Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving home (approx 50 mile trip) I heard a loud screeching noise from the engine area. I was traveling on a highway at about 60mpg. I pulled over, turned off the car and saw smoke and smelled burning from under the hood. I opened the hood and smoke billowed out of the back of the engine bay. I looked under the car to see if it was leaking anything and found a large amount of what seemed to be oil dripping from the car. I then noticed a trail of oil from before I stopped the car. I left the car in place for a tow to not damage the vehicle anymore than it already was. It was towed to the vw dealership in town where they diagnosed the problem is that the pcv valve stopped working correctly, which caused the rear main seal to fail and become completely destroyed. They said that the entire engine needs to be taken out to replace the seal and is going to cost $1700. …
I have owned this car for beraly one month. 2 days after purchasing the 02 sensors went bad. 1 week later my pcv valve went bad. And 2 days after that my car stalled on me while driving down a canyon and would not start again. I lost control and ended up on the side of the road. I though I was going to kill myself. After sitting there for about an hour the car turned on but was extremely shaky and would stall the minute I slowed down or came to a stop. I managed to get the car to a repair shop only to have the engine die on me. The car cannot be turned on or moved. I was told it might be the timing chain which is a common issue in this engine. I'm being told I need to practically replace the engine which will cost more than what the car is worth. If I try to turn the car on. It hesitates a lot and once it turns over it immediately shuts off. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Passat. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, the vehicle would not switch gears. The "drive mode" and "reverse mode" indicators illuminated without warning when either of the two gear modes were engaged. The contact also stated that the vehicle would not switch from the reverse gear to the drive gear, nor would the vehicle switch from the drive gear to the reverse gear, when prompted. In an attempt to correct the failure, the contact removed the ignition key and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent over a period of one year. The dealer (Volkswagen in fort wayne, indiana, [phone]) was made aware of the failure and stated that the contact would have to pay a diagnostic fee. …
Drove car without problems. Came back an hour later and it started, but engine was shaking. Moved it across parking lot and shut engine off. Next time I tried to turn it on, would not start. Took it to mechanic, said that timing chain broke and ruined the rest of the engine. Did research and found this to be a common issue with vw engines. Faulty timing chains are used which cause catastrophic engine failure leaving driver at risk if this happens when driving. Even when not driving, the possibility of such a common occurrence from one of their products failing and ruining the rest of the car is unfair to consumers and Volkswagen should be held accountable beyond warranty liabilities for any of their vehicles that this happens to. They should not be allowed to build faulty engines and leave consumers to foot the bill for their shoddy designs and workmanship.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH and going uphill, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. An audible sound was heard and the parking brake warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and shifted the vehicle into park. The contact was then unable to shift the vehicle out of park. The vehicle was turned off and restarted several times before the vehicle shifted out of park and into drive. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to Volkswagen of clarksville (406 e lewis and clark pkwy, clarksville, in 47129) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The vehicle is displaying erratic shifting between gears as well as slipping while in gear in both drive and manual drive mode. The transmission function is pushing the ghg emissions past the per determined limit. The calibration software v1979 does not appear compliant with its emissions certification per certificate numbers avwxv02.02ua-005 and avwxv02.03ua-006 and I cannot find a recall or TSB addressing software v1979. Mode9 : calibration identification type 02 - VIN : [redacted] (address e8) type 04 - calibration id : 06j906026da 6987 (address e8) type 04 - calibration id : 02e300051p 1979 (address e9)
Pcv valve went out; and in turn, the rear main seal ruptured a major oil leak between engine and transmission. Dealership concluded the pcv position crank valve cause back pressure into the crank resulting in damaging the rear main seal. Vw has issued an extended warranty on pcv on certain models causing this issue, but the tsi 2009 and up have not been included in this recall. This issue could result in a catastrophic engine failure due to all oil leaking out of car while on road. This occurs when pressure builds up to pcv fails when car is being operated.
Dsg transmission intermittently flashes d gear selector indicator. This means the transmission shifts into neutral and cannot be reengaged into drive. Very dangerous condition on freeway or making left hand turn with on coming traffic. Shutting vehicle off and back on always clears the condition however vehicle must be stopped and in p. Fault occurs randomly sometimes with 2500 miles between occurrences. Has occurred 5 times with 2500 miles between the 4th and 5th occurrence. Transmission has been serviced per vw required intervals.
Car was parked. Shifting transmission from p to d or r or any gear would result in that indicator flashing and engine revving when accelerating. Car behaved like it was in neutral this car has a dsg transmission but the VIN number doesn't fall into the ones that vw has acknowledged have issues and have extended repair warranty. Turning off the car and restarting cleared the problem..this happened again on another occasion. Dsg was properly maintained and documented at 40K miles as per service manual....updated 10-20/15
Driving and the transmission falls out of gear. Also had it to where the transmission would not shift from 1st gear. I have to pull over put vehicle in park turn the car off and restart. Sometimes it will run fine others have had to pull over 3 or 4 times before I could get back home. Started looking on internet on carproblemzoo.com and there are many complaint of the same problem. Some started with only 20K miles on the vehicle. This his a safety issue especially when your driving 35 MPH or faster.
Transmission complaints in other Passat years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2010 Volkswagen Passat?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2010 Volkswagen Passat, 20% of the model year's 172 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Volkswagen Passat transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2010 Volkswagen Passat, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Volkswagen Passat transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.