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2020 Volkswagen Passat Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

24 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.50 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

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."

Serious19V218000

Air Bags:Side/Window

In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.

Serious20V533000

Air Bags:Passenger Side Frontal:Cushion

incorrectly folded air bag can deploy with too much force, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69AY.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Passat vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag may have been folded incorrectly affecting its deployment force. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Complaint volume

24 this model-year 6 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

2Crashes
0Fires
2Injuries
0Deaths

Across 24 complaints. Severity Index 0.50.

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

Engine4 · 17%Unknown Or Other4 · 17%Air Bags4 · 17%Forward Collision Avoidan…2 · 8%Steering2 · 8%Wheels1 · 4%Service Brakes1 · 4%Forward Collision Avoidan…1 · 4%
  1. Engine — 4 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 4 reports
  3. Air Bags — 4 reports
  4. Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings — 2 reports
  5. Steering — 2 reports
  6. Wheels — 1 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 1 reports
  8. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 1 reports
  9. Seat Belts — 1 reports
  10. Engine And Engine Cooling — 1 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 (5) · 2017 (7) · 2018 (4) · 2019 (1) · 2020 · 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.

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