The 2016 Volkswagen Passat has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 754,176 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 179 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
UNKNOWN OR OTHER21V3210002021-05-0546 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may…
Consequence
Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER20V5610002020-09-1623 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior…
Consequence
Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November…
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 cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING15V7050002015-10-2691,867 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.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
22
2crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
22
1crashes1injuries
STEERING
19
1crashes
ENGINE
17
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
15
SERVICE BRAKES
15
1crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
13
2crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
5
POWER TRAIN
5
Total complaints179
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. The airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. The instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. The safety risks…”
“The clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. The airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. The instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. The safety risks…”
“The clock spring system failed, rendering all of the cars' steering wheel functions non-functional. The airbag light is on and the steering wheels airbag does not operate as well as the cars horn and auto cruise controls. The instrument cluster is malfunctioning as well. The safety risks…”
“The contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Upon investigation, the contact…”
“Currently leaking raw fuel under the hood (matching recall 15f7) and stalling after fill-ups (matching recall 24v110000). I am requesting a specialized safety review and goodwill assistance to cover the repair because this is a documented manufacturing defect, not wear-and-tear." 2. Leverage the…”
“The contact owns a 2016 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, there was a strong gasoline odor inside the cabin. The contact immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle to inspect for visible fuel leaks, but found no leaks. While attempting to restart the vehicle,…”
“Description of the problem: the fuel pump housing on my 2016 volkswagen passat (1.8l tsi) developed visible cracks, which caused a persistent fuel vapor smell around the vehicle, especially after refueling. The failed component — the plastic fuel pump assembly manufactured by continental — is…”
“The vehicle has been alerting error codes 16352 for failing to communicate with abs module causing warning lights for abs, brake and the esc systems to illuminate. The brake system related vehicle stabilizing functions (abs/esc) is not be available, increasing the risk of a loss of vehicle control…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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