2017 Volkswagen Golf: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
187 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
187 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 20.78
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Driving my 2017Golf the check engine light came on. The light was steady. I called my dealer and got it in for service. They report to me that the Thermostat housing needs to be replaced and oxygen sensors need replacing also. I just had the manifold replaced 6 weeks ago. I found on line that this is a common problem . Why isn’t this a Recall Repair?
My vehicle is subject to Safety Recall 20UF (Suction Jet Pump failure / Fire Risk). I have attempted to contact Pacific Volkswagen in Hawthorne, CA to schedule this safety-critical repair. On two separate occasions, upon mentioning that the call was regarding the 20UF recall, the dealership staff disconnected the call. This repeated 'recall avoidance' at Pacific Volkswagen is preventing me from remedying a known fire…
Infotainment system is restarting itself repeatedly every 30 seconds to every few minutes.This has been going on for about 2 weeks. The component has not yet been inspected by a 3rd party.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V321000 | 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, 2… |
| 19V188000 | 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 Tig… |
| 18V464000 | Steering:Column Locking:Anti-Theft Devic | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Volkswagen Golf and Golf Sportwagen vehicles. The build of si… |
| 24V110000 | 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, … |
| 16V955000 | 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… |
EPA combined 29 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,100
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Fuel/Propulsion System (55 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 46/100, computed from 187 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 05/05/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.