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2017 Volkswagen Golf

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
5
on record
MPG
29
combined

Open recalls on record

5 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2017 Volkswagen Golf

5 recalls
187 complaints
29 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 5 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 3 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 187 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
5
Owner complaints
187
Complaints citing a crash
3

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

5 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 18V464000high

    Steering issue

    STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

    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."

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 19V188000high

    Suspension issue

    SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V955000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V321000high

    Miscellaneous issue

    UNKNOWN OR OTHER

    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.

    Consequence

    Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V110000high

    Fuel system issue

    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

    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.

    Consequence

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    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 replaces previous recall number 16V-647.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    13.4%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2017 Volkswagen Golf 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 10 comparable 2017 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 13.4% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

25

City

35

Hwy

29

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$2,100
Tailpipe CO₂
309 g/mi

How this compares

At 29 MPG combined, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf ranks 8th of 19 compact cars EPA rated for 2017 — 1 MPG better than the 28 MPG median for that group.

That places it squarely mid-pack for its class. Fuel cost is close enough to its rivals that other running costs will probably matter more.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,100, $200 less than the $2,300 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $10,500, a $1,000 difference against a class-median vehicle.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 309 grams per mile — about 4.6 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

187 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

187
Total
3
Crashes
0
Fires
8
Injuries

Most reported components

  • FUEL SYSTEM49
  • ENGINE34
  • OTHER24
  • STRUCTURE19
  • AIR BAGS18

Notable Issues

187 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 8 reports involve injuries. 3 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

fuel system problems (leaks, pump failure)49
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)34
miscellaneous issues24

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf, newest first.

  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V110000

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  4. Recall

    Recall 21V321000

    Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

  5. Recall

    Recall 19V188000

    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.

  6. Recall

    Recall 18V464000

    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.

  7. Recall

    Recall 16V955000

    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.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Compact Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
1.8L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (S6)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

25

City

35

Hwy

29

Comb

Annual cost
$2,100
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V110000

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  4. Recall

    Recall 21V321000

    Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

  5. Recall

    Recall 19V188000

    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.