Your vehicle report
2006 Volkswagen Passat
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 576
- Received Oct 2005 to Oct 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly81 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking26 complaints · 4.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on20 complaints · 3.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #24V834000Volkswagen 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.
- Recall #18V247000Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2007 Volkswagen Passat sedan and wagon vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 21 crashes, 6 fires, 9 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
1 more problem
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 30 |
| 2007 | 33 |
| 2008 | 39 |
| 2009 | 55 |
| 2010 | 76 |
| 2011 | 36 |
| 2012 | 22 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 31 |
| 2015 | 18 |
| 2016 | 73 |
| 2017 | 74 |
| 2018 | 42 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 576 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 81 | 14% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 26 | 4.5% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 20 | 3.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 18 | 3.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 15 | 2.6% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 14 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #17V509000 |
| Parking brake fails to hold or release | 13 | 2.3% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 10 | 1.7% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 9 | 1.6% | – | NHTSA recall #06V470000 |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 9 | 1.6% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 9 | 1.6% | – | NHTSA recall #17V509000 |
| Tailgate or trunk latch fails | 8 | 1.4% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 8 | 1.4% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 8 | 1.4% | – | |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 7 | 1.2% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 5 | 0.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #24V834000October 30, 2024248,330 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
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.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
NHTSA recall #18V247000April 18, 201871,335 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2007 Volkswagen Passat sedan and wagon vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q8. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-079.
NHTSA recall #17V509000August 16, 2017280,915 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Volkswagen CC, 2006-2010 Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.
If the fuel pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AE.
NHTSA recall #16V079000February 10, 2016151,767 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA recall #06V470000December 12, 200657,291 vehicles affected
visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
On certain '6' generation passenger vehicles, the wiper motor may fail during heavy rain due to excessive moisture entering the wiper motor. If this happens, the wipers Can become inoperative.
This could lead to reduced visibility increasing the risk of a crash without warning.
Remedy
Dealers will install a special cover and sealing kit. The recall began on january 12, 2007. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
NHTSA recall #06V472000December 12, 200658,800 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine with 147 kw may have a vacuum line that may fracture and become disconnected at low ambient temperatures.
If this happens, the brake power assist Can become inoperative, and the driver will experience increased effort to apply the brakes possibly increasing vehicle stopping distance. This could lead to a crash without warning.
Remedy
Dealers will install the newly designed vacuum line. The recall began on january 12, 2007. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
NHTSA recall #05V540000November 30, 200515 vehicles affected
steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
On certain passenger vehicles, the left and right tie rod securing nut may be insufficiently torqued.
An insufficiently tightened tie rod nut may loosen, resulting in separation of a tie rod. This Can cause a loss of steering control, which could cause a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and install new left and right tie rod securing nuts at the proper torqued specification. The recall began on december 7, 2005. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2006 Volkswagen Passat.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN