2017 Volkswagen Golf R problems

ENGINE

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/

NHTSA complaint #11561868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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 to 4,000 dollars. I have not gotten anything replaced. They refuse to cover it under the warranty extension titled VWP22-12 even though my car is obviously not 15 years old and it only has around 37,000 miles. They claim they revised the part for 2017 so that it doesn't fail anymore, but if that were the case then why is that warranty extension all the way up to 2020 models. I have looked through other complaints filed on this site and see you've already been contacted several times about my exact issue on 2017 models. I am urging you to please make this a recall. Volkswagen clearly knows this is a widespread issue evidenced by the fact the it affects such a large amount of models and years and by not making a recall you are allowing them to screw people over.

NHTSA complaint #11560614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11537264 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11447546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11447546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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 unable to reproduce the condition and for which they detected no error codes. I bought the car as a used car in Feb 2019. The VW dealership from which I bought the car did not disclose any such problem with the car, which car they claimed to have provided service for the previous owner. The problem has occurred intermittently since I have owned the car and I have been unable to reproduce it successfully for service personnel during service visits. Today's occurrence was the closest I have come to a collision with another vehicle. With the next occurrence I might not be so lucky.

NHTSA complaint #11427052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11404320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

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.

NHTSA complaint #11404320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11404320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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 REGULAR PROBLEM ON VW'S AND COULD POSE A ROOT FAILURE LEADING TO A POTENTIAL VEHICLE FIRE.

NHTSA complaint #11351518 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11287489 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11287489 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11287489 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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 POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK

NHTSA complaint #11271084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK

NHTSA complaint #11271084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

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 POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. A VIDEO OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN HERE: HTTPS://STREAMABLE.COM/PL4XK

NHTSA complaint #11271084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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.

NHTSA complaint #11206783 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11078412 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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.

NHTSA complaint #11054393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

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, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED DUE A SERVICE ACTION THAT WAS ISSUED BY NHSTA. THE REPAIRS THAT WERE COMPLETED BEFORE PURCHASE WERE TO BENEFIT THE SAFETY OF VEHICLE, AS WELL AS THE DRIVER(S). I APOLOGIZE THAT THAT DEALER DID NOT DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION TO YOU AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE; HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS JUST DOING AS THEY WERE TOLD BY NHTSA. AT THIS TIME, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING FURTHER THAT VWGOA WOULD BE ABLE TO DO. ANY RESOLUTION YOU'RE SEEKING WOULD NEED TO COME FROM THE DEALER LEVEL. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA AT 800-822-8987 OR CHAT OR EMAIL US AT WWW.VW.COM. I HAVE COMPLETE EMAIL AND TEXT DOCUMENTATION FROM THE DEALER AND VW. A TOTAL OF 250 2017 VW GOLF R'S ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AFFECTED. IS VW CORRECT IN THAT NHTSA ISSUED THE RECALL OR SERVICE ACTION? DON'T VW AND THE DEALER HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO DISCLOSE THAT A MAJOR SAFETY/PERFORMANCE COMPONENT WAS REPLACED PRIOR TO THE SALE?

NHTSA complaint #11005039 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.