AI Damage2007 Volkswagen Passat: common problems
Owners of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat filed 262 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 262
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 40% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel/propulsion system 12% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 11% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 106 complaints (40% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 34 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 32 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 31 complaints (12% of all).
- Engine: 28 complaints (11% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 3.6 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 7 complaints
- automatic, 6-speed
- manual, 6-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 262 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 106 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The air bags failed to deploy and the vehicle was destroyed. One passenger sustained injuries to the head, neck, back and chest. The police were contacted and a report was filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileages were 75,000.
The dealer stated that the cause of the failure was due to a recall on the engine for unintended acceleration. The vehicle was repaired, but the contact was unsure of what was actually repaired.
There is also a major issue with the fuel pumps and the hoses. My fuel tank is leaking gas above 3/4 of a tank and can cause a severe fire even if someone dropped a lit cigarette under the car while I am driving.
To start off, this car has common failures of the High Pressure Fuel Pump Cam Follower. This poses serious risk of damage to the engine when the follower is blown throw and the car goes into limp mode and if this happens on road it could be catastrophic.
It first started when I bought the car, the brake pad (almost brand new) almost set my left front rotor on fire within 10 minutes of driving. If I didnât pull over thereâs no question that my car wouldâve set on fire.
While I was operating the vehicle the vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. It was told to me it's the fuel system. The car has been diagnosed back in November of 2021. The fuel pump is not getting fire to the other.
I was driving and 2 light came on , the battery light and the check engine light. I ran it though a scanner and the codes that popped up were code p0087 and p2293
When test driving we heard a clunk every time you would excel. The salesman said it was stuff in the trunk. Come to find out there are no motor mounts holding the motor and the motor goes up in the air when you give the car gas, the motor hit the exhaust and broke it.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,555 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Passat has 212 complaints (37 years in the data). This year has 262, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
- Passat 199034 sources
- Passat 199124 sources
- Passat 199239 sources
- Passat 199368 sources
- Passat 199425 sources
- Passat 199593 sources
- Passat 1996142 sources
- Passat 199770 sources
- Passat 1998331 sources
- Passat 1999664 sources
- Passat 2000507 sources
- Passat 2001430 sources
- Passat 2002636 sources
- Passat 2003634 sources
- Passat 2004279 sources
- Passat 2005148 sources
- Passat 2006576 sources
- Passat 2008168 sources
- Passat 2009146 sources
- Passat 2010163 sources
- Passat 201116 sources
- Passat 2012484 sources
- Passat 2013749 sources
- Passat 2014594 sources
- Passat 2015243 sources
- Passat 2016620 sources
- Passat 2017498 sources
- Passat 2018398 sources
- Passat 2019400 sources
- Passat 2020422 sources
- Passat 2021355 sources
- Passat 2022270 sources
- Passat 202374 sources
- Passat 202423 sources
- Passat 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Volkswagen Passat?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 262. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (14%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%), stalls while driving (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 Volkswagen Passat?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2007 Volkswagen Passat from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2007 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.