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2021 Volkswagen Passat

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →
18Owner complaints

Model-year median: 110

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
45
201812
201918
202018
202113
2022
Compare all Passat years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Lane Departure
5Service Brakes
5Air Bags
3Electrical System
3Exterior Lighting
2
All reported categories
Steering
2Engine
1Engine And Engine Cooling
1Equipment
1Forward Collision Avoidance
1Structure
1Tires
1Unknown Or Other
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 4 of 18 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Lane Departure. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Structure complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Nov 26, 2024
Structure

There is a headlight chrome accent piece right above the left headlight that one day just blew off the vehicle when driving down the highway. Oddly enough, I live in a small town of Mason City, IA and I saw another VW Passat (same year) missing the same exact piece so I know this is a vehicle defect. You also can not just replac…

Read full complaint

There is a headlight chrome accent piece right above the left headlight that one day just blew off the vehicle when driving down the highway. Oddly enough, I live in a small town of Mason City, IA and I saw another VW Passat (same year) missing the same exact piece so I know this is a vehicle defect. You also can not just replace this one part, it costs over $1,000 to replace the full headlight assemble. I hope others report this defect as this is very dangerous when you have chrome pieces flying off your vehicle when it is not even windy and the vehicle has never had any other damage.

NHTSA ODI #11627446

Official recalls

1

21V812000 · Suspension:front:wheel Bearing ; Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs

Oct 15, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.

Consequence: The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.

Suspension:front:wheel Bearing

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.

Consequence: The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.