2013 Volkswagen Golf problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (9) · Fuel/Propulsion System (7) · Engine (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Golf model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
31 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2019-12-04 · campaign 19V862000 · 226 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. 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 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.
Unknown Or Other 2018-05-16 · campaign 18V329000 · 252 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2018-03-06 · campaign 18V148000 · 363,713 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2016-02-10 · campaign 16V078000 · 659,493 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Air Bags:frontal 2015-08-04 · campaign 15V483000 · 415,825 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Service bulletins (1,300)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-17 · V0116152014815_20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
suggested fuel additive
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-04 · V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
differences between a leak and seepage
Electrical System 2026-07-15 · VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a notice for software changes with the odis diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: a software fix is needed to correct the issue: da 0019 - hotfix 12-v battery test(s) – no battery diagnosis - inconclusive test result.
Engine 2026-07-09 · V1718062017813_24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
oil consumption measurement and electronic oil consumption measurement
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,300 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-02-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i was driving down the freeway on the way to work at 75 mph when all of a sudden my epc went off in my 2013 volkswagon gti my entire car shut down (manual transmission) i lost all steering ability while on the freeway going 75 mph i couldn't get over to the shoulder due to loss of brakes due to entire car shutting down .i was almost smashed by a s…”
2023-01-04 · Exterior Lighting“the low beam headlamp burned out. i replaced the bulb successfully, but then the headlamp needed adjustment to be aimed properly with the new bulb. i found instructions online to aim the headlamp. there are three adjustment points, covering both low and high beams, according to the online document. i will try to attach photo of this document. …”
2022-08-24 · Electrical System · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen golf. the contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat overheated and burned the occupant. the burn injuries were minor and there was no medical attention sought. the contact mentioned that the front passenger side fan was failing as well. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but no failure was determined. t…”
2022-06-30 · Air Bags“the steering wheel clock spring was replaced on my vehicle as part of a recall in may 2016 by a local vw dealer. within the last month i've received an "error: airbag" notification on my dash. my mechanic scanned the air bag control module for codes and there was 1 in memory: b1000 igniter for driver's air bag, resistance too large". i understa…”
2022-02-04 · Engine“car shut off while driving on the freeway at a high rate of speed. eps and check engine light came on. luckily was able to pull over without hurting anyone. local repair shop said it is the timing chain system. …”
2022-01-16 · Engine“misfiring after cold starts. after driving the car in freezing temperatures, problem sometimes happens when the car is allowed to sit and water in the intercooler melts. it may start fine, but then starts misfiring when pulling into traffic and creates dangerous merges. misfire goes away in the first 30 seconds to 2 minutes or so of starting the v…”
2021-03-11 · Power Train · 91,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen golf. the contact stated while driving 40 mph, he shifted into third gear and the vehicle sputtered and shut-off with the battery warning light illuminated. the vehicle failed to restart. the contact stated a tow truck tried to boost the battery and it failed. the contact stated that the vehicle was towed to h…”
2020-08-12 · Suspension · 80,000 mi“front driver side coil spring broke. backing out of driveway.…”
2020-06-18 · Suspension · 81,500 mi“backing out of driveway rear passenger coil spring broke. *tr…”
2020-04-17 · Service Brakes · 120,000 mi“my vw was retrofitted as required to meet federal emission and california standards following the vw emissions scandal related to vw diesel vehicles. my car's engine light is on and the dealer reports it needs a diesel particulate filter. however, the parts are unavailable nationwide. the emissions are now out of compliance. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.