2008 Volkswagen Passat: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 174 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Mar 2018
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 174 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“My car stalled on me while I was driving and would not start. I was told I need a new feul pump module. I took it to the dealership to get it replace and the feul pump but the car will not start.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2025
“The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while her husband was reversing out of the garage, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The dealer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the insurance company later informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V509000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Apr 2025
“Steering Lock Warning Light flashes yellow and car takes two to three attempts to start. Periodically light changes to red with audible. Car occasionally shuts down while driving but recovers before stopping completely. This has been happening for over a year and is now getting significantly worse. Dealer serviced about 4 weeks ago and key fob replaced but no other notations. Full dealer inspection but no mention about this issue. There seems to be a lot of comments about this issue. Please research as it is definitely not a "one-off".”Owner report · Steering · Jan 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“There is a recall with the fuel pump and the manufacturer is claiming that I need to replace certain parts to be able to do the recall.”Owner report · Electrical System · Sep 2022
“Transmission went into neutral while accelerating at highway speed last night. False neutral? No noticeable lights came on and finally put itself back in gear after we came to a stop. Gear selector was never moved. I've read many people having this issue and seems to be a temp or speed sensor in the trans.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2020
“Driver seat moves back and forth on its own while driving. All lumbar and seat supports also move without warning while operating vehicle in motion.”Owner report · Seats · Aug 2020
“I received the call so I would like to know how I can contact you or when I could make an appointment to take my car thank you very much my car has lights on air bags brand I would love to bring my car as soon as possible thank you very much! *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2020
“When I turn on ac the car loses power and the batter icon and check engine light comes on and the steering wheel locks up. After I turned off ac and attempted to restart car after a few trys it started back up and the check engine light went off.. This had never happened before”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2020
“2008 volkswagen passat wagon timing chain broke while driving on interstate causing engine failure, 160k miles. Very scary!!!!!!”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2019
“During an unrelated service, my engine was diagnosed with a timing chain problem. The service personnel indicated that my timing chain has extensive wear and will fail at some point in the near future. The engine only has 75,000 miles. This should not be happening with the low miles on the vehicle. Upon research, I found that a good number of other volkswagen vehicles are having the same issue. Volkswagen has denied any assistance with the problem. This is a safety issue and a defect with the engine. I feel that a recall should be done by volkswagen to remedy the many vehicles with this problem.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 4,079 MY 2008 PASSAT AND 2,500 MY 2009 TIGUAN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0T FSI ULEV II ENGINES. THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) CONTAINING SOFTWARE THAT MAY NOT PROPERLY CONTROL ENGINE IDLE WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING TURNED ON. IN RARE CASES, THE ECM MAY UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASE ENGINE RPM.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND UPDATE THE ECM SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-893-5298.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Volkswagen CC, 2006-2010 Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AE.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2008 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Passat by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
NHTSA has 174 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Volkswagen Passat. The most complained-about area is engine (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 Volkswagen Passat problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 90,500 miles or less.
Does the 2008 Volkswagen Passat have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning engine and engine cooling. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.