1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 326 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: SUSPENSION (81 complaints · 24.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 6
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 12
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1997 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution SUSPENSION appears in 81 of 326 owner complaints (24.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. SUSPENSION: 81 complaints, 24.9% of reports SUSPENSION 81 · 24.9% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 77 complaints, 23.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 77 · 23.6% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 36 complaints, 11.0% of reports STEERING 36 · 11.0% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 30 complaints, 9.2% of reports ENGINE 30 · 9.2% · 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 22 complaints, 6.8% of reports VISIBILITY 22 · 6.8% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 19 complaints, 5.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 · 5.8% · 2 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 4.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 4.0% POWER TRAIN: 10 complaints, 3.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 10 · 3.1% · 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 2.5% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 2.5% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 291 complaints, 89.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 291 · 89.3% · 6 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
SUSPENSION 81 24.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 77 23.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 36 11.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 30 9.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 22 6.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 5.8% 0 crashes · 2 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 13 4.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 10 3.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 8 2.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 291 89.3% 6 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 1998. 1998-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2000-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2000-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2000-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2000-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2001-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2001-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2001-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2001-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2002-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2002-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2003-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2004-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2005-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2005-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2005-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2008-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 1998 Oct 2017 Recall campaign 98V134000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V134000 Recall campaign 99V131001 ◆ Recall campaign 99V131001 Recall campaign 99V248000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V248000 Recall campaign 02V026000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V026000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Investigation RQ99008 ● Investigation RQ99008 Investigation PE00033 ● Investigation PE00033 Investigation EA00028 ● Investigation EA00028 Investigation PE03021 ● Investigation PE03021 Investigation EA03020 ● Investigation EA03020 Investigation EA04017 ● Investigation EA04017
  • Campaign 99V248000 was reported 94 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V026000 was reported 1,089 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 3,556 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q2 Owner reports 2
1998-Q3 Owner reports 5
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 10
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 7
1999-Q4 Owner reports 7
2000-Q1 Owner reports 10
2000-Q2 Owner reports 12
2000-Q3 Owner reports 8
2000-Q4 Owner reports 10
2001-Q1 Owner reports 11
2001-Q2 Owner reports 13
2001-Q3 Owner reports 9
2001-Q4 Owner reports 10
2002-Q1 Owner reports 5
2002-Q2 Owner reports 17
2002-Q3 Owner reports 17
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 12
2003-Q3 Owner reports 6
2003-Q4 Owner reports 4
2004-Q1 Owner reports 9
2004-Q2 Owner reports 12
2004-Q3 Owner reports 14
2004-Q4 Owner reports 12
2005-Q1 Owner reports 17
2005-Q2 Owner reports 17
2005-Q3 Owner reports 7
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 6
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 5
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 9
2008-Q4 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 98V134000
Recall campaign 1 99V131001
Recall campaign 1 99V248000
Recall campaign 1 02V026000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Defect investigation 1 RQ99008
Defect investigation 1 PE00033
Defect investigation 1 EA00028
Defect investigation 1 PE03021
Defect investigation 1 EA03020
Defect investigation 1 EA04017
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V026000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL LEAKAGE CAN OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL FIT PASSAT VEHICLES WITH A NEW WHEEL HOUSE LINER THAT WILL BETTER PROTECT THE CAR'S FILLER NECK. JETTA VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH A DIFFERENT METAL SHIELD DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ABRASION PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF TIRE DISINTEGRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 13, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V134000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    SCREEN PIECES COULD ENTER THE INTAKE AIR FLOW SYSTEM AND PREVENT THE THROTTLE PLATE FROM RETURNING TO ITS FULL IDLE POSITION.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RETAINING RING TO HOLD THE AIR SCREEN IN PLACE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V131001

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE INSUFFICIENT VACUUM TO BE PROVIDED TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A VACUUM BY-PASS SYSTEM INTO VEHICLES OPERATED IN THESE STATES WHICH IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT VACUUM FOR FULL BRAKE ASSIST UNDER ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V248000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    IF MOISTURE AND/OR DUST PARTICLES ENTER THE SWIVEL BEARING MECHANISM, THE SWIVEL BEARING COULD WEAR OVER TIME DIMINISHING THE STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TIE RODS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 326 complaints · page 1 of 14

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources