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KLUNK
KLUNK

2017 Volkswagen Passat

The Verdict

72 Solid Pick

The 2017 Volkswagen Passat has 107 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (40 complaints) and electrical (34 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 72/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Volkswagen Passat, consider the 2022 model year which has 89% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2022 has 89% fewer complaints

View the 2022 Volkswagen Passat dashboard →

72

Klunk Score: Solid Pick

Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 2

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

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. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may n...

Risk

The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fastene...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

17V075000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FLUID

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Passat vehicles. Brake fluid may leak slowly from the some of the brake line connections, resulting in a low brake fluid le...

Risk

A low brake fluid level may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected brake lines, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at ...

Reported Aug 2, 2017

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
20001041995514520
20011145810114133
20021136722521924
20031553410631828
200466143613136
200537414849
20061383318417632
200733121179711
2008224381046
2009234151073
2010160507126
201120770
201243103317711
2013124742416014
201474736311425
2015541797677
2016211534351
2017401734133
201831312152
201923232
202041460
202223132

By Category

Body
40
Electrical
34
Brakes
17
Engine
13
Transmission
3

By Severity

1
49
2
49
4
9

Worst Problems

Complaints

Electrical 1

ABS sensor has failed. Air bag sensor is faulty due to abs

6mo ago
Body 1

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

7mo ago
Brakes 2

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

7mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine warning light and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to intermittently start and stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 355,000.

8mo ago
Engine 2

began smelling fuel in the cockpit about 2 months ago but thought not much about why until it kept getting stronger. Looked under the car a saw fuel dripping in front of rear passenger wheel and directly under tank.

9mo ago
Electrical 2

Fuel pump control module over heated and burned

10mo ago
Electrical 2

While backing into a parking spot there was a crunching sound in the steering column. Following this noise the air bag light came on and all steering wheel control buttons nonfunctional including the horn. I reached out to a Volkswagen dealer as I had seen recalls for the clockspring, I was told my vehicle was not included in the recall. This is a 2017 Passat and had approximately 130,000 miles when this occurred. The closest dealer is over 2 hours away, and the service department is only open Monday-Friday.

14mo ago
Electrical 1

Today, as my wife was driving home, she heard a "crunch" noise while making a turn. Afterwards, the Airbag light came on, and her steering wheel botton functions are not working, including her car horn. This all relates to the clockspring. This will be the third time we have had the clockspring replaced. This is extremely inconvenient, as the dealership is an hour away. The original clockspring didn't break until October 2023. The second broke and replaced in August of 2024. Now, we are scheduling to have the clockspring replaced again, 6 months later. I am unsure why the part is so unreliable. Whomever manufactures the part needs to do a FAR better job. This was our first new car, and now we regret the purchase due to this headache.

15mo ago
Body 1

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: T1XX, Tire Size: 235/45/R18, DOT Number: B9ELT1XX. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in a parking lot, the contact became aware that the rear passenger’s side tire had three cracks approximately 3 inches in length on the side wall near the rim. The vehicle was taken to a tire dealer for inspection, and the tire dealer informed the contact that there was no issue with the integrity of the tire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was 123,393. The tire failure mileage was 30,000.

21mo ago
Electrical 2

Clock spring on vehicle has failed. This is a known issue with many VW vehicles, but I have been told my vehicle is not on the extended warranty program. 2017 VW Passat - approximately 150,000 miles. This eliminates all steering wheel controls, horn, cruise control, and air bags.

24mo ago
Engine 2

On 6 separate occasions while operating my vehicle it randomly stops running. The first two were at 40 mph and I was told it was a battery issue. It happened twice less than 4 days after the battery was replaced, once at 25 mph and once at 15 mph. I then had the fuel pump replaced. Less than 4 days later it happened twice again. Once at 10 mph and another time at 45 mph.

26mo ago
Electrical 1

Our 2017 VW Passat had the clockspring replaced last year under warranty number [XXX] at Barnes Crossing Volkswagen in Tupelo, MS. The airbag stopped working and safety features such as adaptive cruise control were also not available. Not realizing the airbag would NOT deploy in the event of an accident, Volkswagen asked us to drive an hour to have it repaired which was considerably dangerous. As of today the clockspring they replaced once again failed with the same associated problems. I am submitting a report due to how dangerous this problem is considering they supposedly fixed the issue however it seems multiple people have reported the issue coming back. The fact the airbag could stop working at anytime due to a defective clockspring is very troublesome and make me worry in the event of an accident if the clockspring will fail thus not allowing the airbag to deploy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

27mo ago
Electrical 2

Clock spring has failed 5 times within a year. The first clock spring replacement failed two weeks after the repair. I the. took it to a different dealership to be repaired. The second clock spring broke about 6 months later. The third clock spring broke two weeks after the repair. The fourth clock spring broke two months later and I am about to have it repaired within the next week. Due to the faulty clock spring, the driver side air bag will not deploy in the event of an accident and I have no use of the horn - both of which are necessary when living in South Florida. There are only two dealerships within reasonable driving distance to have the repair done (while the part is under warranty). It takes at least a week, if not more, to get an appointment at the dealership to ensure they have the part at the time of the repair. During which time, I have no choice but to drive the vehicle without the use of the air bag. Even though I can tell when the clock spring is likely about to break, I cannot take it to the dealership for repair until it has actually broken. This is not only extremely inconvenient, but hazardous as I’d be without safety mechanisms in the event of an accident. This should not be a reoccurring issue with the vehicle. The dealership has gone as far as contacting VW support to ensure the correct part is replaced and repaired properly, yet it continues to happen. It is unrelated to my driving or the way the part has been repaired. It is simply faulty parts being supplied.

29mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an abnormally strong fuel odor was detected. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who performed a smog test, and the vehicle passed. The mechanic detected the fuel odor coming from the carbon filter and advised the contact to have the vehicle diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V110000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 41,751.

29mo ago
Body 4

The main CPU component failed in my car and grounded out the second cylinder causing a fire to happen, This happened on my way from the store while I was in traffic and almost caused me to get into an accident. Luckily no one was hurt but now my car is not functional. I took it to a mechanic to see what the cause was and that's what they said it was the computer that failed and that I would need to take it to a dealership in order to have them fix it. When they asked me when I started noticing the symptom I said it started happening a couple months ago there was a random misfire check engine light that came on. And then this happened. I'm desperate please help me.

29mo ago
Body 2

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that heat and defroster and defogger blower motor was inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but a diagnostic test was not performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

30mo ago
Body 2

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving across a railroad track, the Forward Collision-Avoidance braking system independently engaged. The contact was able to safely cross the railroad track. The contact stated that the failure had occurred previously while the contact was driving and crossing an intersection. However, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

30mo ago
Transmission 1

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH, the transmission was shifting hard, and the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound while shifting between 1st and 2nd gear. The contact drove to the residence and parked the vehicle. The contact then shifted into reverse (R) and the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound. The contact stated that the failure recurred while shifting into drive (D). The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,074.

32mo ago
Engine 2

The Passat stalls when traveling at low speed and/or from a stop, battery light turns on and loses all engine power, and will not restart for a period of time (10mins to 2 hours). This has happened on a residental street and on the highway when merging onto an on-ramp. There is no loss of electrical power and the starter attempts to turn the engine over but the car will not start. After multiple starting attempts the cars ECP light will turn on. My safety was put at risk when this occured on the highway and I needed to be push the car to the shoulder. The car has been towed to the VW dealership three times and not been reproduced at the dealership. The dealership replaced the car's oxygen sensor and cam shaft position sensor and this did not fix the stalling issue. Dealership has told me no faults have been recorded.

32mo ago
Engine 2

Fuel pump cap Piece underneath the back seat, comes loose and allows gas to spill into the car underneath the backseat

35mo ago

107 total

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