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Executive Vehicle Verdict

The 2017 Volkswagen Passat is associated with 110 official NHTSA owner defect complaints and 7 safety recall campaigns in the federal safety database.

The most frequently reported component area is Other / Uncategorized, accounting for 11 reports (10% of total complaints). EPA testing covers 2 certified vehicle configurations spanning 1.8l 4-cyl and 3.6l 6-cyl configurations. Gasoline and hybrid variants deliver 23 to 27 MPG combined. The 2017 Volkswagen Passat belongs to the north american nms generation (NMS / Typ A32) Passat platform spanning model years 2015–2022.

Platform Architecture: North American NMS Generation (NMS / Typ A32) • Production Span: 2015–2022 • Platform Code: PQ46 / NMS • Lifecycle Note: NMS 1 (2015–2019) / NMS 2 Facelift (2020–2022)
Official Federal Record Profile
  • • NHTSA Owner Complaints: 110 consumer reports filed
  • • Safety Recall Campaigns: 7 official campaigns
  • • Primary Defect Domain: Other / Uncategorized (11 / 10%)
  • • Field Incident Signals: 9 crash / 1 fire / 2 injury reports
  • • NCAP Crash Safety: 5 / 5 Stars Overall Laboratory Score
  • • EPA Certified Range: 23–27 MPG across 2 powertrain trims
Directly compiled from official NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), NHTSA NCAP, and EPA FuelEconomy.gov databases.

What is the fuel economy and range of the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by certified vehicle variant

Variant Engine Drivetrain Transmission City Highway Combined EV Range Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Passat 1.8L 4-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S6) 23 MPG 34 MPG 27 MPG — $2,300 / yr
Passat 3.6L 6-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (AM-S6) 20 MPG 28 MPG 23 MPG — $2,650 / yr
Data Boundary Note: EPA specifications are shown by certified vehicle configuration. NHTSA complaints and recall totals are recorded at the model-year level across all configurations.

What are the crash test safety ratings for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tested Drivetrain / Cab Variant Overall Rating Frontal Crash Side Crash Rollover Rating Rollover Risk
4 DR FWD 10.7%
Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Standard and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Optional in official NHTSA records for tested 2017 Volkswagen Passat models.
View complete 2017 Volkswagen Passat crash test & safety breakdown →

What defect complaints are reported for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

Summary of 110 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
110
Crash Reports
9
Fire Reports
1
Complaints w/ Injury
2
Total Injuries
3

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Service Brakes 9 complaints (1 crash)
Air Bags 8 complaints (2 crashes)
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 7 complaints
Fuel & Propulsion System 6 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance 5 complaints (1 crash)

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2017 Volkswagen Passat problems & component breakdown (50 categories) →

Are there open safety recalls on the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #24V834000 Active Recall
Affected Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Defect Summary: 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. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
NHTSA Campaign #21V321000 Active Recall
Affected Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Defect Summary: 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. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Free Manufacturer 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.
NHTSA Campaign #20V561000 Active Recall
Affected Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Defect Summary: 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. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.
View all 2017 Volkswagen Passat recalls & campaign history (7 campaigns) →
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Key Questions Drivers Ask About the 2017 Volkswagen Passat

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat

How many safety recalls does the 2017 Volkswagen Passat have?

The 2017 Volkswagen Passat is associated with 7 official NHTSA safety recall campaigns in AutoUtility's current federal records.

If your individual vehicle is affected by an open safety recall, NHTSA advises owners to contact an authorized franchised dealership for the recall remedy at no charge. Because recall campaigns apply to specific production runs and equipment batches, vehicle owners should verify their 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov.

Source: NHTSA Safety Recalls Database (49 U.S.C. 30118)

What are the most common problems reported for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

NHTSA records list 110 consumer defect complaints for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The most frequently referenced vehicle system is Other / Uncategorized, appearing in 11 filings (10% of submissions).

Consumer complaints represent unverified owner submissions filed under federal reporting guidelines and describe reported component behavior rather than audited failure rates.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

What is the NHTSA safety rating for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat?

Under the NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the 2017 Volkswagen Passat earned an Overall Safety Rating of 5 out of 5 stars across 1 tested configuration(s).

Laboratory evaluations include a 35 mph frontal barrier crash, side barrier and pole impact tests, and static rollover resistance assessments.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)

What fuel economy (MPG) does the 2017 Volkswagen Passat get?

Official EPA laboratory estimates for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat range from 23 to 27 MPG combined (55% city / 45% highway weighted) depending on engine, transmission, and drivetrain configuration.

Using AutoUtility's standardized operating cost model (15,000 miles/year, $3.50/gal gas, $0.16/kWh electricity), annual energy expenditures range across certified configurations based on official EPA laboratory test baselines.

Source: EPA FuelEconomy.gov Certified Database
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.