5 complaints reported

2018 Volkswagen Passat Electrical System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
5
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jan 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a wiring harness failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact had received an unknown notice, which was related to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted for reimbursement, and a case was filed. The contact sent the requested documents to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer failed to call back as the manufacturer had stated. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2025
May 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced unstated electrical failures while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the rear-view camera would activate while the vehicle was in drive(D). The contact stated that the passenger occupant air bag sensor was flashing on and off without a passenger being seated in passenger’s side seat. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2021
Nov 2021 Crash

The vehicle can be turned off while in drive, and gives no extra signals (beeps, flashing lights, etc.) with the exception of a brief message on the dash and single ding (same ding for door open, and other low importance messages). The vehicle will then roll until the brake is applied or it comes to a rest on a flat surface or against a pole or hard object. This is a significant safety hazard that has occurred to me 3-4 times, the most recent was today when the vehicle rolled backwards down my mothers driveway. Crossed the street, entered the neighbors driveway/yard, contacted the mail box and came to rest in the front yard. The vehicle rolled approx. 200ft. The vehicle is equipped with auto braking and parking collision warning, that are capable of sensing a collision while driving and notifying the driver of objects while parking. The same system should be able to prevent a car turned off while in drive from rolling uncontrolled and striking a person or object. In addition the car should have generate a significant audio and visual warnings to the driver, furthermore the car should not be able to be turned off while in drive. It’s a fundamental flaw that it can be turned off, drivers door opened, driver and keys step out of the vehicle with no response from the vehicle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2021
Nov 2020

TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN WAS INOPERABLE WITH THE IGNITION IN THE OFF POSITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK AND GETTING EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE, THE HORN PAD WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO NOTIFY THE OTHER DRIVER OF THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2020
Apr 2020

THE RADIO/VIDEO MONITOR ON THE DASH GOES BLACK AND NO SOUND AND NO BACKUP CAMERA WILL ENGAGE AFTER DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME THE MONITOR COMES BACK ON THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED WITH DAYS OF SERVICE AT THE VW DEALERSHIP OVER TWO WEEKS AT THIS TIME

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Volkswagen Passat has 5 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.