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2014 Volkswagen Passat Recalls, Complaints & Specs

10 safety recalls list the 2014 Volkswagen Passat, and owners have filed 594 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

10
safety recalls
594
owner complaints to NHTSA
19 / 3
complaints citing a crash / fire
23–34
MPG combined (EPA)

10 safety recalls for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 24V834000 Reported 248,330 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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…

    Remedy: 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…

  2. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 19V862000 Reported 226 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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…

    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…

  3. Headlights (exterior lighting)

    NHTSA 19V389000 Reported 662,185 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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,…

    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…

  4. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 18V148000 Reported 363,713 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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.

    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 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer…

  5. Driveshaft (power train) and diesel (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 17V309000 Reported 84,262 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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.

    Remedy: 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…

  6. Electrical system: wiring

    NHTSA 16V171000 Reported 91,442 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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.

    Remedy: 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.…

  7. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 16V078000 Reported 659,493 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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…

    Remedy: 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…

  8. Air bags: frontal

    NHTSA 15V483000 Reported 415,825 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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…

    Remedy: 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…

  9. Fuel rail (fuel system)

    NHTSA 15V028000 Reported 44,658 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

    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…

    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…

  10. Cooling unit and lines (power train)

    NHTSA 14V182000 Reported 26,452 vehicles potentially affected Volkswagen of America, Inc.

    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.

    Remedy: 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…

594 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2014 Volkswagen Passat have filed 594 complaints with NHTSA; 19 describe a crash and 3 describe a fire. Reports cite 15 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 52,539 miles. Complaints peaked in 2016 with 169 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“A prior recall that was supposedly fixed, broke again. Submitted several complaints with Nhtsa and Volkswagen. Volkswagen said i had to pay a fee to verify what was wrong with my vehicle because the r”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 28, 2026 · Air bags

“Clockspring Recall. Horn not working, buttons on steering column not working, when turning steering wheel it makes a clicking noise, sounds like spring being pulled, driver side air bag light is illum”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 27, 2026 · Air bags

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined23–34 mpg
City / Highway20–30 / 28–40
FuelDiesel, Premium, Regular
EPA classMidsize Cars
Engine4/5/6 cyl, 1.8/2/2.5/3.6 L
TransmissionAutomatic (AM-S6); Automatic (S6); Manual 5-spd

Compare Volkswagen Passat model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Volkswagen Passat model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1988 Volkswagen Passat10
1989 Volkswagen Passat10
1990 Volkswagen Passat234
1991 Volkswagen Passat124
1992 Volkswagen Passat139
1993 Volkswagen Passat368
1994 Volkswagen Passat125
1995 Volkswagen Passat193
1996 Volkswagen Passat140
1997 Volkswagen Passat037
1998 Volkswagen Passat4331
1999 Volkswagen Passat5664
2000 Volkswagen Passat3507
2001 Volkswagen Passat3430
2002 Volkswagen Passat3636
2003 Volkswagen Passat6628
2004 Volkswagen Passat3279
2005 Volkswagen Passat3148
2006 Volkswagen Passat7576
2007 Volkswagen Passat7262
2008 Volkswagen Passat4168
2009 Volkswagen Passat4146
2010 Volkswagen Passat4163
2011 Volkswagen Passat016
2012 Volkswagen Passat11484
2013 Volkswagen Passat9748
2014 Volkswagen Passat10594
2015 Volkswagen Passat7243
2016 Volkswagen Passat5106
2017 Volkswagen Passat7110
2018 Volkswagen Passat445
2019 Volkswagen Passat112
2020 Volkswagen Passat318
2021 Volkswagen Passat118
2022 Volkswagen Passat013

Checking a specific 2014 Volkswagen Passat

How do I know if my 2014 Volkswagen Passat has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 10 campaigns currently list the 2014 Volkswagen Passat; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Volkswagen dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 14V182000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Volkswagen models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.