2018 Volkswagen Golf: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 6 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
37
Complaints
6
Recalls
0
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
2
Injuries
43.2
Severity index
Severity index 43.2 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 10 | 27.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 18.9% |
| STRUCTURE | 5 | 13.5% |
| ENGINE | 4 | 10.8% |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 | 10.8% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 8.1% |
| STEERING | 2 | 5.4% |
| SUSPENSION | 2 | 5.4% |
The single most-reported system is FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, cited in 10 of 37 complaints (27.0%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18V464000 | 11/07/2018 | STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Volkswagen Golf and Golf Sportwagen vehicles. The build of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition while the vehicle shift lever is not in " |
| 18V369000 | 01/06/2018 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reduc |
| 19V188000 | 06/03/2019 | SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture. |
| 19V615000 | 22/08/2019 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless e |
| 20V372000 | 24/06/2020 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling two 2018 Golf GTI vehicles. The VIN printed on the Federal Certification label may not match the actual VIN on the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certificatio |
| 24V110000 | 14/02/2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 20 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.