2008 Volkswagen Passat fuel system problems

The 2008 Volkswagen Passat has 63 fuel system complaints filed with NHTSA — 26% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

Fuel System complaints

26%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Fuel System complaints by year

Passat fuel system complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

17V509000Fuel SystemAugust 16, 2017 · 280,915 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

If the fuel pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

What owners report

“SOMETIMES VEHICLE STALLS UPON STARTING AND THEN WILL RESTART. THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES SHAKES AND SPUTTERS AND THEN STALLS WHILE STOPPED. ALSO, MANY TIMES CAR WILL STALL WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING SOMETIMES AT HIGH SPEEDS WITH NO WARNING AND HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO STALLING IN…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · September 24, 2016

Common questions

How many fuel system complaints does the 2008 Volkswagen Passat have?

NHTSA has 63 complaints about the 2008 Volkswagen Passat fuel system — 26% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2008 Volkswagen Passat fuel system?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the fuel system: 17V509000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.