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2014 Volkswagen Passat recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 10 US recalls for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat, and 11 in Canada. Owners filed 594 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

10US recalls
0urgent recalls
594owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (10)

Air bags: frontal, driver side

2024-10-30 · campaign 24V834000 · 248,330 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

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

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.

Air bags: frontal, driver side

2019-12-04 · campaign 19V862000 · 226 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Exterior lighting: headlights

2019-05-22 · campaign 19V389000 · 662,185 vehicles

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."

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Air bags: frontal, driver side

2018-03-06 · campaign 18V148000 · 363,713 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Power train: driveline, driveshaft

2017-05-11 · campaign 17V309000 · 84,262 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Passat vehicles, equipped with diesel engines and Direct-Shift Transmissions (DSG). The vehicle's underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right half-shaft grease boot from heat, potentially resulting in a grease leak.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the leaking grease contacts a heated surface, such as the exhaust system and/or the diesel particulate filter (DPF), it could increase the risk of fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft heat shield, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23W5.

Electrical system: wiring

2016-03-24 · campaign 16V171000 · 91,442 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Passat vehicles equipped with TDI engines. Due to improperly assembled wire seals in a connector for an underbody sensor, water may enter and corrode the electrical connectors of the sensor, causing an electrical short.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An electrical short can cause the electrical connectors of the sensor to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in September. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23T3.

Air bags: frontal, driver side

2016-02-10 · campaign 16V078000 · 659,493 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk and remedy

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture 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 inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air bags: frontal

2015-08-04 · campaign 15V483000 · 415,825 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system, fuel rail

2015-01-23 · campaign 15V028000 · 44,658 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Power train: automatic transmission, cooling unit and lines

2014-04-15 · campaign 14V182000 · 26,452 vehicles

Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torque converter automatic transmission. In the affected vehicles, the O-ring seals between the oil cooler and the transmission may leak fluid.

Risk and remedy

Risk: The leaking transmission fluid could contact a hot surface and result in a vehicle fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the O-ring seals in the transmission oil cooler, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on April 16, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 38B9/9V.

Canadian recalls (11)

Show 11 Canadian recalls

Airbag

2024-10-30 · campaign 2024-649

Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the driver-front airbag. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

Label

2020-08-04 · campaign 2020-353

Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive important safety information about how to use the engine block heater. A label that is not provided in both official languages could create confusion. Safety Risk: User confusion could increase the risk of injury when trying to use the block heater. Corrective Actions: The company will mail each owner a new label for the block heater cable. If you would like help installing the label, you can contact a dealer for assistance.

Lights and instruments

2019-05-23 · campaign 2019-242

Issue: Certain vehicles were built with headlights that may allow horizontal adjustment. This is not allowed under Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: Headlights that are not properly adjusted could cause reduced visibility or glare for oncoming drivers, and could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to inspect the headlights. A blocking cap will be installed on the horizontal adjusters as necessary.

Airbag

2018-03-06 · campaign 2018-111

On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver frontal airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. As a result, if the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants, and the airbag assembly could be damaged, preventing proper function. These issues could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag inflator. Note: Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. The recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk, and is expected to replace airbag inflators before their function would be affected. Additional Note: This recall supersedes the Volkswagen brand vehicles subject to recall 2016-064 (Volkswagen Recall 69M9). Volkswagen vehicles completed under the previous 2016-064 recall require repair under this recall, as the previous recall remedy was an interim repair. Interim repair parts must be replaced with final repair parts.

Powertrain

2017-05-10 · campaign 2017-256

On certain vehicles, an underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right drive half-shaft grease boot from heat. Over time, this could lead to a grease leak from the boot. If leaking grease comes into contact with heated surfaces of the exhaust system and/or diesel particulate filter (DPF), it could lead to a fire potentially causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install a revised heat shield and certain vehicles will have the upper boost hose replaced.

Electrical

2016-03-23 · campaign 2016-132

Certain vehicles may have been equipped with an underbody sensor containing an improperly assembled seal which could allow water to penetrate and corrode the electrical terminals. This could lead to an electrical short causing the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) to illuminate in the vehicle and cause the circuit to overheat, increasing the risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the affected connector.

Airbag

2016-02-09 · campaign 2016-064

On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the front driver airbag inflator. Note: This campaign only affects the Audi A5 and Audi S5 Cabriolet models.

Seats and restraints

2015-07-31 · campaign 2015-344

On certain vehicles, the steering wheel clock spring could become contaminated with long hair or long fibers which may cause a displacement of the internal guide loops. When the guide loops are dragged out of position, they may apply tension to the internal flat cable and cause it to tear. Should the cable tear, the electrical connection to the driver's front airbag may be lost, causing the airbag monitoring indicator light to illuminate. Failure of the driver's airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will install a cover of a different design to help prevent clock spring contamination caused by hair or other fibers. In instances where the vehicle has an airbag light on (and diagnosis confirms the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement), dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring.

Fuel system

2014-12-17 · campaign 2014-575

On certain vehicles, a sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail to seal, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment during engine operation. Leaking fuel, in the presence of an ignition source, could lead to a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the fuel rail.

Powertrain

2014-04-16 · campaign 2014-136

On certain vehicles equipped with 1.8T engines and torque-converter (non-DSG) automatic transmissions, out of specification transmission cooler sealing O-rings may allow transmission fluid to leak in proximity to hot surfaces. This could increase the risk of a fire, potentially causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace affected O-rings.

Accessories

2014-03-05 · campaign 2014-068

On certain vehicles equipped with a factory installed block heater, the block heater could overheat while in use. This could result in a fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the block heater. Owners are advised to stop using the block heater in the interim.

Owner complaints (594)

Owners filed 594 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Volkswagen Passat (19 crashes, 3 fires, 15 injuries reported). Among 33 model years of this model, it ranks #5 for the most complaints (median 146).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Air bags354
Engine77
Electrical system74
Unknown or other59
Fuel/propulsion system47
Steering44
Power train37
Vehicle speed control13

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2014 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD5★5★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2014 Volkswagen Passat version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Passat 1.8 L Manual 5-spd243528$2,400
Passat 1.8 L Automatic (S6)243428$2,400
Passat 2.0 L Automatic (AM-S6)304034$2,800
Passat 2.5 L Automatic (S6)223125$2,700
Passat 2.5 L Manual 5-spd223226$2,600
Passat 3.6 L Automatic (AM-S6)202823$3,550
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.