1ST INCIDENT IN 6/2001. ABS LIGHTS ON. SENT TO DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICING. INDICATED THERE WAS NO INTERNAL MALFUNCTIONING. CHECKED THE SYSTEM AND CLEARED THE FAULT. BLED THE ABS SYSTEM. DURING 1ST SERVICE, ALSO COMMUNICATED GRINDING NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL. DEALERSHIP FOUND BAD SPIRAL SPRING. CAR SENT BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR 2ND TIME ON 6/15/01. ABS LIGHTS ON AGAIN. DEALERSHIP INDICATED NO COMMUNICATION IN DATA BUS CIRCUIT SPORADIC. FAULT IN ENGINE. IMMOBILIZER AND GATEWAY NO COMMUNICATION WITH ABS. CHECKED DATA LINK RESISTER VALUE IN ENGINE ECU WITH BREAK OUT BOX. ORDERED INSTRUMENT CLUSTER & REPLACED CLUSTER. CLEARED FAULTS. 3RD INCIDENT ON 6/20/01. ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS WENT ON AND OFF. DEALERSHIP FOUND POOR GROUND AT GROUND CONNECTION # 65. INCIDENT # 4. CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON 10/2/01. BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES UPON STARTUP. RED ORDER PLACED. ABS CONTROL UNIT ORDERED FROM GERMANY. WITHOUT CAR FOR 2-WEEKS. INSTALLED NEW ABS CONTROL UNIT. BLED BRAKES, CODE ECM, CLEARED FAULTS, GOT & CODED IMMOBILIER; SET READINESS CODE. 5TH INCIDENT. CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON 4/6 AFTER ABS & BRAKE LIGHTS STAYED ON FOR 15 MINUTES DURING EMISSIONS INSPECTION. SHUT ENGINE AND RESTARTED CAR. ABS LIGHT ON FOR A FEW MINUTES.*AK
2001 Volkswagen Golf 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 2001 record →
HAVE EXPERIENCED SQUEAKING SOUNDS IN CAR FOR MONTHS FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF CAR WHILE GOING AROUND CORNERS. 2/26/02 WENT TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP TEST-DROVE CAR. APPLIED HELOCOPTER TAPE TO ALL 4 DOORS. ADJUSTED R/F DOOR STRIKER PIN. CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON 3/22/02. SQUEAKING AND RATTLING PERSISTED. DEALERSHIP THOUGHT MIGHT BE DRY LATCHES. LUBED ALL DOOR LATCHES AND DOOR SEALS. *AKY
WHEN CONSUMER GOT INSIDE OF VEHICLE AND TURNED ON ENGINE, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, BRUISING CONSUMER'S ARM, DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. *AK *YH
MAIN AIRFLOW SENSOR WENT OUT 4 TIMES. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD COME ON, AND VEHICLE WOULD LOSE ALL POWER. POWER RELAY( RELAY109) WOULD SHUT DOWN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND INFORMED TO BRING IN VEHICLE.*AK
THE ENGINE DIED 3 TIMES AND IT WAS FIXED. THEN THE CRUISE WASN'T WORKING AND IT WAS FIXED. ALSO PERIODICALLY THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND BRAKE LIGHT BLINKS WHILE DRIVING, DEALER TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG FOUND. ON 12/31/2001 AFTER STARTING CAR ENGINE LIGHT WAS BLINKING, TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG, I ASKED THEM TO RECHECK IT MAYBE THE DASHBOARD IS DEFECTIVE(SHORT CIRCUIT).
THE GLOVE BOX DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF. *YH
DEALER REPORTED THAT TIMING BELT EXPLODED. *AK
AIR BAG LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE THE FIRST DAY THAT WE HAVE HAD THE CAR. WE KEEP TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET IT FIX BUT IT IS STILL NOT FIXED. THEY GIVE US BACK THE CAR AND WITH IN ONE TO TWO WEEKS THE LIGHT KEEPS COMING BACK ON. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WIFE'S 1999 VOLKSWAGEN GETTA ALSO HAD A WINDOW REGULATOR FAIL AND THE WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR. *AK
ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *AK
WHILE DRIVING COULD HEAR A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION, LIKE GRINDING WHEN SHIFTING GEAR. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY SAID THAT PROBLEM WAS CONSTANT VELOCITY SHAFT.*AK
AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED ON DASH PANEL AFTER VEHICLE IS STARTED AND IS MOVING. DEALR HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE. *AK
DEALER HAS UNNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. THEY HAVE SENT THE VEHICLE TO REPAIR AND HAD IT PUT ON THE COMPUTER. INDICATIONS WERE THAT THE THROTTLE VALVE WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT. GOT THE VEHICLE BACK- DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN- 3TIMES. STILL THE LIGHT COMES ON. I PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW - LEASE. I AM NOT ACCEPTING THIS VEHICLE AS IT IS NOT WHTA I EXPECTED IN A BRAND-NEW VEHICLE HELP!! *AK
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT INDICATED PROBLEM, DEALER HAS HAD CAR FOR 4 WEEKS TRYING TO REPAIR OR OBTAIN PARTS. CURRENTLY BACKORDERED, SEVERAL CARS AWAITING SAME PARTS, ACCORDING TO DEALER.
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 2001 Volkswagen Golf → · Every Golf year → · How the figures are calculated →