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2017 Volkswagen Beetle problems

The most common problem on the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle is airbags. It has fewer complaints than a typical Beetle model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
91/100
Owner complaints
15
Recalls
3
Service bulletins
558
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
26-28mpg

The worst 2017 Volkswagen Beetle problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Airbags
    6
  • Electrical
    2
  • Acceleration
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Locks
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Airbags
    6
  • Electrical
    2
  • Acceleration
    1
  • Driver assistance
    1
  • Locks
    1
  • Steering
    1
  • Suspension
    1

Recalls 3

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator moduleReported October 30, 2024 · 248,330 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 24V834000 · Recall details

Electrical system: ignition: anti-theft: control moduleReported August 22, 2019 · 679,027 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 19V615000 · Recall details

Equipment: other: labelsReported March 2, 2017 · 797 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 17V136000 · Recall details

See all 3 recalls for the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle

Technical service bulletins for the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle 558

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 558 bulletins for the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle

2017 Volkswagen Beetle fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.8L 4‑cylFWD2431-3327-28
2.0L 4‑cylFWD232926

What 2017 Volkswagen Beetle owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed May 12, 2026 · Driver assistance · NY

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.)

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Airbags · CA

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?

Filed Sep 18, 2025 · Airbags · OH

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Jul 8, 2025 · Airbags · PA

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Jun 13, 2025 · Airbags · VA

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.

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Airbags · 43,800 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was blinking. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer offered to assist with shipping, but the shipper declined to ship the vehicle with a recall and the warning light being illuminated. The failure mileage was approximately 43,800. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Jan 24, 2025 · Locks · 90,000 miles · FL

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.

Filed Oct 25, 2024 · Acceleration, Steering · PA

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 paid to remove the car radio. Then I found a Navaro device on passenger side under seat but dealer refused to remove it and when I called Volkswagen from there they said only the dealer knows where the vehicle embedded sim is. They do not know how to check software and say 'it is uncharted territory.' I do not feel safe. There are no laws regarding car hacking and smart home abuse and I am now writing a book for women about it so they are not gas lighted and can get help. This can be a deadly mistake and there needs to be an easy inexpensive place for someone to have their car checked for malware, sim or SD card. Please help. There was a police report but I do not have it. It was on 10/20/24 with colonial Chris McWilliams State police Middletown, PA 19063. He said Navaro device was factory installed but Volkswagan said it was not. Mechanic said it was a satellite radio device

Filed Sep 18, 2024 · Suspension · NY

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 failure is not from wear and tear from driving. The left front the car and wheel housing of the car is now sagging and this make it unsafe to drive. If I was driving and the piece of the metal spring sprung out it could have caused a safety concern to other motorist. I did contact Volkswagen customer support but was told that this spring failure was not part of any recall or warranty extension. Any repairs would have to be done at my own expense.

Filed Dec 29, 2020 · Electrical · 26,000 miles · FL

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 mileage was 26,000.

Compare the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle

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Questions about the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle

Is the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle reliable?

Owners have filed 15 complaints about the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle, fewer than a typical Beetle model year.

What is the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle year score?

The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle scores 91 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Volkswagen Beetle: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle?

Airbags, with 6 complaints. Next is electrical (2).

How many recalls does the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle have?

3 recalls, covering air bags, electrical system and equipment.

Was there a recall on the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle airbags?

Yes, 1 recall: 24V834000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Volkswagen Beetle have bad airbags?

The Volkswagen Beetle model years with the most airbags complaints are 2004 (73 complaints), 2000 (64 complaints) and 2003 (60 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle get?

Official estimates for the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle range from 26 to 28 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.8L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 24 city and 31-33 highway.

Share your experience with the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle

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