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2016 Volkswagen Passat Recalls & Complaints

5

open safety recalls on record

Critical

179 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.19 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical16V403000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System:Fuel Rail

fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Critical21V321000

Unknown Or Other

Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious19V389000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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."

Serious15V705000

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious20V561000

Unknown Or Other

Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

179 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

9Crashes
0Fires
4Injuries
0Deaths

Across 179 complaints. Severity Index 0.19.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Electrical System22 · 12%Air Bags22 · 12%Steering19 · 11%Engine17 · 9%Service Brakes15 · 8%Fuel/Propulsion System15 · 8%Unknown Or Other13 · 7%Vehicle Speed Control11 · 6%
  1. Electrical System — 22 reports
  2. Air Bags — 22 reports
  3. Steering — 19 reports
  4. Engine — 17 reports
  5. Service Brakes — 15 reports
  6. Fuel/Propulsion System — 15 reports
  7. Unknown Or Other — 13 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 11 reports
  9. Power Train — 5 reports
  10. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 5 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 (1) · 1997 (1) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (6) · 2000 (5) · 2001 (4) · 2002 (4) · 2003 (7) · 2004 (4) · 2005 (4) · 2006 (7) · 2007 (7) · 2008 (4) · 2009 (4) · 2010 (4) · 2011 · 2012 (11) · 2013 (9) · 2014 (10) · 2015 (7) · 2016 · 2017 (7) · 2018 (4) · 2019 (1) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (1) · 2022

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.