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2021 Volkswagen GTI

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

Compare
Safety
not rated
Recalls
1
on record
MPG
27
combined

Open recalls on record

1 safety recall. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2021 Volkswagen GTI

1 recall
0 complaints
27 MPG combined

Before You Buy

Confirm all 1 recall were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
No complaint on record reports a crash
Review the 0 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
1
Owner complaints
0
Complaints citing a crash
0

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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

1 Recall on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

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

Safety recalls

1 NHTSA campaign affecting this model year.

  • 22V514000high

    Rear-visibility system issue

    BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

    Consequence

    A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NHTSA holds no crash-test rating for this model year.

Not every model year is tested. A missing rating is not a poor rating.

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2021 Volkswagen GTI, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

24

City

32

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$2,300
Tailpipe CO₂
324 g/mi

How this compares

At 27 MPG combined, the 2021 Volkswagen GTI ranks 12th of 15 compact cars EPA rated for 2021 — 6 MPG short of the 33 MPG median for that group.

That places it in the lower third of its class. If annual mileage is high, the running-cost gap against a class-average rival compounds quickly.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,300, $450 more than the $1,850 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $11,500, a $2,250 difference against a class-median vehicle.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 324 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

No owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this model year.

Nothing on file. Newer model years often have few complaints simply because fewer cars are on the road yet.

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Volkswagen GTI, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 22V514000

    A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, 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
2L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (AM-S7)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

24

City

32

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual cost
$2,300
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 22V514000

    A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.