MARCH 10, 2019 BEGINNING ON 12/08/2016, MY VW HAS BEEN TO SERVICE FOR A LEAKING SUNROOF 4 TIMES (THE CAR WAS LESS THAN 3.5 YEARS OLD!). THE WATER HAS FILLED THE SPARE TIRE/SUBWOOFER WELL FULL, DRIPPED THROUGH THE LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL SWITCHES OF THE ROOF, DRAINED INTO THE DASH AND SHIFTER AS WELL AS MY LAP WHILE DRIVING. AND IT PRESENTS SO MUCH MOISTURE IN THE CAR THE WINDOWS WILL NOT DEFOG WITH THE A/C ON. VW MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS ALWAYS BLAME ME FOR DEBRIS CLOGGING THE ROOF DRAINS. I'VE SINCE BEEN INFORMED OF TWO TSBS ON THIS ROOF ADDRESSING THE FLAWED ENGINEERING. ALL THE DEALERSHIPS HAVE DONE IS CLEARED MY DRAIN HOSES AND ON THE 4TH RETURN, PRESENTED A $1,600 BILL FOR REMOVING AND REPLACING MY DRAINS. I REFUSED THE REPAIR AND HAVE DUCT TAPED MY ROOF TO PREVENT FURTHER WATER DAMAGE UNTIL THIS MATTER IS FORMALLY RESOLVED. VW CUSTOMER CARE HAS REFUSED TO PAY FOR THIS SERVICE CLAIMING IT IS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. GIVEN WHERE I LIVE, THE CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY, DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE, WE RARELY HAD RAIN. APPROXIMATELY EVERY 8 MONTHS THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A VW DEALERSHIP TO ADDRESS THE LEAKING ROOF.
2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2015 record →
CLOCK SPRING FAILED AT 52,000 MILES--AFFECTING BOTH THE AIRBAG AND HORN. VW REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE REPAIR, DESPITE THEIR CLOCK SPRING RECALL ON MULTIPLE VW MODELS, THAT WAS INITIATED BY NHTSA INVESTIGATION.
PROBLEM NOTICED DECEMBER 12TH WHEN ONE BY ONE ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING THE AIR BAG, THE STABILIZATION SYSTEM, THE HEADLIGHT SYSTEM AND OTHERS. THEN WHEN I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR. I ENDED UP HAVING TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED BACK HOME. THE NEXT DAY A MECHANIC SCANNED IT AND SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM IN THE EMITIONS SYSTEM WHICH DISABLED THE CAR BY MAKING IT NOT ABLE TO DRIVE. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST VW DEALER WHO TOLD ME THAT THE WHOLE PROBLEM, INCLUDING THE FAILURE OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS, WAS CAUSED BY A LEAK IN THE SUNROOF. WATER RAN DOWN THE A-PILLER AND SHORTED SOME WIRING. THEY GAVE ME A PRINT OUT WHERE VW ADMITS THAT THIS IS THE RESULT OF A PRODUCTION DEFECT BUT THEY SAID THAT IF THE DEFECT WAS NOT FOUND BEFORE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT THAT VW WOULD NOT ALLOW IT TO BE FIXED UNLESS I PAID THEM OVER $1,0000. AS IT IS, I HAD TO PAY THEM $240 TO TAKE THE TRIM OFF OF THE A-PILLER AND DRY THE WIRING OUT. THIS MADE THE CAR RUN NORMALLY FOR THE TIME BEING BUT NOW I AM AFRAID THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.
THE DISPLAY SCREEN SAYS ERROR: AIRBAG, THEN IT SAYS ERROR: TRANSMISSION. ALL THE BOTTONS ON THE STREEING WHEEL DO NOT WORK CURSE CONTROL, BOTTONS FOR CHANGING THE DISPLAY TO SEE INFO ABOUT THE CAR, AND RADIO. THE CAR WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS WHEN THE MESSAGES FIRST WHERE NOTICED. I THINK IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH INSIDE THE STEERING WHEEL AND THINK IT MIGHT BE THE CLOCK SPRING. THE FACT THAT IT IS SAYING ERROR: AIRBAG, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT WORK, OR MIGHT JUST GO OFF FOR NO REASON.
THIS IS A 2015 TDI GOLF THAT SAT ON THE DEALER CAR LOT FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS. WE BOUGHT IT SPRING 2018. MINIMAL MAINTENANCE DONE ON VEHICLE WHEN CAR WAS PURCHASED. IN FACT, WE BOUGHT THREE. TIRES HAD FLAT SPOTS, AND HAD TO ALL BE REPLACED. MY DAUGHTER'S CAR DEVELOPED SOFT BRAKES. MINE AS WELL, AND NOT STOPPING WELL. HER CAR FAILED TO STOP, RESULTING IN A CRASH...THIS NEEDS TO BE CHECKED OUT THAT THE BRAKE FLUSH AND FLUID ARE REPLACED EARLIER THAN THE "RECOMMENDED" 30,000 MILE MAINTENANCE. BEFORE OTHERS ARE INJURED. PLEASE
JUST IN FRONT OF THE SHIFTER AND BEHIND THE CENTER STORAGE CONSOLE, METALLIC TRIM ON PLASTIC PEELED UP LEAVING A RAZOR SHARP EDGE. I DID NOT SEE THIS DEFECT. AS I PULLED MY KEYS OUT OF THE CONSOLE, THE SMALLEST FINGER ON MY RIGHT HAND WAS BADLY SLICED, CAUSING QUITE A LOT OF BLEEDING. HAD I BEEN DRIVING AT THE TIME, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE SURPRISE, PAIN, AMOUNT OF BLOOD AND THE DISTRACTION CAUSED BY THOSE THINGS. FORTUNATELY, I HAD JUST PARKED AT MY HOME AND WAS ABLE TO RUN INSIDE AND STANCH THE BLOOD FLOW.
LOUD SNAPPING SOUND WHILE TURNING, AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, LOST ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS OF STEERING WHEEL, INCLUDING HORN & AIRBAG. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. HAD VEHICLE EXAMINED, CODES PULLED, DETERMINED IT WAS FAILURE OF THE CLOCK SPRING MECHANISM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF SPORTWAGEN. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE REAR DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS OPENED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VIC BAILEY VOLKSWAGEN (2671 REDVILLE RD, SPARTANBURG, SC 29301). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,836.
I OWN A 2015 VW GOLF SPORTWAGEN WITH A LITTLE OVER 46,000 MILES. THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING HAS GONE BAD AND WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPLACE (OEM ONLY) BY A VW SPECIALTY GARAGE. I WAS ALSO INFORMED AND CAN HEAR, THE RIGHT FRONT BEARING GOING BAD AS WELL. IT ALL STATED WITH A LOW HUM WHICH CHANGED PITCH WITH THE SPEED OF THE CAR. OVER TIME IT GOT LOUDER AND LOUDER UNTIL I FINALLY TOOK IT IN TO A DIAGNOSIS. I RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY GEN 3 LATE MODEL GOLFS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARINGS. WHEEL BEARINGS SHOULD NOT FAIL WITH ONLY 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL TIRES! VW CLAIMS ITS NOT COVERED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, BUT THIS IS A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR AND THE AXLES GO THRU THIS BEARING! PLEASE INVESTIGATE.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen → · Every Golf Sportwagen year → · How the figures are calculated →