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2019 Volkswagen Golf

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
6
on record
MPG
32
combined

Do not drive until repaired

1 active "park it" recall — NHTSA advises against driving this vehicle until the remedy is complete.

Vehicle Summary

2019 Volkswagen Golf

6 recalls
81 complaints
32 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 6 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 3 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 81 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
6
Owner complaints
81
Complaints citing a crash
3

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

6 Recalls on Record

1 of these is high-severity. Some may require you to stop driving the vehicle until repaired.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 19V188000high

    Suspension issue

    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.

    Consequence

    If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 19V615000high

    Electrical issue

    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 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."

    Consequence

    Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 19V879000critical Do not drive

    Tire/wheel issue

    WHEELS

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta GLI, Golf Alltrack, and Golf GTI vehicles. The front wheel bearings may have been improperly machined, potentially causing excessive stress on the wheel, wheel bolts, or wheel bearings.

    Consequence

    The excessive stress can cause steering, traction or other stability issues or breakage relating to the front wheels, and increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the wheel bearing assemblies, wheels, and wheel bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40P1. Note: The affected owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repairs have been made.

    Full campaign record
  • 22V815000high

    Tire/wheel issue

    TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

    Consequence

    An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

    Full campaign record
  • 23V604000high

    Electrical issue

    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.

    Consequence

    Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V110000high

    Fuel system issue

    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 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.

    Consequence

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    13.4%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Standard
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2019 Volkswagen Golf 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 7 comparable 2019 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 13.4% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

29

City

37

Hwy

32

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,900
Tailpipe CO₂
276 g/mi

How this compares

At 32 MPG combined, the 2019 Volkswagen Golf ranks 6th of 20 compact cars EPA rated for 2019 — 2 MPG better than the 30 MPG median for that group.

That places it a little above the middle of its class. Fuel cost is close enough to its rivals that other running costs will probably matter more.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $1,900, $175 less than the $2,075 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $9,500, a $875 difference against a class-median vehicle.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 276 grams per mile — about 4.1 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

81 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

81
Total
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE45
  • OTHER12
  • ELECTRICAL7
  • BRAKES4
  • AIR BAGS3

Normal Range

81 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 3 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)45
miscellaneous issues12
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)7

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf, newest first.

  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V110000

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  4. Recall

    Recall 23V604000

    Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22005

    Pedestrian alert sounds

  6. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP22005

    Pedestrian alert sounds

  7. Recall

    Recall 22V815000

    An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

  8. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP19003

    Vehicle Stalling - Manual Transmission

  9. Do not drive

    Do-not-drive recall 19V879000

    The excessive stress can cause steering, traction or other stability issues or breakage relating to the front wheels, and increase the risk of a crash.

  10. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP19003

    Vehicle Stalling - Manual Transmission

  11. Recall

    Recall 19V615000

    Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.

  12. Recall

    Recall 19V188000

    If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Compact Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
1.4L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (S8)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

29

City

37

Hwy

32

Comb

Annual cost
$1,900
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V110000

    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ23007

    Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)

  4. Recall

    Recall 23V604000

    Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22005

    Pedestrian alert sounds