Top Safety Pick criteria

2006 Volkswagen Passat

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2006 Volkswagen Passat 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 4-door

The Volkswagen Passat was redesigned for the 2006 model year.

The frontal offset crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Passat, beginning with 2007 models, and the CC, a variant of the Passat sedan with a lower roofline and frameless side windows, beginning with 2009 models. The Passat sedan and wagon were discontinued after the 2010 model year but not the CC.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint above the dummy's head indicates where the head hit the roof rail and grab handle during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were low.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0529
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 6
Center (cm) 6
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 2
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0529
Head
HIC-15 161
Peak gs at hard contact 16
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 28
Maximum Nij 0.29
Chest maximum compression (mm) 26
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.1
Femur force - right (kN) 1.8
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.33
Maximum tibia index - right 0.33
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.8
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 53
Right 125

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Volkswagen Passat was redesigned for the 2006 model year and discontinued after the 2010 model year. The side impact crash test ratings also apply to 2007-10 models of the station wagon version of the Passat.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0527
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -14.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0527
Head HIC-15 168
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 41
Lateral force (kN) 1.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 28
Average deflection (mm) 26
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.78
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.43
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.7
Combined force (kN) 3.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 54
A-P moment (Nm) 19

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0527
Head HIC-15 283
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 31
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33
Average deflection (mm) 29
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.00
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.65
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.4
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.7
Combined force (kN) 4.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 109
A-P moment (Nm) -42

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2006-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,365 lbs
Peak force 16,104 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 4.79

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 58
Distance below top of head (mm) 45
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.8
Head contact time (ms) 70
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 151
Max neck tension (N) 628

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.