2017 Volkswagen Passat Driver assistance Problems

The contact owns 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, with the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, the vehicle failed to detect another vehicle and the vehicle was involved in a crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injuries sustained. A Police report was filed but the information was not provided. The vehicle was vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.

NHTSA ID

11755060

Incident

May 12, 2026

Mileage

114,000 mi

ABS sensor has failed. Air bag sensor is faulty due to abs

NHTSA ID

11711118

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

While backing into a parking spot there was a crunching sound in the steering column. Following this noise the air bag light came on and all steering wheel control buttons nonfunctional including the horn. I reached out to a Volkswagen dealer as I had seen recalls for the clockspring, I was told my vehicle was not included in the recall. This is a 2017 Passat and had approximately 130,000 miles when this occurred. The closest dealer is over 2 hours away, and the service department is only open Monday-Friday.

NHTSA ID

11662117

Incident

Jan 3, 2024

Clock spring on vehicle has failed. This is a known issue with many VW vehicles, but I have been told my vehicle is not on the extended warranty program. 2017 VW Passat - approximately 150,000 miles. This eliminates all steering wheel controls, horn, cruise control, and air bags.

NHTSA ID

11604563

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving across a railroad track, the Forward Collision-Avoidance braking system independently engaged. The contact was able to safely cross the railroad track. The contact stated that the failure had occurred previously while the contact was driving and crossing an intersection. However, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

NHTSA ID

11566210

Incident

Jan 14, 2024

Mileage

137,000 mi

My clock spring has broken. It is giving major safety concerns because my front airbag will not work. The horn does not work, limiting my communication with other drivers in case of impending accidents. None of the buttons work on my steering column as well.

NHTSA ID

11523418

Incident

May 9, 2023

The following warning lights will randomly turn on & off while driving: Air Bag Malfunction, ABS Brakes, ESC, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front collision, tire pressure, power steering, blind spot detection, low Key Battery detected, and indicate they are not functional. It is a random and items will go back to work while normally driving. Key fob battery has been replaced multiple times...

NHTSA ID

11512585

Incident

Dec 14, 2022

Error shown on dashboard, at this time no incident to report. Drivers airbag disabled , ACC disabled, steering wheel functionality disabled.

NHTSA ID

11511326

Incident

Mar 11, 2023

My seat belt unfastens whenever it wants and my cruise control doesn’t work any longer. I also have an issue with the 4th injector which causes the car to accelerate and I had to replace the transmission as well

NHTSA ID

11462484

Incident

Jan 20, 2022

I had my battery changed at the VW dealership and a week later, my horn stopped working, my airbag light came on and my front assist no longer works. There’s also a clicking noise when I turn my steering wheel. It seems this clock coil issue has been a recall issue for VW for years, but when I search my VIN it list no recalls of this nature.

NHTSA ID

11458432

Incident

Mar 26, 2022

I have a 2017 Passat When it's raining hard on the road and my speed is greater than 55 mph the passenger side windshield stops right in front of my vision vision (right in the middle of the driver's side) creates a white blocking effect so I don't have a clear road visibility. In a service I discussed this detail with the service advisor at the VW agency and he did not want to understand or was misunderstood, I told him that the design of these windshields had this defect. On another occasion when I was driving in an area where there was snow the front collision alarm started to alarm for no reason, there was no obstruction, apparently one of the front sensors fails when it gets wet, I took the car to the dealer and reported this to the service advisor, they did a review of the car they said that it had nothing damaged that everything is fine. But when it rains really hard, it does this.

NHTSA ID

11446404

Incident

Nov 15, 2019

While driving straight in dry weather (i.e. no rain), the lane light will change from – green – to – yellow – color in the dash and the steering wheel will jerk, usually left, sometimes right, very abruptly, as if the car is trying to find the lane with lane assist on. Note, this is on well marked city streets and on regular interstate roads with clearly marked dashed lane lines. This has been happening for at least two months (today's date Dec. 12, 2021) and only now reporting this complaint. It did almost cause me to run into the car beside me several times or turn into the center median (trees) on city streets.

NHTSA ID

11443830

Incident

Dec 14, 2021

I have had to have my vehicle serviced over 5 times within the last three months. There is a recurring sensor temps, Air bad error, radio not working properly, and front assist sensor light error. Everything I have had to take my vehicle to a service dealer, my wheel bearing need to be changed, my tire sensor needs to be changed, and my steering wheel is shaking. This is an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of

NHTSA ID

11424540

Incident

Jun 7, 2021

On starting the vehicle for the first time of the day, console display indicated Lane Assist was disabled. It was necessary to access the menu system and re-enable Lane Assist. Lane Assist was enabled when the vehicle was parked the previous day. Lane Assist has many times somehow become disabled and cleared on the menu system while the car was parked overnight. The problem and others have been reported to Volkswagen several times. After lengthy service visits since 2019, Volkswagen have been unable to correct or explain the faults. Volkswagen insist no error codes have been recorded in the system. All thing considered, the ongoing absence of error codes may be yet another fault.

NHTSA ID

11420208

Incident

Jun 7, 2021

While driving at approximately 10 MPH, the message "Lane Assist Currently Not Available" was displayed and Lane Assist deselected in the system menu. Later, while parked, I re-enabled Lane Assist using the menu system. This problem, along with others, has been ongoing since 2019. Since 2019, Volkswagen have been unable or unwilling to correct any of the problems experienced with the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11419843

Incident

Jun 5, 2021

While stopped at an intersection with no moving traffic, the Park Assist enabled itself warning extreme proximity to something on the left side of the vehicle. As with other faults, the Park Assist faults have occurred numerous times since 2019. The Lane Assist system unexpectedly disabled itself while driving less than five MPH on a slightly inclined driveway.

NHTSA ID

11418180

Incident

May 22, 2021

The emergency breaking incident first occurred on 8 December 2019 as I was entering the parking lot for my apartment complex. There were no obstacles. The second occurrence was reported to the NHTSA on 5 May 2021. The tracking number for the issue is 11415338. The vehicle has exhibited multiple faults with its electronics, including emergency breaking enabling for no apparent reason, lane assist randomly disabling itself (including driving and overnight while parked), parking sensors alerting extreme proximity when nothing it near the vehicle, Infotainment system (failed to move from VW display, locked up, failed to display rear camera with vehicle in reverse and other failures), the rear camera has failed to display and displayed a image "rolling" vertically, wing mirrors have failed to extend or extend after considerable delay, and other issues. All of these issues have been reported to Volkswagen and service has reported no problems. Additional information, photos, and video are available.

NHTSA ID

11417838

Incident

Dec 8, 2019

I HAVE A 2017 VW PASSAT SE. FRONT ASSIST BREAKS OR GETS READY TO BREAK (SHOWS THE BIG CAR SYMBOL ON DASHBOARD AND BEEPS) IN BAD WEATHER LIKE WHILE IT IS RAINY AND THERE ARE NO CARS AROUND ME. IT ALSO HAPPENED A FEW TIMES DURING SUNNY WEATHER. THE CAR SLAMMED THE BREAKS FOR NO REASON. THERE WAS NO CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS GOING LIKE 40-45 MPH. I AM SUPER SCARED IT WILL BRAKE ONE DAY WHEN I AM GOING WITH 60+ ON THE HIGHWAY AND CAUSE A CRASH. A SAFETY SYSTEM THAT IS PURPOSE TO REDUCE THE ACCIDENT RISK OR IMPACT OF A CRASH SHOULD NOT BEHAVE DANGEROUSLY AND BECOME A POTATIAL ACCIDENT CAUSE.

NHTSA ID

11416643

Incident

Feb 10, 2021

Mileage

46,000 mi

THE PASSAT AUTONOMOUS BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED WHILE DRIVING ON A DIVIDED FOUR-LANE STREET WITH NO TRAFFIC OR OBSTRUCTIONS. LANE ASSIST HAS REPEATEDLY DISABLED ITSELF. PARK ASSIST SENSORS HAVE REPEATEDLY DETECTED OBJECTS EXTREMELY CLOSE WHEN NOTHING IS PRESENT. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS OTHER SYSTEM FAILURES. IN 2019, I FIRST REPORTED THE ISSUES TO A VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE CENTER FOR REPAIR. SINCE THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE HAS SPENT WEEKS IN SERVICE WITH VOLKSWAGEN INVOLVEMENT, WITH A REPORT OF NO ERRORS FOUND. THE FAULTS HAVE CONTINUED, SEEMINGLY AT RANDOM, SINCE 2019. I HAVE SUPPLIED VOLKSWAGEN WITH NOTES, PHOTOS, AND VIDEOS OF THE FAILURES VOLKSWAGEN NOT STATE THEY CANNOT ACCEPT PHOTO OR VIDEO DOCUMENTATION, NOT WILL THEY PAY FOR ANY REPAIR EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY UNTIL AUGUST 2020 AND NOT REPAIRED. I HAVE A LOT OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS, AS WELL AS NOTES THAT I WOULD BE PLEASED TO FORWARD TO YOU.

NHTSA ID

11415338

Incident

Apr 19, 2021

Mileage

15,000 mi

MY CAR SHAKES AND BRAKES ARE REALLY TOUCHY DUE TO THE FORWARD ASSIST

NHTSA ID

11413863

Incident

Aug 22, 2020

Mileage

45,000 mi

ALL THREE SENSORS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. AFTER HAVING THEM CHECKED, NO ISSUE WAS FOUND AND CODES WERE RESET. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, ALL THREE SENSORS SHOWED UP AGAIN. ALL OF THIS OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THEN AGAIN IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11404095

Incident

Mar 15, 2021

WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND GETTING READY TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE, A CAUTION LIGHT AND ALERT TONE SUDDENLY CAME ON. DISPLAY READ "FRONT ASSIST: NO SENSOR VIEW." NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED AND THE ALERT TURNED OFF AFTER A FEW MILES. THIS IS THE SYSTEM THAT AUTOMATICALLY APPLIES THE BRAKES IF IT SENSES A POSSIBLE COLLISION. IF THIS SYSTEM WAS TO FAIL, THE BRAKES COULD AUTOMATICALLY APPLY WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH POSSIBLE DISASTROUS RESULTS. MANY VW OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED AND HAD THE SAME ISSUE. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST VW (DACK, ET AL., V. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.) FOR THIS ISSUE AND VOLKSWAGEN'S FAILURE TO ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE OR ADDRESS IT.

NHTSA ID

11383621

Incident

Dec 16, 2020

Mileage

60,656 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES CLOSE TO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE, THE AUTONOMOUS BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE BRAKED SUDDENLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,090.

NHTSA ID

11233182

Incident

Jul 13, 2019

Mileage

39,090 mi

2017 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUE WITH REARVIEW BACKUP CAMERA. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED WHILE IT WAS IN POSSESSION OF THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER STATED IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR AND THERE WASNO SOLUTION FOR THE CAMERA FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.*JS

NHTSA ID

11114830

Incident

Aug 6, 2017

TOO SENSITIVE ESC ISSUE ON 2017 PASSAT COULD CAUSE SAFETY HAZARD I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SUPER SENSITIVE ESC THAT ENGAGED AT 35 MILES/HOUR OR MORE AT HIGHWAY ENTRANCE AND EXIT WITH 2017 PASSAT R LINE. THIS 35 MILES LIMIT IS TOO LOW COMPARED WITH VW 2014 JETTA SE, 2016 JETTA 1.8T, 2014 SUBARU FORESTER, 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK, 2007 MERCEDES C230, 2011 C300 I OWN/ED. DRIVER'S PERCEPTION IS NOT MUCH CHANGE DUE TO THE CAR MODEL, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE SAME OEM LIKE VW, THE CORNER IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT MORE THAN 50 MILES/HOUR, BUT THE PASSAT HAS SUPER SENSITIVE ESC THAT ENGAGED UNEXPECTEDLY AT THE SUCH LOW SPEED AND IT COULD CAUSE A SUDDEN TIRE TRACTION CHANGE THAT COULD TRIGGER CAR SPIN OR FLIP AT WORST CASE. MY EXPERIENCES WERE AT DRY ROAD CONDITION ONLY AND NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO THE WET OR ICY ROAD IN A PAST, BUT OTHER CONSUMER MAY FACING THE SAME ISSUE AT SOME OTHER STATE BY THE DIFFERENT ROAD CONDITION. LOCAL DEALER AND VW HAVE HELP TESTED AND TRY CHANGING THE SYMPTOMS BY 1. CHANGE TIRE DUE TO ONE OF THE TIRE'S CIRCUMFERENCE WAS 1 INCH OFF, 2. CHANGE SPEED SENSOR, 3. CHANGE BEARING, AND 4. CHANGE ABS ECU, BUT NO IMPROVEMENT BEEN OBSERVED. ALTHOUGH THIS MIGHT BE CONTRADICTED, BUT ONE OF THE LONER PASSAT R LINE HAVE NOT SHOWING THE ISSUE, AND ANOTHER BRAND-NEW PASSAT IN A LOT HAVE THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SENSITIVITY ISSUE MIGHT DIFFERENT BY THE UNIT ASSEMBLY/ALIGNMENT, OR DEPENDING ON THE PARTS BEEN USED FOR EACH UNIT. TESTED AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS: CA 237 E TO NORTH 1ST ST EXIT, CA 85 N TO EL CAMINO REAL N EXIT, US-101 & SAN TOMAS EXPY INTERCHANGE X 4 CORNERS, US-101 TO N MATILDA SOUTH EXIT, I-280 & WOLF RD ENTRANCE/EXIT VW SHOULD ADJUST THE SENSITIVITY TO BE SAME AS OTHER STANDARD MODELS. IF THEY SAY THIS IS THE STANDARD, THEN THE CAR IS USELESS. (ESPECIALLY FOR THE R LINE THAT SHOULD SUPPORT MUCH SPORTIER DRIVING.)

NHTSA ID

11014763

Incident

Jul 15, 2017

Mileage

130 mi