Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack have filed 72 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2017 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 14 of them (19%). The typical failure was reported at 11,266 miles, the median across the 42 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

20V561000 · September 16, 2020

The defect: 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.
The risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
The 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.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 23 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 72.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 32%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 19%

STRUCTURE 14 19%

AIR BAGS 11 15%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 10 14%

POWER TRAIN 8 11%

ENGINE 7 10%

SUSPENSION 5 7%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 6%

STEERING 4 6%

VISIBILITY 4 6%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 17.

2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed October 20, 2021

1 injured

Chrome trim around the DSG shifter has peeling chrome which is razor sharp. It has cut my hand deeply and is a safety hazard to me and my family.

NHTSA complaint 11437456. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed February 28, 2022

1 injured

Gear Shift trim piece chrome plating splits and lifts up. This part caused a laceration on my finger from the fingernail to 1st knuckle. Related Reference :: Service action 347J - Gear Shift Cover Trim:: This applies only to GTI and needs to apply to Golf in general

NHTSA complaint 11454485. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed July 25, 2019

towed · 27,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ALLTRACK. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED DURING A RAINSTORM, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. UPON RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO COASTAL VOLKSWAGEN (1 SATURN DRIVE, HANOVER, MA 02339, (781) 871-4600. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD CHECK TO SEE IF THE VEHICLE'S WARRANTY WOULD COVER THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

NHTSA complaint 11234807. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed June 10, 2026

Car battery spontaneously exploded when trying to start the car.

NHTSA complaint 11743364. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed December 9, 2025

Infotainment system is restarting itself repeatedly every 30 seconds to every few minutes.This has been going on for about 2 weeks. The component has not yet been inspected by a 3rd party.

NHTSA complaint 11704039. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed January 13, 2025

170,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and shifting to the park, the contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle rolled backward. The driver depressed the brake pedal and activated the parking brake to stop the vehicle from rolling. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA complaint 11635574. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed January 13, 2025

I've been experiencing a recurring issue with my vehicle where the EPC light frequently activates. When this happens, the car significantly reduces its speed, making it difficult to drive safely. I've noticed this situation over the past six to eight months, and it typically requires me to pull over. After turning off the vehicle multiple times, I'm usually able to reset it and drive normally again. I'm seeking advice on how to address this problem effectively.

NHTSA complaint 11635575. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed January 13, 2025

I am facing an issue with my car where it tends to roll back even when it's in park, regardless of whether the engine is on or off. The only time it remains stationary is when I apply the brakes and engage the emergency brake. This situation poses a safety concern for me and my family, and I would like to find a solution to ensure our vehicle stays securely in place when parked.

NHTSA complaint 11635576. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed April 29, 2024

The Clock Spring Assembly on my vehicle failed. In May 2023 Volkswagen of America issued an extended warranty coverage notice for the part. After doing some research and determining the part failure, I called my local VW dealer to report the problem. They told me they would be happy to schedule an appointment to look at my vehicle but they could not schedule my vehicle for service for at least a month. Considering this issue to be an extreme safely issue and realizing I did not want to drive around in my vehicle for over a month without air bag protection, I had my vehicle repaired at an independent service facility. I have had several communications with VW of America (attached) and they

NHTSA complaint 11585888, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2019	19	3	—

Other 2017 Volkswagen models

Jetta 159 Golf 115 Passat 109 Tiguan 73 GTI 52 Golf Sportwagen 38 Touareg 24 Beetle 15

Every Volkswagen on this site — 152 vehicles, 256 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst