2017 Volkswagen Passat — Known Issues & Recalls

Your 2017 Passat's clockspring (a component that connects your steering wheel to the airbag system) failed twice — once last year under warranty and again recently. When it fails, your airbags won't deploy and safety features like adaptive cruise control stop working, putting you at serious risk in an accident. The dealer had you drive an hour with a non-functioning airbag to get it fixed, and the same part failed again, suggesting this may be a recurring defect. The repair will likely involve replacing the clockspring and testing the airbag and steering wheel controls to ensure they function properly.

Your clock spring component has failed repeatedly — five times in one year — which disables both your driver's side airbag and your horn. Even though you can sometimes sense when it's about to fail, you're forced to drive without these critical safety features until the part completely breaks, since dealerships won't replace it preemptively. The repeated failures continue despite multiple replacements and VW technical support involvement, suggesting a defective part design rather than installation error.

Your steering wheel's clockspring component has failed for the third time in about a year, causing your airbag warning light to turn on and disabling your steering wheel buttons (including the horn). You heard a crunching sound while turning before these problems appeared. The clockspring will need to be replaced again, which involves removing the steering wheel and steering column cover to access and swap out the failed component.

Your steering wheel's clock spring has failed, which disables your horn, cruise control, and airbags — all safety-critical features. You won't be able to use any steering wheel controls until this is repaired. This is reportedly a known issue affecting many VW vehicles, but your vehicle isn't covered under the extended warranty program. The repair will require replacing the clock spring assembly in your steering column.

You heard a crunching sound in your steering column while backing up, after which your airbag warning light turned on and all the buttons on your steering wheel stopped working, including the horn. You contacted Volkswagen about a potential clockspring recall, but your vehicle wasn't included in that recall. A steering column clockspring replacement will likely be needed to restore your airbag system and steering wheel controls.

Your car's main computer (CPU) failed and caused the second cylinder to malfunction, which led to a fire while you were driving in traffic. You noticed a random misfire and check engine light a couple months before the fire occurred. Your car is now non-functional and will need professional repair at a dealership to replace the failed computer component.

When you're using cruise control going uphill, your EPC (Engine Power Control) warning light comes on and your car loses power, feeling like it's struggling to climb. This has been happening for about a year, and you haven't been able to get the dealership or Volkswagen to acknowledge or address the problem. The issue likely involves diagnosing the engine control system, which might require computer scanning and potentially replacing sensors or engine components.

You've been noticing a fuel smell inside your car for about 2 months that has gotten progressively stronger. When you checked underneath, you found fuel actively dripping from the area in front of the rear passenger wheel and directly below the fuel tank. This indicates a fuel leak that needs immediate attention to prevent safety risks and further fuel loss.

Your fuel pump cap, located underneath the back seat, comes loose and allows gasoline to spill into your car. This creates a fuel smell and puddle underneath the back seat. The fuel pump cap assembly may need to be secured or replaced to prevent fuel leakage.

Your vehicle started making a grinding noise, and the brake pads came completely off. You also discovered that the wrong calipers were installed on your front brakes — they're mounted upside down and backwards, and they don't match your vehicle's specifications. This requires removing the incorrect calipers, installing the correct ones in the proper orientation, and replacing the brake pads.

Your engine randomly shuts off while driving at various speeds (ranging from 10 to 45 mph), and this has happened 6 times. You've already replaced the battery and fuel pump within days of each other, but the problem continues to occur shortly after each repair. The dealership may need to diagnose the underlying electrical or fuel system issue causing these repeated stalls.

Your Passat stalls unexpectedly while driving at low speeds or from a stop, and the battery warning light comes on as engine power cuts out completely. The car won't restart for 10 minutes to 2 hours, though the starter still tries to turn the engine over—this happened dangerously on the highway when merging. Your VW dealer has replaced the oxygen sensor and camshaft position sensor without fixing the problem, and no fault codes have been recorded. The issue may require further electrical or fuel system diagnostics to identify the root cause.

Your car's ABS sensor has failed, which is also affecting your airbag sensor system. This means your anti-lock braking system and forward collision avoidance features may not work properly. The faulty ABS sensor will need to be diagnosed and replaced to restore both systems to working order.

Your car lost power while driving, and warning lights came on. The vehicle restarted but the problem happened again, causing it to intermittently shut off and restart while you were driving. Both an independent mechanic and your dealer were unable to diagnose the issue, though the mechanic suspected an electrical problem. The repair remains incomplete.

Your fuel pump control module overheated and burned out. This component regulates power to your fuel pump, and if it fails completely, your engine won't get fuel and your car won't start or run. The repair will likely involve replacing the fuel pump control module with a new one.

Your car's defroster and defogger blower motor stopped working, making it difficult to clear fog or frost from your windshield. The dealer was aware of the issue but didn't perform diagnostics or make repairs. The problem appeared around 40,000 miles with no warning light to alert you.

Your Forward Collision-Avoidance braking system has engaged on its own while you were driving across railroad tracks and at an intersection, even though there was no actual collision risk. The brakes applied unexpectedly both times, though you were able to safely continue driving. The dealer couldn't reproduce the problem when you brought it in. Fixing this will likely require the dealer to diagnose and potentially reprogram or replace the collision-avoidance sensor or control module.

Your transmission is shifting hard and making abnormal clunking sounds when changing gears, especially between 1st and 2nd gear at low speeds. Your check engine light has come on and your vehicle has entered limp mode, which limits performance to protect the transmission. The problem may require transmission fluid service, filter replacement, or internal transmission repair depending on what diagnostic testing reveals.

You noticed three cracks, each about 3 inches long, on the sidewall of your rear passenger-side tire near the rim while your car was parked. A tire dealer inspected the tire and said the tire's structural integrity was not compromised. The tire had 30,000 miles on it when you discovered the cracks.

You notice a strong fuel smell coming from your car while driving. A mechanic traced the odor to the carbon filter and recommended having a dealer diagnose it further. You believe this may be related to a fuel system recall, but your VIN wasn't included in that recall and the manufacturer says there's no recall for your vehicle.