- Vehicles
- 84,262
- Built between
- Apr 2011 – Jul 2014
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 7 July 2017
- Repaired
- 21%
- Unrepaired
- 66,074
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 2011 and July 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2012-2014 Volkswagen PassatBuilt April 2011 to July 2014
Repair progress
66,074 of 84,262 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2018.
21% repaired — 17,944 of 84,262 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 241
- Scrapped or exported
- 3
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Passat vehicles, equipped with diesel engines and Direct-Shift Transmissions (DSG). The vehicle's underbody heat shield may not be long enough to protect the right half-shaft grease boot from heat, potentially resulting in a grease leak.
What could happen
If the leaking grease contacts a heated surface, such as the exhaust system and/or the diesel particulate filter (DPF), it could increase the risk of fire.
What gets fixed
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft heat shield, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 2011 to July 2014
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 May 2017
- Owners notified7 July 2017
- Latest repair reportQ4 2018 — 21% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 11 May 2017.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23W5.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 23W5
- Recalling manufacturer
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.