Reliable Auto DB

2015 Volkswagen Passat reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Volkswagen Passat holds 243 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 19 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Passat years here — over the median of the other years, which is 8. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Inflator, Headlights, and Engine.

2012 Volkswagen Passat
Photo by Alexander-93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

243

Per year

19

Recalls

7

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (88 of 243), then Engine (53) and Electrical system (48). Those filings include 11 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Passat has 594 complaints, 74 per year, and the 2016 has 106 complaints, 10 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Volkswagen Passat. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-12-04 · NHTSA campaign 19V862000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2019-05-22 · NHTSA campaign 19V389000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-01-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V014000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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).
Recall Engine 2015-10-26 · NHTSA campaign 15V705000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, hoses and fittings 2015-06-15 · NHTSA campaign 15V373000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall gasoline fuel system, fuel injection, fuel rail 2015-01-23 · NHTSA campaign 15V028000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Seats 2014-10-24 · NHTSA campaign 14V670000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (243 total)

Air bags
88
Engine
53
Electrical system
48
Service brakes
26
Steering
26
Fuel and propulsion system
21
Suspension
16
Powertrain
12
Speed control
10
Visibility
7
Exterior lighting
6
Visibility and wipers
6
Structure
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Seat belts
4
Tires
4
Hydraulic brakes
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Wheels
2
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seats
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

11

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201418201526201613201733201844201913202020202131202218202310202412202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle has an excessive gasoline smell coming from the driver front of the vehicle- mechanics have not been able to determine the exact location of the problem."
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-24
  • "While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-02-09
  • "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 dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined…"
    Fuel system, gasoline, Engine · filed 2026-02-05
  • "The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss.…"
    Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2026-01-26
  • "The heater core becomes clogged and limits heat available for windshield defogging and defrosting. This creates a visibility hazard during inclement weather and makes the cabin uncomfortable during cold weather. The…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2025-12-09

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Passat 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Passat 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 30 42 34 MPG $2800
Passat 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $3450
Passat 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 35 28 MPG $2300
Passat 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 29 40 33 MPG $2850

Specs and fitment

B7 (NMS), 2012–2015
Body styles Sedan
Oil VW 502.00 5W-30 or 5W-40 (engine dependent) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 235/45R18, 215/55R17, 215/60R16 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 19V014000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. 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. Remedy: 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).

Compare

Previous year 2014 Volkswagen Passat Next year 2016 Volkswagen Passat See every Volkswagen Passat model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Volkswagen Passat reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Volkswagen Passat holds 243 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 19 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Passat years here — over the median of the other years, which is 8. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Inflator, Headlights, and Engine.

What are common problems with a 2015 Volkswagen Passat?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (88 of 243), then Engine (53) and Electrical system (48). Those filings include 11 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Volkswagen Passat more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Passat has 594 complaints, 74 per year, and the 2016 has 106 complaints, 10 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Volkswagen Passat been recalled?

The 2015 Volkswagen Passat has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Volkswagen Passat?

Owners have filed 243 complaints about the 2015 Volkswagen Passat with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Volkswagen Passat get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Volkswagen Passat is 29.2 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volkswagen Passat use?

VW 502.00 5W-30 or 5W-40 (engine dependent)

What does NHTSA recall 19V-014 cover on the Volkswagen Passat?

NHTSA safety recall 19V014000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

What generation is the 2013 Volkswagen Passat?

B7 (NMS) (2012-2015).