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2007 Volkswagen Passat Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 262 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Volkswagen Passat, most often about the air bags (41% of complaints, typically around 98,500 miles). It is 10th of 23 Passat model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2007 Volkswagen Passat problems
Air bags
106 complaints · 41%Half of these problems showed up before 98,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Air bag fault light came on in the car, Volkswagen dealer says airbag needs replaced and we have to pay for it, wondering why when its never been used/ in a wreck?
Airbag light came on for no reason. There might be a resistance on the airbag system causing it to turn on. I read that the resistance variance within a front seat side impact airbag connector can cause the airbag indicator light on the instrument panel to come on and stay on, even though the side impact airbag system…
Engine
60 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
Driving home while stopped at a traffic light my car felt like it jerked forward though my foot was on the brake. I stopped my car briefly to get dinner, took a phone call and decided to leave. I put my car in drive and it would not travel forward. I put it in reverse and it would not respond. I looked at the display…
Oil bolt failure on 3.6l engine resulting in complete mechanical failure of engine. Cost of repair is approximately $6000 which is not coverd by any warranty. I understand this is a known defect in this engine which vw did not recall, but recognized by making made spec changes in 08.
Fuel system
42 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 111,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
The lid for the fuel tank which contains the vehicle fuel filter is cracked and was leaking pressurized fuel underneath the passenger rear seat any time the key was on. This is the exact same problem that Volkswagen has issued recall 20z4 for touareg model vehicles. The first symptom I noticed was the car had to be…
My vw Passat 2007 stalls and/or does not start. It has stalled while driving on the freeway and then sometimes does not start at all. Sometimes if tried after a while it may start. I'm told it is a high pressure fuel valve problem that is part of a recall but my VIN does not qualify for that.
Electrical
34 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator, 12v/24v/48v battery.
Sudden failure of steering wheel. Display shows "steering wheel lock". This could be serious issue if it happened during driving. Unable to start the car or to get the car in neutral gear. Had to tow the car to the vw service where it was diagnosed with steering control module failure.
Started my car to warm it up, came out to drive it and the airbag light was on. Dealer turned it off twice before the wiring harness and airbag had to be replaced. This was a very costly repair and I feel it should've been volkswagens bill, not mine as I did nothing to cause this and it was caused by poor…
Steering
15 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles.
2007 vw Passat "steering column defected". My key "fob" to the ignition gets stuck inside the ignition slot. Car will not start. Sometimes it will start but then immediately die. I have to very slowly push the fob back and forth to finally get the car to start eventually. Problem is, there are thousands other…
When I insert my key in cold weather my car will display " steering wheel lock" and my car cuts off and beeps locks key in ignition, releases key after a bit and lets me re try and starts, other times it may take several attempts but has started. I took car to dealer they saw nothing wrong with it but quoted a high…
Brakes
14 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components.
Went to go grab lunch yesterday. As I parked I placed the parking brake on. However once I came back to the car. The brake would not remove itself. The system kept reading parking brake fault. I had to wait there until a tow trunk came to tow me to the dealer. The car would not move. This is very unsafe. I have also…
The parking brake malfunctions due to an error in the electronics system board. This issue is severely under-reported as a large portion of cars affected ignore or reset the error by disconnecting the battery each time it appears. This needs to be an official recall but vw refuses to do it because they claim "not…
Transmission
13 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the key was unable to be removed from the ignition. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle failed to shift from park to neutral. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the failure was unable to be…
I was driving southbound on connecticut rte 15 at about 60 MPH on the afternoon of april 8, 2014, when my engine suddenly raced and I lost power to the drive (front) wheels. I could not maintain speed or accelerate; I could only coast. I was in the left lane of the two-lane roadway. I had to coast between vehicles in…
Visibility and wipers
8 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles.
The drivers side visor is secured above the windshield with a plastic part. This part has broken for the third time in this vehicle. There are also electrical cords running into the visor for remote controls. When the plastic part securing the visor breaks, the visor drops down obscuring the driver's visibility and is…
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving various speeds, the windshield wipers stopped working without any warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the windshield wiper motor and windshield linkages were defective and needed to be replaced. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2007 Volkswagen Passat recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed december 4, 2024. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69eg, 69gq, and 69e6.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 beetle, beetle convertible, 2012-2014 passat, 2017 passat wagon, and 2006-2007 passat sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on april 30, 2018. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69q8. Note: this recall partially supersedes recall 16v-079.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2007 volkswagen passat sedan and wagon vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began march 16, 2018. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69q9. Note: this recall partially supersedes recall 16v-078.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 volkswagen cc, 2010-2014 golf, 2010-2014 eos, 2007-2010 passat sedan and wagon, and 2012-2014 passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began june 26, 2018. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20ae.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 volkswagen cc, 2006-2010 passat and passat wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on april 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 golf, 2007-2010 passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 passat sedan and eos, 2009-2014 cc, 2009-2012 audi q5, 2010-2012 s5 cabriolet and 2010-2012 audi a5 cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: This could lead to reduced visibility increasing the risk of a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will install a special cover and sealing kit. The recall began on january 12, 2007. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
Full defect summary
On certain '6' generation passenger vehicles, the wiper motor may fail during heavy rain due to excessive moisture entering the wiper motor. If this happens, the wipers can become inoperative.
Brakes: vacuum
Risk: If this happens, the brake power assist can become inoperative, and the driver will experience increased effort to apply the brakes possibly increasing vehicle stopping distance. This could lead to a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed vacuum line. The recall began on january 12, 2007. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
Full defect summary
Certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.0l engine with 147 kw may have a vacuum line that may fracture and become disconnected at low ambient temperatures.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine compartment fire
Summary
In july 2010, the agency opened pe10-027 to investigate allegations of coil on plug (cop) ignition coil fires in my2002-2003 vw passat vehicles.the investigation was upgraded in january 2011 to include all my2001-2007 4-cylinder vw passat, gasoline, turbo-charged vehicles.based on the analysis of vw's response, and including odi's consumer complaints, odi has since identified 135 unique engine fire reports attributable to the cop coils.after further review of the details as contained in each report, odi determined that 43 of the 135 fire reports were actual fire/flame incidents, 83 fire reports were thermal events (smoke, spark, heat or wire melt), and another 9 fire reports were undetermine
Questions about the 2007 Volkswagen Passat
- What are the most common problems with the 2007 Volkswagen Passat?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (106 complaints, typically around 98,500 miles); engine (60 complaints, typically around 57,000 miles); fuel system (42 complaints, typically around 111,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2007 Volkswagen Passat have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 30, 2024 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2007 a bad year for the Volkswagen Passat?
- It is 10th of 23 Passat model years by number of complaints, with 262 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.