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Chart based on 46 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
Compressor was defective. Temperature at vents would vary widely due to sticky valve.
1000 mi
Car was delivered with Blind Spot Warning not functioning. Dealer replaced module J1087
4000 mi
A/C weak on very hots days. Dealer found TSB for N280 valve. Replaced valve and recharged system. All OK.
1000 mi
Car-Net module was not functional, from new.
19000 mi
Android Auto stopped working. Dealer wanted me to drop off my car and my phone (honestly...) for a day so they could diagnose. Did a full system reset and started over myself. This is the second time I have had to do this. I don't know what is causing the issue, but the dealer has no interest in looking at it.
2200 mi
CarNet suite works intermittently; hoping this issue is resolved with a refresh or replacement. Frustrating.
4000 mi
Car Net suite works reliably now that I've gone back to iOS, Car Net did not play nice with Android.
28000 mi
Right front low beam headlight was occasionally not operating properly
5000 mi
Fuel gauge extremely inaccurate, under estimates tank capacity. No fix available.
Vehicle had failed to crank. Battery voltage was low. Charged battery and drove to dealer, who checked the charging circuit and battery, pronouncing them OK. Owner follow-up showed loose battery clamp terminals had developed resistance which prevented alternator from charging the battery. Terminals cleaned and lubricated by owner. Dealer service, while inexpensive, was not thorough.
102920 mi
C $300
Air conditioning not cooling well. Dealer inspected system for leaks and recharged. They installed florescent dye in case charge doesn't hold and to indicate a leak.
7200 mi
Climate control system (manual) malfunction. A/C pump staying on and icing up the heat exchanger.
620 mi
Rear door locks inoperative since driving off the lot. Dealer found loose connection in door panel and fixed.
Car would not start and all electrical systems (displays, lights, windows, etc.) would not function. Attempted to jump-start; displays and windows would work, but the starter wouldn't crank and the info display showed numerous system errors. Trailered the car to the dealer, who replaced the battery and reset settings as required. Battery was replaced under warranty.
1000 mi
Backup camera intermittent failure, camera replaced Replaced backup camera
3000 mi
Back-up camera intermittently fails. Replaced camera module. Issue went away temporarily, but camera started intermittently failing again.
5000 mi
Back-up camera intermittently fails. Applied updated to camera module.
12000 mi
Backup camera, intermittent failure.
17000 mi
Various glitches caused by early version of infotainment software. Updated software version.
71000 mi
US $450
replaced starter motor
23691 mi
C $2700
Diagnostic check of A/C found to be losing refrigerant due to corroded condensor. Replace condensor and recharge the system.
26040 mi
C $280
Diagnosed cause of AFS fault warning light. One cornering light bulb burnt out, both replaced.
16000 mi
Battery failed. Part is not in the US and a temporary battery has been fitted until a BEM battery arrives from Germany in October.
17000 mi
Drivers side window Express up/down not holding programming.
18000 mi
Power window switch difficult to modulate. Affected all four windows operated by driver.
35000 mi
Backup camera fails to work sometimes. Service department reflashed software. This didn't correct the problem which remains to this day.
Car would not start and all electrical power was out. Was able to jump start it to get it to the dealer. Battery had gone bad in only ~20K miles and 14 months. Was replaced under bumper to bumper warranty.
34000 mi
US $30
Re-coded ECU to fix driver's window auto up/down feature
26000 mi
US $750
The heater fan wasn't working. I brought the car into my favorite mechanic. It took them several hours to disassemble console etc to get close to the fan motor. The mechanic said that, as it was an R, the fan motor and/or head unit could be malfunctioning. As it was an R, the shop service manual was ambiguous on what actual parts were used. He estimated $2000 to get to the motor and head unit and potentially another $2000 to repair. I passed.
12000 mi
cruise control and backup camera system errors
17000 mi
Horns became inoperative after driving through heavy rain with puddles not otherwise too deep for the car. Low-tone became completely inoperative, leaving only high tone. Dealer opted to replace both horns. Backup camera has wavy lines in video, like bad connection.
25000 mi
Premature battery failure at 18 months/24,534 miles. Battery would not take a charge, and could not start vehicle.
30071 mi
HD Radio stations occasionally do not tune at radio power up. Changing stations restores audio. Dealer updated head unit software from 0241 to 0247 version. Backup camera flickers when first activated when hot. Intensifies with vibration (including engine exhaust sound). Dealer attempted fix via software update under warranty, however I suspect a loose video connection. Driver's power window occasionally forgets auto up/down limits, requiring a reset. Dealer tested unit, and could not reproduce, declaring no fault found.
35800 mi
Backup camera flicker
38850 mi
US $162
Battery diminished quickly, requiring two jump starts on road trip. This was a replacement of a previous "warranty replacement" battery. Non-OEM battery used this time.
Fuel level sensor failure immediately following fuel filler recall fix; not confirmed if this was due to faulty repairs. Fuel gauge got stuck around half tank and car ran out of gas on the road. Keyfob battery died after just 11 months of ownership. Replaced under warranty. Key fob battery failed just 1 week after it was replaced. Dealer cited the possibility of a faulty battery, and replaced it again Key fob battery failed for 3rd time in as many weeks. Dealer spent a day examining fob and car but could not find cause. Battery replaced again even though I insisted that the battery is not the root cause, as it is unlikely that multiple batteries would be faulty.
4000 mi
Key fob battery failed for the fourth time in four weeks. After another full day in the shop dealer agreed that the key fob was faulty, and replaced it. However the item had to be ordered and took several days to arrive.
13000 mi
batteries in both keys died.
Settings for bluetooth in radio couldn't be changed. Software update resolved problem.
6000 mi
After one attempt at Hendrick VW of Frisco, had to go to Rusty Wallis VW. Some dealers are very unhelpful/poorly trained. Hendrick has below average customer service despite being a huge flagship dealer.rnCamera kept getting stuck. Replaced.
6000 mi
Key fob needed new battery. replace under warranty. First time that I needed to replace the battery in less then a year I have the car!
Electronics: Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist, Infotainment, and Smart Key
1000 mi
Electronics: Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist, Infotainment, and Smart Key
1800 mi
Infotainment and Smart Key malfunctions
3600 mi
Driver Assist (ACC, Front Assist, Collission Avoidance), Infotainment, and Smart Key
6000 mi
Driver Assist (ACC, Front Assist, Collission Avoidance), Infotainment, and Smart Key
7700 mi
Driver Assist (ACC, Front Assist, Collission Avoidance), Infotainment, and Smart Key
10000 mi
Driver Assist (ACC, Front Assist, Collission Avoidance), Infotainment, and Smart Key
10300 mi
Infotainment: MIB II with CarPlay and Sirius
12000 mi
Problems with infotainment and driver assist never resolved.
8200 mi
Head unit and media unit would unexpectedly and with increasing frequency shut off (crash, blank screen, would not restart on own, requiring 15 second reboot). Both units were swapped for new ones. Lock button on front passenger door failed.
Infotainment System is in an infinite boot loop. Dealership tried updating software per a recall, but unit would restart halfway during the software upgrade. A new unit has been ordered from Germany, with an ETA of 2 weeks.
35000 mi
Window switch
7000 mi
Horn stopped working.. dealer replaced both drivers under warranty.
60000 mi
US $311
EPC light. Shop saw battery was weak and replaced. Problem not fully resolved.
16000 mi
MIB II software update.
27400 mi
US $155
OEM battery would no longer hold a charge 1 day short of 2 years from purchase. Battery was replaced.
Battery failed less than 2 years after purchase. Replaced under warranty.
5500 mi
Android Auto was not working properly. Dealer installed update. Update to radio software was faulty. Dealer re-installed software update and bluetooth problems resolved.
2200 mi
Front bumper airbag sensor became disconnected and triggered an airbag alert
The head unit is malfunctioning - periodic reboots, blue screen, no display with sound, now it tries to multiple times and shuts off completely. No display, radio, bluetooth, or backup camera work. Awaiting replacement (on backorder)
3400 mi
Software Update to the infotainment system and replaced driver door handle and switch. The door locks were not behaving right and I was told that both the handle switch and the software needed to be updated.
Back up camera was not working, new module was install.
35960 mi
C $100
New Battery was installd
8000 mi
No washer fluid spraying, no low fluid light. Discovered no fluid level sensor on this model. Dealer checked for faults and reset defaults. Issue appeared resolved.
Creaking from rear windows when raising. Seals lubed.
2000 mi
Infotainment system frequently cuts out with Bluetooth connections, and has recently started shutting the screen off.
6000 mi
Infotainment issues came back, dealer reflashed software after saying previous attempt failed. Issue still occurring.
15000 mi
Infotainment issues. The dealer took an infotainment unit out of another Golf and replaced ours.
5300 mi
Infotainment software update
48360 mi
Keyless start faulty message on dash. Problem tracked to defective electrical harness in front passenger door. Repair took only a couple of hours but had to wait a day to get piece shipped from Toronto (to Montreal).
6000 mi
CarPlay connector defective.
1240 mi
not able to duplicate the problem, also replaced car key as it constantly show 'battery needs to be replaced'. Need to visit the dealership again as the other car key is showing the same symptoms and only one key can be replaced at once.
I noted several instances in which the passenger seat occupancy sensor would cause the "fasten seatbelt" indicator and chime to come on when the seat was empty.
Dealership said they checked the sensor and while they acknowledged it to be very sensitive, stated it was operating properly.
Change oil light came on. Knew it didn't need an oil change. Dealership reset the light.
"Car-Net" system light was red, indicating malfunction. The Car-Net system itself was working properly, except for the indicator light. Car-Net roof antenna was replaced, light now green.
4000 mi
Infotainment system malfunction - navigation, "App-Connect" system, bluetooth & voice commands all broken, with inscrutable error messages. Dealer service took 3 days to diagnose & determine a fix. Finally reset the system, works now.
Airbag light flashing in cluster and reacting to jarring bumps in the road. Airbag module stopped working and blew a fuse. Fuse was replaced. Service department drive car over 400mi and could not get issue to reoccur. Repair unsuccessful. Ambient lighting strip on driver's door stopped operating. Entire interior door panel was replaced. Repair was successful.
6000 mi
Airbag light flashing. Airbag module fuse blown. Fuse was replaced.
10300 mi
Airbag warning light illuminates sporadically. Dealer could not diagnose and split the circuit leading to the airbag fuse into 4 different fuses so that if and when issue causes fuse to blow, they will know where the current is coming from.
1000 mi
The new Infotainment system for the '16 model broke within a week of buying the car. The system would try to start up but never did. Dealership ordered new module, easy fix.
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 2016 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.
