2015 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 388 complaints
388
Total Complaints
47,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
19
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,507 25th Percentile
47,000 Median Mileage
66,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
86
ENGINE
53
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
44
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
40
STEERING
26
SERVICE BRAKES
26
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
20
SUSPENSION
15
POWER TRAIN
12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
9

Severity Assessment

19
Crashes
4
Fires
16
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING. SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR. THIS OCCURRED THREE OTHER TIMES, EVEN AFTER THEY CAR HAD BEEN IN FOR REPAIR. VARIOUS ENGINE PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, SUCH THE TURBO KIT, TURBO CHARGER, GLOW PLUGS. THE LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON DEC 5 AFTER PICKING THE VEHICLE UP A..."
"WHILE DRIVING THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON AND 5 MINUTES LATER WHILE USING THE BRAKES THEY BECAME STIFFER AND THEN WITHIN 30 SECONDS LOCKED UP COMPLETELY SO THAT YOU COULD NOT PRESS DOWN ON THE BRAKES AT ALL AND THEY WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. I HAD TO RUN THE STOP SIGN AND VEER OFF INTO THE GRASS TO SLOW CAR D..."
"I WAS DRIVING DOWN I-20 TOWARDS SHREVEPORT AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN, MY SUNROOF GLASS SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME SO SLING AND ROCKS OR PROJECTILES. *TR"

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