Model year record
2022 Volkswagen Passat recalls & problems
The 2022 Volkswagen Passat has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 13 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is electrical system (3 complaints).

Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2022 Volkswagen Passat.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2022 Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 10.7% |
Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard


NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Passat
| City / highway | 24 / 36 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
2 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (S6) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,400/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 3 | — |
| Lane departureWarning; Assist | 3 | — |
| Service brakes | 3 | — |
| Engine | 3 | — |
| Steering | 2 | — |
| Power train | 2 | — |
| Forward collision avoidanceAutomatic emergency braking; Warnings | 2 | — |
| Unknown or other | 1 | — |
| Latches/locks/linkagesDoors › Lock | 1 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Electrical system
Door sensor is faulty, and is repeatedly giving notifications while driving that the door is open, causing the cabin lights to come on, which causes safety issues when driving at night. Car is only four years old, and a similar issue was reported for the VW ID.4 vehicles, which have a similar wiring harness and circuit board to the VW 2022 Passat
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel smell in cabin lingering, strong fuel odor around passenger rear side, fuel cap area as well
- Forward collision avoidance › Automatic emergency brakingCrash
I believe the cars FRONT END BRAKE ASSIST FAILED, resulting in a preventable accident. VW will not release data, and I have never had an accident in 32 years. There have been multiple class action lawsuits but VW refuses to announce a recall. Now, my car that is a 2022, with 50k miles on it, has major front end damage, and deployed airbags for an accident that could have been avoided. They have already been sued in 2024.
- Engine
My car consumes an over abundant amount of oil about 1 quart every 1000 to 1500 miles. There is a civil lawsuit right now about the piston rings having low tension and my car has every symptom of this. This could lead to turbo issues, and several thousands of dollars in repair costs. Iâve already had to replace my oil pan, timing cover, and pcv and the car only has 80,000 miles on it.
- Service brakes
I am reporting what appears to be a serious, chronic safety issue with this vehicle (not just this particular car, but all M/Y 2020~2022 (and possibly 2012~2019 as well if they use the same brake components). Since new, my car has had chronic brake problems and these ongoing issues keep arising, pointing to defective brake caliper design. They have not caused an accident (for me anyway), but should be investigated because they have the potential to do so. I'll list dates, mileage and details here because they are numerous: 05/22/2023 - 40,805 - Heard brake (dragging) noise. Found one pad in rear driver side completely worn with no perceptible wear on other rear pads or on front pads. Dealer…
- Engine
Manufacturers defect. Known excessive oil consumption of the 2.0 Turbo 4 cylinder engine.
- Service brakes
In May of 2023, I reported that the driver side rear brake caliper appeared to be sticking as one pad at that corner was completely worn down and making contact with the rotor, while the other pad at that same corner had no visible wear. Dealer replaced the rear left rotor under warranty (40,805 miles). Warranty also covered both rear rotors and rear pads due to rotor damage. In February of 2024, dealer inspection noticed the exact same issue on rear right brake caliper and replaced it under the extended warranty (59,631 miles). Although rear right rotor was damaged again, the extended warranty did NOT cover rear rotors or pads and I had to cover the cost out of pocket. In November of 2024…
- Power train
While driving car began to jerk and had odd smell. Stopped at a Midas to have car looked at and all of the transmission fluid leaked out. Techs at Midas state the gasket that hold the fluid in came out and caused all the fluid to leak out. Had no issues while driving previous to this, this just happened randomly in the middle of our drive. We did jot hit or run over anything and the road we were traveling on was in good paved condition.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.