Volkswagen Passat

1,777 complaints across 11 scored model years and 28 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Volkswagen Passat Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2012 vs model median 3.1×

Model median3× median

Airbags & Restraints 79

Electrical 44

Fuel System 29

Avoid

2012 · 2013

Best

2019 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Volkswagen Passat
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.39×	35	B
2012	3.10×	275	F
2013	6.05×	529	F
2014	4.78×	446	F
2015	2.30×	203	F
2016	1.03×	85	C
2017	1.00×	90	C
2018	0.52×	38	B
2019	0.14×	17	A
2020	0.20×	16	A
2021	0.28×	23	A
2022 P	0.25×	19	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	28
City / Highway	24 / 36
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,200

Recalls

28 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
19V389000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS	2012–2020	662,185
16V078000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2014	659,493
15V483000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2010–2014	415,825
18V148000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2014	363,713
17V509000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2010	280,915
24V834000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2012–2017	248,330
14V125000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS	2012, 2013	150,201
19V014000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2015	119,394

+ 20 further campaigns

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2012 Passat

Complaints in window: 275
Severity-weighted: 371.5
Model median (weighted): 120
vs model median: 3.10×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 11
Open investigations: 1

Score 6.7 F