2000 Volkswagen Passat air bags problems
17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2000 Volkswagen Passat — 3% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Side airbag deployed for no reason while driving straight at the speed limit of 75 mph. The local VW dealer determined the side impact sensor is defective. This is a very interesting situation because a fail safe exists in these systems in that the supplemental restraint control module in the…”
filed Dec 16, 2025
“A rainy night, 10:30 pm., on the freeway returning home from a symphony concert, the engine simply quit. I, husband/driver, tried three time to restart it before yelling to my wife to turn on emergency flashers which she did. As we slowed, I remember seeing all icons on dash blinking. Both of us…”
filed Feb 28, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Air Bags problems in other Passat years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Passat | 5 | 11% |
| 2017 Passat | 28 | 26% |
| 2016 Passat | 25 | 24% |
| 2015 Passat | 88 | 36% |
| 2014 Passat | 353 | 60% |
| 2013 Passat | 381 | 51% |
| 2012 Passat | 295 | 61% |
| 2010 Passat | 45 | 28% |
| 2009 Passat | 12 | 8% |
| 2008 Passat | 32 | 19% |
| 2007 Passat | 106 | 40% |
| 2006 Passat | 148 | 26% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2000 Volkswagen Passat
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.