2016 Volkswagen Passat problems
The Volkswagen Passat is a nameplate of large family cars (D-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar and Carat, with varying body styles such as saloon, estate, and hatchback.
A "four-door coupé" variant of the Passat with a lower roof was released in the North American market in 2008 as the Passat CC, which was then renamed to Volkswagen CC. The CC was succeeded by the Arteon in 2017.
In January 2011, Volkswagen introduced a separate Passat model line, internally designated "Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan" or NMS, that was manufactured in the US at the Chattanooga assembly plant and in China at Nanjing by SAIC-Volkswagen. Developed to increase Volkswagen sales in North America, the Passat NMS is larger and cost less to produce. sold in the North America, South Korea, China, and Middle East. The separate B8 Passat model entered production in Europe in 2014, based on the MQB platform.
In 2019, the Passat NMS program was split into two as the North American one continued being produced on an older platform while the Chinese Passat moved on to the MQB platform, which resulted in Volkswagen marketed three models under the Passat nameplate globally at that time. The North American Passat was discontinued after the 2022 model year.
Volkswagen ended the production of the saloon Passat for the European market in 2022. The B9 Passat, released in 2023, is only available in an estate body style. The Passat continues to be available as a saloon in China.
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Common 2016 Volkswagen Passat problems
Common Problems with the 2016 Volkswagen Passat Based on Owner Complaints
- Reliability and Major Repairs:
- The 2016 Volkswagen Passat has faced reliability issues, with some vehicles at risk for major repairs within the next 12 months.
These common problems highlight key areas of concern for owners of the 2016 Volkswagen Passat. The infotainment system's connectivity issues can be frustrating for users, impacting their ability to use various features effectively. Additionally, the turbocharger hose problem underscores potential mechanical issues that can affect the vehicle's performance and drivability. Lastly, the overall reliability concerns and potential need for major repairs within a short timeframe raise questions about the long-term durability and maintenance costs associated with this particular model year.
What is the common problem in VW Passat?
The VW Passat scores well in major reliability ratings with a 3.5 out of 5.0 from RepairPal and a 4.5 out of 5.0 from J.D. Power. Common Volkswagen Passat problems include issues with interior accessories, steering problems, and oil sludge problems.
Is the 2016 Passat reliable?
How Reliable Is the 2016 Volkswagen Passat? The VW Passat has a below-average reliability rating of 2.5 out of five from J.D. Power.
How many miles can a 2016 Volkswagen Passat last?
Most Volkswagen vehicles will last between 100,000 and 200,000 miles, although well-kept models can last even longer than that.
Are there any recalls on a 2016 Volkswagen Passat?
Service brakes, hydraulic: Power assist: Vacuum
(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.
What is the common problem in VW Passat?
The VW Passat scores well in major reliability ratings with a 3.5 out of 5.0 from RepairPal and a 4.5 out of 5.0 from J.D. Power. Common Volkswagen Passat problems include issues with interior accessories, steering problems, and oil sludge problems.
Is the 2016 Passat reliable?
How Reliable Is the 2016 Volkswagen Passat? The VW Passat has a below-average reliability rating of 2.5 out of five from J.D. Power.
How many miles can a 2016 Volkswagen Passat last?
Most Volkswagen vehicles will last between 100,000 and 200,000 miles, although well-kept models can last even longer than that.
Are there any recalls on a 2016 Volkswagen Passat?
Service brakes, hydraulic: Power assist: Vacuum
(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.
2016 Volkswagen Passat car problems categorized by type of issue
After analyzing all complaints sent to the NHTSA and researching popular Volkswagen Passat problems, we found that the most common problems with these 2023 model year vehicles are:
- Air bags problems
- Electrical system problems
- Steering problems
- Engine problems
- Service brakes problems
The graph below shows statistics for all 2016 Volkswagen Passat vehicle components and the number of complaints received.
Latest 25 complaints 2016 Volkswagen Passat
The NHTSA has received 92 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2016 Volkswagen Passat. Below are the 25 most recent complaints reported for 2016 Volkswagen Passat vehicles.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-10-01
- VIN: 1VWBS7A35GC
- Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
- Summary: The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that after the dealer had performed a fuel induction on the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic convertor had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part to do the repair was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
STEERING,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-08-01
- VIN: 1VWAT7A38GC
- Components: STEERING,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- Summary: 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.
STEERING PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-06-22
- VIN: 1VWBS7A31GC
- Components: STEERING
- Summary: During sharp turn would hear cracking sound coming from steering wheel, after some days air bag warning light appeared on dahsboard and honk and steering wheel buttons stopped working. Dealer replaced the clockspring under warranty that fixed airbag warning issue, but still had honk and steering wheel buttons persisted. Dealer recommended replacing steering wheel control button module to fix both honk and steering wheel buttons. It appears all the problems are related and should have been fixed under warranty
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-07-16
- VIN: 1VWBT7A30GC
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: I own a 2016 VW Passat that I'm thinking of painting yellow and I don't like yellow. I was driving going about 75 mph on freeway in Idaho and a truck from the slow lane started merging over into my lane I went to hit horn and it didn't work. I hit my brakes and I mean hard because he obviously didn't see me and he merged over into my lane but had I not braked as hard and when I did it would of been a collision. That's how I discovered my horn didn't work. I'm not a person who pulls up to someones house and taps the horn nor do I use it if someone is sitting at an intersection after the light turns green as if to say, "Come on, pay attention, the light's green, now go" I don't like to do that because it makes everyone look and can cause confusion. I use it to prevent an accident! My clock spring went out on me a year ago. I'm told that's why horn doesn't work. Its also why my airbag light is on and my cruise doesn't work (which may not be a safety issue but I have found myself driving much over speed limit without trying to) and none of my driver assist features work. All controls connected to steering wheel don't work. I'm assuming since the light is on neither does the airbag and I know the horn doesn't. I see there have been recalls on this but looks like they drew the line at 2014. Checking into it further a lot of their cars, newer than 2014, like mine a 2016 have had same issue. I also see that the ones that were taken in for recall and replaced, broke again. I read that that led to an investigation. I don't see any more info. I learned that clock springs are supposed to last the lifetime of the car, so shouldn't there be a recall on the newer cars too, like mine 2016? I'm not impressed with VW, this is my 2nd one and will be my last. I now have to get a new water pump at 70K. I really would like to see a recall on clock springs and would like to know what the conclusion to the investigation was. Thanks, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-05-20
- VIN: 1VWAT7A34GC
- Components: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
- Summary: The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was unofficially diagnosed; however, the mechanic noticed that the engine was misfiring. The mechanic performed a tune-up on the vehicle, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact researched the failure and identified five unknown recall repairs with the same description of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the recall repairs had been previously completed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased new, and the contact had been the sole owner of the vehicle. The contact stated that no recall repairs had ever been completed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-04-08
- VIN: 1VWAS7A39GC
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: I believe my clockspring has malfuncioned and though it has had multiple recalls my car is not listed for recall. My horn is no longer working, as well as all the buttons in my steering wheel including cruise control and my airbag light is on. This is all directly correlated to a clockspring malfunction and I believe my vehicle should be recalled for saftey reasons.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-01-31
- VIN: 1VWAT7A32GC
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: For about 4 months I had a smell that my son and I could not locate. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the fuel pump which is located under the back seat had hair line cracks that caused the fuel to spit out and damage the seal around it thereby damaging the underside of the back seat to infiltrate the the foam with the gasoline. We tried to see if there were any recalls but found none. I think that my back seat has only been used about 3 time since I purchased it new. I wanted to draw to your attention that this could have been a safety issue and possible fire issue if someone were to smoke and lite a cigarette. My son has hopefully repaired the cracks this past week and hopefully it will hold. I am [XXX] and cannot afford a new fuel pump. Just wanted you to be aware that there could possibly be a safety problem with fuel pumps for this model. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-02-18
- VIN: 1VWBT7A32GC
- Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Summary: UNKNOWN - Looked into recall information regarding this vehicle. KBB.COM specified a headlight issue that has not been repaired on my vehicle.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-10-18
- VIN: 1VWBS7A35GC
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
- Summary: EPC light came on within a week of buying car from dealer,took it to have it looked at and plugs and coil packs were shot,got that fixed and drove home and EPC came back on and was running bad,shaking and everything,made me lose speed drastically in heavy traffic and almost caused accident,now car has been sitting in driveway for the last few months because I’m afraid to drive it and I can’t really get rid of it because I owe way to much on it!
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-12-01
- VIN: 1VWAS7A32GC
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER
- Summary: Defroster not working causing very low visibility and very unsafe to drive the car.
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-10-01
- VIN: 1VWCT7A38GC
- Components: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS
- Summary: Steering column makes noises when turning. Airbag Light is on and the none of the steering wheel controls for the radio, phone etc are functioning properly. This is my college age daughter’s car and I fear the airbag won’t deploy in the event she was in a collision.
ENGINE,AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-09-15
- VIN: 1VWAS7A30GC
- Components: ENGINE,AIR BAGS
- Summary: The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while parked, the horn, cruise control, and the radio became inoperable. The message “air bag not available”, check clockspring, and check oil messages were displayed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,986.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-08-08
- VIN: 1VWAT7A35GC
- Components: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: Began smelling fuel. Made an appointment for a week out. They found that the fuel pump cover under the seat had been pushing on the top of the fuel pump. This means that the pressure of the seat has been pushing on the top of the fuel pump. The fuel pump was cracked and a stream of fuel was spraying on the bottom side of the plastic fuel pump cover. fuel could be smelled in the car and outside. it would drip on the ground after about 2 minutes of running. This seems like a poor design that has potential for bigger issues because of the fuel hazard.
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-07-02
- VIN: 1VWBT7A36GC
- Components: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
- Summary: My sensors cause the car to break in the middle of traffic. Almost causing accidents for the people behind me. This has happened 3x in the last month.
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2020-05-20
- VIN: 1VWAT7A33GC
- Components: AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: 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)
VISIBILITY PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-05-18
- VIN: 1VWAS7A36GC
- Components: VISIBILITY
- Summary: I am the original owner of a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. My front windshield has been delaminating around the edges. It began as only a small pop, but nothing loud to investigate. But today the separation of the epoxy from the windshield is visually evident. The popping sound happens daily. I have taken good care of my Volkswagen Passat with only a little over 39000 miles. My concern is will my window fly off its base one day while I am driving? Obviously this was not a concern while my vehicle was under warranty. But today I am concerned. I recently took my car to Rudolph Volkswagen for service. They recommended brakes and plugs replacement but did not look into the windshield issue.
ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-03-20
- VIN: 1VWBT7A34GC
- Components: ENGINE
- Summary: On November 11, 2022, the Byers VW in Columbus, OH, diagnosed my vehicle as having a defective crank case breather, which cases the oil to be burned off. It was replaced, and on March 20, 2023, I returned to the VW dealer with the same complaint. They told me that the vehicle had faulty internal parts, and suggested a engine replacement or rebuild, at a cost of $9,800. The vehicle was maintained, according to the recommended service intervals, ever 10,000 miles, at Byers Imports. A well maintained vehicle with 67,000, should not require an engine replacement. At this time, the vehicle is worthless and the dealer or VW Customer Care has offered no assistance toward a replacement engine or vehicle.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-01-19
- VIN: 1VWBS7A37GC
- Components: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: I took my VW in for an oil change at the dealer and a leking fuel rail was discovered. The auto was "captured" for two days while the repairs were made. I was told not to remove the auto from the dealership because a fire could start. I have discovered that some 2016 VW Passats have been recalled for a fueld leak problem Recall Notice #16V403000. However, both the dealership and VW Custome Care have stated that my vehicle was not covered by this recall. I believe that maybe it should have been recalled since my wife and I were exposed to driving around with a ticking time bomb.
AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-10-15
- VIN: 1VWAT7A35GC
- Components: AIR BAGS
- Summary: The clockspring has broken 3 times since purchasing the car brand new in 2016. An extended warranty was given. However, due to all the driving I do the warranty did not cover my car as I was already past the miles once the extended warranty came out.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-02-14
- VIN: 1VWBT7A38GC
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS
- Summary: On turning my car on my airbag light came on and non of the buttons worked on my steering wheel. Later that afternoon as someone all most backed up into my car I tried to hit my horn but it did not work. After finally returning home I ran the code stating the Airbag resistance was too high. This puts a huge safety to myself and anyone who can be in my car because I have no horn and my airbag is malfunctioning.
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-10-21
- VIN: 1VWAS7A38GC
- Components: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
- Summary: Car has low oil pressure come up. After new oil change around 2,000 mile the oil has disappeared/burned away. I had falcone check 3 different times. They see no leaks or issue. Due to this my engine Knocks
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-10-03
- VIN: 1VWAT7A36GC
- Components: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: Fuel pump failure and leaking, the leak is coming from the fuel pump which is located at the top of the gas tank, the gasoline has spilled and covered the gas tank, fuel pump can be accessed by removing passenger seats, fuel/gasoline has leaked through this access and stained passenger seats with gasoline causing inside of vehicle to reek of gasoline. My family’s health and safety is at risk, gasoline and carbon monoxide are very dangerous. I towed the vehicle to Volkswagen Dealership where it was inspected and the technician confirmed it’s a fuel pump failure, Volkswagen service representative also was made aware of the tank covered in gasoline and leak/stain under passenger seats. Vehicle was driving normal never gave any warning signs no dash lights, I noticed this because of the intense gasoline smell.
SEAT BELTS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-09-12
- VIN: 1VWBT7A34GC
- Components: SEAT BELTS
- Summary: Seat belt indicator light comes on while driving. Only vehicle driver was present in car with seat belt secured/locked. After releasing driver belt and reengaging driver belt several times, the indicator light did not change. Driver engaged the passenger belt and indicator went off. There was nothing or no one on the passenger seat to enable the presence detector. The ignition and engine remained on throughout this event. This occurred at least twice within seven days.
STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-09-17
- VIN: 1VWBS7A31GC
- Components: STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: GAS LEAKING INTO BACKSEAT SOAKING CUSHIONS, Passenger door body door whole stripped and door bolt loosen which could fall off if not tightened every 3 days
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-08-10
- VIN: 1vwbs7a38gc
- Components: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS
- Summary: steering wheel clock spring failure which faults steering wheel controls, air bag and horn. Key safety features failed!
2016 Volkswagen Passat recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 5 recalls for different components of the 2016 Volkswagen Passat.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
- Remedy: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
- Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Consequence: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
- Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.
- Consequence: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
- Summary: 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.
- Consequence: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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.
Negative 2016 Volkswagen Passat car reviews
Positive 2016 Volkswagen Passat car reviews
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The Passat is a great car with ample room for back seat passengers and supportive front seats that won't tire you out on long trips. The acceleration and handling are impressive, especially when passing on the highway. Additionally, the 2016 Passat 1.8t has great gas mileage, returning 38 mpg on the highway, making it a full-size sedan with subcompact fuel savings. My family and I have three Passats, two 2016s and a 2015, and they have required only regular maintenance such as oil changes, brakes, and tires. Although the 2015 did need a new push start switch and a new lock mechanism for the driver's side rear door, these were minor and inexpensive repairs. In my opinion, the Passat is still the best sedan for the money.
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There are a few disappointing points to note: (1) The brakes developed a squeaking noise around 20k miles and remained, despite the brakes wear being below normal. The rattling noise is also above normal compared to my previous Toyota Camry. The low tire pressure light has stayed lit, even though the tires have normal pressure. However, it is important to note that these issues are not uncommon and can be easily resolved. (2) The clock slows down by about 3 minutes in 2 months, which is a minor issue that can be easily fixed. (3) Occasionally, the rearview camera fails to show when engaging the reverse gear, but this is not a major concern and can be resolved. Overall, these issues do not detract from the car's overall performance and reliability.
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It's great to hear that you're back in the VW family!
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Great Sedan for the money. Never had a repair problem!
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I've owned this car since March 2016 and have driven it for 26k miles without any issues. At 15k miles, I had a Stage 2 APR ECU Tune, CTS Turbo Cold Air Intake, and APR Down Pipe installed, which brought the car to over 250 hp. As a spirited driver, I've tested this car on the track at top speeds of 150 mph, and it remains stable. The car is smooth to drive and feels solidly built, with no noises or creaks anywhere. The only thing I don't like about this car is the transmission, which isn't as smooth as the rest of the car and feels a little out of place. However, if you don't plan on modding your car like I did, then this won't be an issue. Overall, I highly recommend this car. (I also recommend a Stage 1 APR Tune if you want a significantly better driving experience)
Other years of Volkswagen Passat
Are you having problems with your 2016 Volkswagen Passat?
Anthony Herman 2024-11-27
I recently purchased a 2016 R-Line Passat and unfortunately experienced some issues within the first few weeks of ownership. The car required an alignment and I also noticed some spots on the hood. The dealership offered to repaint the hood, but it would require keeping the car for a week and a half. While this was disappointing, the biggest frustration came from the misleading pricing and lack of support from VW regarding the installation of a Remote Start. The dealership quoted me $1200 for the installation, claiming that multiple parts needed to be replaced. However, I found a document on the VW website that stated this was not necessary and that the MSRP for the option was only $246. When I brought this to the dealership's attention, they denied the validity of the document. After a month of trying to resolve the issue, the dealership finally admitted that there was an error in the system and that the VON check was incorrect. Unfortunately, the installation of the Remote Start has been delayed due to a part that needs to be ordered from Germany. Despite contacting customer care, I have not received any substantial assistance. As a first-time VW customer, this has been a disappointing experience. However, I remain hopeful that the issues will be resolved soon.
Silas Yost 2024-09-07
Hi there! I'm currently leasing a 2016 Passat, but unfortunately, I've been experiencing some issues with it. Despite only having around 19000 miles on it, I've had to take it to the dealer multiple times and spend quite a bit of time there. I'm a bit disappointed, as I've leased cars in the past without any problems. I'm hoping to return the car if possible, as I still have 11 months left on my lease. Thanks for your help!