2015 Volkswagen Passat Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V014000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT CALLED AN UNKNOWN VOLKSWAGEN DEALER LOCATED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TAKATA RECALL: I WANT TO VOICE MY CONCERN OVER THE POLICY OF VOLKSWAGEN NOT TO ISSUE LOANER VEHICLES TO OWNERS WITH THE TAKATA DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS. AFTER SEVERAL PHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF THEIR CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM (RCM), THEIR CONCLUSION IS THAT IT NOT A SAFETY ISSUE GRANTING THE NEED FOR THEM TO ISSUE A LOANER VEHICLE. I DISAGREE TO THE POINT THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT DRIVING VEHICLE BECAUSE WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE. AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THEY COULD NOT TELL ME WHEN PARTS ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO FIX IT. I KNOW SEVERAL CAR MANUFACTURES HAVE LOANER PROGRAMS FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH THIS ISSUE. I THINK THE NHTSA SHOULD HAVE A POLICY THAT ALL CAR MANUFACTURES SHOULD HAVE TO ISSUE LOANER VEHICLES TO THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH THIS ISSUE. TO BE CLEAR, WE HAVE NOT HAD AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH OUR VEHICLE, I JUST WANTED THE NHTSA TO BE AWARE OF WHAT CAR MANUFACTURES ARE TELLING THEIR CUSTOMERS.
THIS FIRST WAS NOTICE WHEN CAR WAS PARKED AND STARTED TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY STEERING WHEEL MAKES A CLICKING NOISE WHEN ITS IS TURNED. AT THE SAME TIME AS THE NOISE STARTED THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAN ON AND STAYS ON. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. VW SAID IT IS A WIRING PROBLEM FROM THE AIRBAG MODULAL TO THE SENSOR INSTEAD OF A DIRECT FIX THEY DID A OVERLAY OF THE CIRCUIT WIRES. THIS HAS NOW FAILED.
TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY CAR TO THE LEFT, HEARD TWO CRUNCHING TYPE SOUNDS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, AIRBAG ERROR LIGHT IMMEDIATELY CAME ON. I WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES AN HOUR.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2015 VW PASSAT (IN EXCELLENT CONDITION) I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE SLOWLY AND AS I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL I HEARD A CRUMPLING NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM MY STEERING COLUMN. I STOPPED IMMEDIATE AND SUDDENLY THE DASH BOARD READ "AIRBAG ERROR". I PROCEEDED INTO THE PARKING SPACE SLOWLY, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND CALLED MY VW DEALER. WE SET AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. AFTER ABOUT 10 MILES OF DRIVE TIME ON MY WAY HOME, ALL OF MY OTHER STEERING WHEEL COMPONENTS (RAIDO, DASH CONTROLLER, VOICE CONTROLLER, HAD ALL STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I GOT HOME I DID MY RESEARCH AND HAVE DISCOVERED THE AIRBAG ERROR ALONG WITH THE OTHER STEERING COMPONENTS FAILING.. IS VERY COMMON IN 2015 PASSATS! I FEEL THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A SAFETY RECALL. WHAT EVER IS CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO BECOME MALFUNCTIONED NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY WANT $145.00 TO TAKE IT APART AND ASSESS WHAT WENT WRONG. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.
THERE IS A WEIRD NOISE WHEN I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL DO NOT WORK. THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON.
THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK IN A FLAT LOT WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON, AS WELL AS MY STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS FOR THE STEREO DID NOT WORK. UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A CLICKING COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHEN TURNING. I SPOKE WITH A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME ABOUT THE PREVIOUS VW RECALLS FOR CLOCK SPRINGS, AND THAT I WAS HAVING THAT SAME ISSUE, BUT MINE WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE RECALL.
TAKATA RECALL, MY AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAS COME ON AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THE CLOCK SPRING ARE MESSED UP. THIS CAR IS 2 YEARS OLD AND $120 IS WHAT VW CHARGES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM THEN WILL DECIDE WHAT PORTION I SHOULD PAY ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER AT VILLAGE VW IN CHATTANOOGA, TN. I WAS TOLD IT IS WARRANTED FOR 36,000 MILES. I'M ASSUMING THAT THESE ARE "ALL" MESSED UP AFTER GOING TO A COUPLE OF WEBSITES AND READING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS HUNDREDS OF OTHERS ARE HAVING..THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENT BUT I AM CONCERNED FOR MY DAUGHTERS SAFETY DRIVING WITH THESE LETHAL AIRBAGS. I WAS TOLD THIS OCCURS QUITE OFTEN AND OCCASIONALLY VW WILL PARTIALLY REIMBURSE FOR THIS PART AS THEY HAVE NOT DECIDED (OR BEEN FORCED) TO RECALL THIS YET. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART AND SHOULD BE EXAMINED CLOSER FOR A RECALL AND IMMEDIATE REPAIR. CHARGING $120 TO RESET THE LIGHT IS NOT A N ADEQUATE SOLUTION.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 62,000.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED AN UNKNOWN RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR THE AIR BAGS. THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED SOUTH BAY VOLKSWAGEN (3131 NATIONAL CITY BLVD, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 (619) 336-4020) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
AS REPORTED BY TAKATA: IN THE EVENT OF AN INFLATOR RUPTURE, METAL FRAGMENTS COULD PASS THROUGH THE AIRBAG CUSHION MATERIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE SPUN AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT WAS UNCONSCIOUS AT THE SCENE AND WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE CONTACT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO BODY REPAIR CENTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2015 Volkswagen Passat has 37 Air Bags complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.