2017 Volkswagen Passat Problems, Recalls & Reliability
175 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 16/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Driver assistance leads the reports, typically around 46,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2017 Volkswagen Passat has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2017 sits among all Passat years
What owners report
“Error shown on dashboard, at this time no incident to report. Drivers airbag disabled , ACC disabled, steering wheel functionality disabled.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Passat
“The clock spring broke inside my steering and my airbags, horn and other controls on the steering wheel do not work.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2017 Passat
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 71 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 35,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 15,000 and 53,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant…
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
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…
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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Passat vehicles. Brake fluid may leak slowly from the some of the brake line connections, resulting in a low brake fluid level.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected brake lines, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
Technical service bulletins
674 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2017 Passat TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Passat reliable?
The 2017 Volkswagen Passat drew 175 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 16/100, scored against the model's worst year (2003).
What are the most common 2017 Volkswagen Passat problems?
The top reported problems for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat are driver assistance (29 complaints), airbags (28), and other (23).
At what mileage do 2017 Volkswagen Passat problems show up?
Owners most often report 2017 Volkswagen Passat problems around 35,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 15,000 and 53,000 miles.
Does the 2017 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2017 Volkswagen Passat. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.