2013 Volkswagen Passat
midsize car / 4-door sedan
Award applies only to vehicles built after October 2012
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2013-15 models built after October 2012
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Passat S 4-door
The Volkswagen Passat was redesigned for the 2012 model year. Beginning with 2013 models built after October 2012, the side curtain airbags were reprogrammed to deploy in small overlap frontal crashes to improve occupant protection. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.) The tested car was retrofitted by Volkswagen engineers with a new airbag computer identical to that used in the modified production cars.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved 12 cm to the right, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward side structure. Additionally, the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed but does not have sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with forward side structure and outside objects. |
Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.
During the crash, the dummy's head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off to the left as the steering column moved to the right. The seat belt allowed the dummy to move too far forward, as is evident from the gap between the seat back and the dummy's torso. The side curtain airbag did not extend far enough forward toward the A-pillar.
Except for door hinge pillar deformation, intrusion into the driver's space was reasonably well controlled, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1232 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 16 |
| Footrest (cm) | 9 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 1 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 3 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 4 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 3 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 9 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 10 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 11 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1232 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 307 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 2.1 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 16 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.36 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 21 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 4.2 |
| Right | 0.0 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 2 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.50 |
| Right | 0.33 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.4 |
| Right | 1.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 51 |
| Right | 49 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2012-22 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Passat S 4-door
The Volkswagen Passat was redesigned for the 2012 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF1104 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 3 |
| Left (cm) | 7 |
| Center (cm) | 6 |
| Right (cm) | 6 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 4 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | -5 |
| Rearward (cm) | -3 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF1104 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 167 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 34 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 12 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.24 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 34 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.3 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 0.8 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.33 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.71 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.7 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 1.7 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 86 |
| Right | 134 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2012-22 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Passat S 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Volkswagen Passat was redesigned for the 2012 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Volkswagen.
| 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 | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS1104 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -16.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1104 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 413 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.0 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 36 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 33 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.00 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.50 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.0 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 1.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 56 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 149 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1104 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 127 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.3 |
| Compression (kN) | 1.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.3 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 30 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.78 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.47 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Combined force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 2.0 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 189 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 46 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2012-22 models
Tested vehicle: 2012 Volkswagen Passat SE 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,256 lbs |
| Peak force | 20,592 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 6.32 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 24 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 20 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.6 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 60 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 19 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 548 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.