2014 Volkswagen PASSAT
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2014 Volkswagen PASSAT has 785 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 9.8x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (45% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact heard a clicking and popping noise whenever the steering wheel was turned. the air bag warning light illuminated, which notified the contact of an air bag deployment failure; however, the contact was not i. ⚠️ 7 fire reports filed.
785
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
9.8x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
AIR BAGS
353 complaints- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING AND POPPING NOISE WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WHICH NOTIFIED THE CONTACT OF AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS NOT I
- • TAKATA RECALL. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. EVERY TIME I AM ON THE ROAD I FEEL ANXIETY THINKING ABOUT EXPLODED AIRBAG WITH SHRAPNEL. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR DANGEROUS VEHICLE?
- • TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. T
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING AND POPPING NOISE WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WHICH NOTIFIED THE CONTACT OF AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS NOT I”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ENGINE
81 complaints- • EXITING INTERSTATE AND MERGING ONTO STATE ROUTE, VEHICLE LOST POWER, COULD NOT MAINTAIN SPEED IN TRAFFIC. TOWED TO DEALER NEXT DAY, FOUND TURBOCHARGER HAD FAILED WITH NO WARNING. *TR
- • TURBOCHARGER FAILED. STARTED MAKING NOISES, THEN POWER LOSSES, THEN DASHBOARD LIGHTS. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT WAS NO LONGER DRIVABLE. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED TURBOCHARGER FAILURE DUE TO 'INTERNAL MALFUNCTION' AND STATED THAT IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY DRIVING ST
- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS SLOW TO START UPON DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND WOULD ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT WHEN TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS. ADDITIONALLY, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT CENTERED.
“EXITING INTERSTATE AND MERGING ONTO STATE ROUTE, VEHICLE LOST POWER, COULD NOT MAINTAIN SPEED IN TRAFFIC. TOWED TO DEALER NEXT DAY, FOUND TURBOCHARGER HAD FAILED WITH NO WARNING. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ELECTRICAL
73 complaints- • PURCHASED 2014 FULLY LOADED PASSAT ON 10/26/13, SAFETY ISSUE WITH CAR DUE TO MY 1.5 HR DAILY COMMUTE. EXTREMELY POOR QUALITY WHEN USING BLUETOOTH THROUGH CARE STEREO, NOT RECOGNIZING NAMES ON IPHONE 4S CAUSING DRIVER TO REMOVE EYES FROM ROAD TO LOOK UP NUMBER WHICH IS A MAJOR DISTRACTION ESPECIALLY
- • WHENEVER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE REACHES BELOW 20 DEGREES F THE DRIVER SIDE LOCK FREEZES MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THIS DOOR. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AS THE ONLY MEANS OF ENTRY AND EGRESS IS THROUGH THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, SUBMERGING IN WATER, FIRE, OR OTHER TYPE INCIDENT
- • I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40MPH WHEN A CAR TRIED TO MERGE INTO MY LANE. I TRIED TO BLOW THE HORN AND THE HORN FAILED TO WORK. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BUT NOT AT A POINT WHERE I HAVE BEEN THIS CLOSE TO BEING CRASHED INTO. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CHANGE TRACK AND VOLUME BUTTONS DO NOT WORK, AS WEL
“PURCHASED 2014 FULLY LOADED PASSAT ON 10/26/13, SAFETY ISSUE WITH CAR DUE TO MY 1.5 HR DAILY COMMUTE. EXTREMELY POOR QUALITY WHEN USING BLUETOOTH THROUGH CARE STEREO, NOT RECOGNIZING NAMES ON IPHONE 4S CAUSING DRIVER TO REMOVE EYES FROM ROAD TO LOOK UP NUMBER WHICH IS A MAJOR DISTRACTION ESPECIALLY ”
— NHTSA complaint filing
OTHER
63 complaints- • SINCE PURCHASED WE HAVE FOUND THE RNS-510 RADIO NAVIGATION ASYSTEM TO BE A DANGEROUS ITEM THAT VOLKSWAGEN HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THEIR TECH TIPS NUMBER, TT 91-13-01 DATED 2/8/2013, UPDATED ON 5/9/2014 BASICALLY TELLS THE CAR OWNER TO JUST LIVE WITH IT. I THINK NOT SINCE IT IS DANGERO
- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM FAILED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE DIRECTIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000. UPDATED 4/6/15*CN THE CONSU
- • I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT THAT SCARED THAT[XXX] OUT MY FAMILY AND ME. VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR BECAUSE AN OUTSIDE SOURCE HIT IT. FIRST THERE WAS NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME AT LEAST FOR 200 METERS. SECOND IT LOOKS LIKE
“SINCE PURCHASED WE HAVE FOUND THE RNS-510 RADIO NAVIGATION ASYSTEM TO BE A DANGEROUS ITEM THAT VOLKSWAGEN HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THEIR TECH TIPS NUMBER, TT 91-13-01 DATED 2/8/2013, UPDATED ON 5/9/2014 BASICALLY TELLS THE CAR OWNER TO JUST LIVE WITH IT. I THINK NOT SINCE IT IS DANGERO”
— NHTSA complaint filing
FUEL SYSTEM
50 complaints- • WHEN DRIVING CAR LOSS OF POWER HAD TOWED TO VW DEALER TURBO FAILURE WITH JUST 9700 MILES. *TR
- • MILES ON CAR AT FAILURE: 21,755 CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FROM DEALERSHIP: REPLACED TURBO, GASKETS, REFLASH, CHECK PARTICULATE FILTER AND REPLACE. OUTSIDE AIR TEMPS AT FAILURE:20S 30S FAILURE WARNING SIGNS, IF ANY: TURBO BEGAN MAKING HORRIBLE WHINING SOUND ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON MARCH 8, 2015. CALLED VW
- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. TH
“WHEN DRIVING CAR LOSS OF POWER HAD TOWED TO VW DEALER TURBO FAILURE WITH JUST 9700 MILES. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 785 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐AIR BAGS: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING AND POPPING NOISE WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WHICH NOTIFIED THE CONTACT OF AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS NOT I
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐ENGINE: EXITING INTERSTATE AND MERGING ONTO STATE ROUTE, VEHICLE LOST POWER, COULD NOT MAINTAIN SPEED IN TRAFFIC. TOWED TO DEALER NEXT DAY, FOUND TURBOCHARGER HAD FAILED WITH NO WARNING. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐ELECTRICAL: PURCHASED 2014 FULLY LOADED PASSAT ON 10/26/13, SAFETY ISSUE WITH CAR DUE TO MY 1.5 HR DAILY COMMUTE. EXTREMELY POOR QUALITY WHEN USING BLUETOOTH THROUGH CARE STEREO, NOT RECOGNIZING NAMES ON IPHONE 4S CAUSING DRIVER TO REMOVE EYES FROM ROAD TO LOOK UP NUMBER WHICH IS A MAJOR DISTRACTION ESPECIALLY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐OTHER: SINCE PURCHASED WE HAVE FOUND THE RNS-510 RADIO NAVIGATION ASYSTEM TO BE A DANGEROUS ITEM THAT VOLKSWAGEN HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THEIR TECH TIPS NUMBER, TT 91-13-01 DATED 2/8/2013, UPDATED ON 5/9/2014 BASICALLY TELLS THE CAR OWNER TO JUST LIVE WITH IT. I THINK NOT SINCE IT IS DANGERO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Volkswagen PASSAT — Year Comparison
How does 2014 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 785
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 7
- Crash reports
- 20
- Injury reports
- 13
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2014 Volkswagen PASSAT