There are 7 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2014 Volkswagen Passatin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I was taking an exit ramp onto the highway when my car just started accelerating on its own. I pulled onto the highway and was cruising at 55 mph. The car then jerked a little and started to accelerate past 60 then to 70. I pressed the brakes and nothing happened. My car then accelerated to 80 mph. I continued pressing the brakes to try to slow down but nothing happened. Then I heard a loud crack sound and all of a sudden the car started to slow down. That is when I realized it had actually shut off. So I pulled to shoulder and had it towed to a mechanic shop. It turns out the road hazard that I ran over was probably what saved me from serious injury or death. It busted my oil pan and that is what caused the car to shut off.
I EXPERIENCING A FUEL DISTRIBUTION ISSUE. IT APPEARS TO BE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. MY CAR SPUTTERS AND MISFIRES WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE READINGS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING. THE ENGINE IDLES HIGH WHILE IT IS STATIONARY. WHEN I ACCELERATE TO GO UP A HILL OR INCLINE MY CAR SPUTTERS UNCONTROLLABLY. I HAVE REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND NUMBER OF OTHER PARTS BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS.
2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE AND HIS WIFE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHEN PREPARING TO PARK. THE FIRST TWO INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE PULLING INTO HIS DRIVEWAY. IN EACH OF THE FIRST TWO INCIDENTS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED WITHOUT APPLICATION TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE THIRD INCIDENT, RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, WHEN HIS WIFE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT. WHEN SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO BRAKE AND PARK THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OVER A CURB AND HIT THE WALL OF A BUILDING. THE IMPACT CAUSED THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY AND CAUSED OVER $5,000 IN DAMAGE. *JB
AS I TRIED TO POSITION MYSELF TO ENTER A PARKING LOT. I CHANGED GEAR TO REVERSE, TO BACK UP. I SWITCHED GEAR AGAIN TO DRIVE. I PROCEED TO THE LOT AND THAT'S WHEN THE CAR MOVED AT A VERY HIGH SPEED. I HIT THE BRAKE, BUT HAD BREAK FAILURE . I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR, IN THE PROCESS (7) OTHER CARS WERE HIT... UNTIL THE CAR WAS STOPPED BY ANOTHER CAR THAT WAS HIT.
I RENTED A 4 DOOR VW PASSAT (LICENSE PLATE[XXX]; MVA #[XXX]) FROM AVIS AT THE BATON ROUGE AIRPORT ON TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014. TODAY, APRIL 11, 2014, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS TO BATON ROUGE MY CAR ACCELERATED TO 80 MILES AND STAYED AT THAT RATE (WITHOUT ME HAVING MY FOOT ON THE GAS), APPROXIMATELY 7 OR 8 TIMES. MY SPEED DID NOT GO DOWN UNLESS I PRESSED ON THE BREAKS, SIMILAR TO WHAT OCCURS WHEN SOMEONE ENGAGES CRUISE CONTROL (BUT I HAD NOT ENGAGED CRUISE CONTROL). ALTHOUGH THIS ISSUE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES, I COULD NOT POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE MOVEMENTS NECESSARY TO RECREATE THE EFFECT. HOWEVER, I DO KNOW THAT IT OCCURRED AT LEAST SOME OF THE TIMES (AND POSSIBLY EVERY TIME) WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING TO PASS A CAR *AND* MOVED TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE. TOWARDS THE END OF MY DRIVE I MADE SURE TO ONLY BE TOUCHING THE STEERING WHEEL AT THE BOTTOM, THEREFORE IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE THAT I ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL VIA ANY OF THE SIDE LEVERS, AND ON MY MODEL THE ONLY BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL ITSELF WERE FOR RADIO VOLUME AND STATION. I DID NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT, BUT I COULD IMAGINE DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES HAD THIS ISSUE ARISEN DURING DENSER TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED EXCESSIVELY IN ORDER FOR IT TO RESPOND. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000.
VEHICLE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT CONTROL SPEED DOWNHILL WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS SET. VEHICLE SPEED KEEPS INCREASING WHILE GOING DOWNHILL. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026