Shock absorber leaking on the Volkswagen Passat
Shock absorber leaking on the Volkswagen Passat is recorded on 59,039 tests — 8.6% of all its MOT tests, against 3.9% across every car in the data. That is 2.2× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 3.9% of tests record it — this model is 2.2× that share |
| The 364 models compared | 30 of 364, highest first |
| The model's own record | 689,671 tests · every year of the Passat → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Volkswagen Passat tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.
Year by year
In 2000, 2.6% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2022, 1.9%. The share has fallen 0.6 points over that time. Worst year 2015 at 4.1%; best 2014 at 1.6%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 97 | 3,748 | 2.6% |
| 2001 | 258 | 7,866 | 3.3% |
| 2002 | 383 | 13,388 | 2.9% |
| 2003 | 637 | 21,078 | 3.0% |
| 2004 | 960 | 24,510 | 3.9% |
| 2005 | 1,295 | 45,687 | 2.8% |
| 2006 | 1,718 | 64,164 | 2.7% |
| 2007 | 2,976 | 94,392 | 3.1% |
| 2008 | 3,365 | 108,639 | 3.1% |
| 2009 | 4,050 | 129,432 | 3.1% |
| 2010 | 3,913 | 129,684 | 3.0% |
| 2011 | 4,590 | 187,413 | 2.5% |
| 2012 | 3,154 | 159,669 | 2.0% |
| 2013 | 2,631 | 137,613 | 1.9% |
| 2014 | 2,718 | 165,621 | 1.6% |
| 2015 | 6,766 | 164,529 | 4.1% |
| 2016 | 6,423 | 157,785 | 4.1% |
| 2017 | 5,349 | 143,553 | 3.7% |
| 2018 | 2,753 | 109,278 | 2.5% |
| 2019 | 2,776 | 74,118 | 3.8% |
| 2020 | 1,599 | 58,098 | 2.8% |
| 2021 | 510 | 24,471 | 2.1% |
| 2022 | 105 | 5,394 | 1.9% |
Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.
What it costs
A typical UK repair for this item is £30–£75 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →
Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.
Where this sits
- Shock absorber leaking: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every Volkswagen model →