2018 Volkswagen Golf problems
Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Volkswagen Golf. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 26% of complaints. Next are drivetrain & axles (11%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 38 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 3,000 miles 14 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 14 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 3,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Volkswagen Golf with enough data (25 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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.
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.
After restarting hot engine after a brief stop, car might stumble during first attempt to accelerate, for example trying to enter traffic from a parking lot. This has happened several times and has been cause for alarm. The engine is running but feels as if it is not. This is not normal turbo lag and the problem clears after the first instance. I reported this to the dealer and their response is that they can't duplicate and there are no diagnostic codes set.
After car has been driven long enough to be completely warmed up and then parked, on re-entering the car and before starting it, there is a strong odor of gasoline noticeable to the driver and front-seat passenger. Once the engine has been started and the ventilation fan has run, the odor dissipates; the odor is not coming through the ventilation system. The dealer's service department found one engine fuel line connection which appeared to be leaking and replaced that fuel line, but the problem remains.
Coolant leak noticed underneat the engine. It run down to the oil pan dripping on the drive way. Took the car to the dealership for diagnosis. They said leak is coming from the thermostat housing. Mileage is now 73700. VW powertrain warranty covers up to 72000.