Head-to-head reliability

Honda Accord vs Volkswagen Passat

How the Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

Honda Accord2,653 complaints · 38 recalls
Volkswagen Passat1,883 complaints · 47 recalls Fewer issues per year

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

Volkswagen Passat averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Honda Accord has 2,653 complaints and 38 recalls on record; Volkswagen Passat has 1,883 complaints and 47 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryHonda AccordVolkswagen Passat
Total complaintsAll model years combined2,6531,883 Better
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns38 Better47
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints12778 Better
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years265.3188.3 Better
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints10661 Better
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints32 Better

Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.

What actually goes wrong

The problems owners report

The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.

Honda Accord

  1. 01ELECTRICAL SYSTEM584
  2. 02UNKNOWN OR OTHER495
  3. 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE494
  4. 04ENGINE452
  5. 05SERVICE BRAKES341
In owners' words — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This vehicle is experiencing an aggressive, heat-accelerated hardware degradation of the central capacitive screen assembly commonly identified as ghost glitching, culminating in a total crash of the primary graphic interface and touch controller hardware. Wh…

Component Affected: Electrical System / Vehicle Speed Control / Forward Visibility / Navigation / Infotainment Description of Safety Hazard: I am experiencing a severe, highly unpredictable, and dangerous hardware defect involving the factory infotainment sys…

Volkswagen Passat

  1. 01AIR BAGS885
  2. 02ENGINE278
  3. 03ELECTRICAL SYSTEM270
  4. 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER218
  5. 05FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM163
In owners' words — AIR BAGS

Steering wheel controls stopped working, no horn either. Probably no airbag but haven't got into an accident. There was recall on the same part for the until 2018, but the new part I was going to install lists that if fits cars 2016-2022 Part # 5K0-953-569-BC…

My clock spring isn’t working after having my vehicle for barely a year. My air bag light is currently on. I can’t use my horn nor use any of the controls on my steering wheel. I’ve paid already 800 plus on previous car issues such as my harness hose. I’m sti…

Official recalls

Safety recalls on record

Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.

Honda Accord — 38 recalls

Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — Control Unit/Module
#23V430000

The defect: Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic, Acura RDX, Acura Integra, and 2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A ball valve in the vehicle stability assist (VSA) modulator may leak brake fluid, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the brake hold feature is engaged or an…

The risk: Unintended vehicle movement or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the VSA modulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are OEJ, XEK, AEY, XEX and OEW.

Air Bags — Sensor — Occupant Classification — Front Passenger
#24V064000Jan 2024

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura R…

The risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls ar…

Fuel System, Gasoline — Delivery — Fuel Pump
#23V858000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV,…

The risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansi…

Air Bags — Sensor — Occupant Classification — Front Passenger
#26V332000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022…

The risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH,…

Volkswagen Passat — 47 recalls

Exterior Lighting — Headlights
#19V389000

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Saf…

The risk: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswa…

Exterior Lighting — Headlights
#19V389000

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Saf…

The risk: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswa…

Air Bags — Side/Window
#19V218000

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.

The risk: In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.

Air Bags — Passenger Side Frontal — Cushion
#20V533000Feb 2020

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Passat vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag may have been folded incorrectly affecting its deployment force. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208,…

The risk: An incorrectly folded air bag can deploy with too much force, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Volkswagen's number for this recall…

Year by year

Which model years to avoid

Complaints per model year for both vehicles — lower is better. The spikes are the years to scrutinize.

YearHonda AccordVolkswagen Passat
202223112
20212210
202034915
201966712
201811445
2017532109
Years to scrutinize: the 2019 Honda Accord drew the most complaints (667); the 2013 Volkswagen Passat drew the most (748). Inspect these model years especially closely.

Check the actual car

Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.

Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

Honda Accord vs Volkswagen Passat — comparison facts
Comparison
Honda Accord vs Volkswagen Passat
Honda Accord total complaints
2,653
Volkswagen Passat total complaints
1,883
Honda Accord total recalls
38
Volkswagen Passat total recalls
47
Honda Accord avg complaints/year
265.3
Volkswagen Passat avg complaints/year
188.3
More reliable overall
Volkswagen Passat
Honda Accord top complaint area
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Volkswagen Passat top complaint area
AIR BAGS