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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2017 Volkswagen Jetta — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 159 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

159
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
18
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
3
Involved Fire
owner-reported
9 / 1
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Volkswagen Jetta — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

875 complaints

640 complaints

527 complaints

517 complaints

386 complaints

194 complaints

161 complaints

159 complaints

31 complaints

549 complaints

53 complaints

69 complaints

43 complaints

43 complaints

44 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 33 reports
Engine 32 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 29 reports
Unknown Or Other 25 reports
Air Bags 21 reports
Power Train 15 reports
Service Brakes 15 reports
Steering 14 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11385781 12/31/2020

WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, SMELLED GAS, PULLED OVER, CAR DIED, EPC LIGHT CAME ON. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST VW DEALER.

Fuel/propulsion System ODI 11385596 12/30/2020

VEHICLE FUEL PUMPS FAILED AND VEHICLE DISABLED. I IMMEDIATELY SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL MECHANIC; UPON INSPECTION, NOTICED, SMELLED GAS LEAKING FROM VEHICLE RAIL BOLTS. VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA CONTACTED AND VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP (OURISMAN, WALDORF, MD). INITIALLY TOLD NO GAS LEAKING, CHARGED $229.00 WITH RECOMMENDATION TO C…

Fuel/propulsion System ODI 11385628 12/30/2020

MY VEHICLE IS UNDER RECALL BECAUSE MY FUEL RAIL BOLTS CAN BECOME LOOSE CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND A FIRE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE ALLOWING MY DAUGHTER TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE GOING BACK AND FORTH TO COLLEGE. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN CORPORATE CONCERNING A LOANER VEHICLE UNTIL A REMEDY EXIST. THEY TOLD ME THE DEALERSHIPS HANDLE LOANERS AND A RECALL THAT DOES NOT HAVE A REMEDY DOES NOT…

Engine ODI 11057320 12/29/2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WHEELS SEIZED WHICH RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE HITTING THE SIDE WALK WHILE BEING OPERATED APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD AND THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED OPERABLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MIKES AUTO BODY WHERE…

Fuel/propulsion System ODI 11385277 12/28/2020

THIS 2017 JETTA HAD A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE SPRAYING FROM THE FUEL RAIL WHICH WAS CAUSED BY POORLY INSTALLED FUEL RAIL BOLTS. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A CERTIFIED VW DEALERSHIP ON NOV 11TH FOR REPAIR OF THIS DOCUMENTED MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE CAR REMAINS IN THE POSSESSION OF BILLING MONTANA VOLKSWAGEN WITH NO RESOLUTION TO THE OPEN SAFETY RECALL. IT IS NOW DECEMBER 28TH, …

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta reliable?
Owners have filed 159 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, most often about electrical system. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Volkswagen Jetta years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.