2018 Volkswagen Passat: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 62 complaints
62
Total Complaints
40,235mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

25,000 25th Percentile
40,235 Median Mileage
49,900 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES
12
ENGINE
10
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
6
AIR BAGS
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
POWER TRAIN
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
SUSPENSION
2
STEERING
2

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
0
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE ON JUNE 8, 2018, FROM HERITAGE VW. THE CAR ALREADY HAD A SAFETY RECALL FOR BRAKES WHICH WAS ISSUED ON MAY 25, 2018. THE DEALER FAILED TO INFORM ME ABOUT IT BEFORE PURCHASE. LATER AFTER MY PURCHASE ON JUNE 22 A DO NOT DRIVE WAS ISSUED ON THIS VEHICLE, THEY ASKED ME TO DRIVE ..."
"MY VEHICLE ATTEMPTS TO STRAIGHTEN ITSELF OUT AS I'M GOING THROUGH A CURVE AND I ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT MORE EFFORT THAN NECESSARY TO KEEP STEERING WHEEL APPROPRIATELY TURNED TO GO THROUGH THE CURVE ENTIRELY. ALSO WHILE GOING THROUGH A CURVE, IF ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN, MY BRAKES SEEM TO MAKE SOME TYPE O..."
"MY VEHICLE ATTEMPTS TO STRAIGHTEN ITSELF OUT AS I'M GOING THROUGH A CURVE AND I ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT MORE EFFORT THAN NECESSARY TO KEEP STEERING WHEEL APPROPRIATELY TURNED TO GO THROUGH THE CURVE ENTIRELY. ALSO WHILE GOING THROUGH A CURVE, IF ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN, MY BRAKES SEEM TO MAKE SOME TYPE O..."

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