Volkswagen
Volkswagen Golf years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2022. Best years: 2018 and 2023.
The 2022 Volkswagen Golf draws the most owner complaints for its age: 81, or 16 for each year on the road, against a median of 8 a year across the 8 model years old enough to judge.
- 247complaints
- 14recall campaigns
- 2model years with a page
Newest report Sep 10, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2022
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Best years
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2023
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2015 has the most complaints of any Volkswagen Golf year here: 131 of 247 (53%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Airbag leads in 1 of the 2 model years and has the most reports overall, 28. Pooled across the years, half of the 16 owners who gave a mileage for airbag were under about 39,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 8% of Volkswagen Golf complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2015, 14 of its 131 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 1 of the 2 model years where owners report airbag have a recall on the same system: 2015. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2022 at 43 and have dropped every year since, to 6 in 2025. So far in 2026, 8 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2014 (11), 2016 (85), 2018 (29), 2019 (63), 2022 (81), 2023 (11).
Year by year
2017 Volkswagen Golf
116 owner complaints, 12 for each year on the road (1.5 times the model median). Most reported: fuel tank problems (23 reports) and stalling (11 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 24V-110 on the fuel system and 21V-321 on an unlisted component.
2015 Volkswagen Golf
131 owner complaints, 11 for each year on the road (1.4 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (21 reports, median 44,000 miles), suspension (15 reports) and stalling (11 reports, median 15,000 miles). 7 reports involved a crash and 14 people were hurt. 12 recalls, including 15V-627 on the airbags and 24V-110 on the fuel system.
Recalls that cover several model years
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.
The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
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."
Questions
What Volkswagen Golf years should you avoid?
The 2022 Volkswagen Golf draws the most owner complaints for its age: 81, or 16 for each year on the road, against a median of 8 a year across the 8 model years old enough to judge.
What are the best years for the Volkswagen Golf?
The 2018 and 2023 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2018 has 29 (3 a year) and 2023 has 11 (3 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Volkswagen Golf?
Airbag, with 28 reports across the 2 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2015.
How many recalls does the Volkswagen Golf have?
14 recall campaigns cover the Volkswagen Golf model years 2015 to 2017 on this site. The widest, 18V-464 on the steering system, covers 2 model years.
How many Volkswagen Golf complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
8% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2015 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for airbag on the Volkswagen Golf?
On 1 of the 2 model years where owners report it: 2015.