2018 Volkswagen Passat problems and complaints
Owners have filed 45 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (12), Engine (11), Electrical System (10).
Key takeaways
- 45 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 5 involve a crash, 0 a fire, 2 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 12 | 27% |
| Engine | 11 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 10 | 22% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 6 | 13% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 9% |
| Power Train | 3 | 7% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 7% |
| Unknown Or Other | 3 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 4% |
| Wheels | 2 | 4% |
| Steering | 2 | 4% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Electrical System,engine - filed 2026-06-03
A major engineering and material design failure occurred involving internal fluid containment seals, resulting in a severe electrical safety hazard. Pressurized engine coolant breached an internal component seal and began migrating internally directly through the vehicle's engine wiring harness via capillary/siphoning...
Electrical System - filed 2026-04-15
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment screen failed to respond to touch commands, preventing the contact from viewing the GPS feature. The contact performed a hard reset on the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not di...
Electrical System,engine - filed 2026-02-05
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with battery failure. The contact was informed t...
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More for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.