2013 Volkswagen CC Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Apr 14, 2023 · 148 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other CC years
More complaints than other years 3rd of 10 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 148 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Volkswagen CC. That ranks 3rd out of 10 CC model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (89 complaints, 60%), typically at around 46,500 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 5 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

Volkswagen CC
VW CC 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Technology (Facelift). Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2013 Volkswagen CC problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags89 · ~46,500 mi
Engine19 · ~49,000 mi
Electrical System17 · ~49,391 mi
Fuel/propulsion System16 · ~58,190 mi
Steering8 · ~32,000 mi
Wheels7 · ~31,181 mi
Vehicle Speed Control6 · ~31,000 mi
Service Brakes5 · ~14,200 mi
Unknown or Other5 · ~66,000 mi
Exterior Lighting3 · ~40,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems8960%46,500“takata air” (27%)—
Engine1913%49,000——
Electrical System1711%49,391——
Fuel/propulsion System1611%58,190——
Steering85%32,000——
Wheels75%31,181——
Vehicle Speed Control64%31,000——
Service Brakes53%14,200——
Unknown or Other53%66,000——
Exterior Lighting32%40,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline32%35,068——
Power Train32%67,855——
Structure21%58,000——
Suspension21%15,000——
Tires21%14,446——
Engine and Engine Cooling11%120,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 52 complaints
2012: 1201212013: 6201362014: 3201432015: 102015102016: 522016522017: 422017422018: 242018242019: 7201972021: 1202112022: 1202212023: 120231

n = 148 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2013 Volkswagen CC recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Unknown or otherMay 16, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V329000 · 252 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleMar 6, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V148000 · 363,713 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpAug 16, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V509000 · 280,915 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2016 Volkswagen CC, 2006-2010 Passat and Passat Wagon vehicles. Interruption of electrical power to the fuel pump control module may cause the fuel pump to fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump control module, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AE.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleFeb 10, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000 · 659,493 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air bags:frontalAug 4, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V483000 · 415,825 vehicles

Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.

Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Air Bag Clockspring Failure (EA18003) — opened Apr 18, 2018, still open.
  • Air Bag Clockspring Failure (RQ17009) — opened Nov 13, 2017, closed May 4, 2018.
  • Air Bag Clockspring Failure (PE15010) — opened Mar 24, 2015, closed Sep 28, 2015, led to recall 15V483000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

While I was driving I notice my steering wheel making a crumbling of plastic noise when I made any kind of turn . A few days later my Airbag error lamp started to blink. I parked and restarted my engine then the airbag became solid . My dash read “Airbag Error” . I notice all my steering wheel…

Air Bags · received Apr 14, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11516993

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen CC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. Additionally, the horn was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that no fault codes were retrieved. The…

Air Bags · received Jul 22, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11475324

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen CC. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light would remain illuminated and the horn would not operate. In addition, the cruise control was inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and…

Air Bags · received Jun 30, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11422933

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN CC. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR OF HER VEHICLE AT A SPEED OF BETWEEN 55-70 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONLY THE STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG DEPLOYED. NONE OF THE SIDE…

Air Bags · received Sep 6, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11253720

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN CC. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V148000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT CALLED HERITAGE VOLKSWAGEN OF SOUTH ATLANTA AT [redacted] (LOCATED AT 305 JONESBORO RD, UNION CITY, GA 30291) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE…

Air Bags · received Aug 7, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11242356

Other Volkswagen CC years

← 2012 CC · 2014 CC →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2017 CC43
2016 CC266
2015 CC304
2014 CC805
20131485
2012 CC2306
2011 CC864
2010 CC2424
2009 CC1364
2008 CC10

See all Volkswagen CC problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.

Similar Volkswagen models

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2013 Volkswagen CC?

Owners most often report air bags, engine, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 89 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2013 Volkswagen CC?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2013 Volkswagen CC a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other CC model years, the 2013 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.