2012 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 658 complaints
658
Total Complaints
57,500mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
15
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

38,200 25th Percentile
57,500 Median Mileage
80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
289
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
92
STEERING
45
ENGINE
40
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
32
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
31
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16
STRUCTURE:BODY
15
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
14
POWER TRAIN
13

Severity Assessment

15
Crashes
5
Fires
14
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT S HAS POWER WINDOWS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST TWO OR THREE DAYS OF COLD TEMPERATURES (NIGHTS DOWN TO 5 DEGREES F., AND DAYTIME HIGHS IN RANGE OF 25 DEGREES ON 12/3/11; 20 DEGREES ON 12/4, AND 15 DEGREES ON 12/5), MY POWER WINDOWS HAVE NOW "FROZEN UP", AT ALL FOUR DOOR P..."
"RECENTLY I DROVE SEVERAL NEW CARS (THE LATEST BEING THE 2012 PASSAT) AND FOUND ONE COMMON COMPLAINT: THE HEADREST ON THESE CARS ARE TILTED FORWARD WAY TOO MUCH WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS AVAILABLE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT NHTSA REQUIRES VEHICLES HEADRESTS TO BE HIGHER AND CLOSE TO THE HEAD TO REDUCE WHIPL..."
"TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SHARP OBJECT LOCATED NEAR A HANDLE, WHICH WAS ATTACHED TO THE ROOF ON THE INTERIOR, THAT CUT HIS FINGER. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED THE CUT ON HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER. THE RENTAL FACILITY WAS NOTIFIED AND REMOVED THE VEHIC..."

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