2016 Volkswagen Passat problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (14) · Fuel/Propulsion System (13) · Vehicle Speed Control (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Passat model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
54 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Unknown Or Other 2021-05-05 · campaign 21V321000 · 46 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
Unknown Or Other 2020-09-16 · campaign 20V561000 · 23 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2019-05-22 · campaign 19V389000 · 662,185 vehicles
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."
Risk: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail 2016-06-06 · campaign 16V403000 · 55 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2015-10-26 · campaign 15V705000 · 91,867 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (834)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-17 · V0116152014815_20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
suggested fuel additive
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Engine 2026-08-21 · SM 35-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-04 · V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
differences between a leak and seepage
Steering 2026-08-03 · V4823022072282_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. foreign bodies into the clock spring.
Showing the 6 most recent of 834 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-03 · Steering“ the clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. the airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. the instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. the safety risks associated with the malfunctions could result in great harm …”
2026-04-21 · Fuel/Propulsion System“currently leaking raw fuel under the hood (matching recall 15f7) and stalling after fill-ups (matching recall 24v110000). i am requesting a specialized safety review and goodwill assistance to cover the repair because this is a documented manufacturing defect, not wear-and-tear." 2. leverage the "suction jet pump" investigation there is a current i…”
2026-02-24 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 89,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. there was no warning light illuminated. the dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. upon investigation, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign number: 16v403000 (fuel syst…”
2026-02-24 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 115,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, there was a strong gasoline odor inside the cabin. the contact immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle to inspect for visible fuel leaks, but found no leaks. while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. while driving at an und…”
2025-10-02 · Service Brakes“the vehicle has been alerting error codes 16352 for failing to communicate with abs module causing warning lights for abs, brake and the esc systems to illuminate. the brake system related vehicle stabilizing functions (abs/esc) is not be available, increasing the risk of a loss of vehicle control and could lead to a crash causing injury and/or pro…”
2025-08-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System“smell of fuel near rear seat. gasket ok.…”
2025-08-18 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette · 27,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that on seven occasions, the clock spring failed while driving at various speeds. the contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle with the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact stated that the clock spring was replaced…”
2025-07-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System“description of the problem: the fuel pump housing on my 2016 volkswagen passat (1.8l tsi) developed visible cracks, which caused a persistent fuel vapor smell around the vehicle, especially after refueling. the failed component — the plastic fuel pump assembly manufactured by continental — is available for inspection and has been photographed. sa…”
2025-06-26 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the fuel delivery system appears to have failed. specifically, there is an active gasoline leak from a fuel line inside the cabin, near or under the rear seat. the source may be related to an unresolved recall involving the fuel rail detaching from the engine, which causes pressurized fuel leakage. the failed component is still present on the vehic…”
2025-05-06 · Unknown Or Other“timing chain going out before 1000 miles in a 2016 vw passat tsi …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.