2017 Volkswagen Jetta: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
159 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
159 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 17.67
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Note: (never has any issues before ever as vehicle always maintained and taken directly to vw for maintenance.) /-/———————————————— I was driving: came to a stop: light turned Green proceeded to go through intersection YET VEHICLE. KT NOT MOVE! Put lever into park: turned off car and turned back on : put thr stick BACK INTO DRIVE - NOTHING HAPPENED I GUNNED it BY pushing my foot on the gas VW Jetta ALMOST REDLINED b…
I have severe painful burns on my gluteus from the seat heater. I had the heater on intermittently on a drive of about 75 miles. I put the heater on for about 10-15 minutes a few times but did not have it on the entire trip. After getting to my destination I started feeling painful burning sensation so looked at my bum in the mirror and was shocked to see an open wound about the size of a silver dollar with peeling s…
On 8/14/24 I had the rear springs replaced due to a broken spring. Now today 2/25/26 I was inform that I have a broken front spring. This vehicle is only 9 years old and we have had spring break in the front and back. This seems like a premature failure of a critical suspension component. Though fortunately nothing happened in the way a bodily injury the failure could very well lead to an inability to properly contro…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 17V136000 | Equipment:Other:Labels | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Beetle and Jetta GLI vehicles. The affected vehicles have incorrec… |
| 17V137000 | Equipment:Other:Labels | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Jetta vehicles. The affected vehicles have incorrect information o… |
| 17V070000 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Jetta vehicles equipped with a 1.4L engine. These vehicles have an… |
| 20V648000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection Sys | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Jetta vehicles. The fuel rail bolts may become loose over tim… |
| 19V615000 | Electrical System:Ignition:Anti-Theft:Co | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle… |
| 20E064000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Com | Tenneco Automotive (Tenneco) is recalling certain Beck/Arnley Master Cylinders, part number 072-9831, sold as aftermarket or replacement par… |
| 17V352000 | Equipment:Other:Labels | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Jetta vehicles. The affected vehicles have Vehicle Identification … |
EPA combined 27 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,300
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 Electrical System (33 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 48/100, computed from 159 NHTSA complaints and 7 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaign(s) for the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 02/03/2017. 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.