Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Volkswagen Passat owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and veering to the left, the vehicle stalled. The battery warning light was illuminated. A towing service performed a diagnostic test on the vehicle and informed the contact that the failure was not related to the battery and the alternator. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed. The dealer replaced the battery and serviced the cooling system; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,300.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving 5 mph and making a left turn, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road of oncoming traffic. The contact placed the vehicle into park and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle would shudder and idle at a high RPM when she started the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a fuel pump sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the stalling failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was also illuminated. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the defroster failed and became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the heater core needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. There was a previous coolant flush and timing belt replacement at approximately 80,000. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
After having the government approved and MANDATED Phase 1 and 2 Dieselgate fixes performed on my VW Passat TDI it has randomly lost power and or stalled while at highway speeds at least 6 times. The last time my 16 year old son was left stranded in the middle of a busy four lane highway narrowly avoiding being hit and seriously injured and/or killed. Apparently there are thousands of these cases (a class action lawsuit filed in 2018) on the road. Why haven't I been notified? This mandatory fix is much more dangerous then the original issue it seeks to address. From what I understand, the fix is causing the DPF regeneration sequence to occur much more often and much hotter, thereby cooking/melting/boiling the entire cooling system and shutting the engine down without warning. …
Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion - Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle's VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the **brake vacuum pump**, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the **camshaft was interfering with the pump**, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms-including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure-I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. …
Subject: Request for VIN Review and Recall Inclusion - Camshaft/Vacuum Pump Failure (Recall 23R1) Dear Volkswagen Customer Care / NHTSA Representative, I am writing to formally request a manual review of my vehicle's VIN in relation to Recall 23R1, which addresses camshaft lobe interference with the brake vacuum pump in certain 2015 Volkswagen Passat models. My vehicle, a 2015 Passat, recently experienced a failure of the brake vacuum pump, which required replacement. Upon inspection, it was determined that the camshaft was interfering with the pump, consistent with the failure mode described in Recall 23R1. Despite this, my VIN does not currently show an open recall. Given the alignment of symptoms, including camshaft-related damage and vacuum pump failure, I believe my vehicle should be included in the scope of this recall. …
My vehicle is a MY2015 Passat TDI SEL with the EA288 (CVCA) diesel engine. Water Pump Failure Occurred at 99488 miles. Leaking coolant from underneath the engine and the expansion tank bottle became empty. Vehicle was parked after a quick 8 min drive to work from home in the morning (~8:45AM) and when I came back at 12PM around 1 quart of coolant had leaked out. Luckily I was not on the freeway or driving the vehicle where it would ride on its torque curve increasing probability of catastrophic failures even after there are usually software induced engine protection derates in place. Official service interval for water pump and timing belt on this engine is 130000 miles but there have been numerous field incidents of pre-mature water pump failures which can be very expensive to fix (~2500 USD). …
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle sputtered intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that fuel was leaking into the engine compartment, causing engine failure. The contact stated that the dealer had repaired the vehicle and possibly cleaned the engine. The dealer had informed the contact that the engine would last 4-6 months before complete engine failure. The vehicle was returned to the contact; however, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle sputtered and then lost power. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts to continue driving. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not repaired. The dealer suggested that a new vehicle be purchased. …
While driving the EPC light came on and the car stopped driving. Vehicle was towed to local VW dealership, a FULL engine rebuild took place and a faulty intake valve spring was found, after replacing the injectors and seal kits. Then to replace the faulty electronic ignition switch. Over $3k in repairs for faulty parts. It was a safety risk because the vehicle stopped working in the middle of driving, in traffic with no other indication that something was wrong prior on a major road in the city. Since then, the vehicle has had constant issues with oil being low even after an oil change, no leaks were detected or reported. Also, the airbags and clockspring was supposed to be replaced. My airbag light came on in 3/2023 and it sounds like the clock spring is broken. Horn and electronics do not work from the steering column.
On May 4th 2021 start button was replaced. While driving back the car from the dealer, car started to idle violently. Same thing happened the next day. So I drove it to the dealer. Service Manager requested a mechanic to drive the car around and this time we could not reproduce the problem. Instead of running any diagnostics, service manager asked me to leave. Then for past 3 months this problem has been happening on and off. For past 3 days the car started to shake violently at lights (awaiting green signal) and ESC warning started to appear on the dash board. Today I took it to the dealer and they suggested me to change intake cam shaft etc with a total estimate of $ 5000.00 Before the change of start button this car ran just fine.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Engine complaints in other Passat years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2015 Volkswagen Passat?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2015 Volkswagen Passat, 22% of the model year's 243 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 Volkswagen Passat engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-705 (engine, Oct 26, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Volkswagen Passat engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 42% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.