Volkswagen Passat
Every model year 2016–2022: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.
Which model year the record favours
Source: recalls and complaints per year on the roadOn the filed record so far, the 2022 is the cleanest Passat year we hold, and the 2018 the one to check hardest. The 2018 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.
Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.
What changed year to year
Source: computed from the filed record- 2021: best combined mpg 27 → 28
- 2020: best combined mpg 29 → 27
- 2019: 2 → 1 EPA configurations
- 2018: best combined mpg 27 → 29
- 2017: best combined mpg 29 → 27
Common questions about the Volkswagen Passat
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsWhich Volkswagen Passat year is the best used buy?
On the recall record, the 2022 Passat comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 13 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.
What Volkswagen Passat years should I avoid?
2017, 2018 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Passat model year ranked, with the reasons.
How many recalls does the Volkswagen Passat have?
Across model years 2016–2022, NHTSA has posted 21 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Passat. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.