2012 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
662 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 54/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 62,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2012 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“Takata recall there has been no remedy for this issue and it has been nearly a year.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
“Clock spring fail airbag light is on horn is not working dangerous to drive car likethis”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
“The DPF keeps causing the engine light to come on when there isn’t anything wrong but it also makes the car use more fuel every time this happens”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
“While driving on the city streets, i heard a pop like a fuse went out. I noticed my horn did not work, the functions on the steering wheel are not operable and my air light came on. This happened prior on 9/16/2014 which the clock spring was replaced.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
“Heater cor clogged. The vehicle has 78xxx miles. On the volkswagen forms other people have the same issue also in other years. It is the same part used”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
“Secondary air pressure sensor failure after 37000 miles,part of emission and not covered under warranty.vehicle was in motion.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 373 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 59,400 miles. Half of those reports fall between 39,462 and 80,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant…
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018.…
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 2012-2014 Passat vehicles, equipped with diesel engines and Direct-Shift Transmissions (DSG). The vehicle's underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right half-shaft…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft heat shield, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Passat vehicles equipped with TDI engines. Due to improperly assembled wire seals in a connector for an underbody sensor, water may enter and corrode the electrical…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in September. 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…
Volkswagen Group of America (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Passat vehicles manufactured January 2011 through November 2012. In the affected vehicles, the low beam headlight bulb may become loose and lose electrical contact.
Fix: Volkswagen notified owners, and dealers will replace the bulb holder, free of charge. The recall began in May 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagens recall number…
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 PASSAT VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 18, 2011, THROUGH JUNE 1, 2011. DURING ASSEMBLY, THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH A DIESEL FUEL FILTER ELEMENT THAT MAY NOT SEAL CORRECTLY.
Fix: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DIESEL FUEL FILTER ELEMENTS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
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
1,568 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2012 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 2012 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat drew 662 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 54/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2012 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat are airbags (298 complaints), electrical (113), and fuel system (47).
At what mileage do 2012 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Volkswagen Passat problems around 59,400 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 39,462 and 80,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 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.