Problems · NHTSA complaints
2005 Volkswagen Passat problems
Owners filed 148 complaints about the 2005 Volkswagen Passat with NHTSA between Aug 2005 and Aug 2022. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (50).
Complaints
148
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
11
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine and engine cooling50
- Power train13
- Seats13
- Engine12
- Fuel system, gasoline10
- Electrical system9
- Fuel/propulsion system8
- Structure6
- Vehicle speed control5
- Tires5
- Exterior lighting5
- Air bags4
- Visibility4
- Fuel system, diesel4
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
10
9
14
36
19
14
8
6
12
3
3
0
2
5
0
1
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 14 |
| 2009 | 36 |
| 2010 | 19 |
| 2011 | 14 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine and engine cooling
50 reports1 crash1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 125,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.”
Power train
13 reports
“I DECIDED TO CHANGE THE OIL MYSELF IN MY CAR, SINCE I WANTED TO SAVE MONEY AND I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING. INSTEAD OF DRAINING THE OIL, I ACCIDENTALLY DRAINED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. I DIDN'T FIGURE OUT THAT IT WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE OIL! SO, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED AFTER; I DROVE HOME (NOT KNOWING THERE WAS NO TRANNY FLUID IN IT) AND I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WANTED TO TAKE OFF BY ITSELF. IT KEPT DOING TIS TWO OR THREE MORE TIMES WHEN IT BECAME STUCK IN 4TH GEAR. I MANAGED TO SAFELY GET HOME, AND FIGURED OUT WHAT HAPPENED. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW!!! THE TRANSMISSION FLUID DRAIN HOLE IS WHERE THE ENGINE OIL DRAIN HOLE SHOULD BE! LUCKILY, AFTER I PUT FRESH TRANNY FLUID IN IT, THE CAR WAS FINE. I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE THIS HAPPENED TO.”
Seats
13 reports6 fires
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE SEAT HEATER BURNED A HOLE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE PASSENGER'S COAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000. UPDATED 02/23/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. UPDATED 03/30/16.*JB”
Engine
12 reports1 fire
“It just died and I lost brakes, power steering, and only know what else stopped working. Come to find out the splines wear off of the oil pump shift after the counter balance and chain goes out. This is so common a problem that when you Google what happened there are numerous videos and complaints about this issue, with ways to stop it from happening. Korea has already recalled them and Europe has recalled them, why are we so far behind on this. Not only is it expensive, but also a major safety issue because this stops the brakes from working and the car does not have stopping power with the motor dead. NOT EVERYONE KNOWS TO REPORT TO NHTSA!”
Fuel system, gasoline
10 reports2 fires1 related recall
“I WAS DRIVING ACROSS CONNECTICUT ON FRIDAY JUNE 27 2014 ON I-84 (DANBURY TO MASS PIKE), TRAVELING FROM PHILADELPHIA TO BOSTON. AFTER PASSING THROUGH HARTFORD THE ROAD EXPANDS FROM 2 -3 LANES TO 8, I WAS IN LANE 4. THE ROAD WAS GOING TO SPLIT GOING 84 EAST AND 383 SE. 84 WAS STILL 8 LANES WHEN MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED - NO GAS WAS GETTING TO THE ENGINE. I HAD SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER VERY CLOSE BEHIND ME, THE TIME WAS 5:30 - RUSH HOUR, EVERYONE WAS SPEEDING, AND I WAS SHUT DOWN IN LANE 4. AT THIS POINT, THANKFULLY AND MIRACULOUSLY, THE 2 HIGHWAYS SPLIT AND IT WAS ALL I COULD DO BUT FALL INTO THE NEWLY CREATED BREAKDOWN LANE; OTHERWISE I DON'T SEE HOW I COULD HAVE WALKED AWAY FROM THE ROAD. THERE WAS NO, NONE, NO WARNING THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO DIE, NO LIGHTS, NO SHAKING, NO ALARM. I CALLED THE STATE POLICE TO GET ME OFF THE HIGHWAY. AS IT WAS FRIDAY EVENING, AAA COULD ONLY TOW ME TO A PEP BOYS AND AS IT WAS 7 PM BY THIS TIME, I HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN A RESIDENCE 6 IN MANCHESTER CN. PEP BOYS LOOKED AT THE CAR THE NEXT DAY AND DETERMINED THAT NO FUEL WAS GETTING TO THE ENGINE; I WOULD NEED A NEW FUEL PUMP. ALSO, FOR NO OTHER REASON THAT IT WAS INTERESTING,…”
Electrical system
9 reports1 fire
“Electronic control module, electronic body module starts going out, it will not let you open the doors from the outside without rolling the windows down and sometimes won't even let you open them with the inside door handles. This is a major safety issue in a wreck or fire especially if you cannot get out of the car. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. For a vehicle that everyone complains about with this, and as expensive as it is to fix, are you going to wait until someone dies to make them fix it? When people complain if someone would just Google these issues you would find out just because not everyone knows about NHTSA, that these are extremely common issues that need to be fixed by Volkswagon!”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.