Skip to content

Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2017 Volkswagen Passat Complaints

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

107

Total

8

Crashes

1

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Most Reported Components

AIR BAGS
28
OTHER
17
BRAKES
16
ENGINE
10
ELECTRICAL
6

Recent Complaints

ODI #11711118

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 01/05/2026

ABS sensor has failed. Air bag sensor is faulty due to abs

ODI #11702812

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/01/2025

while in cruise control and going up a incline or a hill The EPC light will come on and the car will start lugging down very badly and have no power, they've said vehicle has done this for a year now and we have not been able to get any kind of acknowledgment of it from another dealership or the actual company I've said make and model of vehicle Volkswagen Passat

ODI #11702816

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 12/31/1969

said vehicle started making a grinding sound and all of a sudden the brake pad or shoe they'll completely off of the vehicle and the caliper for disc brake was the wrong calipers on my front end of my vehicle and now it's upside down and backwards and it's not the right calipers for my vehicle

ODI #11698579

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 11/10/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine warning light and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to intermittently start and stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 355,000.

ODI #11692933

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 09/28/2025

began smelling fuel in the cockpit about 2 months ago but thought not much about why until it kept getting stronger. Looked under the car a saw fuel dripping in front of rear passenger wheel and directly under tank.

ODI #11682870

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/24/2025

Fuel pump control module over heated and burned

ODI #11662117

AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/03/2024

While backing into a parking spot there was a crunching sound in the steering column. Following this noise the air bag light came on and all steering wheel control buttons nonfunctional including the horn. I reached out to a Volkswagen dealer as I had seen recalls for the clockspring, I was told my vehicle was not included in the recall. This is a 2017 Passat and had approximately 130,000 miles when this occurred. The closest dealer is over 2 hours away, and the service department is only open Monday-Friday.

ODI #11655558

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — Filed 04/18/2025

Today, as my wife was driving home, she heard a "crunch" noise while making a turn. Afterwards, the Airbag light came on, and her steering wheel botton functions are not working, including her car horn. This all relates to the clockspring. This will be the third time we have had the clockspring replaced. This is extremely inconvenient, as the dealership is an hour away. The original clockspring didn't break until October 2023. The second broke and replaced in August of 2024. Now, we are scheduling to have the clockspring replaced again, 6 months later. I am unsure why the part is so unreliable. Whomever manufactures the part needs to do a FAR better job. This was our first new car, and now we regret the purchase due to this headache.

ODI #11617862

TIRES — Filed 10/01/2024

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: T1XX, Tire Size: 235/45/R18, DOT Number: B9ELT1XX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in a parking lot, the contact became aware that the rear passenger’s side tire had three cracks approximately 3 inches in length on the side wall near the rim. The vehicle was taken to a tire dealer for inspection, and the tire dealer informed the contact that there was no issue with the integrity of the tire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was 123,393. The tire failure mileage was 30,000.

ODI #11604563

AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/01/2024

Clock spring on vehicle has failed. This is a known issue with many VW vehicles, but I have been told my vehicle is not on the extended warranty program. 2017 VW Passat - approximately 150,000 miles. This eliminates all steering wheel controls, horn, cruise control, and air bags.

About This Data

Complaints are filed by vehicle owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They represent individual consumer experiences and do not necessarily indicate a widespread defect.

View on NHTSA.gov