Problems · by component
2015 Volkswagen Passat engine problems
53 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Passat cite engine, 22% of all 244 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
53
22% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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 that fuel was leaking into the engine compartment, causing engine failure. The contact stated that the dealer had repaired the vehicle and possibly cleaned the engine. The dealer had informed the contact that the engine would last 4-6 months before complete engine failure. The vehicle was returned to the contact; however, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle sputtered and then lost power. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts to continue driving. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not repaired. The dealer suggested that a new vehicle be purchased. The contact searched online and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V028000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.”
“My vehicle is a MY2015 Passat TDI SEL with the EA288 (CVCA) diesel engine. Water Pump Failure Occurred at 99488 miles. Leaking coolant from underneath the engine and the expansion tank bottle became empty. Vehicle was parked after a quick 8 min drive to work from home in the morning (~8:45AM) and when I came back at 12PM around 1 quart of coolant had leaked out. Luckily I was not on the freeway or driving the vehicle where it would ride on its torque curve increasing probability of catastrophic failures even after there are usually software induced engine protection derates in place. Official service interval for water pump and timing belt on this engine is 130000 miles but there have been numerous field incidents of pre-mature water pump failures which can be very expensive to fix (~2500 USD). Volkswagen/Audi already have a class action lawsuit against them on their 2.0 TFSI (EA888) water pump failures and I'm wondering why their MY2015 2.0 TDI (EA288) diesel engine has not been investigated for the same. This engine was only available in certain MY2015 VW/Audi vehicles but just because the cumulative number of vehicles with this engine are lower does not mean…”
“Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion – Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle’s VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the **brake vacuum pump**, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the **camshaft was interfering with the pump**, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms—including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure—I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. I am requesting: - A manual review of my VIN and production batch - Consideration for inclusion in Recall 23R1 - Reimbursement or goodwill support for the repair costs already incurred I have documentation of the repair and am happy to provide technician notes that confirm the nature of the failure. I appreciate your attention to…”
“Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion – Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle’s VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the brake vacuum pump, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the camshaft was interfering with the pump, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms, including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure, I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. I am requesting: - A manual review of my VIN and production batch - Consideration for inclusion in Recall 23R1 - Reimbursement or goodwill support for the repair costs already incurred I have documentation of the repair and am happy to provide technician notes that confirm the nature of the failure. I appreciate your attention to this…”
“2015 Passat TDI sudden complete power loss while driving, including highway incidents. Vehicle stalls with no warning, creating immediate safety hazard. Symptoms match documented crankshaft position sensor failures in identical vehicles that VW has repaired under warranty for other owners. VW Customer Care closed case requiring 'duplication' of safety defect before repair. Request immediate safety investigation. I am reporting today's incident however this issue has been occuring since May 1st and occurred on numerous occasions with today being the most unsafe.”
“Gas and Oil comsumption is way too high … Almost every 600-1000 the low oil lights turns on! Check engine on almost all the time due to an error with the oxígen sensor. EPC light gets on very frequently and the car loses speed. Also vehicle has a constant rattlesnake sound when speed is low. Issue was reported some years ago to a local VW dealership in Georgia but they never took care of the issue. Ongoing for a couple of years!. No additional details”
Showing 6 of 53 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.