NHTSA lists 18 complaints for the 2020 Volkswagen Passat, 1 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 1 complaints mention an injury, with 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT.
At a glance
Complaints
18
With crash
1
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
1
Injuries
1
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
662,185
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
455
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS
4
22.2%
ENGINE
4
22.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
22.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
16.7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
3
16.7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
11.1%
SERVICE BRAKES
2
11.1%
STEERING
2
11.1%
WHEELS
2
11.1%
BACK OVER PREVENTION
1
5.6%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Passat vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag may have been folded incorrectly affecting its deployment force. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: An incorrectly folded air bag can deploy with too much force, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69AY.
Defect: 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."
Consequence: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.
Consequence: In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
455 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
EQUIPMENT
160
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
93
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
87
ENGINE
60
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
42
POWER TRAIN
22
STRUCTURE
18
SERVICE BRAKES
15
11038146
Date: 2026-09-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Suggested fuel additive
11038143
Date: 2026-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
11036878
Date: 2026-08-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.
Repair or Replace Information
11036867
Date: 2026-08-21. Type: Other. Systems: ENGINE.
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward.
11036874
Date: 2026-08-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
Replacement instruction
11036868
Date: 2026-08-06. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
11036870
Date: 2026-08-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Differences between a leak and seepage
11036880
Date: 2026-08-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.
Clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. Foreign bodies into the clock spring.
11035772
Date: 2026-07-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) a No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.
11035762
Date: 2026-07-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.