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2018 Volkswagen Golf

Verified July 23, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
6
on record
MPG
28
combined

Do not drive until repaired

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

Recalls6
Complaints37
Safety
Fuel

Vehicle Summary

2018 Volkswagen Golf

6 recalls
37 complaints
28 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Check all recalls are completed
Review consumer complaints
Verify no crash-related complaints
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Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
6
Owner complaints
37
Complaints citing a crash
0

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalised 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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.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.

  • 18V464000high

    Steering issue

    STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

    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."

  • 18V369000critical Do not drive

    Brake system issue

    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

    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.

  • 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.

  • 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."

  • 20V372000high

    Incorrect or missing label

    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

    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."

  • 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.

Consumer complaints

37 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

37
Total
0
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries

Most reported components

  • FUEL SYSTEM10
  • OTHER10
  • ENGINE6
  • STRUCTURE4
  • STEERING2

Notable Issues

37 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 2 reports involve injuries.

Most reported problems

fuel system problems (leaks, pump failure)10
miscellaneous issues10
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)6

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Compact Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
1.8L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (S6)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

24

City

33

Hwy

28

Comb

Annual cost
$2,150
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Data sources

Explore related

Adjacent model years

All Volkswagen Golf years

Common problems

Volkswagen Golf problems

543 owner complaints analysed

Systems recalled

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 20V372000

    If the stamped vehicle identification number (VIN) does not match the VIN on the Vehicle Certification Label, owners may be unable to tell if their vehicle is under an important safety recall, possibly exposing them to an increased risk of a crash, fire or injury.

  5. 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.