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2015 Volkswagen Passat

Verified July 23, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
7
on record
MPG
23
combined

Open recalls on record

7 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2015 Volkswagen Passat

7 recalls
242 complaints
23 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Check all recalls are completed
Review consumer complaints
Verify no crash-related complaints
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Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
7
Owner complaints
242
Complaints citing a crash
11

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalised by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

7 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

7 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 19V014000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Passat, 2015-2016 Eos, 2015-2017 CC, 2016-2017 TT Roadster, TT Coupe, 2017 Audi R8 Coupe, and R8 Spyder vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

  • 19V389000high

    Lighting issue

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

  • 15V705000high

    Engine issue

    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.

  • 14V670000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEATS

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles manufactured September 23, 2014, to October 9, 2014, and equipped with manual front seatback recliners. In the affected vehicles, the seatback recliner retaining bracket may not engage correctly, resulting in unexpected movement of the seatback.

  • 15V373000high

    Brake system issue

    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Passat vehicles manufactured May 18, 2015, to May 21, 2015. The affected vehicles have a brake line at the left rear wheel area that may not have been properly tightened.

  • 15V028000high

    Fuel system issue

    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to November 24, 2014, 2014-2015 Passat vehicles manufactured April 7, 2014, to November 18, 2014, 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured July 1, 2014, to November 20, 2014, and 2014-2015 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles manufactured March 31, 2014, to November 27, 2014. A sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment.

  • 19V862000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Consumer complaints

242 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

242
Total
11
Crashes
2
Fires
14
Injuries

Most reported components

  • AIR BAGS88
  • ENGINE49
  • BRAKES25
  • OTHER17
  • ELECTRICAL15

Notable Issues

242 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 14 reports involve injuries. 11 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

airbag concerns (warning light, deployment issues)88
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)49
brake problems (soft pedal, noise, failure)25

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Midsize Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
3.6L 6-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (AM-S6)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

20

City

28

Hwy

23

Comb

Annual cost
$3,250
Fuel
Premium Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 19V862000

    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  2. Recall

    Recall 19V389000

    Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 19V014000

    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

  4. Recall

    Recall 15V705000

    If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

  5. Recall

    Recall 15V373000

    If the brake line was not properly tightened, it may leak brake fluid, causing a reduction in braking performance, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of crash.