Volkswagen Passat recalls

• Airbag#2024649October 30, 2024

  18,995 units affected

  Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the driver-front airbag. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

• Airbag#2020412September 2, 2020

  290 units affected

  Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger-front airbag may not have been folded properly. As a result, the airbag may inflate with too much force in a crash where the airbag deploys. Safety Risk: An airbag that inflates with too much force could create an increased risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the passenger-front airbag.

• Label#2020353August 4, 2020

  132,432 units affected

  Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive important safety information about how to use the engine block heater. A label that is not provided in both official languages could create confusion. Safety Risk: User confusion could increase the risk of injury when trying to use the block heater. Corrective Actions: The company will mail each owner a new label for the block heater cable. If you would like help installing the label, you can contact a dealer for assistance.

• Lights And Instruments#2019242May 23, 2019

  51,987 units affected

  Issue: Certain vehicles were built with headlights that may allow horizontal adjustment. This is not allowed under Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: Headlights that are not properly adjusted could cause reduced visibility or glare for oncoming drivers, and could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to inspect the headlights. A blocking cap will be installed on the horizontal adjusters as necessary.

• Airbag#2019002January 3, 2019

  9,527 units affected

  Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the driver-front airbag inflator replaced. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

• Brakes#2018429August 15, 2018

  774 units affected

  On certain vehicles, the brake caliper bracket bolts may not be properly tightened and could loosen, allowing the caliper to move. This could cause increased stopping distances, result in wheel damage and/or cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and, if a loose bolt is found, the bolt will be replaced and tightened to the correct specification. Note: On Atlas models, only the front brake caliper bracket bolts are affected, and on Passat models, only the rear brake caliper bracket bolts are affected.

• Brakes#2018292June 1, 2018

  5,120 units affected

  On certain vehicles, a problem with the brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction in brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will bleed the front or rear brakes as necessary. Note: In the interim, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicle until the defect has been repaired. Affected owners should call Volkswagen's Roadside Assistance number at 1-800-411-6688.

• Other#2018266May 17, 2018

  12 units affected

  On certain early production vehicles, modifications may have been made prior to sale that could make the vehicles non-compliant with regulatory requirements. Correction: Volkswagen will repurchase the affected vehicles and remove them from the market.

• Airbag#2018111March 6, 2018

  37,197 units affected

  On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver frontal airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. As a result, if the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants, and the airbag assembly could be damaged, preventing proper function. These issues could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag inflator. Note: Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. The recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk, and is expected to replace airbag inflators before their function would be affected. Additional Note: This recall supersedes the Volkswagen brand vehicles subject to recall 2016-064 (Volkswagen Recall 69M9). Volkswagen vehicles completed under the previous 2016-064 recall require repair under this recall, as the previous recall remedy was an interim repair. Interim repair parts must be replaced with final repair parts.

• Fuel System#2017398August 16, 2017

  19,508 units affected

  On certain vehicles, there could be an interruption in electrical power to the fuel pump control module. This could result in the fuel pump running continuously, resulting in a drained battery and/or a no start condition, or cause a loss of motive power while the vehicle is in motion, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel pump control module and relocate it within the vehicle.

• Powertrain#2017256May 10, 2017

  10,106 units affected

  On certain vehicles, an underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right drive half-shaft grease boot from heat. Over time, this could lead to a grease leak from the boot. If leaking grease comes into contact with heated surfaces of the exhaust system and/or diesel particulate filter (DPF), it could lead to a fire potentially causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install a revised heat shield and certain vehicles will have the upper boost hose replaced.

• Brakes#2017056February 8, 2017

  65 units affected

  On certain vehicles, defective brake line connections could cause brake fluid to leak from connection points. Over time, this would cause the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir to become low, illuminating the low fluid level warning light. If the vehicle is operated in this condition, reduced brake function may result, extending stopping distances and increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace affected brake lines.

• Electrical#2016132March 23, 2016

  11,693 units affected

  Certain vehicles may have been equipped with an underbody sensor containing an improperly assembled seal which could allow water to penetrate and corrode the electrical terminals. This could lead to an electrical short causing the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) to illuminate in the vehicle and cause the circuit to overheat, increasing the risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the affected connector.

• Airbag#2016064February 9, 2016

  64,660 units affected

  On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the front driver airbag inflator. Note: This campaign only affects the Audi A5 and Audi S5 Cabriolet models.

• Engine#2015504October 23, 2015

  17,240 units affected

  On certain vehicles, the camshaft lobe which actuates the vacuum pump may fail, causing the pump to fail to deliver further vacuum supply to the brake booster, potentially increasing stopping distances. This would also result in a reduction in available engine power. These issues could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Note: This issue would result in the Engine Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) illuminating. Correction: Dealers will update the engine control module (ECM) software.

• Seats And Restraints#2015344July 31, 2015

  41,308 units affected

  On certain vehicles, the steering wheel clock spring could become contaminated with long hair or long fibers which may cause a displacement of the internal guide loops. When the guide loops are dragged out of position, they may apply tension to the internal flat cable and cause it to tear. Should the cable tear, the electrical connection to the driver's front airbag may be lost, causing the airbag monitoring indicator light to illuminate. Failure of the driver's airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will install a cover of a different design to help prevent clock spring contamination caused by hair or other fibers. In instances where the vehicle has an airbag light on (and diagnosis confirms the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement), dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring.

• Fuel System#2014575December 17, 2014

  2,708 units affected

  On certain vehicles, a sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail to seal, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment during engine operation. Leaking fuel, in the presence of an ignition source, could lead to a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the fuel rail.

• Seats And Restraints#2014469October 22, 2014

  119 units affected

  On certain vehicles equipped with manual front seatback recliners, the retaining bracket may have been improperly assembled and may not engage correctly. This could cause the seatback to shift fore and/or aft with minimal effort. Should this movement occur unexpectedly with the driver's seatback, it could startle the driver and lead to a crash. In a crash, if the movement occurs on either seat, this could increase the risk of personal injury to the driver and/or front passenger occupant. Correction: Dealers will inspect the seatback recliner retaining bracket, and if found out of specification, it will be corrected.

• Powertrain#2014136April 16, 2014

  1,917 units affected

  On certain vehicles equipped with 1.8T engines and torque-converter (non-DSG) automatic transmissions, out of specification transmission cooler sealing O-rings may allow transmission fluid to leak in proximity to hot surfaces. This could increase the risk of a fire, potentially causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace affected O-rings.

• Lights And Instruments#2014080March 17, 2014

  10,152 units affected

  On certain vehicles, the low beam headlamp bulbs may lose electrical contact if the hood is closed roughly, or dropped from a certain height. This could compromise driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and adjust hood bumpers to prevent the hood from contacting the headlamp assemblies, and will also install improved bulb fittings.

• Accessories#2014068March 5, 2014

  19,024 units affected

  On certain vehicles equipped with a factory installed block heater, the block heater could overheat while in use. This could result in a fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the block heater. Owners are advised to stop using the block heater in the interim.

• Fuel System#2012121April 4, 2012

  14 units affected

  On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0L TDI engine, the diesel fuel filter element may not seal properly and could leak. Diesel fuel leakage may ignite on a hot surface and cause a fire which could result in property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel filter element.

Canadian data updated August 24, 2026