2015 Volkswagen Passat Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2015 Volkswagen Passat has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 918,785 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 388 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

AIR BAGS 19V862000 2019-12-04 226 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

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 customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9,…

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 19V389000 2019-05-22 662,185 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

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 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

AIR BAGS 19V014000 2019-01-11 119,394 affected
Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015 Passat, 2015-2016 Eos, 2015-2017 CC, 2016-2017 TT Roadster, TT Coupe, 2017 Audi R8 Coupe, and R8 Spyder vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Consequence

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

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 4, 2019. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298; Audi owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's…

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 15V705000 2015-10-26 91,867 affected
Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.

Consequence

If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 15V373000 2015-06-15 62 affected
Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Passat vehicles manufactured May 18, 2015, to May 21, 2015. The affected vehicles have a brake line at the left rear wheel area that may not have been properly tightened.

Consequence

If the brake line was not properly tightened, it may leak brake fluid, causing a reduction in braking performance, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the brake line fitting, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47M3.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 15V028000 2015-01-23 44,658 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.

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 number for this recall is 24BL. Note: This recall expands and supersedes recall 14V-809…

SEATS 14V670000 2014-10-24 393 affected
Defect

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles manufactured September 23, 2014, to October 9, 2014, and equipped with manual front seatback recliners. In the affected vehicles, the seatback recliner retaining bracket may not engage correctly,…

Consequence

Unexpected movement of the driver's seatback may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the assembly of the seatback recliner retaining bracket, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72F1.

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS
86
8crashes9injuries
ENGINE
53
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
44
1crashes1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
40
3crashes3injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
26
2crashes1fires3injuries
STEERING
26
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
20
SUSPENSION
15
POWER TRAIN
12
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
9
2crashes
Total complaints388

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While driving to a autozone I noticed the gears jump while shifting from 1 to 2 and I now…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2026-02-06

“While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While driving to a autozone I noticed the gears jump while shifting from 1 to 2 and I now…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2026-02-06

“While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While driving to a autozone I noticed the gears jump while shifting from 1 to 2 and I now…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-02-06

“The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The driver exited the vehicle without assistance. The vehicle is currently…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2026-01-22

“The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The driver exited the vehicle without assistance. The vehicle is currently…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2026-01-22

“The heater core becomes clogged and limits heat available for windshield defogging and defrosting. This creates a visibility hazard during inclement weather and makes the cabin uncomfortable during cold weather. The heater core was diagnosed and replaced on this vehicle in december 2024. The same…”

VISIBILITY/WIPER · reported 2025-12-01

“The contact owns a 2015 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that cool air was being blown inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the heater failed to heat the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Additionally, the defroster failed to properly defrost the windshield while activated. The…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2025-11-17

“The contact owns a 2015 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that cool air was being blown inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the heater failed to heat the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Additionally, the defroster failed to properly defrost the windshield while activated. The…”

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE · reported 2025-11-17
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2015 Volkswagen Passat as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.