2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Volkswagen Golf / GTI 2018

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI repairs by problem area

Engine (20%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)

Brakes and Traction Control (6%)

Suspension and Steering (4%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (37%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (25%)

Other (2%)

Chart based on 51 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI.

2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (3%)

$500 - $999 (3%)

$100 - $499 (3%)

< $100 (91%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 32 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

Engine not specified

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Queretaro, Mexico
Apr 2018 - Sep 2018
Sep 2018

4960 mi
Sunroof rattles. Dealer lubricated the sunroof. Problem persists and now they state that it's a normal sound. Going to try to solve it myself. A/C does not blow cold enough. They asked permission to disassemble the dash and I refused because of past experience with bad reassembly and rattles created by it. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Wagon

turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Pennsylvania, United States
Feb 2018 - Feb 2022
Jun 2018

5000 mi
[ABS] Problem has been occurring since 1800 miles. First visit was unsuccessful. Brought back in at 4000 with problem still present and repair again unsuccessful. Will be getting third party involved. same [ABS] problem. still not positive of issue. 
Jul 2018

5000 mi
Sensor wiring 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Wagon

turbocharged 170hp 1.8L I4 6-speed manual AWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Quebec, Canada
Dec 2017 - Jul 2022
Oct 2019

30380 mi
Rear tailgate rubs against bumper cover. Wore paint off tailgate lower edge for about one inch, rusting; wore gouge into plastic bumper cover. Assessed for VW Warranty coverage. VW refused to pay, claims it should be an "adjustment" covered only for 1 year or 20,000 km 
Aug 2020

40920 mi
Coupling between driveshaft and rear 4MOTION differential started to vibrate seriously around 90-100 km/h. Dealer investigated, coupling found to be in the process of disintegrating. Coupling replaced under warranty. 
Jul 2022

60946 mi
Turbo waste gate actuator seized. EPC light came on, lost power, intermittently. Code for turbo failure on VCDS. Turbo replaced under warranty. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Quebec, Canada
Feb 2018 - Jun 2022
Jun 2018

4650 mi
Dealer performed TSB for very common panoramic roof leak and replaced rubber seal around. Cleaned or replaced stained 'A' pillar and cleaned stained headliner. 
Oct 2018

9300 mi
Infotainment screen had two thin lines of burnt pixels vertically across the whole screen. 
Jan 2021

44020 mi
Rust bubble along the pano roof seal and paint lifting on rear passenger quarter junction with bumper. VW paying for repairs under warranty. Work to be done by approved independent paint shop. Pano roof doesn't open any more. Dealer replacing changing the tracks/guides. Dealer removing rear fixed wagon trunk side window to reseal it to prevent a water leak. 
Jun 2021

47740 mi
Third water leak through panoramic sunroof due to clogged rear drain. Drain was de-clogged and stains were cleaned. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Wagon

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Great Britain
Jun 2017 - Apr 2020
Jan 2019

32000 mi

£7
Keys stopped working 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 292hp 2.0L I4 7-speed automated manual AWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in North Carolina, United States
Mar 2018 - May 2022
Dec 2021

39053 mi

US $1059
transmission oil leaking 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Alberta, Canada
Dec 2017 - May 2021
Jul 2020

21700 mi
Check engine light was coming on randomly. The dealer diagnosed it as a faulty oxygen sensor which was subsequently replaced. 
Oct 2020

24616 mi
Car required boosting to start. Roadside service did a battery check and indicated the battery was dead. VW dealer checked the battery by charging and performing a GFF Low Voltage Faults. Dealer then performed a charging test which was ok, tested battery again and the battery failed test code 333J8V8U-UQWAUVDSA. Battery was replaced with new battery at no charge. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Michigan, United States
Mar 2018 - Jun 2022
Dec 2018

19638 mi
Tried to fix internal buzz/rattle from housing in front of the rear view mirror on the windshield, but we couldn't reproduce the sound during the test drive. 
Jun 2022

80000 mi

US $100
The stereo/CD player unit in the glovebox was popping out on the left side. They fixed that. I don't know if they actually charged me for it, as the car had a lot of maintenance/wear work done, too. This was the recall for the trim around the DSG shifter developing a sharp edge. The trim was replaced. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 292hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual AWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Alabama, United States
Jul 2018 - Mar 2019
Aug 2018

150 mi
Vehicle rode rough with poor shock absorber function and would 'bottom' out during response to road imperfections. It was inspected and found to still have the shipping blocks used during transit attached to the springs. Secondly, dealer found the tire pressure was double recommended tire/vehicle settings. Was told the dealership had additional issues with several other newly prepped deliveries and terminated the individual(s) responsible. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Quebec, Canada
Mar 2018 - Jun 2022
Jan 2021

213280 mi
Unable to open rear hatch, camera inop, fault found in wiring harness, replaced wiring harness and connectors, also found drain attached to rear emblem not connected, suggests factory missed on assemble 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 220hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in New York, United States
May 2018 - Jul 2021
Jan 2021

7100 mi
Window would not stay closed 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Illinois, United States
Jun 2021 - Jun 2022
Jun 2022

16800 mi
A-pillar cover detaching, headliner sides detaching 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in New York, United States
Jan 2020 - Jul 2022
Feb 2020

23003 mi
Driver's headlamp had crack and moisture on inside. Replaced under warranty. Both front door latches would not latch closed reliably when outdoor temperature fell below freezing. Both latches replaced under warranty. 
Jun 2020

24161 mi
Trim around sunroof cracked at front corners. Replaced under warranty. 
Feb 2022

34393 mi
Both front door would not latch when outdoor temps below freezing. Once car warms, doors latch again correctly. 
Jul 2022

36398 mi
Car reported "Check right rear brake light" message on center display. Problem occurs only after car wash. Once electrical component dries, error message disappears. Because this car has LED tail lights, the entire brake light assembly was replaced under warranty. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Virginia, United States
Jan 2018 - Sep 2021
Sep 2018

19000 mi
Front seal needed replacing. 
May 2019

29500 mi
Replaced fuel injector for cylinder #3. 
Jul 2020

48000 mi
Vacuum pump leaking oil. Replaced under warranty. 
Jun 2021

60000 mi
AC freon was depleted but there seemed to be no damaged components. It was refilled under warranty. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 220hp 2.0L I4 6-speed automated manual FWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Kansas, United States
Jan 2020 - Jun 2022
Aug 2020

8000 mi
In very cold weather (-4F and lower) air bag, traction control dash warning lights come on. This sometimes goes away when car is stopped and restarted. VW garage could not locate any error codes or reproduce (in warm conditions) so nothing was done to fix this problem. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Michigan, United States
Dec 2019 - Jul 2022
Jul 2022

17000 mi

US $85
Check engine light. No clear diagnosis, possible misfire. Reset sensor, told to bring back if recurs. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Virginia, United States
Dec 2019 - Jan 2022
Apr 2019

60000 mi
Right headlight shorted out due to water leaking into headlight; entire headlight replaced 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Massachusetts, United States
Jan 2021 - Feb 2022
Mar 2021

11000 mi
Alignment 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Washington, United States
Jan 2018 - Jul 2022
Sep 2019

25000 mi
Creaking noise in sunroof 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Texas, United States
Dec 2018 - May 2021
Sep 2019

15000 mi
Right rear speaker was blown. Dealer fixed under warranty 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Texas, United States
Feb 2018 - Sep 2021
Sep 2018

7250 mi
Coolant was steadily dropping since purchasing vehicle on 3/24/2018. By the time I took it to service, the coolant level was right above the minimum line (was full from the factory). Dealership pressure tested cooling system and found no leaks, coolant topped off, and advised by dealership to continue to monitor coolant level. 
Mar 2019

15000 mi
Engine coolant dropping slowly after a couple months again. Dealership pressure tested and found no leaks. Coolant topped off. 
Jul 2019

19602 mi
Blind spot monitor system was still functional on driver side, but the actual indicator light burnt out in the mirror. Driver side mirror glass replaced under warranty. 
Nov 2020

35037 mi
Been slowly looking coolant since buying the car back in 2018, finally the dealership found a small leak. Thermostat housing was replaced under warranty. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Virginia, United States
Nov 2020 - Aug 2021
Jun 2020

21000 mi

US $950
Had an on-going issue with a slight vibration at high speed. Dealer could not get the tire properly balanced and refused to fix. I replaced the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport and fixed all the issues. 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Massachusetts, United States
Feb 2018 - Jan 2022
Apr 2020

14500 mi
Electrical switch for moonroof not working correctly. It was repaired quickly not replaced. Same problem resurfaced this week. It disappeared on its own soon after 
Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Colorado, United States
Apr 2021 - Oct 2021
Jul 2021

50000 mi
Stereo screen replaced under warranty 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

134-horsepower Electric 1-speed automatic FWD

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in Quebec, Canada
Mar 2018 - Dec 2020
Jan 2020

14880 mi
EV Battery issue. 120+ days at the dealership. Battery had to be open to replace cells. 
Feb 2020

15500 mi
Infotainment screen had 3 red lines going vertically across the screen. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4dr Hatch

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in New York, United States
Aug 2021 - Jun 2022
Sep 2021

11500 mi
air blend door was not moving properly and making a loud popping noise for 5 seconds each time car was started. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI 4-door

Engine not specified

Volkswagen Golf / GTI in California, United States
Oct 2020 - Sep 2023
Sep 2022

36000 mi

US $1443
Replaced A/C shutoff valve. 

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2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Repair Histories

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 2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.