2004 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 3
- Fires 1
- Injuries 0
- Deaths 1
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)
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM | 7 | 25.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 14.3% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 3 | 10.7% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| ENGINE | 3 | 10.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 10.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 3.6% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| TIRES | 1 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 3.6% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 19 | 67.9% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
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
- Campaign 07E023000 was reported 567 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 14E007000 was reported 3,523 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 04V586000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07V063000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07E023000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E012000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E025000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14E007000 |
Safety Recalls (6)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 04V586000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY LEAD TO A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DIESEL PUMP. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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
No complaints match the current filters.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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.