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2016 Volkswagen Passat

Gas
Midsize Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
46 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA106
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA29 mpg
2022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Volkswagen Passat is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Passat, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 106 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
PassatGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl turbo253629$2,150
PassatGasFWD3.6L 6-cyl202823$2,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36963, 36962.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Volkswagen Passat is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Unknown Or Other

01F1
46 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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 built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.RiskVehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.FixVolkswagen 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 is 01F1.
NHTSA campaign 21V321000reported May 5, 2021Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Unknown Or Other

01E9
23 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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 applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.RiskVehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.FixVolkswagen 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 recall is 01E9.
NHTSA campaign 20V561000reported Sep 16, 2020Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Exterior Lighting

94L9
662,185 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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 fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."RiskWithout the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.FixVolkswagen 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 customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
NHTSA campaign 19V389000reported May 22, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

15F7
55 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.RiskA fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.FixVolkswagen 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 service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
NHTSA campaign 16V403000reported Jun 6, 2016Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

23R1
91,867 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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 off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.RiskIf the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.FixVolkswagen 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 recall is 23R1.
NHTSA campaign 15V705000reported Oct 26, 2015Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
106complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2018: 16 · 2019: 13 · 2020: 10 · 2021: 11 · 2022: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Air Bags25
Electrical System22
Steering19
Engine17
Service Brakes15
Fuel/Propulsion System15

What owners describe

“The clockspring has broken 3 times since purchasing the car brand new in 2016. An extended warranty was given. However, due to all the driving I do the warranty did not cover my car as I was already past the miles once the extended warranty came out.”Feb 19, 2023 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“On turning my car on my airbag light came on and non of the buttons worked on my steering wheel. Later that afternoon as someone all most backed up into my car I tried to hit my horn but it did not work. After finally returning home I ran the code stating the Airbag resistance was too high. This puts a huge safety to m…”Feb 17, 2023 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“Car has low oil pressure come up. After new oil change around 2,000 mile the oil has disappeared/burned away. I had falcone check 3 different times. They see no leaks or issue. Due to this my engine Knocks”Jan 17, 2023 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Passat model years

A

2022 Volkswagen Passat

0 recalls · 12 complaints

A

2021 Volkswagen Passat

1 recalls · 18 complaints

C

2020 Volkswagen Passat

3 recalls · 17 complaints

A

2019 Volkswagen Passat

1 recalls · 12 complaints

D

2018 Volkswagen Passat

4 recalls · 45 complaints

F

2017 Volkswagen Passat

7 recalls · 110 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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