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EnginePart report

2017 Volkswagen Golf R Engine Problems

Complaints
6about this part
Share
40%of 15 total for the year
Median mileage
29,150miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R, 40% of the 15 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 29,150 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Was driving down the freeway when the car lost coolant. Discovered road debris had punctured the secondary heat exchanger located on the lower front passenger side. The front facia provides absolutely no protection from debris and other damage was noted on the exchanger surface. Had to pull over as the engine overheated and get the car taken to the dealer for repairs. This seems to be a design flaw - searching the internet there are several incidences of punctured heat exchangers.”

NHTSA complaint #11054393, filed 2017-12, 10,300 miles

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11351518, filed 2020-08, 48,000 miles

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11078412, filed 2018-03

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11427052, filed 2021-07

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026120%
2017640%
2016217%

Other parts of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R

Fuel system
3 complaints
Electrical system
2 complaints
Other or unknown
2 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
2 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Engine cooling
1 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints
Wheels
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology