RoadVitals

2005 Volkswagen Phaeton

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Nov 7, 2017
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
2 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton, most frequently naming the airbags category. 198 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Airbags
Filed Nov 7, 2017
Crash reported2 injuries reported

DURING A ROLLOVER CRASH ON 14 SEP 2017 NONE OF THE AIRBAGS IN THE AUTO DEPLOYED. THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE IN THE CAR'S FRONT SEATS - DRIVER AND PASSENGER. THE AUTO WAS TOTALED IN THE CRASH. THE CRASH OCCURRED DURING DRY WEATHER DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS AT ABOUT 50 MPH ON THE GERMAN AUTOBAHN. THIS IS A US SPEC MODEL VW PHAETON. MY WIFE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SUSTAINED INJURIES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HER BODY TO INCLUDE A BROKEN SHOULDER BLADE AND 4 BROKEN (C1-C4) LOWER SPINAL PROCESSES ON THE RIGHT SIDE. I BELIEVE THESE INJURIES MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN SO SEVERE HAD THE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER'S INJURIES CONSISTED PRIMARILY OF WHIPLASH AND CUTS TO HIS HEAD, RIGHT HAND AND LEFT ARM FROM BROKEN GLASS. FORTUNATELY NEITHER WERE INJURED IN A PERMANENT WAY. MY CONCERN IS THAT I BELIEVE THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED DURING THE ROLLOVER AND HAD THEY DONE SO OUR INJURIES WOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS - PERHAPS BRUISING INSTEAD OF BROKEN BONES FOR THE PASSENGER AND A LOT FEWER GLASS CUTS TO THE HEAD, HAND AND ARM FOR THE DRIVER.

NHTSA ID
11044030
Incident
Sep 14, 2017
Mileage
162,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

V171901201285565

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards

V171901201285562

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

V171901201285560

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

V941901201152119

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Update model year applicability to include 2023.

V271901201189422

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger. Updated to include additional model year applicability.

A002155201173212

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

This bulletin contains general instructions for software updates.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volkswagen Phaeton by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2006200—
2005Viewing100—
2004400—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.