Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 9% | — |
| 2017 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2016 | 11 | 10% | 45,000 miles |
| 2015 | 10 | 4% | 20,000 miles |
| 2014 | 13 | 2% | 37,000 miles |
| 2013 | 15 | 2% | 32,000 miles |
| 2012 | 14 | 3% | 24,000 miles |
| 2010 | 3 | 2% | 83,000 miles |
| 2009 | 3 | 2% | 75,000 miles |
| 2008 | 4 | 2% | 80,000 miles |
| 2007 | 7 | 3% | 61,000 miles |
| 2006 | 32 | 6% | 28,000 miles |
| 2005 | 5 | 3% | 110,000 miles |
| 2004 | 7 | 2% | 62,000 miles |
| 2003 | 14 | 2% | 47,000 miles |
| 2002 | 16 | 2% | 55,000 miles |
| 2001 | 19 | 4% | 50,000 miles |
| 2000 | 15 | 3% | 73,000 miles |
| 1999 | 32 | 5% | 85,000 miles |
| 1998 | 3 | 1% | 105,000 miles |
| 1996 | 2 | 5% | — |
| 1995 | 5 | 5% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
First/only owner of a 2018 VW Passat GP r-line, scheduled maintenance intervals followed religiously and performed by VW; only filled with top tier fuel (mid/premium), no prev. indicator lights ever illuminated until ECM light (no accompanying warning lights) came on while driving at highway speed with Adaptive Cruise Control engaged. Immediate loss of power and shaking vibration upon any attempt to accelerate/change lanes to safely get off of roadway. Once off roadway, all systems shut down and engine turned off for several minutes. Restarted car w/o difficulty, remained parked for 5 more minutes to monitor ECM light which did not return after shut down/restart. Returned to highway while safely merging into lane with conservative acceleration. ECM warning light did not return and vibration/shutterring had ceased. No unusual or abnormal gas mileage readings found upon close monitoring. …
My father was heading home when he stopped the hill down from his house. Upon trying to accelerate he noticed the vehicle did not want to go. The engine had stalled/hesitated. He pressed the gas a few times and nothing happened, the RPM ha d was the only thing moving. Then, all of a sudden, the vehicle sped off and he lost control of the vehicle because this happened at the beginning of a curve and he couldn't regain control of the vehicle and slammed into a telephone pole which broke his neck and back. There is something wrong with these passats. My brother and his wife have told me that their 2018 passats do the same thing (hesitation/stalling).
While backing into a parking spot there was a crunching sound in the steering column. Following this noise the air bag light came on and all steering wheel control buttons nonfunctional including the horn. I reached out to a Volkswagen dealer as I had seen recalls for the clockspring, I was told my vehicle was not included in the recall. This is a 2017 Passat and had approximately 130,000 miles when this occurred. The closest dealer is over 2 hours away, and the service department is only open Monday-Friday.
Clock spring on vehicle has failed. This is a known issue with many VW vehicles, but I have been told my vehicle is not on the extended warranty program. 2017 VW Passat - approximately 150,000 miles. This eliminates all steering wheel controls, horn, cruise control, and air bags.
VW repaired clock spring (a recall) after airbag warning, steering wheel controls stopped working. VW returned the vehicle to me, the customer, with the clock spring supposedly repaired yet steering wheel buttons, including cruise control and others, remained broken and unusable. VW wanted several hundred dollars to fix this, despite the issue obviously being directly related to the clock spring as all buttons were in working order prior to the clock spring issue. (dates below May not be entirely accurate as this happened several years ago and still has not been repaired, however I was unaware I could file a report here)
Air bag error light is on and steering wheel controls/horn are inoperable. Cause is most likely a clock spring failure as has been reported in numerous VW vehicle models including the 2016 VW Passat but the current recall 69L2 doesn't appear to cover our vehicle. With recall problems on numerous other vehicles, it is hard to believe this isn't caused by the same issue. Repair cost is estimated at $900 for an item that should be covered by VW.
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was unable to immediately restart the vehicle. After several attempts, the vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. After parking the vehicle, the vehicle would no longer start. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the EPC warning light remained illuminated. The local dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 3,500.
CATASTROPHIC SAFETY ISSUE MANY of the warning lights on the instrument cluster are illuminated. These include: * ABS is steadily illuminated. * Airbag is steadily illuminated. * The speedometer is not functioning showing "0" so I can't tell how fast I'm going. * The steering system indicator light is steadily illuminated. * Check Engine/Engine Malfunction is intermittent. * The Electric Power Control indicator is intermittent. * ESP/ASR is steadily illuminated. * The Alternator indicator light is intermittent * Tire Pressure Monitoring is steadily illuminated. * The fuel gauge is moving ranging from empty to full therefore the low fuel indictor flashed frequently. * Several times when depressing the accelerator instead of gaining power, acceleration dropped off. In traffic, at highway speeds, this is an additional serious safety issue. …
NHTSA investigations
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.
Fuel tank puncture
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen Passat years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (32), 2006 (32), 2001 (19), 2002 (16) and 2000 (15) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 5% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen Passat acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Volkswagen Passat model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Passat acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles; 49% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (23 mentions), followed by the cruise control (19).
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.