2018 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
65 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 7/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Brakes & stability leads the reports.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2018 Volkswagen Passat has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2018 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
Recalls (4)
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 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient…
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their…
Technical service bulletins
601 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 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 2018 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2018 Volkswagen Passat drew 65 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 7/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2018 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat are brakes & stability (13 complaints), engine (11), and electrical (11).
Does the 2018 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Volkswagen Passat. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.