Problems · by component
2006 Volkswagen Passat engine problems
64 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Volkswagen Passat cite engine, 11% of all 576 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
64
11% of all complaints
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V509000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure to obtain assistance with reimbursement. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.”
“My family and I have been VW owners for over 60 years. Unfortunately, the 2006 VW Passat has been layered with defects, negligent manufacturing issues, faulty wiring, electrical problems, computer glitches, to mention a few. There have been many recalls including an official recall by the NHTSA, for steering linkage problems and tie rod assembly which caused a loss of steering, crashes and deaths. Over 292 complaints are filed with Consumer Affairs, over 561 defects reported, and thousands of horror stories like mine about this car. It's considered a lemon by many car professionals. Many dealerships in the USA offered to inspect, and replace the electronic steering column lock free of charge and address any other concerns, which should be standard, reasonable behavior for all VW dealerships, mandated by this Federal agency. Shortly after this car almost killed me in 2013, VW put me through countless stressful hours of calls, emails and the like and still refused to be fully accountable. Shortly after my almost end of life, the notorious VW Emissions Scandal spoke volumes. VW was well aware of their defects including the electrical system in the steering…”
“The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while approaching an off ramp while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where an unknown diagnostic test and repair was completed. Additionally, the dealer fractured an unknown part underneath the hood and water entered the vehicle near the sun visor and there was water accumulating on the rear passenger’s side door location. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.”
“The contact owned a 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while her husband was driving in traffic, he rear-ended a vehicle at approximately 25 MPH. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. While her husband was exchanging information with the other driver, the other driver alerted him that his vehicle had caught fire. As her husband attempted to retrieve a fire extinguisher from the truck, he was alerted that the fire had worsened and was instructed to move away from the vehicle. Within minutes, the vehicle became engulfed in flames and was incinerated. A police report was filed. No injuries were reported. The contact had the vehicle towed to her home where it remained in her possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was a total loss. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.”
“WE HAVE 2006 3.6L VW PASSAT WITH 55K MILES FOR MY DAUGHTER. JUST RECENTLY THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE SEIZED WHILE DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH. IT HAD BEEN RUNNING GOOD AND NO OIL WAS LEAKING. THIS SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO AN ISSUE MANY OTHER PASSAT OWNERS EXPERIENCED WHERE THE OIL PUMP BOLT BECOMES LOSE AND CAUSES A FATAL FAILURE.”
“HAVE REPLACED NUMEROUS PARTS ...THE EPX LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON WHICH MAY REFERENCE TO THE OIL PUMP BOLT FAILING...CRANKSHAFT AND CAM SHAFTS CODES KEEP COMING ON EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE REPLACED...TRANSMISSION SHIFTING SLIGHTLY HARD.. OVERHEATING EVEN THOUGH NEW PARTS WERE INSTALLED...AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON..BRAKES HAVE BEEN BLEED OVER 10 TIMES AND ARE STILL TOO SOFT CAUSE ME TO BRAKE AT A FURTHER DISTANCE TO AVOID A WRECK....I AM ON A FIXED INCOME AND CANT AFFORD A MASSAGE BILL TO FIX IT AND VW IS AWARE OVER THESE YEARS OF THE ISSUES AND WONT RECALL TO REPAIR ANY OF THE ISSUES...I HAVE ALL RECEIPTS FOR THE PARTS REPLACED... *TR”
Showing 6 of 64 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.