59 of the
2,009 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Golf
are about the body and structure —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2015.
Vehicle brought in for Recall 20UF (fuel tank suction pump fire risk) on 04/15/2026. Upon pickup after approximately one week of dealer service, a strong chemical odor was present in the cabin that did not exist prior to service. Odor persists despite cabin air filter replacement with activated charcoal filter, professional carpet shampooing, and extended airing out over several weeks. Dealer dismissed concerns and suggested owner pay for cabin filter replacement which had no effect. VW's own Recall 20UF documentation acknowledges that fuel odor may be noticed by occupants when the recall condition exists. Requesting investigation into whether recall repair was fully completed and whether odor is related to incompletely resolved recall condition. A neighbor experienced identical odor issue after bringing their Tiguan to a different Westchester dealer for service.
NHTSA complaint #11741116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Certain conditions cause the electrics door locks to not function. When this happens, it is not possible to exit the car from the inside as the door handles are not operative creating a trapped situation potentially leading to injury or death if the case of a fire.
NHTSA complaint #11667457 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is an issue with the gear shift cover trim. The piece that goes around the gear shift has a chrome coating that has been pealing off. Over multiple occasions that pealed off piece of metal has cut my finger causing bleeding. There seems to be a recall on the DSG GTI for this, but not the MT. I am having the same exact issue as the DSG and the replacement part is the exact same (likely same original part). The safety issue is that this has cut my finger multiple times with bleeding and can be quite painful. I called VW and was told my car was not part of the DSG recall 34J7/34L9, but clearly it has the same issue. Here is the case number from that call: VW Customer CARE [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11625316 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The hood release doesn’t work and cannot access anything in the engine bay. No oil changes until the hood can be opened. Clear recall due to the danger of not being able to open. The handle inside the car broke by attempting to open the hood.
NHTSA complaint #11599200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
driving down the highway at 70mph and what sounded like a gunshot inside the car. glass started falling on us driving down the road. the sunroof glass exploded. got pulled over and looked and the glass is literally blown outward not inward like something falling on it. the hole it bulged up and the glass from the hole was missing.
NHTSA complaint #11595149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My VW golf has experienced rear door lock issues where both rear dock locks no longer work (lock or unlock) when pressing the lock button on the key or inside the vehicle. The only way to get the doors to lock is by manually locking the doors via a little slot in the door sill on each side. While it can be unlocked internally by just pulling the handle one time. This is a safety issue as door locks are a necessity for a vehicle to prevent theft of vehicle or items inside. It can also cause safety concerns for passengers in the rear(which is usually children. This also poses a danger to children due to the ease of unlocking from inside the rear passenger seats. The problem was confirmed to be the rear door latches via a dealer on 2/23/2024, however after replacing both latches with new parts, nothing was resolved. This issue is not the first time, as it is known that VW locks and many electrical components may randomly stop working, I have experienced the issue with a previous Volkswagen vehicle as well (2009 VW Jetta). There are no warning lights on the dashboard or other signs of the failure.
NHTSA complaint #11577026 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a crack and leak in my sunroof. I have not done anything to my car that would result in the crack. Based on Reddit searches, this is a frequent problem for VW owners. Autobody shops do not want to touch my sunroof or fix it because they do not have success fixing sunroofs.
NHTSA complaint #11573889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlight assembly design, prevents owners from changing a light bulb own their own. Per the law, a car must have functioning headlights. The design on the HID headlight assembly, requires hours of work, removing the bumper, the grill, other parts that require many tools and skilled knowledge of the brand. Considering this is a headlight that is required to be street legal, an owner can't change the bulb in emergencies. An owner must wait for an appointment with a dealer or certified Volkswagen mechanic with the proper training to change a light bulb. Regulation should prevent such designs, as the current design can make it dangerous for the driver. Just as when a driver needs to change a tire that's flat, and use the spare, a light bulb is just as critical to prevent accidents.
NHTSA complaint #11539859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2017 VW GTI, incredibly common issue of the sunroof surround cracking and allowing water to leak into the electrical components and headliner of the vehicle. VW does not care to admit fault on this even though there are hundreds of documented cases about this issue. Less than a year out of warranty and now dealing with potential mold issues or worse, an electrical shortage problem that could cause a fire. Not sure how this can be seen in hundreds of cases from VW owners and they haven’t done anything about it. Major issue.
NHTSA complaint #11516400 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Discovered several inches of water in the spare tire boot area. The entire back seat was also soaked through. Water appears to be leaking into the car from rear pressure vents behind the bumper or from another undetermined source, posing risks including black mold and damage to the spare tire.
NHTSA complaint #11515575 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front passenger door opened on its own with a bang while making a left turn. Driving alone, passenger door had been securely locked for over a week, during left turn going 25 mph, a loud banging sound occurred, passenger door opened and indicator warning light in dash came on. Door opened approx 1 cm. Car is not safe to drive for fear of door opening again randomly. VW of America nonchalantly stated they are sorry my door opened and stated they would not cover any potential repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11502623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driver's door latch failed and often will not latch the door closed. Door just bounces off the door frame lightly. Occasionally I've missed that this has happened and started driving with the door unlatched.
NHTSA complaint #11484804 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front and rear radio speakers are not sealed properly leading to rain leaking into the floor and body of the car. This has been reported significantly and frequently online. VW will fix my car for approximately $4500.
NHTSA complaint #11426639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CAR HAS A WATER LEAK IN THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF SINCE NEW. VWOA HAS DONE THE TSB'S BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. LEAK IS AROUND THE PASSENGER SIDE A PILLAR, SUNVISER AND DOME LIGHT.
NHTSA complaint #11405153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE CHROME TRIM AROUND THE SHIFTER LEVEL IS EXTREMELY SHARP AND IS A SAFETY HAZARD. REACHING INTO THE STORAGE COMPARTMENT IN FRONT OF THE SHIFTER, MY FINGER CAUGHT THIS SHARP EDGE AND WAS SERIOUSLY CUT. THERE WAS A LOT OF BLOOD AND PAIN AS A RESULT. AN ONLINE SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS TYPE OF INJURY IS NOT UNCOMMON.
NHTSA complaint #11402868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE DOOR LATCHES ON ALL FOUR DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS OFTEN MALFUNCTION. MOST THE TIME YOU HAVE TO PRESS ON THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE UNTIL YOU HEAR A SOFT CLICK BEFORE THE THE DOOR HANDLE WILL WORK. OTHERWISE IT IS AS IF IT WERE LOCKED WHEN IT IS UNLOCKED. ALSO MY CAR WILL LOCK ITSELF IF I UNLOCK IT WITH THE KEY FOB AND GET IN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WITHOUT STARTING IMMEDIATELY. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO RECOGNISE I'VE ENTERED THE VEHICLE.
NHTSA complaint #11376943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUNROOF LEAKS INTO HEADLINER AND DOWN THE SIDE PILLARS. OCCURS WHEN STATIONARY AND IN MOTION DURING PERIODS OF EXTENDED RAIN. RESULTS IN DAMAGE TO ELECTRONICS, SOUND SYSTEM AND FABRIC/BODY COMPONENTS.
NHTSA complaint #11376865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUNROOF SHADE WOULD NOT STAY CLOSED. REPAIRED TWICE BY DEALERSHIP. 12/7/19 DRIVING ON ROAD (NO TRAFFIC OR VEHICLES NEARBY), SUDDENLY LOUD EXPLOSION SOUND, SUNROOF COMPLETELY SHATTERED, BLEW OUT BASKETBALL SIZE HOLE IN SUNROOF GLASS BEFORE COMPLETELY SHATTERING ENTIRE SUNROOF GLASS. VEHICLE WAS MOVING ON RURAL PAVED ROAD, NO OTHER VEHICLES ON ROADWAY. SUNSCREEN PREVENTED GLASS FROM ENTERING DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT.
NHTSA complaint #11287740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.