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2015 Volkswagen Passat

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

242 owner complaints · 7 recalls · data verified July 15, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Why caution?

7 recall campaigns (4 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Airbags problems dominate (36% of complaints, typically reported near 49k miles).

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)80
Severity (30%)75
Recall load (20%)43
Trend (10%)75

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20142026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

5/5 overall

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2015 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD

Front crash
Side crash
Rollover

Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 11%

Stability control: StandardForward collision warning: NoLane departure warning: No

No open NHTSA defect investigations on file.

NHTSA crash-test photo, 2015 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2015 Volkswagen Passat, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k miAirbags~49k mi · 88 reportsEngine~71k mi · 53 reportsElectrical system~53k mi · 48 reportsBrakes~40k mi · 28 reportsSteering~48k mi · 26 reports

Also reported (mileage varies): Fuel system (22)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Airbags

36%

88 complaints · typically near 49k mi · 5 in the last 2 years

Clock spring failure. 2015 passat steering wheel started clicking then it snapped my airbag light came on and steering wheel functions didn't work. The sa

Engine

22%

53 complaints · typically near 71k mi · 6 in the last 2 years

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle sputtered intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the …

Electrical system

20%

48 complaints · typically near 53k mi · 6 in the last 2 years

2015 Passat TDI sudden complete power loss while driving, including highway incidents. Vehicle stalls with no warning, creating immediate safety hazard. Symptoms match…

Brakes

12%

28 complaints · typically near 40k mi

ABS module failure at 56,000 miles. Warning lights illuminated on dashboard are ABS, brakes, stability control, tire pressure and airbags. Local VW dealer inspected an…

Recalls (7)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Air Bags · 19V862000

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.

Exterior Lighting · 19V389000

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.

Air Bags · 19V014000

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Passat, 2015-2016 Eos, 2015-2017 CC, 2016-2017 TT Roadster, TT Coupe, 2017 Audi R8 Coupe, and R8 Spyder 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 4, 2019. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298; Audi owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69S8 (Audi) and 69Y5 (Volkswagen).

Engine And Engine Cooling · 15V705000

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.

Risk: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 15V373000

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Passat vehicles manufactured May 18, 2015, to May 21, 2015. The affected vehicles have a brake line at the left rear wheel area that may not have been properly tightened.

Risk: If the brake line was not properly tightened, it may leak brake fluid, causing a reduction in braking performance, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of crash.

Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the brake line fitting, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47M3.

Fuel System, Gasoline · 15V028000

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.

Seats · 14V670000

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles manufactured September 23, 2014, to October 9, 2014, and equipped with manual front seatback recliners. In the affected vehicles, the seatback recliner retaining bracket may not engage correctly, resulting in unexpected movement of the seatback.

Risk: Unexpected movement of the driver's seatback may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the assembly of the seatback recliner retaining bracket, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72F1.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2015 Volkswagen PASSAT beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2015? See how every Passat model year scores →

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What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2015 Volkswagen Passat as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.