2017 Volkswagen Passat Electrical Problems

I am reporting a recurring safety-related defect involving the factory-installed infotainment touchscreen in my 2017 Volkswagen Passat SE Technology. The touchscreen intermittently malfunctions in several ways. At times, the entire infotainment system freezes and becomes completely unresponsive, preventing access to any controls. The screen also has developed "dead spots" where touch inputs do not register. Additionally, it sometimes registers "phantom touches," responding to inputs when the screen is not being touched. I believe this presents a safety concern because the infotainment system is an integrated component of the vehicle and is intended to be operated by the driver. When the system freezes, fails to respond, or registers unintended inputs, the driver may have to divert their attention from the roadway to determine what is happening, attempt to operate the system, or restart it. Dead spots can also prevent the driver from accessing desired functions. Pennsylvania recognizes the safety risks associated with distracted driving, including activities that take a driver's eyes off the roadway or hands off the wheel. A malfunctioning factory-installed touchscreen can create this type of distraction even when the driver is attempting to use the vehicle's integrated system. I have found multiple reports from other 2017 Volkswagen Passat owners describing similar infotainment problems, including frozen screens and touchscreen areas that become unresponsive. This suggests that the issue may be a recurring defect rather than an isolated failure. I believe NHTSA should investigate this issue to determine whether there is a common defect affecting 2017 Volkswagen Passat infotainment systems and whether Volkswagen should provide a remedy. A factory-installed vehicle control system should respond consistently and predictably. A touchscreen that freezes, fails to register inputs, or generates unintended inputs can require additional driver attention and interaction.

NHTSA ID

11759962

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

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

NHTSA ID

11711118

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine warning light and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to intermittently start and stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to an electrical malfunction. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 355,000.

NHTSA ID

11698579

Incident

Nov 10, 2025

Mileage

355,000 mi

Fuel pump control module over heated and burned

NHTSA ID

11682870

Incident

Aug 24, 2025

Today, as my wife was driving home, she heard a "crunch" noise while making a turn. Afterwards, the Airbag light came on, and her steering wheel botton functions are not working, including her car horn. This all relates to the clockspring. This will be the third time we have had the clockspring replaced. This is extremely inconvenient, as the dealership is an hour away. The original clockspring didn't break until October 2023. The second broke and replaced in August of 2024. Now, we are scheduling to have the clockspring replaced again, 6 months later. I am unsure why the part is so unreliable. Whomever manufactures the part needs to do a FAR better job. This was our first new car, and now we regret the purchase due to this headache.

NHTSA ID

11655558

Incident

Apr 18, 2025

Our 2017 VW Passat had the clockspring replaced last year under warranty number [XXX] at Barnes Crossing Volkswagen in Tupelo, MS. The airbag stopped working and safety features such as adaptive cruise control were also not available. Not realizing the airbag would NOT deploy in the event of an accident, Volkswagen asked us to drive an hour to have it repaired which was considerably dangerous. As of today the clockspring they replaced once again failed with the same associated problems. I am submitting a report due to how dangerous this problem is considering they supposedly fixed the issue however it seems multiple people have reported the issue coming back. The fact the airbag could stop working at anytime due to a defective clockspring is very troublesome and make me worry in the event of an accident if the clockspring will fail thus not allowing the airbag to deploy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11584287

Incident

Apr 21, 2024

Clock spring has failed 5 times within a year. The first clock spring replacement failed two weeks after the repair. I the. took it to a different dealership to be repaired. The second clock spring broke about 6 months later. The third clock spring broke two weeks after the repair. The fourth clock spring broke two months later and I am about to have it repaired within the next week. Due to the faulty clock spring, the driver side air bag will not deploy in the event of an accident and I have no use of the horn - both of which are necessary when living in South Florida. There are only two dealerships within reasonable driving distance to have the repair done (while the part is under warranty). It takes at least a week, if not more, to get an appointment at the dealership to ensure they have the part at the time of the repair. During which time, I have no choice but to drive the vehicle without the use of the air bag. Even though I can tell when the clock spring is likely about to break, I cannot take it to the dealership for repair until it has actually broken. This is not only extremely inconvenient, but hazardous as I’d be without safety mechanisms in the event of an accident. This should not be a reoccurring issue with the vehicle. The dealership has gone as far as contacting VW support to ensure the correct part is replaced and repaired properly, yet it continues to happen. It is unrelated to my driving or the way the part has been repaired. It is simply faulty parts being supplied.

NHTSA ID

11573880

Incident

Feb 21, 2024

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 Air Bag light, temperature warning, radio and information panel going wacky. The Clockspring is making clicking noises in the steering wheel.

NHTSA ID

11486761

Incident

Sep 24, 2022

I drive 90 miles total daily, to and from work (45 mi each way). I currently have 87,050 miles on my vehicle. Shortly after my 36,000 mile warranty expired, I started experience issues with my infotainment system. Searching online I discovered many other owners with identical problems. The radio would freeze, where I could not change the preset tuning stations. I would have to hold the power button, (while driving on highway) for the infotainment system to reset. As time went on, I started experiencing "dead spots" on the touch screen. No matter what I do, areas where the "dead spots" are, is unusable. You cannot activate the function you need, where the "dead spots" are at. I contacted my local dealership, but they were no help. This has to be a known problem, and VW should repair or replace the infotainment system at their cost.

NHTSA ID

11431605

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

ON 1/12/21 WHILE TURNING INTO A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT I HEARD CLICKING IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND ERROR CODES ACROSS THE DIGITAL SCREEN AND A CLOCK EMBLEM SIGNAL CAME ON. PULLED OVER AND LOOKED AT MY MANUAL. DROVE ON HOME AND DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THE CLOCK SPRING IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH VWS. I WENT BACK OUT TO TEST THE STEERING COLUMN AND SURE ENOUGH THE HORN AND ALL CONTROLS ON THE COLUMN DID NOT WORK. CALLED THE LOCAL VW DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THEY SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS 2017 PASSAT SEL MODEL. THEY REPLACED 6 DAYS LATER.

NHTSA ID

11390094

Incident

Jan 12, 2021

Mileage

47,500 mi

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

WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL WHILE DRIVING, I HEARD A CLICKING SOUND FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. THEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT TURNED ON. NOW MY HORN DOES NOT WORK OR ANY OF THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I KNOW THIS IS THE CLOCK SPRING MALFUNCTION, WITH THE TAKATA AIRBAG MALFUNCTION THAT HAPPENED WITH THE 2015 PASSATS.

NHTSA ID

11378090

Incident

Dec 4, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

AIRBAG LIGHT ON FOR DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG, HORN WILL NOT WORK, CRINKLE SOUND WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL. NO POWER TO STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS

NHTSA ID

11348868

Incident

Aug 7, 2020

WHILE DRIVING, I TURNED ON MY SEAT HEATER. IT NEVER CAME ON UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE I GRABBED MY PURSE WHICH WAS ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. IT WAS HOT. THE SEAT HEATERS ARE CROSSED.

NHTSA ID

11280020

Incident

Oct 13, 2019

Mileage

12,155 mi

ACCESS START MODULE FAILED. CAR REFUSED TO DETECT KEY FOB AND DASHBOARD WAS OFF WHEN ENTERING VEHICLE. COULD NOT PRESS ON BRAKE TO PUSH START IGNITION. CAR BATTERY WAS AT FULL 12-12 VDC. CHECKED FUSES AND NOTHING WAS BLOWN. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER TO CHECK UP. TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO RESET ACCESS START MODULE BY DISCONNECTING BATTERY FOR 15 MINUTES. DEALER REPLACED FUEL RELAY FUSE AND ACCESS START MODULE. VEHICLE WAS DOWN FOR 4 DAYS. NEW MODULE HAD TO BE RE-PROGRAMMED FOR AT LEAST A DAY AND NEEDED ALL KEY FOBS TO BE RE-PROGRAMMED.

NHTSA ID

11144847

Incident

Oct 28, 2018

Mileage

20,129 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE UNINTENTIONALLY LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF. AFTER WAITING A WHILE, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO COMMONWEALTH VOLKSWAGEN (1 COMMONWEALTH DR, LAWRENCE, MA 01841, (978) 965-8259), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

NHTSA ID

11123178

Incident

Aug 24, 2018

Mileage

32,000 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

TL* THE CONTACT LEASES A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE, THE REAR BACKUP CAMERA FAILED TO DISPLAY ON THE MONITOR. THE REARVIEW CAMERA SYSTEM WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ESSERMAN INTERNATIONAL (LOCATED ON 10455 NW 12TH ST, MIAMI, FL 33172) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE BACKUP CAMERA WAS REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE CASE WAS BEING REVIEWED AND AN UPDATE WOULD BE PROVIDED ON OCTOBER 4, 2017. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 09/22/17*LJ *TR

NHTSA ID

11012599

Incident

Jul 21, 2017

Mileage

90,000 mi