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ProblemsByVin Index / 2017-VOLKSWAGEN-GOLF-R / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2017 Volkswagen Golf R owner complaints

15 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 2 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Listed by category, newest first within each section.

engine 7 complaints shown

7 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/26/2023 ODI #11561868.0

Thermostat Sensor Failure causing check engine light P00B7. Vehicle not reading the correct engine temp causing cooling fans to run at 100% and drivability concern. Dealer diagnosed the repair as replacement of the Thermostat/Thermostat Housing quoted at $1,635. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other party other than dealership. Check Engine line appeared, thermostat not reading proper temp, and cooling fans running at 100% speed. This is a well documented problem with my vehicle: https://www.reddit.com/r/GolfGTI/comments/drna5m/mk775_thermostat_housing_issue_and_coolant_loss/

12/13/2017 10,300 mi ODI #11054393.0

Was driving down the freeway when the car lost coolant. Discovered road debris had punctured the secondary heat exchanger located on the lower front passenger side. The front facia provides absolutely no protection from debris and other damage was noted on the exchanger surface. Had to pull over as the engine overheated and get the car taken to the dealer for repairs. This seems to be a design flaw - searching the internet there are several incidences of punctured heat exchangers.

08/27/2020 48,000 mi ODI #11351518.0

Pcv (positive crankcase ventilation) valve malfunction. Vw's pcv valve, also sometimes called the oil separator valve, which is found on many of their cars/suvs becomes faulty around 40-50k miles. What often happens is the the valve fails to vent internal engine pressure, which causes the pressure to build up within the engine. Eventtually the pressure will find some place to vent, usually out of weakest oil gasket point, often being the rear main seal and valve cover. Since the exhaust is behind the engine, there is a chance that oil can spray onto the hot exhaust. My golf leaked oil from the rear main seal when the pcv failed. Even though the car was under warranty, vw didn't want to diagnose the problem unless I was willing to pay for it. This malfunctioning pcv valve is a regul

08/08/2023 ODI #11537264.0

My VW on two occasions experienced coolant / water pump system failures (May 2022 and August 2023), the second of which required full water pump replacement. These are identical to the class action lawsuit outlined on https://waterpumpsettlement.com/ (civil court case Civ. No.: 2:21-cv-11251-MCA-MF), though I am receiving difficulties with the settlement claim for unknown reasons. My vehicles water pump is identical to those outlined in the case, as the pump model numbers and OEM origin are identical. These two incidents posed a severe risk/hazard to both the vehicle and myself due to leakage and loss of coolant putting the car at risk of catatrosphic engine failure. It is becoming apparent that these should amount to a recall as the growing number of incidents keeps increasing.

07/29/2021 ODI #11427052.0

While driving in the left hand lane on a divided 4-lane (2 lanes each direction) road, a car in front of me slowed in order to make a left hand turn. I braked to slow, looked and saw space in the adjacent lane, moved into that lane and pressed the accelerator to get to the speed of the approaching traffic in that lane. There was no throttle response at first so the approaching traffic was quickly closing the gap. I lifted my foot off the accelerator and then immediately pressed it again at which the throttle responded and I was able to accelerate to the speed of the approaching traffic (in this case a large dump truck) and narrowly avoided a rear-end collision. I have complained of this kind of throttle response hesitation at service visits to two different VW dealers, both of which were u

03/09/2018 ODI #11078412.0

From 3 months of ownership until now 12 months I have been experiencing multiple engine misfires. I've taken it to the dealership but that has been hopeless. They simply clear the code and it pops back up on my way back home. It's a little frustrating when you pay $40,000 for a car and experience problems in as little as 2000 miles.

01/14/2022 38,000 mi ODI #11447546.0

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf R. The contact stated that the fuel gauge remained on Empty after fueling the vehicle. Additionally, fuel accumulated in the EVAP system, and leaked out from the fuel tank onto the rear passenger's side wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that recalls were VIN specific and there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

other 4 complaints shown

12/18/2023 ODI #11560614.0

The fuel suction pump in my 2017 volkswagen golf r failed causing strong gas odors to emit whenever the car is running, loss of power, inability to put more than a small amount of fuel in, and gas leaking into the evap and charcoal canister causing them to fail. This creates a huge risk for ignition and fuel dumping onto the road which, only because I stopped driving it, has not happened to me. A check engine light has still yet to appear even after part failure. I believe you can see how big of a safety risk this causes to not only the vehicle's occupants, but those around it as well. I have already taken it to the volkswagen dealer and they themselves confirmed that yes the fuel suction pump has failed and that all those parts and the fuel tank itself need replaced totaling around 3,500

03/22/2021 35,300 mi ODI #11404320.0

The infotainment system randomly resets during usage regardless of what mode the system is in (both in terms of drive mode or music listening mode). During a reset, all access to advanced safety features, drive mode selection, traction control selections, are disabled. The screen goes completely black and then turns back on usually with a different interface mode activated (bluetooth vs radio, for instance). All steering wheel controls are disabled during a reset. This freeze and reset can occur while moving or while stationary. Additionally, the re-view camera, while in review, does not work if the reset takes place while backing up. The review camera also inconsistently works at all. The reset has taken place at both surface street speeds but also at highway speeds.

02/12/2020 25,000 mi 1 injury ODI #11308797.0

"razor-like" material/defect on front of shift boot trim near the ingress to the front cubby area has cut me multiple times; drawing blood each time, when taking my phone in and out of the cubby. This cubby is designed to hold a phone, as there is a USB port and connects the driver's phone to the apple carplay unit. The material that has come off the trim that forms a thin "razor", seems to have delaminated from the trim. Vw seems to be aware of the issue. Skin that was removed by the trim can be seen in the following attached shots.

01/25/2022 1 injury ODI #11448803.0

The shift boot trim piece was poorly designed and is the metal is peeling and has cut my hand several times. It has happened once while driving and I had to stop at a gas station to get a paper towel to stop the bleeding. The trim piece peels right where the opening to the storage cubby is. The dealer is aware of the situation, but will not cover the cost of replacing the part.

electrical 2 complaints shown

12/06/2019 ODI #11287489.0

Your system is mislabeling cars. Search for 2017 golf r. It shows 58 complaints. If you look at the cars tied to these complaints it's vw alltracks. I want people to see the issues I'm having with my cars but I need you to fix the website. Please help. I find it strange that this is happening to vw after all the issues they have had.

10/25/2019 14,000 mi ODI #11271084.0

I have a 2017 golf r equipped with dsg transmission, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. Occasionally the car would make a continuous and periodic clicking noise that can last for a few minutes when in motion and when brake is not applied. As soon as I step on the brake, the clicking stops. When brake pedal is released, the clicking comes back. The problem started in may/june 2018 when the car had approximately 14000 miles, and has been doing that every once in a while since then. I brought it to a vw dealer in july 2018, but because this is an intermittent issue, they were unable to find out the root cause. There was no error code either. However they suspected that the noise was coming from certain relays in the ABS / braking system, which is concerning as it could p

powertrain 2 complaints shown

07/13/2017 ODI #11005039.0

We purchased the (new) car on june 09, 2017. 5 days after we purchased, we found out the transmission had been replaced and that fact was not disclosed by the dealership. The dealership maintains they are not required to disclose service actions and further stated vw concurred. Vw maintains the recall was issued by NHTSA. Here is their email response indicating same: reference # 170784881 thank you for reaching back out to me. I apologize for the delay in my response, as well as for the experiences you've had with your vehicle and the dealer. I can see that you have been in contact with sarah g., who was the region case manager who had worked your previous case, as well as that she has reached out to the dealer to try and turn the experience around. From our understanding, t

05/10/2019 16,000 mi ODI #11206783.0

Premature clutch failure; clutch was worn and required replacement at 25 months and 16,000 miles. Made car dangerous and hard to drive in traffic.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-07-15. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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