2017 Volkswagen Golf problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (48) · Engine (12) · Structure:body (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Golf model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
32 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Fuel System, Gasoline 2024-02-14 · campaign 24V110000 · 261,257 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and re
Unknown Or Other 2021-05-05 · campaign 21V321000 · 46 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs 2019-03-06 · campaign 19V188000 · 56,173 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Risk: If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
Electrical System:ignition:anti-Theft:control Module 2018-07-11 · campaign 18V464000 · 33,168 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Volkswagen Golf and Golf Sportwagen vehicles. The build of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition while the vehicle shift lever is not in "Park." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37L5.
Air Bags:side/Window 2016-12-29 · campaign 16V955000 · 5,947 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Service bulletins (689)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-17 · V0116152014815_20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
suggested fuel additive
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-04 · V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
differences between a leak and seepage
Steering 2026-08-03 · V4823022072282_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
clean and install an additional plastic "ring" to prevent ingress of dirt,hair. foreign bodies into the clock spring.
Electrical System 2026-07-15 · VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a notice for software changes with the odis diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: a software fix is needed to correct the issue: da 0019 - hotfix 12-v battery test(s) – no battery diagnosis - inconclusive test result.
Showing the 6 most recent of 689 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-07 · Structure:body“the panoramic sunroof frame on my 2017 volkswagen golf has suffered a complete structural failure, exhibiting clear stress fractures and vertical cracking in the polycarbonate surround material. this factory defect allows severe rainwater ingress into the headliner, directly exposing the side-curtain airbag modules and surrounding electrical wiring…”
2026-09-10 · Power Train · 142,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 volkswagen golf. the contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the messages "service vehicle - place vehicle in park" and "transmission error" were displayed, with an audible chime. the “gearbox overheating” warning light was illuminated. the vehicle felt as if the transmission was in neutral(…”
2026-05-05 · Engine“driving my 2017golf the check engine light came on. the light was steady. i called my dealer and got it in for service. they report to me that the thermostat housing needs to be replaced and oxygen sensors need replacing also. i just had the manifold replaced 6 weeks ago. i found on line that this is a common problem . why isn’t this a recall repa…”
2026-01-21 · Unknown Or Other“my vehicle is subject to safety recall 20uf (suction jet pump failure / fire risk). i have attempted to contact pacific volkswagen in hawthorne, ca to schedule this safety-critical repair. on two separate occasions, upon mentioning that the call was regarding the 20uf recall, the dealership staff disconnected the call. this repeated 'recall avoidan…”
2025-10-31 · Vehicle Speed Control · 96,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2017 volkswagen golf. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a parking lot barrier. the contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. there was no injury sustained. no medical attention was re…”
2025-10-30 · Electrical System“i have been having rear cameras for quite some time. the first time i took it to the dealer they could not find any issues and told me to take pictures. i did, plenty of them. monday 10-27 2025 i took it in again for the gas tank issue and camera issue. being disabled due to serious spine issues i had to minimize waiting time. the dealer preformed …”
2025-09-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System“in december 2021, my fuel gauge read empty, so i stopped at a gas station near the honolulu airport and vw honolulu dealership. as i was pumping the gasoline, it began overflowing from the top of the tank, although i had just started pumping. i immediately removed the pump which is when gas began leaking out of the bottom of the tank, like a faucet…”
2024-10-28 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the component that failed, according to volkswagen, is the rollover valve in the gas tank. this issue caused large amounts of gasoline to leak and pool from behind the rear passenger wheel well, creating a significant fire hazard and risk of harm. the vehicle was inspected by a volkswagen service center as part of the repair process, whereupon the…”
2024-09-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i had a suction jet pump recall due on the car. i took it to the dealer to fix. mind you, i have never had an issue with this car ever. now about a week later from the car being in the shop i get an engine malfunction light that comes on due to the evap system. vw dealership of cool springs has not worked with me on this at all and it is frustratin…”
2024-09-06 · Unknown Or Other“the water pump in these vehicles are known defects, with class actions resulting. my water pump has failed at less than 70k miles. this results in engine overheating and possible failure. luckily i was able to get the car off the road.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.