Volkswagen Group of America, Inc
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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The 2007 Volkswagen Passat has 4 critical safety recalls on file — the kind NHTSA opens when crashes, fires, or injuries are documented. 273 owner complaints alongside. Read those first.
The 2007 Volkswagen Passat has 273 NHTSA owner complaints and 7 recalls on file (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). The most-reported system is airbags at 100 complaints, typically surfacing around 110,204 miles (~$1,100 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Passat | 148 | 4 |
| 2006 Passat | 576 | 7 |
| 2007 Passat (this page) | 273 | 7 |
| 2008 Passat | 174 | 4 |
| 2009 Passat | 152 | 4 |
| 2010 Passat | 163 | 4 |
Below average for the segment. Multiple systems have recurring complaints.
Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: engine is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 62,732 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 7 active recalls on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 4.4/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →When owners report each system failing, in actual miles — so you can see what's likely behind you, what's due around now, and what to budget for next. Enter your mileage to mark where you are.
"Typical" = median owner-reported failure mileage from the NHTSA complaint record for this exact year and model. Not a maintenance schedule — a heads-up on where this model's failures cluster.
Started my car to warm it up, came out to drive it and the airbag light was on. Dealer turned it off twice before the wiring harness and airbag had to be replaced. This was a very costly repair and I feel it should've been volkswagens bill, not mine as I did nothing to cause…
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…
When under 5mph the car will stall or it will not start. It sometimes runs me late for an event due to it will not start. I'm not sure why it does it I've not noticed the pattern yet. The lcd screen will read defective steering column. I've called vw and they will not replace…
Problem: heads up display in car says "steering column lock defective." car starts up, then stalls and the engine cuts off. This warning is displayed, along with three loud beeps. After this message is displayed, the car will not start up with repeated attempts at inserting the…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 4.4 out of 10 based on 273 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2007 Volkswagen Passat has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2007 Volkswagen Passat is a higher-risk ownership prospect. Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open. The record behind that call: Engine: 52 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 18,185–92,000 mi; Reliability score 4.4/10 — below the segment average; 7 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the airbags first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 100 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 110,204 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 4.4 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 273 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is airbags. Typical failure occurs around 110,204 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is airbags, with 100 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 110,204 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop.
The airbags is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 110,204 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 273 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $1,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.