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7 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Volkswagen is recalling certain Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The bolts holding the front wheel bearings in place may not have been tightened correctly. If a bolt loosens, it can cause a loss of vehicle control. To fix this, dealers will inspect how tight the wheel bearing bolts are on the front wheels and replace any bolts that need it. This repair will be done free of charge to the owner.
These are Volkswagen vehicles that were originally used internally by the company. Before being sold, there was no confirmation that they had been built to meet all of the required federal vehicle safety rules, and some of them may have been modified before they were sold. Because of this, these vehicles may not actually meet every safety requirement they are supposed to meet.
Volkswagen is recalling certain Passat vehicles because the passenger front airbag may have been folded incorrectly. This mistake can affect how much force the airbag uses when it inflates during a crash. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet federal safety standards for protecting occupants in a crash. An airbag that deploys with too much force can injure the passenger it is meant to protect, instead of keeping them safe as designed.
Volkswagen is recalling certain Passat and Atlas vehicles. A small blocking cap that is meant to keep the headlight's side-to-side aim from being moved may not have been fitted. Without that cap, the headlight aim can be moved outside the setting it is supposed to have. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet the federal safety rule covering lamps and reflectors. Dealers will inspect the headlights and block the side-to-side adjustment where needed.
Volkswagen says certain Atlas and Passat vehicles may have had the wrong driver or front passenger side airbag installed. Because the wrong airbag was used, it may not deploy the way it is designed to if the vehicle is in a side-impact crash. This means the airbag might not work correctly to help protect the driver or passenger during that kind of crash.
On some Volkswagen Atlas and Passat vehicles, the bolts that hold the brake caliper bracket in place may not have been tightened enough. If these bolts are loose, the caliper can shift out of position. A caliper that moves out of place can reduce the vehicle's braking ability or cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles may have brake caliper pistons without enough protective coating. This lack of coating can reduce how well the brakes work.
⚠ NHTSA advises: do not drive this vehicle until repaired.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls covering the 2018–2021 Volkswagen Passat. 5 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "VW Atlas and Passat Front Wheel Bolts May Loosen" (NHTSA campaign 21V812000), reported Oct 15, 2021.
The 2018 Volkswagen Passat has the most, with 4 recalls. The 2019 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
Yes. 1 Volkswagen Passat recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA: VW and Audi Brake Calipers May Reduce Braking (18V369000). These apply only to the affected vehicles, so check your VIN.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Volkswagen dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: