Mk7
2017 Volkswagen Golf
The most reported problem on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf is fuel tank problems, with 23 complaints.
- 116owner complaints
- 5recalls
- 3involved a crash
- 35,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 10, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Problem sheets
No single problem on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf has enough owner reports for a sheet of its own yet. The counts below still cover every complaint on file.
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Golf reliable?
The 2017 Volkswagen Golf has 116 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, less than half the median of 348 for 2017 hatchbacks on this site. Of the 8 Golf model years since 2014, it has the 2nd most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2016 and 2018
- The 2017 stands out from the model years on either side. It draws 12 complaints for each year on the road, while the 2016 draws 8 and the 2018 3.
- Top problem
- No problem dominates. The largest, fuel tank problems, covers 23 of the 116 complaints (20%), and stalling is next with 11 (one complaint can fall under more than one problem, so these overlap). Too few of the fuel tank problems reports give a mileage to say when it starts.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 6 of the 116 complaints (5%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 3 reports mention a crash and 5 people were hurt.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- 5 recalls are on file, but no problem here has enough reports to set against them.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2022 at 27 and have dropped every year since, to 3 in 2025. So far in 2026, 3 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong, 23 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
116 complaints is 2.3 times fewer than the median 2017 model on this site and 3.0 times fewer than the median 2017 hatchback. Among the 2 Golf model years here it ranks 2nd for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen filed 687 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2017 Volkswagen Golf. 35 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Engine overheats or leaks coolant 5 bulletins · 9 complaints
Coolant leak at the coolant pump
Coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Customer states the sunroof is making noise, squeak & rattle, MIL-on with P0300-P0304 in the ECM AFTER software level 0003, Damaged ...
3 more on this problem
Water leaks from the sunroof/overhead light console area, Park distance to sensitive to control, coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Side mirror glass cracked, cluctch ...
Water leaks from the sunroof/overhead light console area, sunshade is to blinding, MIL-on P0441 in the ECM, coolant leak at the coolant pump, Yellow oil warning light on with any of the following faults P0196 P0198 B104129 B104135, Side mirror glass cracked, ...
Tech Bullentin concerning Electric Coolant Fans that Continue to Run after Ignition is Switched OFF
Check engine light or misfire 22 bulletins · 8 complaints
Engine misfire diagnostic aid.
Fuel Additive to prevent sporatic misfire
20 more on this problem
Turbocharger wastegate stuck, DTCs P2563 and or P00AF stored in engine/motor control module.
Fuel additive to help with misfire faults
Diagnostic Aid for engine misfire.
Recommended fuel additive to avoid engine misfires.
Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid. Updated to include additional model and model year applicability.
Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
Customer states MIL-on P0087, P0148 and/or P053F Customer states front suspension noise while driving MFI in cluster warning U0199 Customer states fuel odor/leak in the rear part of the vehicle (without a punctured fuel tank, hoses or pipes) or difficulty ...
Customer states MIL-on P0087, P0148 and/or P053F Customer states wind noise from the side mirror or door area MFI in cluster warning U0199 Customer states fuel odor/leak in the rear part of the vehicle (without a punctured fuel tank, hoses or pipes) or ...
Customer states MIL-on P0087, P0148 and/or P053F MFI in cluster warning U0199 Customer states fuel odor/leak in the rear part of the vehicle (without a punctured fuel tank, hoses or pipes) or difficulty fueling fuel tank or fuel coming back up filler neck
Customer states MIL-on with Misfire code Customer states fuel odor/leak in the rear part of the vehicle (without a punctured fuel tank, hoses or pipes) or difficulty fueling fuel tank or fuel coming back up filler neck
Plus 10 older ones not listed here.
Airbag warning light or recall 2 bulletins · 7 complaints
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. For trouble code DTC B10001B. Driver airbag igniter resistance too high -N95
Grinding noises can be heard from the area of the steering wheel/driver airbag or steering column when maneuvering OR Various controls, warnings or fault indicators, such as airbag, electronic stabilization programming (ESP), steering assist etc., light up ...
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 2 bulletins · 5 complaints
Brake Rotor, Vibration / Pulsation. Addition of mandatory brake form and reference to Volkswagen Warranty Policy and Procedures Manual.
Brake Rotor, Vibration / Pulsation Instruction (U.S. Only)
Water leaks into the cabin 4 bulletins · 5 complaints
A-Pillar water leak caused faults.
Water leaks from the rear of the panoramic sunroof
2 more on this problem
Assistance in diagnosing sunroof water leak.
Panoramic sunroof inspection and repair procedure should a water leak occur.
Complaints filed by year
27 complaints came in 2022. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel leak due to suction jet pump failure within fuel tank (remedy effectiveness of recall 16v647). Closed jul 1, 2024, led to recall 24V-110.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2017 Volkswagen Golf
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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 and remedy
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.
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 and remedy
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.
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 and remedy
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.
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 and remedy
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.
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 and remedy
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.
All 5 recalls on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf?
Fuel tank problems, with 23 of the 116 complaints.
At what mileage do 2017 Volkswagen Golf problems start?
Of the 44 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 14,000 miles and half by about 35,000.
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Golf better or worse than the 2016 and 2018?
Counted per year on the road, the 2017 has more complaints than both the 2016 and the 2018: 12 a year against 8 and 3.
How many 2017 Volkswagen Golf complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
6 of them (5%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for fuel tank problems on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf?
No recall on file for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf is on the same system as fuel tank problems. Another recall may still cover your car, so check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.