2013 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,027 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 93/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 57,625 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2013 Volkswagen Passat sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1997, 2005, 2009–2010, 2016–2018.
Avoid
Where 2013 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“The steering wheel controls stop working the horn no longer works after the recall on the airbag they fixed in the steering wheel”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
“Clock spring went out. This is a recall for 2013 passat, however my vin is excluded. Not happy”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
“High-pressure fuel pump failure, car stopped working while driving on freeway in another state. Car has not run in over a year due to this problem and the cost to fix it. They model your new were with the exact same engine and part is covered under warranty but this car is not at a 71,250 miles”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
“Clock Spring Malfunction: Air Bag Indicator Light, Loss of Function of Horn, Loss of Function of Steering Wheel Controls”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
“Adblue heater element should be part of diesel recall part #561198970a with war.for emissions to 80000 miles”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
“Clock spring is not working after takata recall implemented. No controls on steering wheel work. Horn does not work. Airbag would likely not inflate. Airbag light is on. This occured while the car was not moving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 549 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 53,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,000 and 82,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
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 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…
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
1,590 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2013 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 2013 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2013 Volkswagen Passat drew 1,027 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 93/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2013 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat are airbags (382 complaints), electrical (155), and engine (109).
At what mileage do 2013 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2013 Volkswagen Passat problems around 53,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,000 and 82,000 miles.
Does the 2013 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2013 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.