2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack Problems

Car battery spontaneously exploded when trying to start the car.

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.

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.

LEAKING SUNROOF IS RUINING INTERIOR COMPONENTS, INCLUDING HEADLINER. MULTIPLE FIXES AND SERVICE BULLETINS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. VERY CONCERNED IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO LARGER ELECTRICAL, BODY ROT, AND MOLD ISSUES, NOT TO MENTION COMPLETELY RUINING ANY VALUE THE CAR HAS. MOST RECENT PHOTOGRAPH UPLOADED WAS FOLLOWING A RAINSTORM ON 4/11/2021.

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. The contact stated that while adjusting the passenger's side rear-view mirror, the mirror glass suddenly detached from the housing, fell on the ground and shattered. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 92,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. The contact stated that the sunroof was leaking and allowing water to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

This is the second time since November 2022 that our clock spring has failed. While it's broken the driver has no airbag, horn, or usability of controls on steering wheel. This is a huge saftey concern especially driving in winter conditions.

Airbags, horn, cruise control and all other functions related to the steering wheel suddenly stopped working. Volkswagen has diagnosed the clock spring is defective and needs to be replaced. I’ve been quoted $712.00 for this repair. The replacement part is also on backorders with no clear indication of when it will arrive. Volkswagen will not supply a loaner car or any rental assistance and insists their customers drive a car without function airbags or a horn. This is a well known issue for Volkswagen and is a major safety concern for anyone who owns one of their vehicles. It needs to be addressed and fixed ASAP!

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.

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.

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.

Turbo Wastegate actuator rod/flap failure/seizure. VW dealership & Independent service center both diagnosed the issue as a seized wastegate actuator flap/rod. This is due to poor design and is a common issue on all 2015-2020 VW/Audi 1.8l TSI engines. This issue causes intermittent engine codes for "low boost" related codes. P00AF00 and similar codes without warning. A key cycle usually temporarily fixes the problem until under boost again. This prevents safe operation of the vehicle while on highways and freeways. Engine shaking & prevention of acceleration and shifting happens after the engine code occur and the car is put into a limp mode. It is unsafe to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road during these events.

Car developed a knocking sound from the front-left which occurred during any movement of the suspension, i.e. from all minor perturbations of the road surface rather than major dynamic actions such as breaking or steering. The dealer diagnosed worn out sway bar bushings. They replaced these (and potentially other suspension components - work details from the invoice can be provided upon request) but discovered during their work that the entire front subframe had failed with a major crack. Details can be seen in the attached photos (taken by the VW dealership - Ourisman of Bethesda, MD). I authorized the replacement of the front subframe with OEM components, at a cost in excess of $2000. I have owned the car from new (first registered in January 2018) and it has ~43,000 miles. The car has never been involved in an accident and has been used as family transport on standard road surfaces / driving conditions.

The vehicle had been making mild clunking noises for some time (at least 2.5 years) during some combinations of turns/bumps. When took to mechanic in January 2020, the sound would not reproduce during test drive, so problem was not diagnosed. Clunking sound became more pronounced over time, until on 8/27/21 while driving a neighborhood road, there was a loud clank, as if some metal part came loose. Then there was very loud clunking, as if a metal part was knocking around loose - more pronounced when turning or going over bumps. Upon inspection by a mechanic later in the day, the sway bar had come loose due to one of the bolts on the driver side sway bar bracket had come out. Both this mechanic and later, the Volkswagen dealer mechanic, said this was very odd, since they normally only see sway bar damage when a car has been in an accident. My car has never been in any kind of accident. Sway bars help ensure a vehicle doesn’t roll too much when handling turns. Aside from safety, sway bars help prevent lopsided wheel alignment and work to maintain an overall better grip on the road. A faulty sway bar puts the vehicle at risk for rolling during turns. My belief is that there was something faulty about the sway bar mounting bracket or bolt which explains the mild clunking I heard prior to deterioration (more frequent clunking) and ultimate failure (on 8/27/21). I have a write up of the inspection and repair from the dealer. I also have photos from the dealer prior to the repair.

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.

THIS IS THE SECOND RECORDED INSTANCE OF THIS ISSUE. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED ON JULY 27. WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45MPH ON AN INCLINE THE VEHICLE ENGINE SUDDENLY INCREASED TO 3000RPM AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPED RESPONDING. HAD TO APPLY BRAKES AND PULL OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. ONCE VEHICLE REACHED 0MPH IT IDLED AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEGAN FUNCTIONING NORMALLY AGAIN. TOOK THE VW DEALER SERVICE CENTER THE NEXT DAY. ONCE AGAIN THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEM CODES. SERVICE CENTER TRIED TO RETURN VEHICLE AGAIN BUT WE PERSISRED. MECHANIC OFFERED TO TEST DRIVE FOR A FEW DAYS TO SEE IF HE COULD RECREATE THE ISSUE BUT IT DID NOT REOCCUR. CONTACTED VW CORPORATE AND REGION CASE MANAGER INFORMED US THAT THEIR TECHNICAL TEAM WOULD WORK WITH THE SERVICE CENTER. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK THEY STILL CONTINUE TO CLAIM THEY CAN FIND NO PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE TO REPAIR.

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.

The Clock Spring Assembly on my vehicle failed. In May 2023 Volkswagen of America issued an extended warranty coverage notice for the part. After doing some research and determining the part failure, I called my local VW dealer to report the problem. They told me they would be happy to schedule an appointment to look at my vehicle but they could not schedule my vehicle for service for at least a month. Considering this issue to be an extreme safely issue and realizing I did not want to drive around in my vehicle for over a month without air bag protection, I had my vehicle repaired at an independent service facility. I have had several communications with VW of America (attached) and they refuse to reimburse me for this repair.

This is the second time since November 2022 that our clock spring has failed. While it's broken the driver has no airbag, horn, or usability of controls on steering wheel. This is a huge saftey concern especially driving in winter conditions.

Bought the car from autonation in October 2021 and had condensation wet dog smell. Car was garaged until 4/2022 at which time I noticed headliner stains and water coming into wheel well, called dealer was advised to check drain tubes. I cannot. More rain more issues. Care warning lights all came on including airbag. Car has 38150 miles. VW refusing to cover under recall. Wants me to file insurance claim. Dealer did not acknowledge mold headliner issues until I called back after picking up the car. PANORAMIC SUNROOF LEAKS. HEADLINER I AND CARPET IS BADLY STAINED WITH VISIBLE MOLD GROWTH. PILLAR STAINING AS WELL. WATER LEAKS FROM DOME LIGHT AND SUNROOF CONTROL BUTTONS. WATER ALSO LEAKS INTO FOOT WELL. TAKEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP WHO HAVE SAID THAT IT IS LIKELY THE SUNROOF DRAINS ARE BLOCKED BY DEBRIS AND REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY WARRANTY. THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE CONSUMER TO ACCESS THE SUNROOF DRAINS TO KEEP THEM CLEAR, PARTICULARLY THE REAR DRAINS, WHICH ENTAILS DISMANTLING PART OF THE CAR. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MANY REPORTED COMPLAINTS BY OWNERS WITH A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BEING ISSUED. PLEASE ENCOURAGE AN INVESTIGATION

The vehicle had been making mild clunking noises for some time (at least 2.5 years) during some combinations of turns/bumps. When took to mechanic in January 2020, the sound would not reproduce during test drive, so problem was not diagnosed. Clunking sound became more pronounced over time, until on 8/27/21 while driving a neighborhood road, there was a loud clank, as if some metal part came loose. Then there was very loud clunking, as if a metal part was knocking around loose - more pronounced when turning or going over bumps. Upon inspection by a mechanic later in the day, the sway bar had come loose due to one of the bolts on the driver side sway bar bracket had come out. Both this mechanic and later, the Volkswagen dealer mechanic, said this was very odd, since they normally only see sway bar damage when a car has been in an accident. My car has never been in any kind of accident. Sway bars help ensure a vehicle doesn’t roll too much when handling turns. Aside from safety, sway bars help prevent lopsided wheel alignment and work to maintain an overall better grip on the road. A faulty sway bar puts the vehicle at risk for rolling during turns. My belief is that there was something faulty about the sway bar mounting bracket or bolt which explains the mild clunking I heard prior to deterioration (more frequent clunking) and ultimate failure (on 8/27/21). I have a write up of the inspection and repair from the dealer. I also have photos from the dealer prior to the repair.

DEFECTIVE TIRE. 8,000 MILES ON TIRE AND A SIDEWALL BUBBLE DEVELOPED ON THE TIRE. PRIOR TO BUBBLE APPEARING, TIRE WAS NOT SUBJECT TO UNUSUAL IMPACT.

SRS WARNING LIGHT FOR UNOCCUPIED PASSENGER SEAT WOULD NOT GO OFF EVEN AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR; IT DID GO OFF WHEN FASTENED THE SEAT BEAT (ON THE EMPTY SEAT). HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHT SUDDENLY TURNED OFF TWICE; THIS HAS BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS AGO WITH NO REPEAT HOWEVER WITH COVID-19, I' PROBABLY DRIVEN ONLY A FEW HUNDRED MILES IN THE LAST YEAR.

LOW BEAM AND HIGH BEAMS. THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST VEHICLE I HAVE EVERY HAD, WITH REGARDS TO ITS HEADLIGHTS AND MY AND MY FAMILY'S SAFETY DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE RANGE OF LIGHT IS SO INADEQUATE WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THAT I AM ALMOST FEARFUL FOR MYSELF AND FAMILY. I LIVE IN A RURAL MIDWEST AREA WHERE DEER A PREVELANT, AND AM SO CAUTIOUS AND FEARFUL DRIVING AT NIGHT IN MY NEW CAR. I DO LOVE ALMOST LL OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE GOLF ALLTRACK, BUT DO HOPE THE NHTSA CAN STEP IN AN MAKE VW CHANGE OUT THE HEADLIGHTS BEFORE CONSUMER'S ARE KILLED FROM NOT BEING ABLE O SE AT NIGHT.

FAILED CLOCKSPRING AT 37500 MILES AND NOT OFFERED WARRANTY REPLACEMENT..I CAN PROVIDE DEALER SERVICE RECORD IF NEEDED

WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THERE IS CONSTANT BRAKE NOISE AND SQUEALING AT LOW SPEEDS (UNDER 25MPH) WHICH BECOMES LOUDER WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT; BRAKING DISTANCE IS LONGER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD. DEALERSHIP RESURFACING AND REPLACING PADS AND ROTORS DOES NOT ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM.