Volkswagen · Golf · 2018
6
Recalls
34
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2018 Volkswagen Golf has 6 recalls and 34 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: fuel/propulsion system (6 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
13.4% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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 "Park." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Remedy Status
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37L5.
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 reducing the brake performance.
Remedy Status
Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
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 entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
Remedy Status
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.
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, "Certification."
Remedy Status
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a correct certification label, free of charge. This recall began July 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E7.
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 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
Remedy Status
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.
Sunroof Glass Implosion While Driving (2018 Volkswagen Golf) While driving my 2018 Volkswagen Golf at normal highway speed, my sunroof suddenly and violently imploded without any warning or external impact. The sound was extremely loud—similar to a gunshot or an explosion—and initially I believed something had struck the vehicle or that a large object had landed on the sunroof.Glass shattered and fell into the interior of the vehicle, sending shards throughout the cabin. The incident was extremely frightening and caused me to momentarily lose focus while driving. I narrowly avoided a potential car accident due to the sudden noise, falling glass, and shock of the event. There were no visible objects, debris, or overpasses that could explain the breakage, and no other vehicles were involved. This appears to be a spontaneous sunroof glass failure. The incident poses a serious safety risk, as it could easily lead to a crash or cause injury to occupants. I am reporting this issue to raise awareness and request investigation, as spontaneous sunroof implosions while driving are dangerous and should not occur under normal driving conditions.
Volkswagen Wastegate Turbo Failure / design flaw and “wrongfully and intentionally” concealed a defect from consumers that could cause their vehicle’s engine turbocharger to fail prematurely at any time. Drivers have been unfairly forced to pay thousands out of pocket to repair and my estimate from a VW. dealer is: $4199.21 and I had to pay a $200 diagnostic fee. This is a major safety issue for the vehicle will lag and not accelerate. There is a class action lawsuit filed and settled but I cannot get Volkswagen to help me.
There is an issue with the gear shift cover trim. The piece that goes around the gear shift has a chrome coating that has been pealing off. Over multiple occasions that pealed off piece of metal has cut my finger causing bleeding. There seems to be a recall on the DSG GTI for this, but not the MT. I am having the same exact issue as the DSG and the replacement part is the exact same (likely same original part). The safety issue is that this has cut my finger multiple times with bleeding and can be quite painful. I called VW and was told my car was not part of the DSG recall 34J7/34L9, but clearly it has the same issue. Here is the case number from that call: VW Customer CARE [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Cannot fill gas tank. Recall issued February 2024 no remedy available still. 24V110
I have a recall for the jet pump in the fuel tank of my vehicle. I have had fuel leaking from my charcoal canister. The vehicle is at the dealership right now, and they have confirmed this. Yet they will not make a repair on it and have been without my vehicle for over a week now. I am stuck in limbo with no date when anything will be done. I am unable to drive my vehicle due to he leak as it is unsafe and a fire hazard. The vehicle will also cut off while driving and will not start, even though it says there is still fuel in it. This should be due to the leak, and the dealer will do nothing to fix my problem until they are notified by Volkswagen themselves. This is ridiculous as i am without a vehicle, which i am still paying a loan on and insurance every month. Yet i have called Volkswagen and have been offered no solution on this matter. I have been told to wait for the recall, but this issue has been known about since February. Am i just supposed to wait indefinitely for a solution while i can't work or drive anywhere, while i continue to pay for this vehicle? I need a solution and Volkswagen to fix my issue and to be help responsible.
There is a peeling plastic/metal chrome trim piece on the steering wheel that cause a finger laceration.
Second occurrence of this issue approximately two years apart, unresolved and unaddressed by manufacturer. Driving during evening on lit city street at night traveling in lane of traffic. In normal course of driving (~25 mph) vehicle applied full brakes with no advance notice in the middle of road. Forward Collision Assist had been activated by what appeared to be a patch of ice on the road ahead. Full braking while driving posed significant risk of rear collision due to automated full brake application without input or forewarning to the driver.
I was coming back from work and was driving on the highway at around 80 mph. All of a sudden, literally out of nowhere, the car started shaking violently, and the steering wheel was shaking super fast violently (vibrating) and was very heavy and hard to move. Also, the D started flashing. I was struggling to control the car. I noticed that the Abs light, steering light, suspension light for DCC, and a whole bunch of other lights except the engine light. The car was in custom mode. Sport steering and sport Suspension, Normal for powertrain. All windows and sunroof were fully open, and music was playing. When all this occurred, I could hear outside the car something that sounded like metal tinging or metal contact. idk. This was while the car was still moving. When I pulled over, all the lights went away. I turned off the car for a few minutes and turned it back on. The lights did not come back, and it drove like nothing ever happened. The car is currently at VW Dealership awaiting a response from VW helpline (VTA) as of 1/17/24. I have been doing research on this issue and I have found multiple VW GTI/R owners who are currently and/or have experienced this issue. A Golf R (Model year 2018) owner with about 19.5k miles said "The real problem was the electric power assist motor, the part that controls how heavy the steering is when you change modes. But it can't be serviced. So the whole thing has to be swapped. It needed the entire power steering rack assembly replaced". He took this to a VW dealership and was covered under warranty. I strongly believe VW needs to release a recall for this as it is very dangerous to happen while driving especially at highway speeds like it did to me and many others.
Hello my left front headlamp failed. Initially both my headlights were sweaty/foggy, which started early 2021 but no light present. This is a safety issue especially when driving at night. It is available for inspection. The vehicle was inspected at the dealer Galpin VW. AFS light came on when system failed.
During refueling after low fuel indicator, fuel tank was not able to accept any fuel. During a second attempt, vehicle accepted 0.25 gallons but all of this fuel came gushing out of the tank from the inlet and from the passenger side rear wheel well. Fuel kept leaking for another 20miles until vehicle was taken to the Rochester Hills, MI VW dealership. The vehicle continued to leak fuel at the dealership and I was requested to park outside due to the risk of a fire. During this 20mile trip, engine was very hesitant and spluttered and almost stalled. No warning lights on dash. My personal safety was at risk since any ignition source would cause a fire due to this fuel leak, vehicle did not show any warning lights besides low fuel. VW dealership information was that the fuel tank suction jet pump needs replacement. No information was shared if the component will be sent to the manufacturer for inspection. No information how this new pump will not cause a repeat event.
I have owned the 2018 VW GTI since new. With 105,000 miles, following a 30 minute highway drive, the EPC light came on and the vehicle entered limp mode. After turning car off, letting it sit 5 minutes, and restarting, EPC light went off and no limp mode. Drove car daily for another week with no observed issues until appointment. Brought car to dealer. They identified the fuel injector wiring harness was faulty and needed to be replaced, and fuel injector #3 was dirty and needed to be replaced, at total cost of $1,756. Online search turned up VWP-23-03, a FUEL INJECTOR WIRING HARNESS LIMITED WARRANTY EXTENSION up to 10 years or 120,000 miles for similar VW cars: 2018-2019 Tiguan 2018-2019 Beetle 2018-2020 Passat So the same exact part, on thousands of other VW models produced at the same time, is covered by a warranty extension. The dealer declined to cover this repair. VW Customer Care declined to cover this repair or offer partial coverage. The car has been repaired by dealer (harness was shorted). I am not asking for special treatment. I am looking for fairness. If VW has identified a given component as defective on three different models, and the same component fails on my GTI, then VW should also cover the GTI under the Warranty Extension.
We were driving on the highway when the sunroof exploded. There were 4 of us in the car and none of us recalls anything striking the sunroof. Glass exploded wverywhere.
Received a low coolant warning and then checked the coolant level. Coolant was low and was topped off. One week later the issue recurred as the coolant level and dropped below minimum levels again. Thermostat housing had a slow leak which was discovered by the dealer. This seems to be a flaw in the design of the thermostat housing as multiple owners are reporting the same issue with the same flaw in the thermostat housing.
Headlights don't turn on immediately upon ignition start. Error message appears on infotainment and dashboard. The temporary fix, Turned off the vehicle and locked the car, and tried again and it worked just fine. I took the car for regular service when I had mentioned to them that my headlights were acting up. they told me they found no fault codes and could not do anything about it. I spoke to a manager and they told me to take pictures if it happens again, so I did. (The picture in the dark) The headlights would not turn on once again in evening in the Auto setting and I had to cycle the car off and on to get them working properly again. Once turned on the driver-side headlight is now a yellow color similar to a halogen light. (The picture in the daytime) Last week I went to warm up the car for 3-5 minutes and when I returned to the vehicle I noticed the driver-side headlight DRL was not Illuminated. I went into the vehicle and saw that there was an error message on the infotainment screen regarding the headlights. I cycled the car on and off and the vehicle went back to "normal" These issues happen on both headlights but is more persistent on the driver side headlight on my vehicle.I mentioned this on a Facebook group to ask if anyone has experienced this and many people are/did, unfortunately, experience this issue, even as far back as the 2015 Model years. Many people mentioned that they went to the dealership(s) and they would not cover the headlight under warranty as according to them it's impossible to have both headlights inoperable at the same time. I am lucky to have a good dealership to where to they actually are replacing the entire headlight assembly on the driverside. But i am worried even with a new headlight assembly, in a few years it will happen again. If this would have happened while driving at nighttime I would’ve not had any visibility whatsoever. Please recall the LED headlights in these vehicles
Fuel leaking from charcoal canister next to exhaust can lead to fire. Fuel leaking on to ground by passenger side rear wheel. Strong smell of gasoline outside and inside car. Caused dizziness while driving can harm children. No warning or any lights other then strong odour of gasoline from inside/outside of vehicle Similar to safety recall 20Y6 Parts requested for repair by dealer -EVAP can system -Fuel Tank
I was driving west on I-80 and my sunroof exploded/shattered. There was no rock to be found anywhere.
Had forward collision assist (turned on by default at engine start) turned on. When entering an intersection, vehicle stopped short to a full stop right in front of a metal plate on the road in the intersection. Had there been a vehicle behind me, the system may have needlessly caused a collision.
UNKNOWN We have Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 225/40R18 tires on our 2018 VW GTI that came OEM, and are the same on the car as when we took possession of the car from the dealer in 2018. The front right tire, has two substantial cracks and one section where a more open gap occurred in the exterior sidewall. In this latter section, it is very near the tire's tread. We have less than 14,000 miles on this vehicle, as we are retired and did not drive much to begin with, but even less after the Pandemic occurred. Additional Details (below) - I first saw the tire issues on 11/10/2021, but the tire has not yet failed. Per Hankook's earlier recall, I am concerned that the cracks/opening are precursors to failure while in use.
TRIM ON CENTER CONSOLE ABOVE SHIFTER AND BELOW CENTER CUBBY IS RAZOR SHARP AND HAS CUT MY HAND DEEPLY TWICE WHILE PARKED AND CLEANING INTERIOR SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR.
Vehicle intermittently stalls when coming to a stop in traffic while in gear. Has occurred on multiple separate occasions, but cannot be easily re-produced. When vehicle stalls it can be difficult to restart while in traffic and occurs without warning creating safety hazard. Usually there are no codes stored by the computer when this occurs, but check engine light has been noticed. Vehicle has been brought to dealership 3 different times for same issue. Upon first visit starter was replaced. Upon 2nd visit an oxygen sensor was replaced. Upon 3rd visit no further action was taken and I was told by dealer vehicle tested normal with no further repairs being authorized.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2018 Volkswagen Golf has 6 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 34 owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen Golf.
The 2018 Volkswagen Golf received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2018 Volkswagen Golf are fuel/propulsion system (6 reports), unknown or other (6 reports), structure (3 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 6 recalls on record for the 2018 Volkswagen Golf. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.