Problems · by component
2014 Volkswagen Passat fuel/propulsion system problems
47 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Volkswagen Passat cite fuel/propulsion system, 8% of all 594 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
47
8% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the fuel/propulsion system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The vehicle experienced repeated catastrophic engine failures, including failure of a replacement engine. Approximately six months after purchase and at around 80,000 miles, the engine failed and required a complete engine replacement through Volkswagen and the MaxCare service contract. Approximately one to one and a half years later, at around 120,000 miles, the replacement engine also failed. The vehicle developed rough idle conditions, check engine light warnings, timing chain and camshaft-related issues, lubrication-related concerns, and severe engine performance problems. Volkswagen later recommended another complete engine rebuild or replacement along with additional engine-related repairs. The vehicle became non-operable and could no longer be safely or reliably driven. The repeated failure of both the original engine and replacement engine suggests an ongoing defect-related condition rather than normal wear or an isolated mechanical failure. The problems were confirmed and documented by Volkswagen service personnel. Similar engine-related concerns involving oil consumption, lubrication issues, timing system concerns, and engine performance problems are…”
“There has been an excessive oil consumption in this vehicle , and reading other reports there maybe an issue, also this vehicle has been part of several recalls previously and I am concerned and I don’t feel safe to drive it . I would like for VW to inspect the car free of charge for this particular issue.”
“Car started to stall, the spark plugs, injectors, sensors all replaced. I go to pickup the car on three different occasions and it won't go 1/10 of a mile without stalling and refuses to start. The garage I was dealing with refuses to work on it any more. I think this seems to be a common problem with the 2014 Passats, but I don't see where anyone's has been fixed. The stalling has happened on multiple dates. Now it's at a garage and can't even get it to dealer and have already spent over 1000.00”
“To Whom It May Concern. Good afternoon. I really need your help on this. This particular vehicle has a defective DEF emission system that renders the car inoperable when the DEF sensors start acting up. Between 2022-2023, I took this vehicle to the Volkswagen dealership on numerous times, over ten different times. This vehicle was still protected under a factory emissions DEF extended warranty. The engine mounted diesel injection pump was changed by me when the Volkswagen dealer refused to honor the defective diesel injection pump. The DEF emissions systems has had numerous issues including shutting off on the freeway due to defective DEF sensors. Between 2022-2023 I was forced to keep the vehicle on for up to 96 hours costing me considerable expenses in fuel, and abnormally high mechanical wear and tear on my vehicle because I was unable to turn the vehicle off due to a Volkswagen diesel no-restart emissions issue that can only be repaired at the Volkswagen dealership. VWOA has acted in extremely bad faith causing unnecessary hardship on their customers that erroneously purchased a Volkswagen Passat diesel with the DEF emission system. Volkswagen ripped me off…”
“High pressure fuel pump failed contaminating entire fuel system. Causing about $4,000 in damage. Have 108,000 miles. Passats up to 2012 are warrantied up to 120,000 miles.”
“Bought my car in November 2019 from an individual after bout 6 months i noticed that my car would slighty cut out when slowing down or cominv to a stop but it wasnt often til bout another 6 months that it began to cut out when slowing down and stopping more and aggressively and it would die then it does it just idling and even when im driving at a low speed as long as i stay at a higher speed ot isnt as bad theres no warning or check engine lights that come on at all when it dies sometime i dont even know it did until i see thr red battery light illuminated car will start back up but if i dont give it high speed it again will cut out aggressively and die if im going 40mph in mid drive it does it. Ive had thr spark plugs changed oil changed thr cam position sensor changed the alternator and battery check they were fine i do however sometime after turninv my car off hear the fuel pump still on so i have to turn key over and back off for it to go off it throws no coded an last mechanic said it did ok aftet clearing all codes but wasnt sure if it would fix it whivh it didnt ive seen online car blogs of anothers with same year make an model having same issue and…”
Showing 6 of 47 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.