2007 Volkswagen Passat

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 undetermined in severity due to the lack of information.These COP coil fires were characterized as initiated from within the COP coil circuit located at the top of the engine block and below the plastic engine cover.The fires observed were contained in the engine compartment and did not reach into the passenger compartment in contrast to those caused by an overheated catalytic converter examined in ODI?s investigation in 2007 and 2008.There were no reports of crashes or personal injury in this examination.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstancesSee the Closing Report for additional details.

The contact owned a 2007 Volkswagen Passat. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V148000(Air Bags) and 17V509000 ( Fuel System, Gasoline), and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted.

NHTSA ID

11707536

Incident

Dec 29, 2025

I am filing a complaint in regards to Volkswagen failing to offer a solution to repair the Takata airbag which was recalled. I have tried contacting VW numerous times over the past two years as I live in Juneau, Alaska, which is landlocked and the only option is to send the vehicle on a ferry to either Anchorage or Seattle, WA to have this repair completed. The vehicle has not been driven in years due to the fear of what could happen if there were an accident and the airbag deployed. Please help me resolve this issue as Volkswagen is not taking action on this.

NHTSA ID

11541436

Incident

Aug 29, 2023

The timing belt is terrible on this vehicle. This is the same model and engine as the last recall but mine didn’t qualify because it is a 2007 not a 2008. The belt is and chain are completely unstable and prone to catastrophic failure that can happen anytime while driving especially on the highway. This could cause a huge accident. There is also a major issue with the fuel pumps and the hoses. My fuel tank is leaking gas above 3/4 of a tank and can cause a severe fire even if someone dropped a lit cigarette under the car while I am driving.

NHTSA ID

11475005

Incident

Jul 20, 2022

To start off, this car has common failures of the High Pressure Fuel Pump Cam Follower. This poses serious risk of damage to the engine when the follower is blown throw and the car goes into limp mode and if this happens on road it could be catastrophic. There were no warnings that this was the issue besides researching videos on YouTube while getting a fuel pressure code to find out the cam follower was completely blown throw which means my engine has MANY METAL pieces inside of my engine. If I did not catch this soon the next failure would’ve been the CAMSHAFT. The camshaft going bad at and given moment could also be catastrophic on the road and possibly even spark a fire. Another issue is with the timing chain on specific FSI engines. If this chain snaps mid drive then your engine could potentially blow in the middle of the road causing an accident. This problem is known by Volkswagen and they have yet to take serious action in regards to this safety hazard. Another potential for catastrophic events is the wiring harness specifically the one that runs under the Vacuum pump. These wires are covered in oil from the vacuum pump being prone to leaking and any fluid that goes on top of it. I also discovered that near my ECU to that wiring harness there was a spot of gasoline in which I was able to determine when I smelt the fluid with a glove on of course. This year make and model of Volkswagen can cause serious harm to those driving ESPECIALLY on the high way. The wiring harness and all components around it soak with oil and when you take off the manifold fuel also gets all over it even when you try to prevent it as much as you can. This has caused increased idle in my vehicle while driving with and EPC light that makes the car stall out of no where. If it happened when I was turning my wheel it could’ve caused an accident on the road or even a driver to have road rage behind me. Please help myself and fellow Passat owners of this year stay safe.

NHTSA ID

11468771

Incident

May 25, 2022

The brakes totally went out on my vehicle with no warning. It first started when I bought the car, the brake pad (almost brand new) almost set my left front rotor on fire within 10 minutes of driving. If I didn’t pull over there’s no question that my car would’ve set on fire. My fuel like was leaking heavily, and the emergency brake which is hydraulic wouldn’t even deploy. I could’ve gotten killed. There is also an extreme issue with the power train system. Completely unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11463112

Incident

Apr 20, 2022

While I was operating the vehicle the vehicle stopped in the middle of the street. It was told to me it's the fuel system. The car has been diagnosed back in November of 2021. The fuel pump is not getting fire to the other.

NHTSA ID

11461423

Incident

Mar 1, 2022

The Air bag fault message came on the dash. My VW Passat car was not involved in any accident. I took the car to VW dealer for the diagnosis for which I was charged. The air bag fault message is no longer there but I am sure my air bags have not been replaced. I have been advised that I may have to change the airbags in future.

NHTSA ID

11445877

Incident

Nov 20, 2021

I WAS DRIVING AND 2 LIGHT CAME ON , THE BATTERY LIGHT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I RAN IT THOUGH A SCANNER AND THE CODES THAT POPPED UP WERE CODE P0087 AND P2293

NHTSA ID

11396193

Incident

Feb 14, 2021

Mileage

160,000 mi

Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards

Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

In conjunction with the Massachusetts DMV, Volkswagen will be sending Takata airbag recall reminder notices to approximately 1,498 Volkswagen owners in the State of Massachusetts on March 13, 2023.

In conjunction with the New Mexico DMV, Volkswagen will be sending Takata airbag recall reminder notices to approximately 363 Volkswagen owners in the State of New Mexico on March 13, 2023.

In conjunction with the Colorado DMV, Volkswagen will be sending Takata airbag recall reminder notices to approximately 1,414 Volkswagen owners in the State of Colorado on February 13, 2023.