Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Volkswagen Passat submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 60 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 60, in the owner's own words
Passenger side headlight went out. The problem was not the bulb or fuse. This issue seems to perfectly match Safety Recall 94G8, but for some reason my car is not covered in that recall notice, even though safety recall 94G8 is for "some" 2012-2013 VW Passats, which is what I drive.
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.
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 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 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.
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
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
(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.
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.
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. There is still no resolution from VW. This has been a known issue with VW for over 5 years.
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.
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the low-beam headlights failed to illuminate as needed. The contact replaced an unknown part of the headlights; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
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 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.
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM STORE ON A HIGHWAY AROUND 7:30 PM CST ON MARCH 21, 2021 WHEN SUDDENLY MY LIGHTS ON MY CAR STOP WORKING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE A WARNING MESSAGE STATING TO CHECK RIGHT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT. I DID MY RESEARCH ON THE ERROR AND BOUGHT A REPLACEMENT LIGHT BULB FROM O'REILLY AUTO PARTS TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. AFTER REPLACING THE BULB, THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS STILL DIDN'T WORK. I CALLED THE VW DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY TO GET SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IN THE MEANTIME, I DID FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM. I DISCOVERED THAT VW HAD A VOLUNTARY RECALL ON THE 2012 -2013 MODEL YEAR VW PASSAT HEADLIGHT (LOW BEAM) DATED MARCH 17, 2014. THE VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL WERE THOSE MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 2011 - NOVEMBER 2012. THIS SEEMED TO BE THE PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS MANUFACTURED IN APRIL 2013 (NOT IN THE RECALL DATE OF MANUFACTURE). I FURTHER DISCOVERED THAT COMPLAINTS OF THIS LOW BEAM ISSUE STARTED IN MAY 2013 AFTER INTERNAL QUALITY ANALYSIS RECEIVED A REPORT OF A QUALITY DEVIATION HAVING BEEN FOUND AFFECTING APPROXIMATELY 150,201 VEHICLES. THERE IS SOME GREY AREA FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN DECEMBER 2012 - APRIL 2013. REMEMBER THE BASIS OF DETERMINATION STARTING IN MAY 2013. ON MARCH 25, 2021, I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVE. I EXPLAINED TO THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT THE RECALL ABOUT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT. HE CHECKED HIS COMPUTER WITH MY VIN AND STATED THIS WAS NOT COVERED ON THE RECALL. THEY SERVICED THE LIGHTS. AFTER GETTING MY KEYS BACK AFTER SERVICE, I CHECKED MY LIGHTS. THE PASSENGER LIGHTS WEREN'T WORKING. THE TECH CAME OUT A WIGGLE THE LIGHT WHICH THEN CAME BACK ON. WHEN I GOT HOME, THE ENTIRE PASSENGER AND DRIVER LOW BEAM NOT WORKING. I WENT BACK THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE REPAIRED THE LIGHT WITH FIX FOR THE RECALL BY REPLACING SOCKET IN HEADLIGHT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE TURNING SIGNAL WAS ACTIVATED BUT FAILED TO OPERATE CORRECTLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CONTACT PURCHASED AND REPLACED THE BULB FOR THE INDICATOR HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HARPER VOLKSWAGEN (9901 KINGSTON PIKE, KNOXVILLE, TN 37922, (888)570-1979) WHERE THE DRIVER SIDE INDICATOR WAS INSPECTED. NO RESOLUTION TO THE FAILURE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000.
PASSENGER HEADLIGHT SOCKET AND RING HAVE DEFORMITY CAUSING INTERMITTENT CONNECTION LOSS. VW DEALER TECH ADVISED WILL HAVE TO REPLACE SOCKET AND HEADLIGHT CONNECTION RING WITH UPGRADED PART FOR REPAIR AT COST OF $260.00. I THOUGHT THESE DEFORMED PARTS WERE CAUSE FOR RECALL ON 2013 PASSATS BUT DEALER SAID SOME 2013 VW PASSATS WERE RECALLED BUT PART WAS UPGRADED FOR SOME 2013 PASSATS SO SOME 2013 PASSATS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. YET THE VW DEALER TECH NOTED THE DEFORMED SOCKET AND RING NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH UPGRADED PART SO MY 2013 PASSAT HAS A DEFORMED SOCKET AND RING THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH UPGRADED PART. MY VW PASSAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A RECALL.
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WILL NOT STAY ON. THE CONTACTS BETWEEN THE BULB HOLDER AND THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DO NOT SAY CONNECTED, THEREFORE, THE LIGHT DOES NOT WORK
PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY OF 2020 AND HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH HEADLIGHT BULBS NOT WORKING. STARTED OFF WITH LOW BEAMS, REPLACED WITH NEW ONES AND ONLY ONE WORKED. SINCE THEN, THE HIGH BEAMS HAVE QUIT WORKING AS WELL AS THE FOG LIGHTS WHICH WERE REPLACED WHEN PURCHASED VEHICLE.
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
THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TAILLIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL QUIT WORKING, REPLACED BULBS STILL BROKE. AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON, THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT MANY OF THE VW HAVE. MY VIN SHOWS THAT 5 REPAIRS HAVE BEEN FIXED IF THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED IT DIDN'T WORK. RECALLS WERE OVER BEFORE I GOT THE CAR SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR WHETHER I'M STATIONARY OR MOVING.
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. *TR
YESTERDAY MORNING MY CAR NOTIFIED ME TO CHECK MY LEFT LOW BEAM. AFTER LOOKING AT IT I NOTICED THAT I WAS OUT. I WENT OVER TO A PARTS STORE AND BOUGHT THE BULB. I REPLACED IT, AND WORKED AFTER WIGGLING IT AROUND. THIS MORNING I TURN ON MY CAR TO THE SAME NOTIFICATION ON MY CAR. I WALK OUT AND NOTICE THAT THE BULB IS OUT AGAIN. I OPEN THE HOOD OF MY CAR AND NOTICE A LITTLE SMOKE COMING FROM THE LOW BEAM AREA. WHEN I HAD PULLED OUT THE LOW BEAM BASE WITH THE BULB STILL ATTACHED SOME SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE CONTACTS. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I HAVE SEEN MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS EXACT ISSUE AND TURNS OUT THAT THE MODULE MELTS THE CONTACTS OF THE SOCKET, RESULTING IN LOSING CONNECTION. I'M LUCKY THAT I MANAGED TO PULL THE BASE OUT IN TIME. IF I HAD NOT OPENED MY HOOD A FIRE COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE STARTED. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AS THIS IMPEDES THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY TO DRIVE WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT WHETHER IT'S WITH THEMSELVES OR ANOTHER DRIVER ON THE ROAD.. OR FAR WORSE A CYCLIST AT NIGHT. NOT TO MENTION YOU CAN RECEIVE A TICKET FOR HAVING A HEADLIGHT OUT.
REVERSE LIGHTS STOP WORKING
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .