Exterior Lighting Problems of Volkswagen Passat - part 1

In April 2025, my 2013 Volkswagen Passat developed serious issues: the steering wheel cover is lifted, horn and steering wheel controls stopped working, lights malfunctioned, and now the vehicle will not start. It also has an open takata airbag recall with no parts available until “after June” I contacted the dealership by phone and spoke to lykoto at molle dealership in kansas city. They have refused to provide a tow or a loaner vehicle. Due to this I have not had an in-person inspection. I no longer feel safe driving the car. The manufacturer has been notified of this via email due to their services being closed on the weekends but will contact over the phone Monday morning. Symptoms worsened over months and the no-start issue appeared recently. Will be taking to a private mechanic ASAP to have the no-start issue confirmed.

See all problems of the 2013 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

The component is the wiring harness leading to trunk light. The safety issue is low as it is just a trunk light although this is definately a defect because opening and closing the lid you can see the light works until the lid is opened past half way, then the light goes off. Where the harness is angled as the trunk arm swings, has caused this and is a common complaint on internet forums. I did not have vehicle inspected, no warnings and this problem did happen within a year of purchasing it used in 2019.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver's side low beam light and the driver's side taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to auto zone, where the contact was informed that the light bulbs did not need to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was related to the wiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The 2012-2013 vw Passat’s have a safety recall 94g8 for a defective headlight caused by a faulty electrical connect at the bulb clip. It is caused by hood closing vibrating the loosens the bulb clip causing a loss of electrical contact. This has been happening to my 2013 Passat for years and I have been able to fix it myself not knowing there was a safety recall. Anytime my hood is closed the bulb stopped working, I would bend up the electrical connections on the bulb holder, wiggle it around and it would work after several attempts. Now my fix no longer works. I went to purchase a new light housing unit and discovered the safety recall which fits exactly the circumstances with my cars light problem. I called vw and they said my 2013 Passat was out of the VIN range for this safety recall and that they would not fix my car under the safety program. I downloaded the campaign data sheet from your website and the affected vehicles are the 2012-2013 vw Passat with no VIN range mentioned. What recourse besides paying for this replacement myself do I have? thank you for your attention to this matter.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the low-beam headlights failed to illuminate as needed. The contact stated that the driver’s side low-beam headlight had stopped functioning as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the bulb; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

The forward collision was not working on my car when someone pulled down in front of me and I hit the wall so I wouldn’t hit them.

See all problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Unknown - looked into recall information regarding this vehicle. Kbb. Com specified a headlight issue that has not been repaired on my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2016 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that, upon starting the vehicle at night, he became aware that the drive-side exterior headlamp was not functioning properly, potentially compromising nighttime visibility. No headlamp lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v389000 (exterior lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 65,000.

See all problems of the 2014 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

As the trunk hatch opens and closes, the wiring to the hatch wears down, frays, and then shorts or breaks. This killed our rear view camera, which is a safety issue. This also can cut off light to the license plate. The rear hatch also cannot then be opened from the rear of the car, as the handle is electrical and gets disconnected, possible causing another safety issue.

See all problems of the 2010 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

I financed a car from a car place (mainline) auto in March, there’s been some lights on it, I mentioned this numberless times also, the steering wheel was completely out of commission and the horn did not work, or the mileage, I talk with him he said bring it in and he will fix it, he fixed the steering wheel 2 weeks later but there’s lights still on the vehicle, last Friday 06/16/2017 I got an email saying I need to make a payment of the months that I missed not intentionally, so I proceed to call the dealer and she said she would make note that I will come into the office Monday morning 06/19/2023 so that the car wouldn’t be repossessed, afterwards come sun I woke up around 11:30 and the car was gone, I called my insurance company pear holdings and they opened up a claim, I also called jacksonville police department and they told me that it was repoed. Went up there Monday and payed tons of money that I had no idea I was being charged or responsible for, after I argued about the missing information and lack of communication so this would not happen, after I payed to get the car I walked to get inside and on the the front window it said (caught slipping) in white marker , I tried to get it off the a wet paper towel but it didn’t come off so I went inside the place and told her about the writing and she called someone from the back in a language I’m not fluent with and told me I would need to talk with them, that was already a red flag as well, when I got to the back of the dealer place outside I asked one of the mechanics could he come over and see if he could wipe it off,this is harassment, favoritism, mis handled information, long waits for watever reason I’ve asked them numerous of times to just give me the money that I put down on the car back that I didn’t even give them personally same week I brought it, they got my card info from the insurance company that wasn’t authorized by me I would like to take further action because I’m still making payments.

Currently my reverse lights do not come on I have changed the bulbs and checked fuses. It started with one reverse light, however the warning light would come on and off on my dashboard. Next, the other reverse light so I attempted to change both bulbs and change fuses. Still not working. Now it is also my low beam headlights again changed the bulbs and fuses with no fix. My vehicle flickers a light in my rear lights when vehicle is off. My engine is having cooling problems and now the fan is completely off. I have electrical problems. I bought this car a year ago and have had issues with the power of the vehicle and suspension is very unstable. I have not had a check engine light come on for any of these problems so mechanics don't have a solution. My headlights are now not in the right position when I do turn them on so it makes it extremely hard to see at all at night. My vehicle seems to overheat or just on and off drive with very little power. I have had the battery replaced recently. I have always felt extremely unsafe driving this vehicle since I bought it from a dealer. I believe these issues are related to recall 94l9, 94g8/7v, 23w5.

Rear back left light keeps going out. Could be an electrical issue. I have had to change light 5 times. The rear left back light blinker keeps going out.

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

(2023) low beam light warning. Bought new bulb but light still didn't work. Had bulb and fixture for bulb checked, both were fine. Had same problem in 2019. Had to replace bulb and then realized closing the hood too hard cause light to go out. Replaced bulb and the piece that holds bulb because it burned it. This time the other part isn't burnt but it doesn't seem to be working.

My airbag light is on. Had a test done and it also indicated airbag problem. My car was supposedly repaired of this defect some time ago, but here we are. Also when entering my VIN for any recall; it lists defective light. Previous work done by Audi/vw of jackson, ms. On 12/9/22 the airbag indicator light and service light is on.

See all problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Driver side low beam headlights failed. Bulb works. Bulb holder works. Confirmed by moving bulb and bulb holder assembly to passenger side where it operates fine. Search on-line finds many people with same problem. It appears to be an electrical connection problem within the headlight assembly. There was a reportedly recall for this problem that did not cover all vins. This is definitely a safety issue that also reportedly costs up to $600 to fix.

Headlight adjustment recall.

There is a short in the wiring for the tail lights the short in the wires also effects the trunk wiring. The design of the wiring in the trunk bends the tail light wires and wears them out so now there is a short in the tail light, reverse light , fog light and the trunk release. It is very unsafe to have these lights not work and to have a faulty wiring.

My vw Passat has no turn signals, horn, bright lights, wipers just all steering column and steering wheel controls don’t work. Have even heard airbag don’t work. Vw shop in st. Peter’s missouri said my clock spring is broke but part is back ordered. They said come get the car it is drivable until unknown time part will come in. My car might drive but it is illegal and unsafe to drive without wipers in rain and no turn signals. Unsafe to not have horn, bright lights, or air bag.

The air bag inoperative light illuminated in the dashboard display. All steering wheel electrical functions including horn, display control for items such as speed display stopped working, radio control, and phone control eased to function. There was a grinding noise coming from inside the steering wheel when I turned the wheel. I took the car to the dealer. The dealer said it is a known issue concerning the steering wheel clock spring and vw has known about this for years and has issued an extended warranty. However, vw has the parts on back order and is not supplying the parts to fix the problem in a timely fashion as it should with an emergency safety condition. I called vw of America to report this. They gave me a case number. They then sent me an email a week later saying they would get back to me in a month to let me know the status. This is negligent and unacceptable. This is not a dealership issue. Vw is not supplying the part to fix the airbag system. This is a safety issue. Thousands of cars are affected, not just mine. The airbag system is inoperative and in the case of an accident the airbag will not deploy. Just like the takata airbag scenario, this should be acted on immediately before someone is seriously hurt or killed because vw will not fix a known safety issue with their air bag system.

The headlights on this vehicle are constantly going out. I’ve had to repair, replace or pay someone to fix it multiple times since I had the vehicle. One repair shop told me that they needed to take the tire off in order to fix the light and charged me $130+ to replace the bulb. I don’t think that the bulbs are the issue, I think that the sockets are. I sent the car in last year because there was a recall on the headlights but they were working fine.

Both left and right low beam headlights became inoperable leave vehicle with only high beams. There has been a recall submitted by vw for the exact year/make/model/and production date. I have contacted closest dealership and have been given several reasons from the vehicle isn’t included in the recall but no explanation as to why it isn’t even though it meets every single criteria listed which vehicles it included and I was also told the recall was completed by another dealership but can not give the date or location of when the recall was supposedly done. If it was done, hypothetically speaking, then it obviously wasn’t done correctly because the same issue is still occurring, placing me and any passengers in extreme danger.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at an undisclosed speed, the lane departure assist malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to inadvertently move to the right or left. Additionally, the high-beam headlights were aimed too high upwards, making it difficult for the contact to see the road ahead. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer informed the contact that the lane departure assist function could not be deactivated and that the high-beam headlights could not be adjusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

The right headlight has not worked since I bought my car. I bought new headlights and it still wouldn’t work. So I seen a recall on the lights of the car I have.

Hello I purchase my Passat 2013 last year in December it never gave me a problem but the engine light came on an it wouldn go off than the all kind of different symbols came across my dashboard so I took it to the mechanic they say I need new glow pipes so I got new glow pipes after they got replaced my car still wouldn't work so they sayed I needed a turbo actuator brought the turbo actuator an the mechanic change it my car still wouldn't work it wouldn't pick up speed or nothing the lights on the dashboard has been rested several different times still wouldn't go away so I call a another mechanic to get a second opinion and he told me it was a electric problem that my car was holding to much heat after changing everything my car been parked for 3months an I'm so sad I love my car but I see that they have a recall on my car and the problem I'm experiencing so basically all the money I spend trying to get it fixed was a waste of money and time but im grateful I'm ok and my car didn't blow up while me and my babies were in it crossing the bridge it was smoking so bad from the back than it started smoking from under the hood after again everything was fix an replaced that when we learn it was a electrical problem and I wasn't going to be able to drive anymore also I try to check the box for the electrical, an engine as well sorry about my complaint I truly love my vw Passat I have a vw tourge also vw or my favorite cars look forward to talking to someone soon.

When driving or stationery the driver side low beam lamp goes on/off by itself. I have the headlamp switch set on auto position I replace the bulb but the problem persist.

Reverse lights stop working.

I was sold a Volkswagen Passat never was told about all the recalls it had so I had the car about 3 months and the adblue messsed up and engine wouldn't start but the day I took my car to get serviced they ignored all the lights that were on the dashboard so I took the car back and they acted like they didn't see them said they would turn off so we left and before we got home the car started smoking I called and they said they would have to look at it t see what was wrong when we just left the dealership they would not tow it or pay for a tow we took it in they fixed the fuel injector and then called and said they found another issue and ever issue they have found has al been one of the recalls and I called and told them I was worried bout mine n my kids safety cuz one of the recalls could cause a fire and I didn't want that to happen and they told me there was nothing wrong it wasn't an open recall but yet every recall is what's messing up and I called there company vw at tourney advocate for the settlement they got for these recalls and my car was included in the settlement for the recall and all the recalls got their money back or a new car and this dealership said it's not their problem I bout it with a warranty but pretty much they got paid for my piece of shot car and just sold it with a warranty I owe 26000 and had the car 3 months and the warranty is only good another 20000 miles I'm concerned about them fraudung people into buying lemons and the safety of people who get these cars.

My starter has been not working ive replaced it multiple times with original parts. I took it to another mechanic & he told me this car has electrical problems which is why my streering wheel gets locked up that it doesnt read the key. Also recently all the warning lights have been going on & off telling me error check brakes , error check tires & my radio keeps turning on & off, also my lights from inside the car dont work. Yesterday my car didnt want to put the windows up & after my car didnt want to turn on & my key wouldnt come out of the key hole. It turned off on me in the middle of driving on a street going up a hill I had to break so fast because it started rolling backwards. So I towed it home & now it doesnt turn on at all or work.

Takata recall - I experienced reduced visibility at night.

Had to replace the comfort control module along with untold amount of wires due to water damage. After being parked and turned off the windows roll. Down the alarm is disabled, the doors unlock. While driving lights go. On and off doors lock and unlock emergency flashers go off and alarm will go off. Can't unlock car without setting alarm off.

See all problems of the 2004 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

I had reported the issue to vw verbally and service department basically advised I will have to place it on the machine to run a diagnostic test that is not covered. I did not have the funds but they said if it happened again let them know. It did several occasions after that all the way up until 3 days ago as of 09. 26. 19. It is kinda hard to report things to west broad Volkswagen service department when they are rude and unfriendly and make a customer uncomfortable. I like only speaking to mr. Frank in sales when I have an issue because he goes over and beyond. If it wasn't for him I would be very uncomfortable asking or going to that department. When trying to back up the camera doesn't come on it takes a while or it blanks out at times. Also when pulling off my vehicle is slow also advised that. I had a loaner car and it drove better. Mines has a lot of noises and sounds.

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Passat 🔎.

Volkswagen of America engineered less-than-safe headlamps on my 2013 vw Passat 3. 6 sel. My headlamps are substandard, and do not shine bright a night as the xenon headlamps on the competitors of Volkswagen. For a $40,000 vehicle, it's an expectation to have xenon headlamps, which are much safer than the existing headlamps on the vw Passat. Volkswagen has been installing 280 hp v6 engines in its Passat since the 2006 model while their competitors have been installing 330hp and up in their v6 models. The vw Passat should have at least 350hp/380 torque with all wheel drive, with a longitudinal engine. It's quite obvious that the executives at Volkswagen of America, and Volkswagen ag are interested in sacrificing quality and safety to save a dollar.

At 65,000 miles, headlamp low beam, driver side stopped working. Vehicle in motion.

Airbag sensor light came on suddenly. Took car to dealership and they stated that the sensor was bad and had to be replaced. 52k miles. Dealer wanted me to pay for issue but at the end vw will be covering the expense. Had an extended warranty that had no coverage.

I was turning right at a speed of 30 when I heard a loud pop sound and the air bag light went on and all components on steering wheel stopped working. The horn does not work either. I brought car to vw dealer the same day and they ran a diagnostic test and said I need a new clockspring. I have heard many Passats have this issue but my cars VIN was not on the recall list. It's a safety hazard. Now I have a car with a broken clockspring. Amongst many other vw owners. Please help us.