2014 Volkswagen Passat problems & reliability
594 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 10 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
11 complaints report injuries (15 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2014 Volkswagen Passat vehicles were involved in 57 fatal crashes with 25 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 354 | 60% |
| Engine → | 77 | 13% |
| Electrical System → | 74 | 12% |
| Unknown / Other | 59 | 10% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 47 | 8% |
| Steering → | 44 | 7% |
| Power Train → | 37 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 13 | 2% |
| Structure → | 12 | 2% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 12 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 25 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 249 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 50,000 miles (middle 50% between 22,400 and 75,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“A prior recall that was supposedly fixed, broke again. Submitted several complaints with Nhtsa and Volkswagen. Volkswagen said i had to pay a fee to verify what was wrong with my vehicle because the recall had already been fixed before. Months of waiting and waiting for an appointment and then vw would still not refix…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 28, 2026
“Clockspring Recall. Horn not working, buttons on steering column not working, when turning steering wheel it makes a clicking noise, sounds like spring being pulled, driver side air bag light is illuminated on dash.”
Air Bags · filed Jul 27, 2026
“The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the Check Engine warning light illuminated, and there was no heat coming from the front passenger’s or driver’s side air vents. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed…”
Engine · filed Jun 16, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Engineering Analysis EA18003 · opened Apr 18, 2018 · open
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Recall Query RQ17009 · opened Nov 13, 2017 · closed May 4, 2018
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE15010 · opened Mar 24, 2015 · closed Sep 28, 2015 · led to recall 15V483000
Technical service bulletins
1,565 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2014 Volkswagen Passat. The 10 most recent:
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
TT 00-13-04_7 · Other · issued Aug 6, 2026
Differences between a leak and seepage
V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2026
Clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. Foreign bodies into the clock spring.
V4823022072282_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2026
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery…
VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 15, 2026
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
V1718062017813_24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 9, 2026
Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
TT 13-20-01_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
TT 10-18-02_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
Inquiries
V6919012010479_17 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 11, 2026
Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards
V1719012012855_81 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
SM 26-2026 · Other · issued May 19, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2014 Volkswagen Passat has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2014 Volkswagen Passat?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 50,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.