2017 Volkswagen Golf: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 187 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 5 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
187
Complaints
5
Recalls
3
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
8
Injuries
40.6
Severity index
Severity index 40.6 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 136 2017 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf ranks 88 of 136 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 35% of its model-year peers. See the full 2017 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 55 | 29.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 35 | 18.7% |
| ENGINE | 25 | 13.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 24 | 12.8% |
| STRUCTURE | 21 | 11.2% |
| AIR BAGS | 18 | 9.6% |
| POWER TRAIN | 12 | 6.4% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 12 | 6.4% |
The single most-reported system is FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, cited in 55 of 187 complaints (29.4%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 25 |
| 2022 | 35 |
| 2023 | 28 |
| 2024 | 20 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18V464000 | 11/07/2018 | 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 " |
| 19V188000 | 06/03/2019 | 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. |
| 16V955000 | 29/12/2016 | 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. Add |
| 21V321000 | 05/05/2021 | 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 applica |
| 24V110000 | 14/02/2024 | 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 20 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.