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2017 Volkswagen Beetle problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle has been recalled for, how often it fails the UK MOT and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 4safety recalls
- 15owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 0fire reports
- 22%fail the UK MOT
15 complaints, against an average of 58 for the other 7 Volkswagen Beetle model years.
Every Volkswagen Beetle model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle?
The components named most often in the 15 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
Has the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle been recalled?
4 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Air Bags: Frontal: Driver Side: Inflator Module Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Foundation Components: Master Cylinder Tenneco Automotive (Tenneco) is recalling certain Beck/Arnley Master Cylinders, part number 072-9831, sold as aftermarket or replacement parts for 2004-2018 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2012-2019 Volkswagen Beetle vehicles. The fluid seal crimp on the master cylinder may be insufficient, causing brake fluid to leak or the cylinder to come apart.
Risk: If there is a brake fluid leak, it can reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Beck/Arnley will notify the distributors that sold the master cylinders and will work with the distributors to notify the end users. Affected master cylinders will be exchanged for a new master cylinder (part number 072-9990), free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2020. Owners may contact Tenneco customer service at 1-800-625-9319.
Electrical System: Ignition: Anti-Theft: Control Module Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
Risk: Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
Equipment: Other: Labels Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Beetle and Jetta GLI vehicles. The affected vehicles have incorrect information on the tire information label, possibly causing the operator to overload the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Overloading the vehicle may affect vehicle handling or result in tire damage, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for the recall is 01B9.
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle recalled in the UK or Europe?
Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.
UK DVSATakata Front airbag
Risk: The function of the driver airbag inflators can degrade due to air and moisture ingress.
Fix: Replace airbag
EU Safety GateThe propellant in the driver airbag may deteriorate over time.If the airbags deploy, it can result in fragments from the inflator injuring the vehicle's occupants.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
EU Safety GateCars initially used for internal purposes of Volkswagen AG might not have been correctly modified before they were sold to the general…Cars initially used for internal purposes of Volkswagen AG might not have been correctly modified before they were sold to the general public. There is a possibility that certain safety systems of these cars are not correctly modified for street use.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
How often does the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle fail its MOT?
Why they failed: the share of failed tests with at least one fault in each area (a test can fail on several). Cars first registered in 2017, tested in Great Britain in 2023; first registration is usually, but not always, the model year. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, Open Government Licence v3.0.
What do 2017 Volkswagen Beetle owners report?
12 of the 15 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
The rear view camera stopped working (black screen.) I have tried to soft reset the infotainment display unit as well as a hard reset by disconnecting car battery to no avail. The trunk lock mechanism is operational (the rear view camera unit is located in the same unit.)
My local dealers still do not have the parts for the recall 24V834. It has been a year since the recall. What am I supposed to do?
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The safety recall with the driver’s air bag still does not have a remedy available to fix the problem. My safety is at risk every time this vehicle is driven. Nothing has occurred, but this needs to be rectified immediately.
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was blinking. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called two other local dealers: KarMART Maui—Kahului (411 Huku Lii Pl, Kihei, HI 96753), and Tony Volkswagen (94-1299 Ka Uka Blvd, Waipahu, HI 96797). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that upon attempting to open the trunk, the trunk failed to open. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The contact was informed that the emergency trunk release might be the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was not available.
Hi, one time the car wheel turned extra and the gas went extra fast. I also had several devices on my car through blue tooth that were not mine and mirror link kept checking and AUX. This is conjunction with 3 years of hacking (that I think is technically-assisted abuse) with smart home hub, surveillance, spyware on phone and hacked emails. Tried filling out IC3.gov form to no avail. Took car twice to Volkswagan dealer in Springfield, Pa and paid $100 twice to clear the dashboard but it kept happening with ROAV-FR3 and something FM-FORMAN (cant recall names) and Keyless car detective. Then I…
I started to hear clanking noise on left front side (drivers side) while driving. I removed the left front tire. Upon looking inside the wheel housing I observed that spring on the suspension strut was broken and lower part of spring the was no longer inside the lower spring seat. The spring is sliding off the strut and a piece of the metal spring fell off. I have many years of experience working on cars and have owned many vehicles and this is the first time one of my vehicles experienced a spring failure which such low mileage. The vehicle only has a little over 13,000 miles so this spring…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL SEVERAL TIMES IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SCHUMACHER VOLKSWAGEN OF WEST PALM BEACH (3001 OKEECHOBEE BLVD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33409) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THE IGNITION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED SEVERAL TIMES BUT WAS OFF WHEN A PASSENGER WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AND DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER YET TO DETERMINE IF THEY MAY BE ABLE TO CHECK THE DTC TO DETERMINE A REMEDY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, HAD NOT ISSUED ANY TSB AND NO RECALL CAMPAIGNS FOR THE AIR BAG SYSTEM AND THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN IF THE VEHICLE MAY BE REPAIRED WITH A PERMANENT REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE…
WEATHER CONDITIONS: RAIN. AFTER RELATIVELY SHORT DRIVE GARAGED VEHICLE AND TURNED ENGINE OFF. VERY NOTICEABLE BURNING ODOR APPEARS TO COME FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT. LOUD MOTOR NOISE COMING FROM REAR AREA (ELECTRICAL MOTOR NOISE NOT ENGINE/FAN NOISE) WHICH CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES. I AM AWARE OF THE FUEL PUMP RUNNING FOR A SECOND OR TWO WHEN I FIRST OPEN THE DRIVERS DOOR UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. THIS IS A QUIET HUM, HARDLY NOTICEABLE, AND NOT AN ISSUE. THE NOISE ADDRESSED ABOVE IS QUITE LOUD AND ABNORMAL ( ALMOST LIKE A BEARING RUNNING DRY). WEEK LATER ' SAME WEATHER CONDITIONS…
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2017 Volkswagen Beetle: questions owners ask
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle; the most common categories were air bags (6, 40%), electrical system (2, 13.3%), back over prevention (1, 6.7%). There are 4 safety recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle?
Across 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are air bags (40% of complaints), electrical system (13.3% of complaints), back over prevention (6.7% of complaints), lane departure (6.7% of complaints), latches/locks/linkages (6.7% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle; the most recent (campaign 24V834000, 2024-10-30) concerns Air Bags: Frontal: Driver Side: Inflator Module. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own Beetle
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA anonymised MOT results (Open Government Licence v3.0), DVSA vehicle recalls (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2017 only.