"How reliable is the 2013 Volkswagen Passat?"

"Based on 1023 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Volkswagen Passat has a median complaint mileage of 50000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Volkswagen Passat?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 1023 total complaints filed."

2013 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1023 complaints

1023

Total Complaints

50,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

24,310 25th Percentile

50,000 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

370

Engine

104

Electrical System

Unknown Or Other

Fuel/Propulsion System

Exterior Lighting

Steering

Power Train

Body

Fuel System, Diesel

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DRIVING MY PASSAT TURBO DIESEL ON I-81 NOTED A LOSS IN POWER; DROVE THE CAR HOME (ABOUT ANOTHER 3 MILES) AND NOTED A STRANGE HUMMING SOUND FROM UNDER THE HOOD. NEXT DAY THE SOUND WAS STILL THERE, WITH A BLINKING GLOW PLUG LIGHT AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. SPOKE WITH DEALER AND CAR WAS TOWED IN; T..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE CRASH FORCED THE VEHICLE INTO A CONCRETE WALL. A SECOND VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUS..."

"THE REAR VIEW CAMERA TAKES 10-15 SECONDS TO START UP NEGATING THE SAFETY IT IS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE. VW USA NOTIFIED AND WERE NOT HELPFUL AND SAID THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM."

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 370 complaints

25th: 34,009 mi Median: 56,359 mi 75th: 82,577 mi

Engine 104 complaints

25th: 19,625 mi Median: 44,000 mi 75th: 84,000 mi

Electrical System 92 complaints

25th: 40,970 mi Median: 60,770 mi 75th: 98,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 77 complaints

25th: 40,500 mi Median: 54,000 mi 75th: 80,485 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 65 complaints

25th: 33,200 mi Median: 53,500 mi 75th: 82,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 119 FL: 99 TX: 78 NY: 63 NC: 43 VA: 40 MD: 37 GA: 34 NJ: 31 AZ: 30

Who Files Complaints?

0.6%

Original Owners

99.4%

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
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
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