Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Volkswagen Passat, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags25
- Electrical system22
- Steering19
- Engine17
- Service brakes15
- Fuel/propulsion system15
- Unknown or other13
- Vehicle speed control11
- Forward collision avoidance7
- Power train5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 30 2016 Passat vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 9 people died inside them, and 5 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2016 Volkswagen Passat failed the safety check 2.42% of the time — 23% more often than the average 2016 passenger car (1.97%). Median odometer at inspection: 80,199 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2016
199,280 new Volkswagen Passat cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2016; the largest markets were Germany (79,240), the United Kingdom (18,917), Sweden (15,698).
- Average mass
- 1,561 kg
- Average power
- 120 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 85% · Petrol 9.9% · Petrol/electric 5.2%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2016 Volkswagen Passat cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 hybrid (115 kW, 154 hp), 1.6 diesel (88 kW, 118 hp) and 1.4 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp), out of 10 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 hybrid | 115 kW 154 hp | 3,398 |
| 1.6 diesel | 88 kW 118 hp | 1,025 |
| 1.4 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 886 |
| 2.0 diesel | 110 kW 148 hp | 500 |
| 1.4 petrol | 92 kW 123 hp | 207 |
| 1.8 petrol | 132 kW 177 hp | 155 |
| 2.0 diesel | 140 kW 188 hp | 117 |
| 2.0 diesel | 176 kW 236 hp | 48 |
| 2.0 petrol | 162 kW 217 hp | 43 |
| 2.0 petrol | 206 kW 276 hp | 36 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
6,421 first registered in 2016 are on Dutch roads; 27% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €47,256.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde3,486
- Band onvoldoende profiel2,375
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld1,220
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm1,191
- Remschijf ernstig gecorrodeerd653
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage576
- Band beschadigd475
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht358
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
15,108 cars built in 2016 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 424 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 15,612 of these cars first registered in 2016 took their annual MOT test. 81% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2016 the figure was 79%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 7.0% | 6.2% |
| Suspension | 5.5% | 4.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| Brakes | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.4% | 1.7% |
| Visibility | 1.5% | 3.5% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
4,835 of these cars first registered in 2016 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 200,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
502 2016 cars are on the New Zealand register; 13% arrived as used imports, 85% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 10.7 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 8.0–10.4 L/100 km (about 23–29 mpg US), CO₂ 187–243 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passat · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.4 | 6.3 | 8.0 |
| Passat · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.5 | 6.4 | 8.1 |
| Passat · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 11.9 | 8.5 | 10.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2016 Volkswagen Passat.
| 2019242 23 May 2019 | Lights And Instruments Issue: Certain vehicles were built with headlights that may allow horizontal adjustment. This is not allowed under Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: He… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 2016 Volkswagen Passat: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011377 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. For trouble code DTC B10001B. Driver airbag igniter resistance too high -N95 |
| 11010024 | Lack of paint under roof |
| 11010022 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11010021 | Additional reporting |
| 11010011 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11008861 | Fluid requirements |
| 11008860 | Manual transmission noise diagnosing |
| 11008858 | A list of engine oil that meet Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
| 11008857 | How to perform the engine oil consumption measurement |
| 11008856 | Checking Engine Oil and correctly reading dip stick |
| 11008853 | How to manage software versions using VW diagnostic Tool |
| 11008852 | Recommended Gasoline Quality |
| 11008851 | Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid |
| 11008850 | Fuel additive to help with misfire faults |
| 11008846 | Wind & Water Leak Checking |
| 11007398 | Battery testing |
| 11007393 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11005825 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11005820 | Engine Assembly Tip |
| 11005819 | Engine Replacement Tip |
| 11002875 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11001522 | These documents are for the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Limited Warranty Extension as part of the Class Action Settlement |
| 11001508 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11001503 | Forigen objects inside seat belt buckle |
| 11001494 | These documents are for the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Limited Warranty Extension as part of the Class Action Settlement |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)