2017 Volkswagen Passat: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
110 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2012 to 2015 Passat, four AVOID verdicts at 26, 26, 26 and 47; buy a 2016 or 2017, which score 81 and 72 on medium evidence, and treat the 2018 to 2022 cars' scores of 87 to 95 as promising rather than proven, because every one is on low evidence. Air Bags is the top component on the 2012 to 2015 cars at 295, 382, 354 and 88, and the driver frontal air bag inflator campaigns 16V078000, 18V148000 and 19V862000 on the 2012 to 2014 cars, with 19V014000 on the 2015, account for it; 15V483000 covers the same years for debris in the frontal air bag. Read the full note on the model page. 2017 specifically: a year the record favours — 110 complaints, score 72/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Volkswagen Jetta and Passat: the years the record favours, including 2017 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Owner complaints: 110 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 12.22
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The contact owns 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, with the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, the vehicle failed to detect another vehicle and the vehicle was involved in a crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injuries sustained. A Police report was filed but the information was not provided. The vehicle was vehicle was taken to a dealer whe…
while in cruise control and going up a incline or a hill The EPC light will come on and the car will start lugging down very badly and have no power, they've said vehicle has done this for a year now and we have not been able to get any kind of acknowledgment of it from another dealership or the actual company I've said make and model of vehicle Volkswagen Passat
said vehicle started making a grinding sound and all of a sudden the brake pad or shoe they'll completely off of the vehicle and the caliper for disc brake was the wrong calipers on my front end of my vehicle and now it's upside down and backwards and it's not the right calipers for my vehicle
Recalls: 7 campaigns (3 severe)
| 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, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. |
| 17V075000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Fluid | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Passat vehicles. |
| 18V536000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Caliper | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. |
| 20V561000 | Unknown Or Other | 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. |
| 19V389000 | Exterior Lighting:Headlights | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. |
| 19V679000 | Unknown Or Other | 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 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. |
| 24V834000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module | 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. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 23 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,700
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Air Bags28 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other21 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System18 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Service Brakes17 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Forward Collision Avoidance16 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Steering16 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
Other Volkswagen Passat years
Volkswagen Passat years to avoid, and the best years to buy →
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (28 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Passat a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 72/100, computed from 110 NHTSA complaints and 7 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2017 Volkswagen Passat's most common problem?
28 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2017 Volkswagen Passat sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2017 Volkswagen Passat cost to run per year?
About $4,861 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $24,308 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2017 Volkswagen Passat have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaign(s) for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 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.
Compare with
Other midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2017 Volkswagen Passat really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & 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: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 110 complaints, 7 recalls on record
- 110 NHTSA complaints on record (12.2/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (11.4/yr)
- 7 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems