2016 Volkswagen Passat problems
NHTSA has received 179 complaints about the 2016 Volkswagen Passat, and 14% of them involve air bags. After that come electrical system (12%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 179 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 37,000 miles 89 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 | 29 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 16 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 23 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 89 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 37,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 46,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Volkswagen Passat with enough data (111 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 20 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The passenger in the rear passenger seat sustained whiplash and injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and was currently being repaired for the body damage.
My 2016 volkswagen passet se model car applies the brakes while in motion on its own. This has occurred 6 timed over the past 7 months. I bought this vehicle on december 12 2015. It is getting worse each time. One time it happened as I was about 100 feet from a intersection. No one was in front of me. I was the only one on the road at the time. I was during the day and then all of a sudden the break applied. Really scared me. Another time it happened approaching railroad tracks.
While driving the ABS light came on (constant speed, highway, dry conditions), disabling cruise control. The airbag light then came on. Then the tire sensor light and finally the steering wheel light and exclamation point icon next to the steering wheel light.
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while parked, the horn, cruise control, and the radio became inoperable. The message “air bag not available”, check clockspring, and check oil messages were displayed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,986.