RecallRadar

Home → Volkswagen → Passat → 2021

2021 Volkswagen Passat Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

28 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.43 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious21V812000

Wheels:Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs

The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.

Complaint volume

28 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

3Crashes
2Fires
0Injuries
0Deaths

Across 28 complaints. Severity Index 0.43.

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

Service Brakes5 · 18%Lane Departure · Assist4 · 14%Electrical System3 · 11%Air Bags3 · 11%Steering2 · 7%Exterior Lighting2 · 7%Lane Departure · Lane Ke…1 · 4%Tires · Sidewall1 · 4%
  1. Service Brakes — 5 reports
  2. Lane Departure: Assist — 4 reports
  3. Electrical System — 3 reports
  4. Air Bags — 3 reports
  5. Steering — 2 reports
  6. Exterior Lighting — 2 reports
  7. Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Automatic Steering — 1 reports
  8. Tires:Sidewall — 1 reports
  9. Unknown Or Other — 1 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 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 (3) · 2021 · 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.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons