2010 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
226 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 19/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 71,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2010 Volkswagen Passat has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2010 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“Takata recall. Takata still have not provided a fix for my car it has been over a year.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Passat
“Car would not start had it towed to dealer and found out my timing chain tensioner failed and caused catastrophic engine damage. Dealer has quotes over $7000 for repairs”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Passat
“Jerking and lurching at idle and low speeds. Matches description of mechatronics failure of the dsg transmission. Similar to the same failure on other models of the same year, with vw extended warranty to 10 year /100,000 miles. Passat not included in this extension despite same failure and vw will…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Passat
“Replaced cracked fuel pump 3 times. Electrical problem to fuel pump ; also all were cracked from pressure. Thx !! Dr.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Passat
“My vehicle was a part of the clockspring recall for vw in 2015. The airbag light is now on and all steering wheel electrical controls are no longer working. Mechanic says it is a failure of the clockspring in the steering wheel.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 136 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 74,631 miles. Half of those reports fall between 52,870 and 102,251 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal…
Fix: 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 16, 2018. Owners may contact…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Volkswagen CC, 2006-2010 Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles.…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and…
Led to recall campaign 15V483000.
Technical service bulletins
832 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2010 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2010 Passat TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2010 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2010 Volkswagen Passat drew 226 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 19/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2010 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2010 Volkswagen Passat are airbags (45 complaints), engine (41), and transmission & drivetrain (34).
At what mileage do 2010 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2010 Volkswagen Passat problems around 74,631 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 52,870 and 102,251 miles.
Does the 2010 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 Volkswagen Passat. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.