2017 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 115 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: FUEL SYSTEM (51 complaints · 44.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 5
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2016 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FUEL SYSTEM appears in 51 of 115 owner complaints (44.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. FUEL SYSTEM: 51 complaints, 44.4% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 51 · 44.4% ENGINE: 13 complaints, 11.3% of reports ENGINE 13 · 11.3% STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 4.4% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 4.4% VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 4.4% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 4.4% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 3.5% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 3.5% STEERING: 4 complaints, 3.5% of reports STEERING 4 · 3.5% AIR BAGS: 3 complaints, 2.6% of reports AIR BAGS 3 · 2.6% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 2.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 2.6% SERVICE BRAKES: 3 complaints, 2.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 2.6% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 31 complaints, 27.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 31 · 27.0% · 2 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FUEL SYSTEM 51 44.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 13 11.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 5 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 3.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 4 3.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 3 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 3 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 31 27.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2017; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2016. 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2022-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2022-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 2016 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 16V955000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V955000 Recall campaign 18V464000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V464000 Recall campaign 19V188000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V188000 Recall campaign 21V321000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V321000 Recall campaign 24V110000 ◆ Recall campaign 24V110000 Investigation RQ23007 ● Investigation RQ23007
  • Campaign 18V464000 was reported 454 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 5
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 6
2021-Q4 Owner reports 5
2022-Q1 Owner reports 7
2022-Q2 Owner reports 5
2022-Q3 Owner reports 10
2022-Q4 Owner reports 5
2023-Q1 Owner reports 3
2023-Q2 Owner reports 5
2023-Q3 Owner reports 11
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 4
2024-Q3 Owner reports 11
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 2
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 16V955000
Recall campaign 1 18V464000
Recall campaign 1 19V188000
Recall campaign 1 21V321000
Recall campaign 1 24V110000
Defect investigation 1 RQ23007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V955000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V464000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V188000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V321000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 24V110000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 115 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources