITH 24 MILES ON THE AFTERNOON OF SATURDAY FEBR..."

"2009 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT OVERHEATED AND CAUGHT FIRE WHILE ON A CAR DOLLY BEING PULLED BY A 2006 NISSAN X-TERRA. *KB ACCORDING TO THE FIRE DEPT AND TOW TRUCK OPERATOR THE FIRE WAS DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING. THE CONSUMER STATED HE NOTICED LEAKING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE 3 HOURS PRIOR T..."

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.

Engine 60 complaints

25th: 60,177 mi Median: 78,000 mi 75th: 98,900 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 46 complaints

25th: 59,200 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 105,500 mi

Steering 20 complaints

25th: 34,925 mi Median: 59,000 mi 75th: 114,599 mi

Electrical System 17 complaints

25th: 41,814 mi Median: 65,900 mi 75th: 86,000 mi

Air Bags 11 complaints

25th: 24,000 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 90,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

IL: 20 TX: 19 NY: 18 FL: 18 GA: 15 CA: 12 MD: 11 SC: 10 OH: 9 PA: 8

Who Files Complaints?

2.4%

Original Owners

97.6%

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
2006	779	63,000	Air Bags	24
2007	340	75,000	Air Bags	7
2008	240	92,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	3
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