2014 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
788 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 69/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 50,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2014 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 2014 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“Takata recall - i have received the notice but it has yet to be remedied. I have not yet received a replacement.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
“While turning the steering wheel, i started hearing a clicking noise. Shortly after the horn or controls are not working and airbag light is on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
“Took vehicle to shop report oil leak no warning signs causing timing chain problems what is the cause of oil leak is the recall issue on the engine?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
“Heater core was plugged. Vw did replace it under a tsb but friends of mine state their heater cores plugged again after having them replaced once. I was warm defrost on the drivers side and cold on the passenger side. Wouldn't even defrost the windshield so i could see with frost on it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
“High pressure fuel pump failed contaminating entire fuel system. Causing about $4,000 in damage. Have 108,000 miles. Passats up to 2012 are warrantied up to 120,000 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
“Clock spring failure. Clicking in steering wheel while turning car, air bag error light came on and none of the controls on the steering wheel work.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 359 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,149 miles. Half of those reports fall between 22,400 and 71,099 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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, 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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torque converter automatic transmission. In the affected vehicles, the O-ring seals between…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the O-ring seals in the transmission oil cooler, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on April 16, 2014. Owners may contact…
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
1,562 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2014 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 2014 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2014 Volkswagen Passat drew 788 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 69/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2014 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat are airbags (354 complaints), electrical (83), and engine (81).
At what mileage do 2014 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2014 Volkswagen Passat problems around 49,149 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 22,400 and 71,099 miles.
Does the 2014 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2014 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.