2019 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 12 complaints · 1 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (2 complaints · 16.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2018 →
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 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 2 of 12 owner complaints (16.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 16.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 16.7% FUEL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 16.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 2 · 16.7% SERVICE BRAKES: 2 complaints, 16.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 16.7% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 1 complaints, 8.3% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 8.3% POWER TRAIN: 1 complaints, 8.3% of reports POWER TRAIN 1 · 8.3% STEERING: 1 complaints, 8.3% of reports STEERING 1 · 8.3% VISIBILITY: 1 complaints, 8.3% of reports VISIBILITY 1 · 8.3% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 3 complaints, 25.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 25.0% 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)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 16.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 2 16.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 2 16.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 1 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 1 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 1 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 25.0% 0 crashes · 0 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 2019; the first recall shown was reported in May 2019. 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2019 Jan 2025 Recall campaign 19V389000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V389000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 19V389000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (1)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V389000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    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 customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
    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 12 complaints · page 1 of 1

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