Volkswagen Golf
Owners filed 1,439 complaints across 34 model years of the Volkswagen Golf. The 2015 drew the most (131).
Which Volkswagen Golf years should you avoid?
Going by 1,439 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Volkswagen Golf years to avoid are 2015.
- 2015131 complaints, 2.0× a typical Golf year, most often about the airbags.
Better bets: among years old enough for a low count to mean something, the 2018 drew the fewest complaints without an unusual share of serious ones.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Volkswagen Golf model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2022 | 81 | 0 | — | — | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2020 | 6 | 2 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2019 | 63 | 6 | — | 2 | Engine | Do not drive | |
| 2018 | 29 | 6 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Do not drive | |
| 2017 | 117 | 5 | — | 3 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2016 | 85 | 9 | — | 1 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2015Avoid | 131 | 12 | 3 | 7 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2014 | 12 | 5 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2013 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 2 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2012 | 48 | 6 | — | 4 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2011 | 110 | 6 | 3 | 4 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2010 | 70 | 4 | — | 3 | Fuel System, Diesel | Routine | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2006 | 12 | 3 | — | 1 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 2005 | 19 | 4 | — | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 3 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003 | 27 | 6 | 7 | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2002 | 74 | 7 | — | 2 | Air Bags › Side/Window | Routine | |
| 2001 | 116 | 9 | 2 | 4 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2000 | 88 | 8 | 1 | 3 | Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls | Routine | |
| 1999 | 64 | 7 | 1 | 3 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1998 | 18 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System › Ignition › Switch | Routine | |
| 1997 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1996 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hood › Latch | Routine | |
| 1995 | 43 | 5 | — | 4 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1994 | 41 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Equipment › Mechanical › Accessory Scissor/Screw/Bottle Jack/Lift | Routine | |
| 1993 | 7 | 5 | — | — | Electrical System › Ignition › Module | Routine | |
| 1992 | 6 | 2 | — | — | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 1991 | 8 | 3 | — | 1 | Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Heater Core | Routine | |
| 1990 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Seat Belts › Front | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.