Can A Roof Rack Be Used On A 2013 VW Passat If The Owners Manual Says Not To?  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Hey Jonathan, good question. We typically do tell people to stick to whatever their owners manual says. That said, this is a free country, and we are all adults lol, so there is nothing stopping you from putting a roof rack on your Passat if you need to. It is completely up to you and your discretion.

We see this situation a lot with flat tow equipment. Like just because a base plate is manufactured for a vehicle does not necessarily mean that specific vehicle is flat towable. Or like just because a trailer hitch it rated for towing 3,500 lbs, does not necessarily mean the vehicle is rated for towing.

As far as the roof rack, a lot of manufacturers still make fit kits for this vehicle, so it is definitely doable. If you do add a roof rack I would just be careful and try to limit the dynamic load as much as possible.

What I recommend for the 2013 Passat is the following:

- Yakima BaseLine Roof Rack for Naked Roofs - JetStream Crossbars - Aluminum - Silver - Qty 2 # Y73UB

expert reply by: Jesse M

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Jesse M.

9/12/2025

Hey Jonathan, did you decide to go with the Yakima roof rack for your Passat, or are you still considering your options? I'm curious to know how you resolved this, as it could help others facing the same dilemma.

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Jonathan C.

9/12/2025

@JesseM I talked to a load of folks including my mechanic asking why Volkswagen would put such dire warnings in their owners manual and nobody seems to have any idea. And Volkswagen don't seem to want to elaborate on what the potential issues might be. That said, it turned out that the previous owner of my Passat actually had a Volkswagen OEM roof rack that was fitted to the car when they took ownership, which they never used but have since passed onto me. This particular roof rack was designed for the previous Passat model (the B6), but it still fitted the B7. It still makes me a little nervous using the roof rack but I had two kayaks up on there last weekend, and interestingly, the day did not end upside down in a field in a fiery mess. So yeah, it still remains a little bit of a mystery.

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Jesse M.

9/15/2025

@JonathanC Yea you would like to think a VW dealership would be able to elaborate on that a bit more. Interesting they would make an OEM roof rack while at the same time saying not to use it... Anyway, glad to hear the OEM roof rack is working out for your kayaks. I feel like as long as you limit the dynamic load and don't go driving around all crazy it should be fine. Here is to your safe travels! Feel free to come back anytime you need anything!

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Jonathan

9/15/2025

@JesseM I have some more information. Just to be clear, the OEM roof rack that I fitted to my 2013 Passat was designed for the previous Passat model years, 2005 thru 2011, and not for the model year 2013 but it still fit with a minor modification, it seems, which was that it needed some pins to be removed before it could be attached. The difference between the two is that the earlier model of Passat had small holes in the body where pins on the roof rack would fix into. VW decided to do away with these mounting points for the later models. I found this reference from someone on a VW forum who did some investigation. "They said as hard as it may to believe, VW purposely made our Passat's without the mount holes(female) on the frame (with the door open) for the mount clips with nubs (male) for this reason (if you can believe this) so the mileage figures (particularly for the TDI) wouldn't suffer/be degraded due to that being a primary value proposition of the TDI. I indicated skepticism, and they said they expressed frustration to V.W. because due to the lack of mount holes in the chassis from for mounting purposes, their company had to limit the suggested weight load to 110lbs (for their(roof rack company) liability) purposes due to the lessened GRIP power of their mounts due to the Passat lacking the mounting points built in the chassis like my GTI had." So I believe we might have an answer. The reason that VW gave these dire warnings is that they removed the mounting points (possibly to improve fuel efficiency which seems weird), which would make the roof rack less secure. This youtube video also shows someone fitting the exact same roof rack that I have to a 2013 Passat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUZlGnMklOY I'm now satisfied that a roof rack is safe enough on a 2013 Passat as long as you don't overload it. The capacity has been reduced by the lack of mounting points that the previous model had. I'm going to need a bike rack for it at some point to go on the back so I'll check back with you later. Thanks for the conversation and the great site.

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Jesse M.

9/16/2025

@Jonathan Ok great thanks for sharing! There is definitely some truth there since roof racks and accessories technically can lower your fuel efficiency, but usually not by much. Still it is good to know they did away with the fixed mounting points. There are a lot of other vehicles without fixed mounting points that can safely use roof racks so I agree as long as it isn't overloaded you should be fine. I would be happy to talk bike racks with you when the time comes! You know where to find me :)

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