Total Complaints
22 filings
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R · model year
22 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2017VOLKSWAGENGOLF R carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 GOLF R is engine with 6 filings, followed by power train (2) and electrical system (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2017 GOLF R, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
22 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 6 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Thermostat Sensor Failure causing check engine light P00B7. Vehicle not reading the correct engine temp causing cooling fans to run at 100% and drivability concern. Dealer diagnosed the repair as replacement of the Thermostat/Thermostat Housing quoted at $1,635. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other party other than dealership. Check Engine line appeared, thermostat not reading proper temp, and cooling fans running at 100% speed. This is a well documented problem with my vehicle: https://www.reddit.com/r/GolfGTI/comments/drna5m/mk775_thermostat_housing_issue_and_coolant_loss/
The fuel suction pump in my 2017 volkswagen golf r failed causing strong gas odors to emit whenever the car is running, loss of power, inability to put more than a small amount of fuel in, and gas leaking into the evap and charcoal canister causing them to fail. This creates a huge risk for ignition and fuel dumping onto the road which, only because I stopped driving it, has not happened to me. A check engine light has still yet to appear even after part failure. I believe you can see how big of a safety risk this causes to not only the vehicle's occupants, but those around it as well. I have already taken it to the volkswagen dealer and they themselves confirmed that yes the fuel suction pump has failed and that all those parts and the fuel tank itself need replaced totaling around 3,500 to 4,000 dollars. I have not gotten anything replaced. They refuse to cover it under the warranty extension titled VWP22-12 even though my car is obviously not 15 years old and it only has around 37,0
My VW on two occasions experienced coolant / water pump system failures (May 2022 and August 2023), the second of which required full water pump replacement. These are identical to the class action lawsuit outlined on https://waterpumpsettlement.com/ (civil court case Civ. No.: 2:21-cv-11251-MCA-MF), though I am receiving difficulties with the settlement claim for unknown reasons. My vehicles water pump is identical to those outlined in the case, as the pump model numbers and OEM origin are identical. These two incidents posed a severe risk/hazard to both the vehicle and myself due to leakage and loss of coolant putting the car at risk of catatrosphic engine failure. It is becoming apparent that these should amount to a recall as the growing number of incidents keeps increasing.
The shift boot trim piece was poorly designed and is the metal is peeling and has cut my hand several times. It has happened once while driving and I had to stop at a gas station to get a paper towel to stop the bleeding. The trim piece peels right where the opening to the storage cubby is. The dealer is aware of the situation, but will not cover the cost of replacing the part.
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf R. The contact stated that the fuel gauge remained on Empty after fueling the vehicle. Additionally, fuel accumulated in the EVAP system, and leaked out from the fuel tank onto the rear passenger's side wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that recalls were VIN specific and there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Mileage: 38,000
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf R. The contact stated that the fuel gauge remained on Empty after fueling the vehicle. Additionally, fuel accumulated in the EVAP system, and leaked out from the fuel tank onto the rear passenger's side wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that recalls were VIN specific and there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Mileage: 38,000
While driving in the left hand lane on a divided 4-lane (2 lanes each direction) road, a car in front of me slowed in order to make a left hand turn. I braked to slow, looked and saw space in the adjacent lane, moved into that lane and pressed the accelerator to get to the speed of the approaching traffic in that lane. There was no throttle response at first so the approaching traffic was quickly closing the gap. I lifted my foot off the accelerator and then immediately pressed it again at which the throttle responded and I was able to accelerate to the speed of the approaching traffic (in this case a large dump truck) and narrowly avoided a rear-end collision. I have complained of this kind of throttle response hesitation at service visits to two different VW dealers, both of which were unable to reproduce the condition and for which they detected no error codes. I bought the car as a used car in Feb 2019. The VW dealership from which I bought the car did not disclose any such problem
THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM RANDOMLY RESETS DURING USAGE REGARDLESS OF WHAT MODE THE SYSTEM IS IN (BOTH IN TERMS OF DRIVE MODE OR MUSIC LISTENING MODE). DURING A RESET, ALL ACCESS TO ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES, DRIVE MODE SELECTION, TRACTION CONTROL SELECTIONS, ARE DISABLED. THE SCREEN GOES COMPLETELY BLACK AND THEN TURNS BACK ON USUALLY WITH A DIFFERENT INTERFACE MODE ACTIVATED (BLUETOOTH VS RADIO, FOR INSTANCE). ALL STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS ARE DISABLED DURING A RESET. THIS FREEZE AND RESET CAN OCCUR WHILE MOVING OR WHILE STATIONARY. ADDITIONALLY, THE RE-VIEW CAMERA, WHILE IN REVIEW, DOES NOT WORK IF THE RESET TAKES PLACE WHILE BACKING UP. THE REVIEW CAMERA ALSO INCONSISTENTLY WORKS AT ALL. THE RESET HAS TAKEN PLACE AT BOTH SURFACE STREET SPEEDS BUT ALSO AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Mileage: 35,300
THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM RANDOMLY RESETS DURING USAGE REGARDLESS OF WHAT MODE THE SYSTEM IS IN (BOTH IN TERMS OF DRIVE MODE OR MUSIC LISTENING MODE). DURING A RESET, ALL ACCESS TO ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES, DRIVE MODE SELECTION, TRACTION CONTROL SELECTIONS, ARE DISABLED. THE SCREEN GOES COMPLETELY BLACK AND THEN TURNS BACK ON USUALLY WITH A DIFFERENT INTERFACE MODE ACTIVATED (BLUETOOTH VS RADIO, FOR INSTANCE). ALL STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS ARE DISABLED DURING A RESET. THIS FREEZE AND RESET CAN OCCUR WHILE MOVING OR WHILE STATIONARY. ADDITIONALLY, THE RE-VIEW CAMERA, WHILE IN REVIEW, DOES NOT WORK IF THE RESET TAKES PLACE WHILE BACKING UP. THE REVIEW CAMERA ALSO INCONSISTENTLY WORKS AT ALL. THE RESET HAS TAKEN PLACE AT BOTH SURFACE STREET SPEEDS BUT ALSO AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Mileage: 35,300
THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM RANDOMLY RESETS DURING USAGE REGARDLESS OF WHAT MODE THE SYSTEM IS IN (BOTH IN TERMS OF DRIVE MODE OR MUSIC LISTENING MODE). DURING A RESET, ALL ACCESS TO ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES, DRIVE MODE SELECTION, TRACTION CONTROL SELECTIONS, ARE DISABLED. THE SCREEN GOES COMPLETELY BLACK AND THEN TURNS BACK ON USUALLY WITH A DIFFERENT INTERFACE MODE ACTIVATED (BLUETOOTH VS RADIO, FOR INSTANCE). ALL STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS ARE DISABLED DURING A RESET. THIS FREEZE AND RESET CAN OCCUR WHILE MOVING OR WHILE STATIONARY. ADDITIONALLY, THE RE-VIEW CAMERA, WHILE IN REVIEW, DOES NOT WORK IF THE RESET TAKES PLACE WHILE BACKING UP. THE REVIEW CAMERA ALSO INCONSISTENTLY WORKS AT ALL. THE RESET HAS TAKEN PLACE AT BOTH SURFACE STREET SPEEDS BUT ALSO AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Mileage: 35,300
PCV (POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION) VALVE MALFUNCTION. VW'S PCV VALVE, ALSO SOMETIMES CALLED THE OIL SEPARATOR VALVE, WHICH IS FOUND ON MANY OF THEIR CARS/SUVS BECOMES FAULTY AROUND 40-50K MILES. WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS IS THE THE VALVE FAILS TO VENT INTERNAL ENGINE PRESSURE, WHICH CAUSES THE PRESSURE TO BUILD UP WITHIN THE ENGINE. EVENTTUALLY THE PRESSURE WILL FIND SOME PLACE TO VENT, USUALLY OUT OF WEAKEST OIL GASKET POINT, OFTEN BEING THE REAR MAIN SEAL AND VALVE COVER. SINCE THE EXHAUST IS BEHIND THE ENGINE, THERE IS A CHANCE THAT OIL CAN SPRAY ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST. MY GOLF LEAKED OIL FROM THE REAR MAIN SEAL WHEN THE PCV FAILED. EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY, VW DIDN'T WANT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM UNLESS I WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. THIS MALFUNCTIONING PCV VALVE IS A REGULAR PROBLEM ON VW'S AND COULD POSE A ROOT FAILURE LEADING TO A POTENTIAL VEHICLE FIRE.
Mileage: 48,000
"RAZOR-LIKE" MATERIAL/DEFECT ON FRONT OF SHIFT BOOT TRIM NEAR THE INGRESS TO THE FRONT CUBBY AREA HAS CUT ME MULTIPLE TIMES; DRAWING BLOOD EACH TIME, WHEN TAKING MY PHONE IN AND OUT OF THE CUBBY. THIS CUBBY IS DESIGNED TO HOLD A PHONE, AS THERE IS A USB PORT AND CONNECTS THE DRIVER'S PHONE TO THE APPLE CARPLAY UNIT. THE MATERIAL THAT HAS COME OFF THE TRIM THAT FORMS A THIN "RAZOR", SEEMS TO HAVE DELAMINATED FROM THE TRIM. VW SEEMS TO BE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. SKIN THAT WAS REMOVED BY THE TRIM CAN BE SEEN IN THE FOLLOWING ATTACHED SHOTS.
Mileage: 25,000
YOUR SYSTEM IS MISLABELING CARS. SEARCH FOR 2017 GOLF R. IT SHOWS 58 COMPLAINTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE CARS TIED TO THESE COMPLAINTS IT'S VW ALLTRACKS. I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THE ISSUES I'M HAVING WITH MY CARS BUT I NEED YOU TO FIX THE WEBSITE. PLEASE HELP. I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO VW AFTER ALL THE ISSUES THEY HAVE HAD.
YOUR SYSTEM IS MISLABELING CARS. SEARCH FOR 2017 GOLF R. IT SHOWS 58 COMPLAINTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE CARS TIED TO THESE COMPLAINTS IT'S VW ALLTRACKS. I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THE ISSUES I'M HAVING WITH MY CARS BUT I NEED YOU TO FIX THE WEBSITE. PLEASE HELP. I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO VW AFTER ALL THE ISSUES THEY HAVE HAD.
YOUR SYSTEM IS MISLABELING CARS. SEARCH FOR 2017 GOLF R. IT SHOWS 58 COMPLAINTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE CARS TIED TO THESE COMPLAINTS IT'S VW ALLTRACKS. I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THE ISSUES I'M HAVING WITH MY CARS BUT I NEED YOU TO FIX THE WEBSITE. PLEASE HELP. I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO VW AFTER ALL THE ISSUES THEY HAVE HAD.
I HAVE A 2017 GOLF R EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSION, AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING AND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. OCCASIONALLY THE CAR WOULD MAKE A CONTINUOUS AND PERIODIC CLICKING NOISE THAT CAN LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES WHEN IN MOTION AND WHEN BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED. AS SOON AS I STEP ON THE BRAKE, THE CLICKING STOPS. WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE CLICKING COMES BACK. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN MAY/JUNE 2018 WHEN THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 14000 MILES, AND HAS BEEN DOING THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SINCE THEN. I BROUGHT IT TO A VW DEALER IN JULY 2018, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE. THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE EITHER. HOWEVER THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM CERTAIN RELAYS IN THE ABS / BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH IS CONCERNING AS IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK
Mileage: 14,000
I HAVE A 2017 GOLF R EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSION, AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING AND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. OCCASIONALLY THE CAR WOULD MAKE A CONTINUOUS AND PERIODIC CLICKING NOISE THAT CAN LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES WHEN IN MOTION AND WHEN BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED. AS SOON AS I STEP ON THE BRAKE, THE CLICKING STOPS. WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE CLICKING COMES BACK. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN MAY/JUNE 2018 WHEN THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 14000 MILES, AND HAS BEEN DOING THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SINCE THEN. I BROUGHT IT TO A VW DEALER IN JULY 2018, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE. THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE EITHER. HOWEVER THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM CERTAIN RELAYS IN THE ABS / BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH IS CONCERNING AS IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK
Mileage: 14,000
I HAVE A 2017 GOLF R EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSION, AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING AND ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. OCCASIONALLY THE CAR WOULD MAKE A CONTINUOUS AND PERIODIC CLICKING NOISE THAT CAN LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES WHEN IN MOTION AND WHEN BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED. AS SOON AS I STEP ON THE BRAKE, THE CLICKING STOPS. WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE CLICKING COMES BACK. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN MAY/JUNE 2018 WHEN THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 14000 MILES, AND HAS BEEN DOING THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE SINCE THEN. I BROUGHT IT TO A VW DEALER IN JULY 2018, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND OUT THE ROOT CAUSE. THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE EITHER. HOWEVER THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM CERTAIN RELAYS IN THE ABS / BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH IS CONCERNING AS IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK
Mileage: 14,000
PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE; CLUTCH WAS WORN AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT 25 MONTHS AND 16,000 MILES. MADE CAR DANGEROUS AND HARD TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC.
Mileage: 16,000
FROM 3 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP UNTIL NOW 12 MONTHS I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING MULTIPLE ENGINE MISFIRES. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THAT HAS BEEN HOPELESS. THEY SIMPLY CLEAR THE CODE AND IT POPS BACK UP ON MY WAY BACK HOME. IT'S A LITTLE FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU PAY $40,000 FOR A CAR AND EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS IN AS LITTLE AS 2000 MILES.
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Inadvertent Door Opening
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
LGES High Voltage Battery Failures
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.