2019 Volkswagen Passat Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2019 Volkswagen Passat has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 662,185 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 19V389000 2019-05-22 662,185 affected
Defect

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…

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.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4
SERVICE BRAKES
3
ENGINE
2
POWER TRAIN
2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
SEATS
1
STEERING
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints18

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Brake issues that consist of brakes not engaging immediately as I press the brake pedal. Brake pedal also doesn't return as fast as my foot lets off of it. It could be inspected upon request. If the brakes dont engage immediately then there is a potential for an accident if I need to brake at a…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2025-01-07

“The contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and then lost motive power. The contact pushed the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced…”

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM · reported 2022-10-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the collision avoidance system independently activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop even though there were no vehicles or objects nearby. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2020-02-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the collision avoidance system independently activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop even though there were no vehicles or objects nearby. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2020-02-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen passat. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the collision avoidance system independently activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop even though there were no vehicles or objects nearby. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer…”

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE · reported 2020-02-01

“On 11/10/2019 while driving I constantly felt burning sensation on my right thigh while on the highway at speeds around 70 miles. The next day on 11/11/2019 with the family and kids my right thigh started feeling like its burning. Subsequently we started smelling something burn and switched off…”

SEATS · reported 2019-11-11

“When the vehicle is off, the factory remote start does not function. The car will turn over, but immediately die. Vw has known about this since late 2018, but has not done anything to fix the issue. I purchased my vehicle in june of 2019, and the vehicle was sold to me without the dealership…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2019-10-06

“Car hesitates erratically and unpredictably when accelerating most noticeably from a dead stop, and at slow speeds while turning. Attempting to accelerate from a stop to cross a street in busy traffic the car will just sit unresponsive for seconds and barely accelerate and then unpredictably…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2019-10-01
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2019 Volkswagen Passat as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.