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Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

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

Owners have filed 73 safety complaints about the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack with the US government. Of those, 3 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering unknown or other.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 15 complaints, 21% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 11,266 miles, the median across the 42 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2017 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

73 complaints on file

73

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

3

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 32%
STRUCTURE 15 · 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 · 19%
AIR BAGS 11 · 15%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 10 · 14%
POWER TRAIN 8 · 11%
ENGINE 7 · 10%
SUSPENSION 5 · 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 5%
STEERING 4 · 5%
VISIBILITY 4 · 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 3%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 73.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

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

20 15 10 5
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

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

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

STRUCTURE:BODY

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

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

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.

STRUCTURE:BODY
2017 VW Golf Alltrack SEL, purchased XXX CPO. DEFECT: The panoramic sunroof frame's wind-deflector storage channel is separate from the primary, drained water channel and has no drain of its own. During rain, with the vehicle parked nose-up (uphill), water bypasses the inner glass-to-frame perimeter seal and collects in this undrained channel, then overflows into the headliner cavity, wetting the headliner, front pillar trim, and interior. HISTORY: XXX, VW of Kirkland (Invoice XXX, 40,044 mi) replaced the headliner, both front pillar trim panels, exterior perimeter gasket, and all drain lines for water leakage - the only failure points VW had documented for this platform at the time. The

NHTSA complaint 11765931, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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
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

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
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
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.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 19 3 —

Other 2017 Volkswagen models

Jetta 159 Golf 116 Passat 110 Tiguan 75 GTI 52 Golf Sportwagen 38 Touareg 24 Beetle 15

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Volkswagen on this site — 155 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

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
Independent developer and analyst