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EnginePart report

2017 Volkswagen Passat Engine Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
6%of 110 total for the year
Median mileage
32,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the engine of the 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 6% of the 110 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 32,000 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.

“Rattle noises while driving on asphalt roads from rear of vehicle underneath car and/or front. Loose bolts or missing welds maybe. Dealer replace front sway bar and problem did not go away so wallas Volkswagen put the original oem part back on last month and did not charge us for the service. They told us it's unknown why the rattling continued.”

NHTSA complaint #11414854, filed 2021-05, 22,000 miles

“On 6 separate occasions while operating my vehicle it randomly stops running. The first two were at 40 mph and I was told it was a battery issue. It happened twice less than 4 days after the battery was replaced, once at 25 mph and once at 15 mph. I then had the fuel pump replaced. Less than 4 days later it happened twice again. Once at 10 mph and another time at 45 mph.”

NHTSA complaint #11589895, filed 2024-05

“I notice that the “turbo” cuts in and out when it wants to . That’s known as a. Turbo lag. As for my brakes , my rotors have grooves on them and when braking it shakes my steering wheel, scared that I’ll lose control of wheel so I have to pump my breaks to avoid costs of accident. And my air bag light is on , on the dash so my guess would be that the airbags don’t work .”

NHTSA complaint #11423991, filed 2021-07

“The Passat stalls when traveling at low speed and/or from a stop, battery light turns on and loses all engine power, and will not restart for a period of time (10mins to 2 hours). This has happened on a residental street and on the highway when merging onto an on-ramp. There is no loss of electrical power and the starter attempts to turn the engine over but the car will not start. After multiple starting attempts the cars ECP light will turn on. My safety was put at risk when this occured on the highway and I needed to be push the car to the shoulder. …”

NHTSA complaint #11553274, filed 2023-11

“The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine warning light and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to intermittently start and stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. …”

NHTSA complaint #11698579, filed 2025-11, 355,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2022323%
202116%
2020422%
2019217%
20181124%
201776%
20161716%
20155322%
20147713%
201310514%
2012408%
2011638%
20104125%
20096041%
20084326%
20072811%
20066411%
2005128%
2004186%
2003234%
2002132%
200151%
200082%
199920%
199810%

Other parts of the 2017 Volkswagen Passat

Air bags
28 complaints
Other or unknown
22 complaints
Electrical system
18 complaints
Brakes
17 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
16 complaints
Steering
16 complaints
Fuel system
7 complaints
Lane departure
6 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
5 complaints
Wheels
4 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2017 Volkswagen Passat

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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