Volkswagen / Passat / 2017
2017 Volkswagen Passat problems
Owners have filed 175 complaints about the 2017 Volkswagen Passat with NHTSA. Air bags account for 16% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of forward collision avoidance at 10.9%.
Complaints175
Crashes14
Fires1
Injuries6
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 16.0% · 28
Unknown or other 11.4% · 20
Forward collision avoidance 10.9% · 19
Electrical system 9.7% · 17
Steering 9.1% · 16
Service brakes 8.6% · 15
Lane departure 4.0% · 7
Engine 4.0% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 14 describe a crash, 1 describe a fire and 6 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 22 model years of the Volkswagen Passat in this data, 2017 sits 19th by complaint volume. 2013 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 34 in the last three years against 78 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 24,400 miles.
In owners' own words
no prior warnings before malfunction ,all fuses were checked to no fault. OBD scan reported car lost communication with steering column control module On steering wheel, multifunction buttons and horn stopped working. Airbag light illuminated. OBD scan reported driver airbag igniter resistance too high Emergency braking and blind spot were no longer working although front parking assist still worked. Air bags
The following warning lights will randomly turn on & off while driving: Air Bag Malfunction, ABS Brakes, ESC, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front collision, tire pressure, power steering, blind spot detection, low Key Battery detected, and indicate they are not functional. It is a random and items will go back to work while normally driving. Key fob battery has been replaced multiple times... Air bags
I was hit from behind in stopped traffic and pushed into the car in front of me. I was stopped in heavy traffic on a two-way road when hit. The driver airbag didn't deploy and the collision inspector told me that my seat belt didn't either! I am lucky I wasn't hurt worse. The car I was driving was not a safe car, but was sold to me as a certified preowned car. Air bags · reported at 12,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…