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Chart based on 66 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
Front speaker had a bass rattle. It required replacement.
11780 mi
Steering wheel functions (radio computer, nav, horn) stopped working. A clockspring wire had broken.
63860 mi
C $200
[audio] System stopped working. Repaired
12300 mi
Battery died, dealer replaced it under warranty. Car is 18 months/12.6K miles old. Dealer said this is normal on German-built VW's. The US made ones fair better, battery-wise.
6000 mi
Got the error message "Keyless malfunction." Dealer replaced the "brain" that deals with the proximity key that allows keyless locking/unlocking and starting the car. Repair worked for a day.
10100 mi
Keyless entry system repaired by fixing wiring in driver's door.
34000 mi
Left rear speaker not working.
2000 mi
Sirius Satellite cutting in and out Keyless entry not functioning at proper distances
2300 mi
Keyless entry not functioning at proper distances
4000 mi
Keyless entry not functioning at proper distances
4000 mi
Keyless entry not functioning at proper distances. Intermittent, but sometimes had to get within 2-3 feet. After five failed attempts, I asked that the car be replaced. VW did so with no hassle. VW took great care of me.
71000 mi
US $800
Airbag sensor fail Sensor for front passenger side failure
15000 mi
updated software on RCD-510 entertainment system due to bugs when connecting with Bluetooth.
Loud compressor noise, increasing with load. Intermittent in nature.
135000 mi
I started getting bulb failure notices on the MFI....11 of them! And the corresponding lights were in fact not working. Then all at once they began working again. After researching the fuse lay out I discovered the F16 (under the hood) had gotten so hot that the plastic had melted but the fuse itself did not burn out. It was only impeded by the melted plastic. I replaced the fuse and all seems well.
4340 mi
Bluetooth module died. Dealer replaced under warranty
84320 mi
C $1200
A/C compressor was dead (and had been for 6 years)
7000 mi
Service Now warning came on ~3k miles prematurely, dealer reset it
11700 mi
ECU updated per recall - fixed a malfunctioning warning light.
53000 mi
US $550
Window regulator failed - DS front window
20000 mi
Right rear window not functioning. A few days later it fell off the track again. I was able to still use it if I opened/closed it without using the auto function.
22000 mi
Right rear window regulator replaced.
19200 mi
Returned for routine maintentance and I was informed of a programming update for climate control
Faulty battery did not hold a charge. Just outside of the two year warranty, had to replace with fully out of pocket spending.
23800 mi
Airbag warning light for driver's side came on, and all steering wheel controls stopped working, were no longer lit. VW replaced a clock spring, which resolved the issue.
67000 mi
US $300
Fan motor on heater was squealing. Fan blower was replaced.
3000 mi
Rear hatch wouldn't open Rear hatch broke again
20700 mi
US $200
A/C stopped producing cold air. System was down to 130 grams. The tech could not find a leak and recharged the system to 550 grams, including a dye to find any possible leak in the future.
25000 mi
A/C was becoming weaker for the second time this y ear. At last visit, dye was injected into refrigerant. A technician, while replacing the coolant pump as part of a Service Action, found the leak and replaced the A/C condenser assembly.
Car's trip computer did not have all functionality installed correctly at factory; dealer had to perform a software install/upgrade to fix issue
11000 mi
wiper/multi function stalk on right side of steering column fell apart while I was using it on a rainy day.
8000 mi
Alarm system was going off randomly for no apparent reason. Computer software had an error code. Dealer reset code and problem seems to be fixed.
26000 mi
US $200
Had to replace the battery on a car that was 23 months old and had 25000 miles on it.
99000 mi
US $250
Wireless ignition switch
99000 mi
The bluetooth antenna is dying, and keeps forgetting my saved devices.
4000 mi
The bluetooth module was faulty and needed to be replaced
Radio would not tune certain FM stations without shutting down. Dealer ordered new radio.
Replaced radio
70000 mi
US $600
Replaced AC compressor.
4700 mi
iPod MFI cable was not working correctly
37000 mi
Replaced driver's window controls, as auto-up speed working.
72000 mi
US $148
Seized actuator for fuel door preventing door from being opened. Car towed to dealership (on fumes). Dealer had to order actuator (2 days). Broke existing fuel door to release actuator for replacement, and new door was sent out for paint, but had to be done twice (extra day delay). Part was replaced and car was returned.
85000 mi
US $265
Actuator motor for hatch stripped causing hatch to fail to close and a grinding noise from the motor when lifting the hatch via the badge handle.
Hatch actuator motor replaced.
100000 mi
US $400
Replaced drivers-side window control unit, as there were two bad switches.
115000 mi
US $60
Replaced headlight bulbs. Tough to do with my big hands and not being able to see in the enclosure.
After a rain, used the defogger. Soon after lost the radio. All other media played. Satellite, CD, Phone worked in that console. Then the radio started playing. But only the HD (AM and FM) stations. Then problem went away. Reported to dealer, no tests.
Ventilation system smelled like crap literally. Needed a new compressor although ac never blew warm and was Ice cold. they did a recall on the cabin filter it had an issue and smelled up the car when the fan was on. Clean the vent system and new filter.
73140 mi
C $196
Reverse bulb not working. Harness issue.
29000 mi
US $193
Strong musty smell coming from vent when using A/C
Dealership replaced pollen filter and cleaned ventilation system using AIRCO CLEAN
51460 mi
Went to start car. Started and then would stop. Info screen said "key not in range". Tried other key...same. Had car towed to dealer. Immobilizer was re-programmed.
10000 mi
Started car after it had been parked for 1 hour and turned the headlights on. Dash indicated a headlight was out, but inspection revealed all lights working. Restarted car and indicator went away.
Heater control would not put out maximum heat when set at high; would have to dial control to 'low' then turn to 'high' before hot air would come out of vents. Vehicle required a software upgrade to work. Passanger side sun visor light would turn on and off when pulling visor down from ceiling.
29100 mi
Washer tank level switch stopped working.
14200 mi
Visor light remains on while ignition is on. Light only turns off if ignition is off and locked. Visor work had been done in Jan 2015. Chafed wiring on incorrectly routed wire. Replaced wiring in correct format.
3000 mi
Something was wrong with the window track or window motor on the rear driver's side window. The deal never fully explained what was wrong.
12260 mi
the turn signal, and start up chimes changed tone, and the resulting fix is a new instrument cluster, which is on order, and to be installed. no big deal, VW was great about it.
13020 mi
return trip for instrument cluster review, didn't reset the measurement of days to service, mechanic had to diagnose with other car, easy fix, took a about 20 mins or so.
The steering wheel clock spring malfunctioned causing my steering wheel controls and airbag to stop working. The dealer replaced the clock spring in approximately 2 4 hours. It was covered under warranty.
12000 mi
Power window switch on the driver's side had been malfunctioning since the car was delivered. Dealer installed a new switch cluster under warranty.
Issue was with window switch on driver's side that controls passenger window. Amount of pressure needed to perform the "one-touch" open/close feature wasn't right.
25000 mi
Driver's window switches one-touch up/down function stopped working, and occasionally wouldn't work at all.
Front speakers died along with amp I installed previously, replaced both with Audiofrog G60S using rivet nuts/nutserts to replace the rivets. Rear left speaker also dead but not required for good audio.
145000 mi
Left headlight no longer functioning, replacing bulb did nothing, multimeter shows socket getting less voltage than it needs but requires taking entire headlight out to further troubleshoot, which requires removing bumper, did not have enough time.
Blower motor was non-functioning, replaced with new.
53200 mi
US $115
Car didn't start. Dealer checked electrical system and battery. Everything checked OK, but I insisted on a new battery being installed for my own peace of mind.
Wheel TPMS is giving a false warning about low tire pressure.
13200 mi
The lock/unlock button on the driver door was malfunctioning. Would not unlock the door when pressed. After the repair it functioned for about a month before failing again.
47000 mi
A CD became stuck in the CD player. Dealership replaced radio under warranty, but the new radio's sound quality is terrible across the board. After about 10 minutes, sound becomes scratchy and unlistenable.
82000 mi
US $180
Liftgate suddenly stopped locking/closing. Under medium acceleration, liftgate would open, and the trip computer showed an open door. Took to an independent shop who had to order the part. Fixed next morning.
87000 mi
Audio system had awful sound quality, would become unlistenable. Never fixed.
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently 2012 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.
