2016 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
179 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 15/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2016 Volkswagen Passat has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2016 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“Steering wheel clock spring failure which faults steering wheel controls, air bag and horn. Key safety features failed!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Passat
“Driver airbag warning came on. Lost use of all controls on steering wheel. Probable clockspring failure”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 78 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 45,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 21,000 and 61,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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 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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
Technical service bulletins
828 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2016 Volkswagen Passat drew 179 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 15/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2016 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat are electrical (27 complaints), airbags (25), and steering (19).
At what mileage do 2016 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Volkswagen Passat problems around 45,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 21,000 and 61,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 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.