The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen Passat · 2016

2016 Volkswagen Passat. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index56100 = average car
Complaints42NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold73,002U.S. model year
Per 100K sold58complaints
Year rank#4 of 9#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
1.8L 4-cyl turboAuto (S6)FWD25 / 36 / 29Regular$2,150
3.6L 6-cylAuto (AM-S6)FWD20 / 28 / 23Regular$2,700

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 10,800 and 61,200 miles. Median 34,000, from 54 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Airbags46,00027,000–60,00011
Electrical6,1000–61,0007
Steering41,50027,300–51,50010
Engine86,30023,000–129,8007
Brakes24,50016,500–43,20012

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Brakes24%
Steering21%
Electrical19%
Airbags19%
Engine14%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
10640303

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 5

  • 21V321000 May 2021 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. 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 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.

    Risk. Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

    Remedy. 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 is 01F1.

  • 20V561000 Sep 2020 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. 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 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.

    Risk. Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.

    Remedy. 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 recall is 01E9.

  • 19V389000 May 2019 Exterior Lighting / Headlights

    Defect. 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 fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

    Risk. 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.

  • 16V403000 Jun 2016 Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System / Fuel Rail

    Defect. 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 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.

    Risk. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.

    Remedy. 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 service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.

  • 15V705000 Oct 2015 Engine And Engine Cooling / Engine

    Defect. 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 off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.

    Risk. If 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.

    Remedy. 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 recall is 23R1.

Manufacturer communications 834

Volkswagen filed 834 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Tech Tips (Comfort Module (J393) or BCM (J519) Replacement): This document informs if a…
  • Mil-on, fault p309f or p309d, no electric drive mode customer states crank no start and/or…
  • Technical Bulletin informing that When applying brakes at highway speeds the following…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardOptionalOptional

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2013209312109,652Airbags
201429132796,649Airbags
20151099178,207Airbags
2016564273,002Brakes
2017634360,722Brakes
2018492441,401Brakes

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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