Loading vehicle data from NHTSA...
NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2015 Volkswagen Passat.
| Trim | City | Hwy | Combined | Annual fuel $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6 cyl Automatic (AM-S6) | 20 | 28 | 23 | $3,000 |
| 2.0L 4 cyl Automatic (AM-S6) | 29 | 40 | 33 | $2,450 |
| 1.8L 4 cyl Automatic (S6) | 24 | 35 | 28 | $2,150 |
| 1.8L 4 cyl Manual 5-spd | 24 | 34 | 28 | $2,150 |
| 2.0L 4 cyl Manual 6-spd | 30 | 42 | 34 | $2,400 |
| Overall Rating | |
| Frontal Crash |
Component: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298; Audi owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69S8 (Audi) and 69Y5 (Volkswagen).
Component: 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."
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.
While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While driving to a Autozone I noticed the gears jump while shifting from 1 to 2 and I now can’t past 20 mph. I’ve already gotten the camshaft replaced and while researching I learned my cars make and model is being recalled for everything my car is going through. The vin says it’s not eligible for any recalls. Its maintenance is unkept.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle sputtered intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that fuel was leaking into the engine compartment, causing engine failure. The contact stated that the dealer had repaired the vehicle and possibly cleaned the engine. The dealer had informed the contact that the engine would last 4-6 months before complete engine failure. The vehicle was returned to the contact; however, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle sputtered and then lost power. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts to continue driving. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not repaired. The dealer suggested that a new vehicle be purchased. The contact searched online and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V028000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
The 2015 Volkswagen Passat has 7 NHTSA recalls and 242 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. The high number of complaints suggests potential reliability concerns — review the complaint details above before purchasing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
Enter a specific VIN to get the full report — specs, recalls, safety ratings, complaints, investigations, and technical service bulletins.
| Side Crash |
| Rollover |
Component: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Component: 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.
Consequence: Unexpected movement of the driver's seatback may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the assembly of the seatback recliner retaining bracket, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72F1.
Component: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the brake line fitting, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47M3.
Component: 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.
Consequence: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails with new parts, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BL. Note: This recall expands and supersedes recall 14V-809 (Volkswagen recall number 24Bi) and only affects vehicles not previously repaired under that campaign.
Component: 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.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.
The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The driver exited the vehicle without assistance. The vehicle is currently preserved at a tow lot.
The heater core becomes clogged and limits heat available for defrosting the windshield. The heat available is insufficient to defrost and maintain visibility while driving under adverse conditions. The cabin also becomes uncomfortable because of limited heat during cold weather operation. Volkwagen issued TSB VWP-16-05 for this issue for this model for the model year prior to my car. I had this issue repaired in December 2024. The same problem and symptoms have returned in December 2025.
The heater core becomes clogged and limits heat available for windshield defogging and defrosting. This creates a visibility hazard during inclement weather and makes the cabin uncomfortable during cold weather. The heater core was diagnosed and replaced on this vehicle in December 2024. The same symptoms have returned in December 2025. Volkwagen issued TSB VWP-16-05 to remedy this same issue in 2013-2014 Passats. I own a 2015 Passat. 2015 Passats have the same symptoms and problems.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that cool air was being blown inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the heater failed to heat the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Additionally, the defroster failed to properly defrost the windshield while activated. The contact linked the failure to VWP:16‑05; (Heater Core Limited Warranty Extension). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
The airbag system/clockspring assembly in the steering column appears to have failed. The airbag warning light turned on and all steering-wheel controls stopped working at the same time, which indicates that the driver airbag may not function in a crash. The vehicle can be inspected upon request. This is a major safety risk because the primary airbag might not deploy during a collision, putting the driver at high risk of injury. The issue has remained constant since it first appeared. I had the vehicle inspected by a highly reputable independent repair shop, and their assessment was that the clockspring/airbag component has failed. They advised that the necessary replacement part is unavailable to order, leaving the vehicle without a functional airbag system. I have also seen many other owners of similar 2015 Passat models reporting the same failure online, which suggests this may be a widespread defect. The airbag light is the only warning I received. It turned on a few months ago and has stayed on continuously since. UNKNOWN if there are other related electrical faults.
Gas smell inside vehicle Plastic canister under back seat leaking gas smell /has cracked
My vehicle is a MY2015 Passat TDI SEL with the EA288 (CVCA) diesel engine. Water Pump Failure Occurred at 99488 miles. Leaking coolant from underneath the engine and the expansion tank bottle became empty. Vehicle was parked after a quick 8 min drive to work from home in the morning (~8:45AM) and when I came back at 12PM around 1 quart of coolant had leaked out. Luckily I was not on the freeway or driving the vehicle where it would ride on its torque curve increasing probability of catastrophic failures even after there are usually software induced engine protection derates in place. Official service interval for water pump and timing belt on this engine is 130000 miles but there have been numerous field incidents of pre-mature water pump failures which can be very expensive to fix (~2500 USD). Volkswagen/Audi already have a class action lawsuit against them on their 2.0 TFSI (EA888) water pump failures and I'm wondering why their MY2015 2.0 TDI (EA288) diesel engine has not been investigated for the same. This engine was only available in certain MY2015 VW/Audi vehicles but just because the cumulative number of vehicles with this engine are lower does not mean that it shouldn't be investigated for a very similar manufacturing/design defect of the water pump. I would strongly urge NHTSA to do a similar investigation on this 2.0 TDI engine and hold the manufacturer accountable.
Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion – Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle’s VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the **brake vacuum pump**, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the **camshaft was interfering with the pump**, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms—including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure—I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. I am requesting: - A manual review of my VIN and production batch - Consideration for inclusion in Recall 23R1 - Reimbursement or goodwill support for the repair costs already incurred I have documentation of the repair and am happy to provide technician notes that confirm the nature of the failure. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.
Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion – Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle’s VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the brake vacuum pump, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the camshaft was interfering with the pump, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms, including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure, I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. I am requesting: - A manual review of my VIN and production batch - Consideration for inclusion in Recall 23R1 - Reimbursement or goodwill support for the repair costs already incurred I have documentation of the repair and am happy to provide technician notes that confirm the nature of the failure. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.
I bought a 2015 Volkswagen v6 SEL PREMIUM 15 days ago with only 37000 miles on it from car max and I hear my front windshield making a loud sound in upper left corner every morning ….so today I had my kids in car and it was bout 80 degrees we were at park and left park after hour I turned AC on and was driving when I heard a LOUD POP …looked back to my rear windshield shattered in every spot I was only 3 blocks away from home then the glass collapsed all over my kids there all cut up …these windshields do not look normal there’s no rubber surround and I had to pay 250 deductible to get a new one …clearly these Volkswagens have a weak glass issue from temp changes they were mint before this happened no chips or cracks I’m very unhappy with the quality of these I’m in fear if I drive it the front windshield will also do it !!! Not good smh …I’m more scared for winter !!!
Vehicle in question has a dual-clutch automatic transmission with 103,000 miles on the odometer. Transmission failed without warning while turning left onto a major highway from a standing stop -- stuck in 1st gear, it was dangerously slow to get out of other drivers' way, creating a serious road hazard concern. Vehicle had been maintained since new with fluid changes as required but still failed prematurely and without warning of any sort. Dealer inspected the car and stated the transmission needs to be replaced.
2015 Passat TDI sudden complete power loss while driving, including highway incidents. Vehicle stalls with no warning, creating immediate safety hazard. Symptoms match documented crankshaft position sensor failures in identical vehicles that VW has repaired under warranty for other owners. VW Customer Care closed case requiring 'duplication' of safety defect before repair. Request immediate safety investigation. I am reporting today's incident however this issue has been occuring since May 1st and occurred on numerous occasions with today being the most unsafe.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, the infotainment system failed to turn off as intended, and the message "download" was displayed on the screen, causing the battery to become drained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the infotainment system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Showing 15 of 242 complaints