2019 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 62 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (19 complaints · 30.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2018 →
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 ENGINE appears in 19 of 62 owner complaints (30.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 19 complaints, 30.7% of reports ENGINE 19 · 30.7% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 11 complaints, 17.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 11 · 17.7% FUEL SYSTEM: 5 complaints, 8.1% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 5 · 8.1% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 4.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 4.8% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 3 complaints, 4.8% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 4.8% AIR BAGS: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports AIR BAGS 2 · 3.2% STEERING: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports STEERING 2 · 3.2% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 3.2% LANE DEPARTURE: 1 complaints, 1.6% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 1.6% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 17 complaints, 27.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 27.4% · 1 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)
ENGINE 19 30.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 11 17.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 5 8.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 2 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 2 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 1 1.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 27.4% 1 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 Apr 2019; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2019. 2019-Q2: 19 owner reports 19 2019-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2019-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Mar 2019 Jul 2025 Recall campaign 19V188000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V188000 Recall campaign 19V615000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V615000 Recall campaign 19V879000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V879000 Recall campaign 22V815000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V815000 Recall campaign 23V604000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V604000 Recall campaign 24V110000 ◆ Recall campaign 24V110000 Investigation DP19003 ● Investigation DP19003 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005 Investigation RQ23007 ● Investigation RQ23007
  • Campaign 23V604000 was reported 183 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2019-Q2 Owner reports 19
2019-Q3 Owner reports 14
2019-Q4 Owner reports 6
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 2
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 3
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q2 Owner reports 3
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 19V188000
Recall campaign 1 19V615000
Recall campaign 1 19V879000
Recall campaign 1 22V815000
Recall campaign 1 23V604000
Recall campaign 1 24V110000
Defect investigation 1 DP19003
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
Defect investigation 1 RQ23007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V188000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V615000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V879000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    The excessive stress can cause steering, traction or other stability issues or breakage relating to the front wheels, and increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the wheel bearing assemblies, wheels, and wheel bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40P1. Note: The affected owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repairs have been made.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V815000

    Report date
    Component:
    TIRES
    Consequence:
    An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V604000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 24V110000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.
    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 62 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