diff --git a/changelog.d/3175-header-simple-welcome-title.fixed.md b/changelog.d/3175-header-simple-welcome-title.fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2dbb695f58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/3175-header-simple-welcome-title.fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- The fresh-install welcome page no longer renders a browser tab titled `Wheels - Error`; `_header_simple.cfm` now defaults its `<title>` to `Wheels` and the error handler overrides it for error screens (#3175)
diff --git a/vendor/wheels/events/EventMethods.cfc b/vendor/wheels/events/EventMethods.cfc
index faeccc52d3..a2dfb17fd8 100644
--- a/vendor/wheels/events/EventMethods.cfc
+++ b/vendor/wheels/events/EventMethods.cfc
@@ -99,7 +99,13 @@ component extends="wheels.Global" implements="wheels.interfaces.events.EventHand
 						$header(name = "Content-Type", value = "text/xml");
 						local.rv = $toXml(local.wheelsError);
 					} else {
-						// Default HTML error display
+						// Default HTML error display. The shared _header_simple.cfm
+						// partial defaults its <title> to "Wheels" (the fresh-install
+						// welcome page, #3175); override it here so error screens keep
+						// their error-specific title.
+						if (StructKeyExists(request, "wheels") && IsStruct(request.wheels)) {
+							request.wheels.pageTitle = "Wheels - Error";
+						}
 						if (!StructKeyExists(request.wheels, "internalHeaderLoaded")) {
 							local.rv &= $includeAndReturnOutput($template = "/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm");
 						}
diff --git a/vendor/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm b/vendor/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm
index 7e6a5c4838..2c13ff6760 100644
--- a/vendor/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm
+++ b/vendor/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm
@@ -30,13 +30,30 @@ if (!StructKeyExists(application.wheels, "iconsFontDataUri")) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// Page <title> for this shared chrome. Defaults to "Wheels" — the
+// fresh-install welcome page (congratulations.cfm) leaves it at the
+// default. The error handler (EventMethods.$runOnError) sets
+// request.wheels.pageTitle = "Wheels - Error" before including this
+// partial so error screens keep their error-specific title.
+// Issue ##3175: the title was hardcoded to "Wheels - Error", so every
+// successful first boot rendered a browser tab titled "Error".
+local.simpleHeaderTitle = "Wheels";
+if (
+	StructKeyExists(request, "wheels")
+	&& IsStruct(request.wheels)
+	&& StructKeyExists(request.wheels, "pageTitle")
+	&& Len(Trim(request.wheels.pageTitle))
+) {
+	local.simpleHeaderTitle = request.wheels.pageTitle;
+}
 </cfscript>
 <cfoutput>
 <!--- cfformat-ignore-start --->
 <!DOCTYPE html>
 <html>
 <head>
-	<title>Wheels - Error</title>
+	<title>#EncodeForHTML(local.simpleHeaderTitle)#</title>
 	<meta charset="utf-8">
 	<meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow">
 	<style>
diff --git a/vendor/wheels/tests/specs/view/HeaderSimpleTitleSpec.cfc b/vendor/wheels/tests/specs/view/HeaderSimpleTitleSpec.cfc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cf67e21e14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vendor/wheels/tests/specs/view/HeaderSimpleTitleSpec.cfc
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+component extends="wheels.WheelsTest" {
+
+	function run() {
+
+		// GH #3175 — _header_simple.cfm hardcoded `<title>Wheels - Error</title>`.
+		// The partial is shared by the error page (EventMethods.$runOnError, where
+		// the error title is correct) AND the fresh-install welcome page
+		// (congratulations.cfm, where it is wrong). The title is now parameterized:
+		// it defaults to "Wheels" and the error handler sets request.wheels.pageTitle
+		// to override it.
+		describe("_header_simple.cfm page title (#chr(35)#3175)", () => {
+
+			it("defaults the <title> to 'Wheels' (not the error title) for the welcome page", () => {
+				// No override present — simulates the welcome-page include path.
+				if (StructKeyExists(request, "wheels") && IsStruct(request.wheels)) {
+					StructDelete(request.wheels, "pageTitle")
+				}
+
+				var html = application.wo.$includeAndReturnOutput(
+					$template = "/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm"
+				)
+
+				expect(html).toInclude("<title>Wheels</title>")
+				expect(html).notToInclude("<title>Wheels - Error</title>")
+			})
+
+			it("honours request.wheels.pageTitle so the error page keeps its 'Wheels - Error' title", () => {
+				if (!StructKeyExists(request, "wheels") || !IsStruct(request.wheels)) {
+					request.wheels = {}
+				}
+				request.wheels.pageTitle = "Wheels - Error"
+
+				var html = ""
+				try {
+					html = application.wo.$includeAndReturnOutput(
+						$template = "/wheels/public/layout/_header_simple.cfm"
+					)
+					expect(html).toInclude("<title>Wheels - Error</title>")
+				} finally {
+					StructDelete(request.wheels, "pageTitle")
+				}
+			})
+		})
+	}
+}
