1997 Volkswagen Passat

Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.

Vehicle coverage

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Coverage held for this vehicle

  • OFFICIAL ACTION 1 US Recalls
  • MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 52 Manufacturer Bulletins
  • INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
  • CONSUMER REPORT 70 Consumer Complaints
  • CANADIAN RECALL 1 Canada Recalls

These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

  • 09E025000 2009-05-11

    Recall 09E025000

    DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

    Recorded model years: 1997

A further 52 records exist for the Volkswagen Passat where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.

Manufacturer Bulletins

NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US

  • 10241177 2023-08-21

    V171901201285565

    Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards

    Recorded model years: 1997

  • 10237427 2023-05-30

    V171901201285562

    Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

    Recorded model years: 1997

  • 10235138 2023-04-24

    V171901201285560

    Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

    Recorded model years: 1997

Showing 3 of 52 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 3,214 records exist for the Volkswagen Passat where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.

Investigations

NHTSA Investigation US

  • EA00028 2000-12-28

    FUEL TANK PUNCTURE

    Recorded model years: 1997

  • PE00033 2000-08-10

    FUEL TANK PUNCTURE

    THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON AUGUST 10, 2000 BASED ON 9 REPORTS REGARDING PUNCTURED FUEL TANKS INVOLVING THE JETTA, PASSAT, AND CABRIO MODELS.THE REPORTS INDICATE ADDITIONAL REPORTS IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED FOR FURTHER STUDY.

    Recorded model years: 1997

A further 20 records exist for the Volkswagen Passat where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.

Canada Recalls

Transport Canada Recall CA

  • 2002239 2002-12-13

    Transport Canada recall 2002239

    On certain vehicles equipped with seat heating units, the front seat back heaters may supply concentrated heat in a localized area of the seat back or produce excessive heat that could not be reduced by operating the seat heater controls except by switching off the controls completely. The concentrated heat could singe the fabric at the lower backrest and, in…

    Recorded model years: 1997

A further 43 records exist for the Volkswagen Passat where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA Complaint US

70 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.

Outcomes stated in those reports

  • reports mentioning a crash 1
  • reports mentioning a fire 2
  • reported injuries 2

Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.

By system

  • Electrical system21 (20.6%)Official recall records for this system: 5, covering model years 1996–2014.
  • Heating & air conditioning10 (9.8%)
  • Doors, latches & locks10 (9.8%)
  • Visibility (glass, wipers, mirrors)9 (8.8%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2006–2007.
  • Engine8 (7.8%)Official recall records for this system: 8, covering model years 1995–2016.
  • Brakes7 (6.9%)Official recall records for this system: 14, covering model years 1998–2018.
  • Body & structure7 (6.9%)
  • Engine cooling5 (4.9%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 1995–1998.

Other / uncategorized: 4 classifications (3.9%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.

A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.

A further 7,633 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.

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