68 of the
2,009 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Golf
are about the lighting —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2001.
Headlight lens assembly of both headlights is cracking excessively. Upon review of online forums, this is happening frequently to many consumers. This impacts headlight output and looks to be manufacturing defect. Recently reported to dealer who indicated they have seen many of these recently and so far most have been handled by warranty but they would take pictures and submit. If this is known mfg defect why are their not proactive remedy/replacement?
NHTSA complaint #11603172 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello my left front headlamp failed. Initially both my headlights were sweaty/foggy, which started early 2021 but no light present. This is a safety issue especially when driving at night. It is available for inspection. The vehicle was inspected at the dealer Galpin VW. AFS light came on when system failed.
NHTSA complaint #11544849 — 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.
Headlights don't turn on immediately upon ignition start. Error message appears on infotainment and dashboard. The temporary fix, Turned off the vehicle and locked the car, and tried again and it worked just fine. I took the car for regular service when I had mentioned to them that my headlights were acting up. they told me they found no fault codes and could not do anything about it. I spoke to a manager and they told me to take pictures if it happens again, so I did. (The picture in the dark) The headlights would not turn on once again in evening in the Auto setting and I had to cycle the car off and on to get them working properly again. Once turned on the driver-side headlight is now a yellow color similar to a halogen light. (The picture in the daytime) Last week I went to warm up the car for 3-5 minutes and when I returned to the vehicle I noticed the driver-side headlight DRL was not Illuminated. I went into the vehicle and saw that there was an error message on the infotainment screen regarding the headlights. I cycled the car on and off and the vehicle went back to "normal" These issues happen on both headlights but is more persistent on the driver side headlight on my vehicle.I mentioned this on a Facebook group to ask if anyone has experienced this and many people are/did, unfortunately, experience this issue, even as far back as the 2015 Model years. Many people mentioned that they went to the dealership(s) and they would not cover the headlight under warranty as according to them it's impossible to have both headlights inoperable at the same time. I am lucky to have a good dealership to where to they actually are replacing the entire headlight assembly on the driverside. But i am worried even with a new headlight assembly, in a few years it will happen again. If this would have happened while driving at nighttime I would’ve not had any visibility whatsoever. Please recall the LED headlights in these vehicles
NHTSA complaint #11500614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The low beam headlamp burned out. I replaced the bulb successfully, but then the headlamp needed adjustment to be aimed properly with the new bulb. I found instructions online to aim the headlamp. There are three adjustment points, covering both low and high beams, according to the online document. I will try to attach photo of this document. The three adjustments are labeled as: L1, L2H2, and L3. On my VW, there is no adjustment available for location shown as L3. I even drilled into the plastic headlamp housing looking for the hidden adjustment point, but there was none. As a consequence, I am unable to aim that headlamp properly: either the low beam is pointing too high or the high beam is pointing too low. I believe this presents a safety issue at night. To me, it is unbelievable that VW eliminated the L3 adjustment on this vehicle. As I said, the position of the L3 adjustment point was molded over at the factory, there was no opening for adjustment. That's why I drilled into the area, and still found no adjustment point. I have no idea how many other VW vehicles are impacted by this shortcoming, the owners will not find out until the headlamp burns out and there is no way to adjust the replacement lamp. This is a latent defect in design/manufacture.
NHTSA complaint #11500133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The wire from the alternator to the underhood fuse block is not thick enough to handle the current from the stock alternator. This causes the wire to get too hot melting the fuse block at the 30 amp fuse causing headlight issues.
NHTSA complaint #11466179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I PURCHASED A VW GOLF 2020 ON AUGUST 18TH, WHAT HAPPENED TO ME A WEEK LATER NOT ONLY DISAPPOINTED ME BUT ALSO SACRED ME. I DROVE THE CAR ON THE STREET AT THE SPEED ABOUT 25MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DIED! I TRIED TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND PEDAL, IT DIDN'T RESPOND AT ALL. IT SHOWED "DRIVE MANNUALLY' AND THEN SEVERAL LIGHTS WERE ON, EPC, ENGINEER CHECKING LIGHT ETC, LIGHTS WERE OFF A FEW SECONDS LATER. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO CARS BEHIND ME AND NOT ON THE FREEWAY! AT THAT MOMENT, THE CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL, I LET IT MOVE FORWARD THEN PULLED UP. A MINUTE LATER, I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, IT WAS BACK TO THE NORMAL. I DROVE IT TO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM. I TOLD WHAT HAPPENED AND ALSO I FELT IT LACK OF POWER, SOMETIME IT RESPOND SLOWLY. HOWEVER, AFTER SEVERAL HOURS, I WAS TOLD NOTHING WRONG WAS BEEN DETECT AND THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING WITH IT, SINCE THE COMPUTER DIDN'T TELL THERE WERE ANY ISSUES. ALSO I WAS TOLD TAT A MECHANIC TEST DRIVE ABOUT TEN MILES NOT TO DUPLICATE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. SO I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DRIVE IT HOME. HOWEVER, I STOPPED AT THE STOP SIDE, THE VEHICLE WAS KIND OF DEAD AGAIN! MY CAR STOPPED THERE AND COULD NOT MOVE FOR A FEW SECONDS, A GUY BEHIND ME PRESSED THE HONK. I WAS SO SACARY THAT I WAS AFRAID OF DRIVE HOME VIA THE FREEWAY! I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN, I TOLD THEM I DON'T FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE IT AT ALL UNLESS YOU FIGURE IT OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. I TOLD THE MECHANIC THAT I USED TO DRIVE GOLF 2011 FOR FIVE YEARS, MY EXPERIENCE TOLD ME THERE ARE SOMETHING NOT RIGHT WITH THIS CAR, IT LACKS OF POWER AND DOESN'T RESPOND PROPERLY FOR GAS PEDAL AND I CAN SENSE IT CLEARLY. HOWEVER, HE SAID HE MIGHT NOT DO ANYTHING IF THE COMPUTER DOESN'T TELL HIM WHAT ISSUES IT HAS. I LEFT THE CAR FOR THEM TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA complaint #11352157 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
INTERMITTENTLY, DASHBOARD MFD WOULD INDICATE THAT ALL EXTERIOR LIGHTS FAILED. SHUT OFF ENGINE AND PULLED OUT KEY. INSERTED KEY AND RESTARTED AND ALL WOULD BE FINE. GOT TO THE POINT THAT LIGHTS WERE IN FACT NOT WORKING. PULLED OUT FUSES AND WHEN I PULLED THE 30A FUSE (F16?) I NOTICED THE FUSE AND FUSE BOX WAS MELTED. I CLEANED THE CONTACTS ON THE FUSE WITH SANDPAPER AND A WIRE BRUSH. I ATTEMPTED TO USE THE BRUSH ON THE FUSE BOX BUT TO NO AVAIL. I INSERTED THE FUSE BACK IN AND THE LIGHTS WORKED. NEXT MORNING, I TURNED THE KEY ON AND MFD INDICATED ALL THE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. I OPENED THE HOOD AND FUSE BOX AND WIGGLED THE FUSE. WORKED ALL THE WAY TO AND FROM WORK. FOUND TWO VW FORUMS DISCUSSED THIS SAME ISSUE. MOST WERE TIGUANS. PICTURES ARE THE FUSE BOX AND THE FRONT AND REAR LIGHTS BEFORE I CLEANED THE FUSE. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY WHEN I WAS WORKING ON IT.*DT
NHTSA complaint #11266012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LOW AND HIGH BEAM LAMPS ARE INADEQUATE AND DO NOT SUFFICIENTLY ILLUMINATE THE ROAD. MUCH DIMMER THAN ANY CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN. VW NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS LIGHTING ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11081299 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ELECTRICAL PROBLEM ONE SIDE OF VEHICLE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT DOES NOT WORK. I NOTICED PASSATS AND JETTAS HAVE HAD THIS RECALLED AND IT IS DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL WIRING ISSUE. THIS IS NOT A BULB REPLACEMENT SINCE BULB HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL NOT WORKING. IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THE HOOD WHEN IT CLOSES KNOCKING THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION OUT. SAME ISSUE AS THE PASSATS AND JETTAS. WHY WAS THIS NOT RECALLED FOR THE GOLF AS WELL?
NHTSA complaint #10889280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY ISSUE SEAMS SIMILAR TO A FILING LAST YEAR "10654071". I STARTED THE CAR TO LEAVE FROM WORK, AND I RECEIVE NINE SEPARATE EXTERIOR LIGHT FAULTS. IT AFFECTED BOTH THE FRONT RIGHT, LEFT REAR, RIGHT REAR, SIDE MARKER LIGHTS, AND PLATE LIGHT. ALL STOPPED WORKING AT THE SAME TIME. THERE WAS NO WARNING. AND NO FUSES WERE BLOWN. I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I WAS LUCKY THAT ONE HEADLIGHT CONTINUED TO WORK. THIS MADE FOR A VERY DIFFICUL.
NHTSA complaint #10794651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
HELLO, I NOTICED A RECALL DONE ON THESE VW VEHICLES. (HTTP://HDHTEX.COM/INDEX.PHP/VOLKSWAGEN-BRAKE-LIGHT-AND-TURN-SIGNAL-RECALLS-AFFECT-MORE-THAN-1000000-VEHICLES/) THE RECALL IS DUE TO THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND BLINKER LIGHTS NOT WORKING TOGETHER. IF I AM SIGNALING LEFT AND I PUT MY BRAKES ON, THE SIGNAL SWITCHES SIDES AND THE LIGHTS START BLINKING. THIS HAPPENS WITH BOTH DIRECTIONS. THIS IS A HUGE SAFTEY ISSUE AND ITS NOT DUE TO ANY AFTERMARKET TINKERING. I CALLED VOLKSWAGON TO HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THEY DECLINED ANY ASSISTANCE TO ME. IT MAKES SENSE FOR THEM TO FIX THIS IF IT WAS A RECALL AT ONE POINT. THANK YOU
NHTSA complaint #10722890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE DRIVERS SIDE HIGH BEAM IS NOT AIMED PROPERLY, IT IS POINTED BELOW THE CUT-OFF LINE OF THE LOW BEAM. THE HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER TWICE BUT THE AIM WAS NOT IMPROVED. VOLKSWAGEN WAS CONTACTED, THEY EVALUATED THE SITUATION AND SAID THAT THIS WAS THE WAY THE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED AND SO COULD NOT BE FIXED. THE DEALER ALSO SAID THAT THEY LOOKED AT OTHER CARS OF THIS SAME MODEL AND THEY ALL OPERATED THE SAME. BOTH THE HIGH AND LOW BEAM REFLECTORS ARE MOUNTED IN A COMMON HOUSING AND THE ASSEMBLY ONLY HAS ONE ADJUSTMENT SO BOTH BEAMS MOVE UP AND DOWN BY THE SAME AMOUNT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS ONLY ONE OF THE HIGH BEAMS IS ILLUMINATING THE ROAD.
NHTSA complaint #10702350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN STARTING MY GOLF TDI I RECEIVED SEVERAL WARNING MESSAGES ON THE CAR'S INFORMATION SCREEN TO CHECK TURNING LIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND RUNNING LIGHTS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE CAR. THE RIGHT HAND HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS AND BRAKELIGHTS WERE OUT. THE CAUSE OF THE FAULT WAS A MELTED FUSEBOX. THE INTERNAL WIRING OF THE FUSEBOX OVERHEATED AND MELTED THE PLASTIC OF THE BOX AND THE PLASTIC OF THE FUSE WITHOUT BREAKING THE CIRCUIT. ACCORDING TO MY REPAIR SHOP, THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AFFLICTING AS MANY AS ONE MILLION VWS OF VARIOUS YEARS. I SAW THAT VW HAS INITIATED RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER MODELS, BUT NOT THE GOLF OR GOLF TDIS. THIS FAULT CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO LOSE PARTIAL OR TOTAL HEADLIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS, CREATING A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD FOR DRIVERS AND OTHER VEHICLES.
NHTSA complaint #10654071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FIRST SYMPTON WAS A FAULTY WARNING LIGHT STATING, INCORRECTLY, THAT A BULB WAS DEAD. REPLACED HEADLIGHTS UNDER ADVICE FROM DEALER THAT THE ERROR WAS DUE TO FAULTY VOLTAGE FROM A DYING BULB. CONDITION WORSENED. INFORMATION CENTER BEGAN STATING THAT ALL BULBS WERE OUT EACH TIME YOU STARTED THE CAR AND THEN FINALLY, LIGHTS BEGAN TO FAIL. THE CAR LOST ALL EXTERIOR PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS AND HAD ONLY INTERMITTENT USE OF REAR DRIVER SIDE LIGHTING. DEALER THEN DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS A MELTED FUSE BOX BUT COULD NOT GIVE REASON FOR MELTING. NO MODIFICATIONS HAVE EVER BEEN MADE TO THE CAR. A QUICK INTERENET SEARCH REVEALED MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ACROSS MANY VOLKSWAGEN MODELS AND THAT THE DEALER'S FIX OF JUST REPLACING THE FUSEBOX MAY NOT ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM WHICH MAY BE DUE TO A WIRE TO THE FUSE BOX. OVER $700 SPENT TO DATE ON REPAIRS WITH NO UNDERSTANDING OF WHY VW FUSE BOXES ARE MELTING AND WONDERING HOW LONG TILL MY NEW BOX MELTS TOO.
NHTSA complaint #10557979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE I HAVE NO INCIDENT TO REPORT, I WOULD LIKE TO PREVENT FUTURE INCIDENTS. MY CAR, LIKE LOTS OF OLDER VEHICLES, SUFFERS FROM UV CLOUDING OF THE HEADLIGHT LENSES, WHICH DIMINISHES THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN ILLUMINATING THE ROADWAY AT NIGHT. SURELY THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. EQUALLY SURELY, THE MANUFACTURERS ARE AWARE OF IT. SO WHY IS THIS DEFICIENCY OF DESIGN OR MANUFACTURE NOT THE SUBJECT OF RECALLS?
NHTSA complaint #10459203 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
JUST PURCHASED A VEHICLE THAT CAME WITH DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS AS A SAFETY FEATURE. THERE ARE NO DEFECTS OR FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THIS DRL FEATURE CREATES AN UNSAFE CONDITION. MY VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH THE XENON HEADLAMPS. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE AN AUTO ON HEADLIGHTS FEATURE. THE MAIN THING I'M CONCERNED WITH IS THAT YOU COULD BE DRIVING WITH JUST YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON AND THE REST OF THE LIGHTS OFF, WHICH I HAVE DONE ALREADY SEVERAL TIMES AND SEEN OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD DOING THE SAME THING AND THAT IS VERY UNSAFE. I'VE ALSO BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE FOR NOT HAVING MY LIGHTS ON. I THINK THAT I'M DRIVING WITH ALL MY LIGHTS ON JUST TO REALIZE THAT I'M DRIVING WITH JUST THE DRL. ON MY VEHICLE, ONCE YOU RELEASE THE PARKING BRAKE, MY REGULAR LOW BEAM XENON LIGHTS AUTOMATICALLY COME ON AND IF YOU ARE DRIVING INTO THE NIGHT, YOU DON'T REALIZE THAT YOU ARE DRIVING WITH YOUR LIGHTS OFF, LIKE I MENTIONED THE NORMAL LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS COMES ON ONCE THE PARKING BRAKE IS RELEASED. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE AUTO MAKER IS TRYING TO MAKE THE VEHICLE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE BUT IS ALSO CREATING AN UNSAFE CONDITION AT THE SAME TIME. THE AUTO MAKER REFUSE TO ALLOW THE DRL FEATURE TO BE TURNED OFF EVEN THOUGH DRL ARE NOT MANDATORY.
NHTSA complaint #10380139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE TURN SIGNAL CLICKER CONTINUES CLICKING AFTER THE SIGNAL HAS BEEN DE-ACTIVATED. THIS DEFECT LEADS TO PEOPLE NOT USING THE SIGNAL AS THEY DO NOT WANT TO RISK LISTENING TO THE ANNOYING CLICKING THAT SOMETIMES GOES ON FOR HOURS.
NHTSA complaint #10334170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VOLKSWAGEN 2005 GOLF: BOTH FRONT EXTERIOR LIGHTS, DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME WENT OUT. THE FUSE WAS GOOD AND THE LIGHT BULBS WERE OUT. APPARENTLY, THE WIRING HAD A MALFUNCTION WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE INTERIOR LIGHT ON THE CLIMATE CONTROLS TO GO OFF. THE FUSE WAS GOOD AS WELL. ANOTHER MALFUNCTION FROM THEVW COMPANY. LASTLY, DRIVER SIDE FRONT WINDOW WENT DOWN WHILE DRIVING TO WORK 25 MPH. I DID NOT TOUCH THE WINDOW NOR TRIED TO OPEN OR CLOSE IT, IT WENT DONE COMPLETELY AND IT IS INSIDE THE DOOR...IT WON'T GO UP NOR DOWN. IT IS NOT BROKEN EITHER. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WITH NO WINDOW IN THE WINTER. SNOW, HAIL. RAIN CAN HAPPEN WHILE THE WINDOW WENT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. IT'S VERY UNPLEASANT TO HAVE WIND AND COLD OF 3 DEGREES BELOW ZERO HIT YOUR FACE AND GO IN THE CAR TO THE OTHER PASSENGERS. THE HAIL, RAIN OR SNOW CAN THAT CAN GET IN THE CAR CAN CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE INSIDE THE CAR.
NHTSA complaint #10295427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.