Volkswagen Passat · model year

2018 Volkswagen Passat

62 NHTSA complaints, 8 crash reports, and 4 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
62
Recalls
4

The verdict

The 2018 Volkswagen Passat pairs below-average complaint volume with a top NHTSA safety rating.

Top 33%
fewest complaints, own model years
5/5
NHTSA overall rating
4
recall campaigns

The 2018VolkswagenPassat carries 62 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 8 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2018 Passat is service brakes with 12 filings, followed by engine (10) and electrical system (6). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2018 Passat, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

62
Complaints
8
Crashes
0
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths
2018 Volkswagen Passat - NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.
A+
PlainCars Safety Score
90/100
2018 Volkswagen Passat

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating A+
5/5 ★
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash A-
4/5 ★
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash A+
5/5 ★
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance A-
4/5 ★
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk B+
10.7%
Lower than 77% of 2,516 rated model-years.

Total Complaints

62 filings

Crashes Reported

8 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 - Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES12
ENGINE10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM6
AIR BAGS4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
POWER TRAIN3
STEERING2
SUSPENSION2
WHEELS2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL1
PARKING BRAKE1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1

Recalls (4)

19V38900022/05/2019

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

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 Sa

20V56100016/09/2020

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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 b

18V53600015/08/2018

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.

18V36900001/06/2018

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake perfor

Recent Complaints

20260205ENGINE

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 that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then towed to a different dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

Mileage: 136,000

20260205ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

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 that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then towed to a different dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

Mileage: 136,000

20260203FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I initially brought my vehicle in for service due to a strong gasoline odor and the vehicle failing to start. At that time, I was informed that no gasoline smell was detected and that the issue was instead a faulty starter, which I authorized for repair. Approximately two weeks later, my vehicle again would not start. I was then informed that the issue was a lower fuel injector, which required additional repairs. Just three days after that service, the vehicle once again failed to start, and I was told this time that the upper fuel injector was the cause. As a result of these events, I incurred a total of $3,946.96 in repair costs across two service visits and was forced to have my vehicle towed three separate times. Before the third visit, I was informed that I would need to pay an additional $1,500, on top of the nearly $4,000 I had already paid. I challenged the accuracy and consistency of the diagnoses at that point, and ultimately, the vehicle was repaired without charging me the

20260130ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a wiring harness failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact had received an unknown notice, which was related to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted for reimbursement, and a case was filed. The contact sent the requested documents to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer failed to call back as the manufacturer had stated. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Mileage: 55,000

20260119FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Battery drains overnight. Started with a boost all dashboard warning lights on, vehicle runs fine all day with many starts and stops, battery dies again overnight. Diagnosed with a bad fuel pump control module that continues to run and does not shut off until all battery power is drained. Mechanic changed the fuel pump control module, cleared all fault codes, and vehicle fixed. I saw a Carfax report for an identical 2018, SEL Premium Passat to mine with the exact same issue of a bad fuel control module in that vehicle Carfax report and realized it was a much bigger issue. I am aware of a similar recall for vehicles up till 2016 model year, but this issue is wider for higher model years. Besides the other identical problem listed below in the Carfax report, I am aware of many other fuel pump control module problems reported to online VW forums and online. The identical Passat vehicle information is below: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2.0T SEL PREMIUM VIN: [XXX] XXX SEDAN 4 DR 2L I4 F D

20251125POWER TRAIN

The catalytic converter on my 2018 Volkswagen Passat failed and the vehicle has been at an authorized Volkswagen dealership since May 16, 2025. The dealership confirmed that the catalytic converter is defective and must be replaced, but the part has been on national backorder with no estimated delivery date for several months. The vehicle cannot be safely driven in its current condition and has been unavailable for all normal use. The issue has been confirmed by the dealership and the vehicle is available for inspection. There were warning lights related to emissions prior to the failure. Volkswagen has not been able to provide a timeline for repair, which has created an ongoing safety and reliability concern.

20250822SERVICE BRAKES

ABS sensor warning lights are coming on showing there is an issue.

20250822FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

ABS sensor warning lights are coming on showing there is an issue.

20250718AIR BAGS

We have been having numerous sensor issues. Sensors showing air bag malfunction and with passenger side seat belt on the front right side. We bought the car in used condition from pat lobb toyota of mckinney less than a year ago. Constantly having sensor issues with it.

20250718UNKNOWN OR OTHER

We have been having numerous sensor issues. Sensors showing air bag malfunction and with passenger side seat belt on the front right side. We bought the car in used condition from pat lobb toyota of mckinney less than a year ago. Constantly having sensor issues with it.

20250313FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Car Fuel Pump Leaking. Fuel pump Module failure. There was a recall for this issue on other Volkswagens, but not on the Passat. There are hundreds of cars online with the same issue.

20240907FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Fuel pump Leak. Strong order of gasoline has been coming from the car. I had a check and the fuel pump is leaking. Other vehicles have been recalled due to this, but the Passat has not been included. This problem has been reported out in several cars including a fire….

20240408ENGINE

EPC light came on & check engine light Car shakes

20240408FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

EPC light came on & check engine light Car shakes

20240327ENGINE

My oil sensor started blinking while I am driving. I stoped and added oil to the car because the level was in low level. Went to the dealership to check my car in if I do have leakage or if my engine did start to burn oil. They did suggest to come visit them after 600 miles which I did. And after check up they did end up saying yes your car did burn oil around 0.25 quart. And I suggest you to come after 600 miles again. I need that issue to be fixed and they are wasting my time in this unnecessary procedure. It was confirmed that my engine burn oil and I have got extended warranty plus my car was always been serviced by the vw dealership.

20240208ENGINE

I received a check engine light and my mechanic diagnosed the problem and attributed it to an the air pump control valve which was connected to primary engine water pump. A slight leak in the air system was noticed since the check valve failed. The primary engine water pump began to lose pressure over time causing increased tail pipe emissions. I tried to report this issue to VW but fell on deaf years. Since the primary engine water pump was part of a recall i was explaining that the air pump control valve also had to be replaced because the open/close relay stopped working. I spent 820 $ parts + labor to get this fixed and VW does not even want to accept it as a problem. I have been constantly encountering these problems with my VW car. This is a safety issue and hence wanted to report this to NHTSA.

20240106CrashAIR BAGS

Collision around 45 to 50 mph. Airbags frontal and side airbags didnt deployed Two vehicles invaded my lane and I ran into the second vehicle .

20230920FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

First/only owner of a 2018 VW Passat GP r-line, scheduled maintenance intervals followed religiously and performed by VW; only filled with top tier fuel (mid/premium), no prev. indicator lights ever illuminated until ECM light (no accompanying warning lights) came on while driving at highway speed with Adaptive Cruise Control engaged. Immediate loss of power and shaking vibration upon any attempt to accelerate/change lanes to safely get off of roadway. Once off roadway, all systems shut down and engine turned off for several minutes. Restarted car w/o difficulty, remained parked for 5 more minutes to monitor ECM light which did not return after shut down/restart. Returned to highway while safely merging into lane with conservative acceleration. ECM warning light did not return and vibration/shutterring had ceased. No unusual or abnormal gas mileage readings found upon close monitoring. Vehicle was driven x3 (relatively short distances) with speeds no greater than 65 mph; no return of

20230920ENGINE

First/only owner of a 2018 VW Passat GP r-line, scheduled maintenance intervals followed religiously and performed by VW; only filled with top tier fuel (mid/premium), no prev. indicator lights ever illuminated until ECM light (no accompanying warning lights) came on while driving at highway speed with Adaptive Cruise Control engaged. Immediate loss of power and shaking vibration upon any attempt to accelerate/change lanes to safely get off of roadway. Once off roadway, all systems shut down and engine turned off for several minutes. Restarted car w/o difficulty, remained parked for 5 more minutes to monitor ECM light which did not return after shut down/restart. Returned to highway while safely merging into lane with conservative acceleration. ECM warning light did not return and vibration/shutterring had ceased. No unusual or abnormal gas mileage readings found upon close monitoring. Vehicle was driven x3 (relatively short distances) with speeds no greater than 65 mph; no return of

20230920VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

First/only owner of a 2018 VW Passat GP r-line, scheduled maintenance intervals followed religiously and performed by VW; only filled with top tier fuel (mid/premium), no prev. indicator lights ever illuminated until ECM light (no accompanying warning lights) came on while driving at highway speed with Adaptive Cruise Control engaged. Immediate loss of power and shaking vibration upon any attempt to accelerate/change lanes to safely get off of roadway. Once off roadway, all systems shut down and engine turned off for several minutes. Restarted car w/o difficulty, remained parked for 5 more minutes to monitor ECM light which did not return after shut down/restart. Returned to highway while safely merging into lane with conservative acceleration. ECM warning light did not return and vibration/shutterring had ceased. No unusual or abnormal gas mileage readings found upon close monitoring. Vehicle was driven x3 (relatively short distances) with speeds no greater than 65 mph; no return of

Compare 2018VolkswagenPassat to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 Volkswagen Passat have?
The 2018 Volkswagen Passat has 62 NHTSA complaints, 8 crashes, 0 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat?
The 2018 Volkswagen Passat received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat?
Yes, the 2018 Volkswagen Passat has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Volkswagen Passat?
The most-complained component for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat is SERVICE BRAKES with 12 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2018 Volkswagen Passat safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2018 Volkswagen Passat has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2018 Volkswagen Passat; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.