2012 Volkswagen Passat

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

• 24V834000 2024-10-30

  Recall 24V834000

  Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 19V862000 2019-12-04

  Recall 19V862000

  Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 19V389000 2019-05-22

  Recall 19V389000

  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 Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

  Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 11 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

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

• 11035772 2026-07-15

  VOS-26-42

  This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) – No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 11035762 2026-07-09

  V1718062017813_24

  Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 11034614 2026-06-18

  TT 13-20-01_3

  Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.

  Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 1,568 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

• EA18003 2018-04-18

  Air Bag Clockspring Failure

  In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat,…

  Recorded model years: 2012

• RQ17009 2017-11-13

  Air Bag Clockspring Failure

  In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat,…

  Recorded model years: 2012

• PE15010 2015-03-24

  Air Bag Clockspring Failure

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (SCCM) failures in model year (MY) 2012 Volkswagen Passat and CC models.The SCCM is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system…

  Recorded model years: 2012

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

• 2024649 2024-10-30

  Transport Canada recall 2024649

  Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its…

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 2020353 2020-08-04

  Transport Canada recall 2020353

  Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive important safety information about how to use the engine block heater. A label that is not provided in both official languages could create confusion. Safety Risk: User confusion could increase the risk of…

  Recorded model years: 2012

• 2019242 2019-05-23

  Transport Canada recall 2019242

  Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.

  Recorded model years: 2012

Showing 3 of 10 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

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

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

Outcomes stated in those reports

• reports mentioning a crash 14
• reports mentioning a fire 3
• reported injuries 10

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

• Air bags (restraint system)298 (45.0%)Official recall records for this system: 21, covering model years 2003–2020.
• Electrical system95 (14.4%)Official recall records for this system: 5, covering model years 1996–2014.
• Fuel system47 (7.1%)Official recall records for this system: 17, covering model years 1998–2016.
• Steering46 (6.9%)Official recall records for this system: 7, covering model years 1998–2009.
• Engine44 (6.6%)Official recall records for this system: 8, covering model years 1995–2016.
• Lights18 (2.7%)Official recall records for this system: 8, covering model years 1997–2020.
• Body & structure17 (2.6%)
• Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)15 (2.3%)Official recall records for this system: 4, covering model years 2012–2014.

Other / uncategorized: 31 classifications (4.7%) 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.