AutoUtility currently tracks 243 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Volkswagen Passat. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 90 complaints (37% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 11 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries. The 2015 Volkswagen Passat belongs to the North American NMS Generation (NMS / Typ A32) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 243 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Air Bags & Restraints (90 reports • 37% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (48), Engine & Cooling (45)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 11 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 7 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2015 Volkswagen Passat
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #19V014000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Campaign #19V862000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Electrical System
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #15V705000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #15V373000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Steering System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Volkswagen Passat
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Airbag Warning Light / Non-Deployment in Crash
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Volkswagen Passat
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Vehicle has an excessive gasoline smell coming from the driver front of the vehicle- mechanics have not been able to determine the exact location of the problem."
"While driving on the highway my car suddenly began to stall. It lost power later after that & when I got an oil change then tried to drive it later I was stopped by another driver told something is leaking. While driving to a Autozone I noticed the gears jump while shifting from 1 to 2 and I now..."
"The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle sputtered intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that fuel was leaking into the engine compartment, causing engine failure. The..."
"The vehicle was rear-ended, lost control, traveled approximately 500 feet, and rolled multiple times. Side and curtain airbags deployed; however, the front airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The driver exited the vehicle without assistance. The vehicle is currently..."
"The heater core becomes clogged and limits heat available for windshield defogging and defrosting. This creates a visibility hazard during inclement weather and makes the cabin uncomfortable during cold weather. The heater core was diagnosed and replaced on this vehicle in December 2024. The same..."
Complaint History for Volkswagen Passat
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2022)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Volkswagen Passat Current Page | 243 | 11 | 7 | Current |
| 2016 Volkswagen Passat | 106 | 4 | 5 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Volkswagen Passat | 110 | 9 | 7 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Volkswagen Passat | 45 | 5 | 4 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Volkswagen Passat | 12 | 0 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Volkswagen Passat | 16 | 1 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Volkswagen Passat | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Volkswagen Passat | 12 | 1 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Volkswagen Passat
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 76 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 37 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TIRES,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.