2019 Volkswagen Passat problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (3) · Electrical System (2) · Visibility/Wiper (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Passat model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
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.
Service bulletins (537)
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.
Service Brakes 2026-08-27 · V4622022067177_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
repair or replace information
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.
Power Train 2026-08-10 · V4015022033347_8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacement instruction
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Showing the 6 most recent of 537 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-03-16 · Service Brakes“brake issues that consist of brakes not engaging immediately as i press the brake pedal. brake pedal also doesn't return as fast as my foot lets off of it. it could be inspected upon request. if the brakes dont engage immediately then there is a potential for an accident if i need to brake at a moments notice. yes the problem has been confirmed. n…”
2022-10-13 · Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and then lost motive power. the contact pushed the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. the mechanic replaced the fuel injector. the manufacturer was made aware o…”
2020-09-10 · Service Brakes · 15,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the collision avoidance system independently activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop even though there were no vehicles or objects nearby. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer fairfield vw located at 5071 lycoming mall dr, montoursvil…”
2020-02-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 6,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle idled with the epc light and the check engine warning light illuminated. additionally, the vehicle was belabored while shifting gears and at low speeds. there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken to the deale…”
2019-12-17 · Unknown Or Other · 9 mi“vehicle was sold with remote start feature. dealer and salesman knew the remote start did not work. this was a selling point on the car. they keep putting off fixing the issue with the car.…”
2019-11-26 · Electrical System · 3,500 mi“when the vehicle is off, the factory remote start does not function. the car will turn over, but immediately die. vw has known about this since late 2018, but has not done anything to fix the issue. i purchased my vehicle in june of 2019, and the vehicle was sold to me without the dealership letting me know the remote start would not work. i had to…”
2019-11-26 · Power Train · 300 mi“when the vehicle is at slower speeds, it is constantly shifting to try and save on fuel. this results in the vehicle not providing a consistent ride. the noise when it shifts is very loud and can sometimes be felt through a jerking motion. bringing the vehicle in to the dealership resulted in them saying they know it's an issue and hopefully vw com…”
2019-11-12 · Seats · 17,200 mi“on 11/10/2019 while driving i constantly felt burning sensation on my right thigh while on the highway at speeds around 70 miles. the next day on 11/11/2019 with the family and kids my right thigh started feeling like its burning. subsequently we started smelling something burn and switched off all heat and heated seats and drove back home with out…”
2019-11-05 · Steering · 2,000 mi“car hesitates erratically and unpredictably when accelerating most noticeably from a dead stop, and at slow speeds while turning. attempting to accelerate from a stop to cross a street in busy traffic the car will just sit unresponsive for seconds and barely accelerate and then unpredictably accelerate. due to the vehicle being the r-line, it drif…”
2019-07-12 · Visibility/Wiper · 5,000 mi“windshield began cracking in the middle from passenger side toward driver side. no rock or other debris hit windshield. it is a continuous crack that is a fine link crack that continues to spread.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.