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Volkswagen Passat problems by year
10,077 complaints across 22 model years, 1995–2017. 2013 draws the most at 1,027; 1997 the fewest at 105.
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Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold as much as how reliable they were. A popular model year will always look worse than a rare one. Compare the dominant failure system between years rather than the raw totals.
Every model year
| Year | Complaints | Top reported system | Crashes | Fires | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 142 | Visibility (17.6%) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | 185 | Electrical system (31.9%) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 105 | Electrical system (20.0%) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 | 476 | Suspension (20.8%) | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| 1999 | 854 | Service brakes, hydraulic (22.7%) | 15 | 18 | 3 |
| 2000 | 625 | Service brakes, hydraulic (26.4%) | 13 | 34 | 1 |
| 2001 | 558 | Engine and engine cooling (17.0%) | 20 | 17 | 0 |
| 2002 | 772 | Electrical system (28.9%) | 15 | 53 | 4 |
| 2003 | 823 | Fuel system, gasoline (17.7%) | 18 | 102 | 0 |
| 2004 | 348 | Engine and engine cooling (17.8%) | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| 2005 | 172 | Engine and engine cooling (29.7%) | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| 2006 | 779 | Air bags (19.4%) | 24 | 7 | 0 |
| 2007 | 341 | Air bags (31.1%) | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 2008 | 240 | Fuel/propulsion system (18.3%) | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| 2009 | 211 | Engine (28.4%) | 9 | 16 | 0 |
| 2010 | 226 | Air bags (19.9%) | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 662 | Air bags (45.0%) | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1,027most | Air bags (37.2%) | 43 | 9 | 5 |
| 2014 | 788 | Air bags (44.9%) | 34 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 389 | Air bags (22.9%) | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 2016 | 179 | Air bags (14.0%) | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 175 | Air bags (16.0%) | 14 | 1 | 0 |