2002 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 72 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (22 complaints · 30.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 10
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2001 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 22 of 72 owner complaints (30.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 22 complaints, 30.6% of reports AIR BAGS 22 · 30.6% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 10 complaints, 13.9% of reports ENGINE 10 · 13.9% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 10 complaints, 13.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 · 13.9% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 9.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 9.7% VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 6.9% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 6.9% FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 4.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 4.2% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 4.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 4.2% SERVICE BRAKES: 3 complaints, 4.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 4.2% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 2 complaints, 2.8% of reports SEAT BELTS 2 · 2.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 50 complaints, 69.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 50 · 69.4% · 2 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 22 30.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 10 13.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 13.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 9.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 6.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 3 4.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 2 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 50 69.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 2002. 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2002 Apr 2025 Recall campaign 02V031000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V031000 Recall campaign 04V584000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V584000 Recall campaign 07V063000 ◆ Recall campaign 07V063000 Recall campaign 07E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E023000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Recall campaign 14E007000 ◆ Recall campaign 14E007000 Investigation PE04073 ● Investigation PE04073 Investigation PE04081 ● Investigation PE04081 Investigation DP05004 ● Investigation DP05004
  • Campaign 04V584000 was reported 497 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07V063000 was reported 1,293 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E023000 was reported 1,441 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 2,104 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14E007000 was reported 4,055 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q1 Owner reports 6
2003-Q2 Owner reports 7
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 3
2004-Q1 Owner reports 3
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 3
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 4
2006-Q4 Owner reports 7
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V031000
Recall campaign 1 04V584000
Recall campaign 1 07V063000
Recall campaign 1 07E023000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Recall campaign 1 14E007000
Defect investigation 1 PE04073
Defect investigation 1 PE04081
Defect investigation 1 DP05004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V031000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THIS CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 8, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V584000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    THIS MAY RESULT IN INTERMITTENT OR INOPERATIVE TURN SIGNAL AND HAZARD FLASHER FUNCTION.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HAZARD FLASHER SWITCH/RELAY KIT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07V063000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2007, AND WILL BE CONDUCTED IN SEVERAL STAGGERED MAILINGS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21, 2007. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT BOTH. THE REMEDY IS THE SAME FOR EACH RECALL. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WILL APPLY THE REMEDY BASED ON THE VIN NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14E007000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    A failure of the timing belt may cause the engine to shut down, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    Gates will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began during May 2014. Owners may contact The Gates Corporation at 1-303-744-1911.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 72 complaints · page 1 of 3

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources