Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
2014 Volkswagen Passat — Known Issues & Recalls
Complaints from Jan 2017 to Dec 2021
The most reported issue is air bags problems (278 complaints). 18 complaints involved crashes. 3 involved fires.
Open Safety Recalls (10)
NHTSA Campaign: 19V389000
Component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
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."
Risk: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 18V148000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
NHTSA Campaign: 17V309000
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Passat vehicles, equipped with diesel engines and Direct-Shift Transmissions (DSG). The vehicle's underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right half-shaft grease boot from heat, potentially resulting in a grease leak.
Risk: If the leaking grease contacts a heated surface, such as the exhaust system and/or the diesel particulate filter (DPF), it could increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft heat shield, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23W5.
NHTSA Campaign: 14V182000
Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torque converter automatic transmission. In the affected vehicles, the O-ring seals between the oil cooler and the transmission may leak fluid.
Risk: The leaking transmission fluid could contact a hot surface and result in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the O-ring seals in the transmission oil cooler, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on April 16, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 38B9/9V.
NHTSA Campaign: 16V171000
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Passat vehicles equipped with TDI engines. Due to improperly assembled wire seals in a connector for an underbody sensor, water may enter and corrode the electrical connectors of the sensor, causing an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short can cause the electrical connectors of the sensor to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in September. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23T3.
NHTSA Campaign: 15V483000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
NHTSA Campaign: 15V028000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to November 24, 2014, 2014-2015 Passat vehicles manufactured April 7, 2014, to November 18, 2014, 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured July 1, 2014, to November 20, 2014, and 2014-2015 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles manufactured March 31, 2014, to November 27, 2014. A sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment.
Risk: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails with new parts, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BL. Note: This recall expands and supersedes recall 14V-809 (Volkswagen recall number 24Bi) and only affects vehicles not previously repaired under that campaign.
NHTSA Campaign: 16V078000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA Campaign: 19V862000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.
NHTSA Campaign: 24V834000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
Owner-Reported Issues (20 of 588)
Air Bags →15 issues
Your Volkswagen's driver airbag is subject to a recall due to a risk of explosion that could cause severe injury or death. However, the dealership has told you they cannot fix it because the replacement parts are on extreme backorder, they cannot schedule an appointment, and they have no timeline for when the repair will be available. This leaves your vehicle with a known safety defect that remains unfixed. The repair will require the dealership to obtain the recalled airbag component and install a replacement driver airbag module.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your car is subject to a December 2024 airbag recall, but your dealership has repeatedly delayed the repair timeline—first saying parts would arrive in April, then pushing it to September, and now indicating no fix is available yet. Your airbags may deploy unexpectedly, which could cause serious injury or death to you and your passengers. The dealership will need to obtain replacement airbag components and install them once they become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your car was identified in a safety recall in December 2024 for a defective driver's side airbag. As of July 2025, Volkswagen has not yet completed the repair. You should contact your local VW dealer to schedule an appointment for the airbag replacement or repair.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
You received a recall notice about airbags in your 2014 Volkswagen Passat (NHTSA Campaign 24V834000) and asked to be removed from the recall notification list. You've contacted the dealer and Volkswagen about this.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is subject to a recall (NHTSA Campaign 24V834000) related to the airbag system. You took your vehicle to a dealer, but they told you the replacement parts aren't available yet and put you on a waiting list. You also contacted another dealer and were added to their waiting list, but your vehicle hasn't been inspected or repaired. The fix will require dealer installation of replacement airbag components once parts become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat's airbag warning light is coming on intermittently. Your dealer notified you about a recall for the airbag system, but the replacement parts needed for the repair aren't available yet. You feel the manufacturer has taken too long to provide the parts needed to complete this recall.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is part of a safety recall (Campaign 24V834000) involving the airbag system. You've contacted two dealers since April 2025, but both confirmed that the replacement parts aren't available yet. The recall repair will likely involve replacing or repairing airbag components once parts become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is subject to a recall affecting the airbags (NHTSA Campaign 24V834000), but the replacement parts needed to fix the issue aren't currently available from Volkswagen. You've been waiting longer than a reasonable amount of time for the repair to be completed. The manufacturer has confirmed the parts are still not in stock. The repair will likely involve replacing the affected airbag component once parts become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
You own a 2014 Volkswagen Passat that's subject to a safety recall (NHTSA Campaign 24V834000) involving the airbag system. Volkswagen has notified you about the recall, but the replacement parts needed to fix it aren't available yet, and the repair has been delayed longer than you consider reasonable. You haven't experienced any airbag failure so far.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat has an unresolved airbag recall (24V834) that Volkswagen notified you about in December 2024. When you contacted the dealership about the recall, they told you they don't have the parts needed to complete the repair. Volkswagen will need to obtain the necessary airbag components and schedule a service appointment to install them.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
You contacted your Volkswagen dealer about a safety recall in December 2024, but they informed you that the replacement airbag part needed for the recall is still on back order and unavailable. This means your car hasn't been repaired yet despite the recall being issued. The dealer will need to install the updated airbag component once the part becomes available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is covered under a recall for airbags, but the dealer has confirmed that the replacement part is currently unavailable. You've been waiting longer than what seems reasonable for the manufacturer to supply the part needed for the repair. The manufacturer is aware of the shortage, though you haven't experienced an actual airbag failure yet. Getting the part in stock and installed at your dealer will be needed to complete this safety recall.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is subject to a recall (Campaign 24V834000) for an airbag issue that was announced in December 2024. You've been trying to get the recall completed for six months, but the necessary replacement part has been unavailable—even when the dealer told you it was in stock, it wasn't there. The repair involves replacing the affected airbag component, and you're concerned about the lengthy delay in getting this safety issue addressed.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Your 2014 Volkswagen Passat is subject to a recall (Campaign 24V834000) for the airbag system, but the replacement parts aren't available yet. You've contacted your local dealer, and the manufacturer has taken longer than expected to make the necessary parts available for the repair. No airbag failure has occurred in your vehicle. The fix will require your dealer to install replacement airbag components once they become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
You received a recall notice for your airbag system, but your dealer told you the replacement parts aren't available yet. You've been waiting longer than you think is reasonable, and Volkswagen hasn't offered you any help or timeline for when parts will arrive. While your airbags are working normally now, this recall repair needs to be completed once parts become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Power Train,engine →1 issue
Your 2014 Passat experienced complete engine failure about six months after you bought it and needed a full engine replacement. The same type of engine problem happened again 1-2 years later, leaving the car inoperable. This recurring defect creates unsafe driving conditions because you could lose power suddenly while on the road. The manufacturer was aware of this issue before your car was sold, as indicated by technical service bulletins that were already issued.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Steering,power Train →1 issue
Your car experienced two serious problems: first, the transmission suddenly lost power while driving on the highway with no warning lights or symptoms, forcing you to coast to the shoulder; second, the steering wheel clock spring failed, causing the steering wheel controls to stop working, the airbag warning light to come on, and clicking/rubbing sounds when turning the wheel. Both issues require professional diagnosis and replacement of the faulty transmission and steering clock spring components.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Air Bags,unknown Or Other,engine →1 issue
Your car's nitrogen oxide sensor and emissions control system are malfunctioning, triggering multiple error codes related to the NOx sensor circuit, catalytic reduction system, and reductant tank temperature sensor. These components work together to reduce harmful emissions from your engine. The repair will likely involve diagnosing and replacing the faulty NOx sensor, reductant tank temperature sensor, or related wiring in the emissions system.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Steering,air Bags →1 issue
Your car has a Takata airbag recall that's preventing you from passing inspection. You've contacted multiple dealerships, including Commonwealth Motors, but they all say the replacement airbag parts won't be in stock until December 2025. Getting this recall completed will require replacing the defective airbag components once parts become available.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Engine,fuel/propulsion System →1 issue
Your car is consuming oil faster than normal. The dealership has asked Volkswagen to authorize a free inspection to diagnose why your engine is losing oil between oil changes. The dealership wants to investigate the source of this excessive oil consumption.
Parts you may need:
As an Amazon Associate, MyCarTSB earns from qualifying purchases.
Get notified when any of these become free repairs
We'll alert you if a new recall is issued for your vehicle — that means a free fix at the dealer.
Related Vehicles
Other Volkswagen Passat years: