The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen Passat · 2017

2017 Volkswagen Passat. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index63100 = average car
Complaints43NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold60,722U.S. model year
Per 100K sold71complaints
Year rank#5 of 9#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
1.8L 4-cyl turboAuto (S6)FWD23 / 34 / 27Regular$2,300
3.6L 6-cylAuto (AM-S6)FWD20 / 28 / 23Regular$2,700

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 7,000 and 50,000 miles. Median 32,000, from 51 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Electrical54,10023,100–97,5008
Automatic emergency braking46,00039,100–114,0007
Brakes35,0001,500–43,0009

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Brakes23%
Electrical19%
Steering9%
Airbags9%
Body structure7%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
11091206

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 7

  • 24V834000 Oct 2024 Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

    Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.

  • 21V321000 May 2021 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas 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.

    Risk. Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

  • 20V561000 Sep 2020 Unknown Or Other

    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.

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

    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.

  • 19V679000 Sep 2019 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

    Risk. If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.

  • 19V389000 May 2019 Exterior Lighting / Headlights

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

    Risk. Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

  • 18V536000 Aug 2018 Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Caliper

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.

    Risk. The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification, if necessary, free of charge. For Passat vehicles, dealers will also inspect the parking brake cable for

  • 17V075000 Feb 2017 Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Fluid

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Passat vehicles. Brake fluid may leak slowly from the some of the brake line connections, resulting in a low brake fluid level.

    Risk. A low brake fluid level may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected brake lines, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47N3.

Manufacturer communications 679

Volkswagen filed 679 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Tech Tips (Comfort Module (J393) or BCM (J519) Replacement): This document informs if a…
  • Technical Bulletin informing that When applying brakes at highway speeds the following…
  • Technical Bulletin on how to service Vibration or noise when braking may be due to brake disc…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen Passat 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardStandardOptional

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
201429132796,649Airbags
20151099178,207Airbags
2016564273,002Brakes
2017634360,722Brakes
2018492441,401Brakes
202033722,964Automatic emergency braking

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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