1996 Volkswagen Passat problems
NHTSA has received 48 complaints about the 1996 Volkswagen Passat, and 29% of them involve electrical system. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (25%) and air conditioning & heating (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 48 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 29% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 84,000 miles 29 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 29 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 84,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 31st most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Volkswagen Passat with enough data (3 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
No event leading to the failure... I was driving down the freeway at 65 MPH when my heater core failed.. Causing solding hot coolant to rush onto my feet while driving.. I had to brake while coolant was all over my feet...burning them...nearly causing and accident!
In january 2004 I drove back to school in virginia after spending christmas with my family. On the way back while I was on the pennsylvania turn pike my heater core burst, spraying boiling hot coolant (both liquid and steam) into the vehicles interior. The liquid for the most part caused damage to the carpet, and fortunately any that was sprayed on my side of the compartment was blocked by my pants.
Rear door latch failed and door flew open and 10 year old child fell out of the car. The door appears to close normally but it is not latched. After closing the door multiple times , it does catch but it is not obvious when the door is closed. Luckily, there minor injuries due to the low speed of the car.
Dt*: the contact stated the headlights and windshield wipers became inoperable, then the vehicle would not start. The vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic. The recall, #02v256000 concerning the ignition switch was performed on the vehicle in august 2002. The vehicle is having the same problem as indicated in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 volkswagen passat. Upon purchasing the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The seller stated that it was a minor issue. The check engine light was reset and illuminated again two days later. In addition, the vehicle would constantly overheat. There were no signs of the vehicle overheating while driving; however, radiator fluid would spill out of the vehicle when it was parked.