Used Car Checklists

2019 Volkswagen Golf: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the engine, transmission, and electrical. The 10 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Volkswagen Golf2019
Owner complaints
162
Recalls
7
1 urgent
Crashes reported
5
Reliability
Good
65/100 on Auto Reliability Index

One recall on this model year told owners to stop driving until the repair was done.

Do not buy until you have dealer paperwork or a recall lookup showing it was completed for this VIN.

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2019 Volkswagen Golf. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/10 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/4

3

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Which Golf is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2019 Volkswagen Golf. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
1.4L 4-cylFWD32 mpg
1.8L 4-cylAWD25 mpg
2.0L 4-cylAWD26 mpg
  • The 2019 Volkswagen Golf was sold in three versions. Confirm which one this is from the window sticker, the engine cover, or the VIN report before you compare prices.
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Golf that averages well under the EPA 25 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Engine231 crash

    Quiet stalls as the car rolls to a stop dominate these reports, usually with the clutch pressed or the shifter in neutral. Most involve six-speed manual GTI and GLI models, and many begin within the first few hundred miles. There is no shudder and no check engine light, and the car restarts normally. A smaller group describes stalls at 20 to 60 mph or a full loss of power on the highway. Dealers often cannot duplicate the fault or pull a code. One stall at a traffic light ended in a rear-end crash.

  • Transmission17No crashes

    Manual cars stall in the last moments of a stop, often while the dash gear indicator shows the wrong gear. Power steering assist drops out when the engine dies. Automatic DSG cars are reported to lose power after a shift, go into emergency mode, or lurch and shudder when pulling away, with one dealer suspecting the mechatronic unit at about 60K miles. Hesitation from a stop has nearly caused rear-end collisions. Other reports cover a scraping gearbox noise in the e-Golf during regenerative braking and coolant leaking from the thermostat housing and water pump module.

  • Electrical14No crashes

    A "Check starter system" or "ignition switched off" warning appears while driving, and the gauges, HVAC, lights, turn signals, and screen go dark. Sometimes the engine also shuts off, including at highway speeds, and power steering can drop out. Several reports tie the failure to hot weather. Dealers often cannot reproduce it, and some owners are told repair parts are unavailable. A few filings concern only waiting on parts for a recall repair. One fire report describes a parked e-Golf showing an electrical system error, then smoke and popping from under the hood.

  • Brakes41 crash

    The parking brake button pops out of the handle and releases the brake. In one crash report the car rolled away and struck two parked cars, and the dealer replaced the part more than once. Rear brakes are reported to delaminate at low mileage, with one owner facing a bill of around $800 at 12804 miles. Single reports describe the pedal sinking to the floor without braking until pumped, and brakes grabbing hard from a light tap.

  • Automatic emergency braking4No crashes

    Automatic emergency braking fires with nothing ahead, braking the car sharply to a near stop at about 35 mph and creating a rear-end risk. Railroad tracks are a repeat trigger, and the forward collision alarm also sounds without cause. One false-braking case was traced to a fault code and fixed by reconfiguring the ABS module. Owners also complain that adaptive cruise control cannot be switched to regular cruise, so cruise stops working entirely when the sensor gets dirty.

  • Fuel system3No crashes

    Manual cars stall at low speed while braking or after stopping, in neutral or with the clutch down, once the engine is warm. Reports describe near misses with oncoming traffic and close calls with following cars. A separate complaint says an open recall has gone unrepaired for years. Another describes a no-start with an "Error: Electrical system. Stop!" warning that the dealer blamed on the battery.

  • Suspension3No crashes

    Coil springs fracture, with one report at about 78,000 miles and another describing a broken right rear spring at the lower control end. The front suspension squeaks persistently on stock, unmodified cars, starting around 10,000 miles and still present at 60,000. The manufacturer reportedly calls the squeak normal, and owners say greasing it is the common workaround, though one worries grease could reach the brakes.

  • Body and structure3No crashes

    Sunroofs leak water into the cabin, staining and damaging the headliner. Repairs reported include grinding welds and replacing the sunroof assembly and headliner without success, and one car was bought back by the manufacturer. Owners describe long stays at the dealer during repair attempts. A separate report describes a rattle from the driver side headliner over bumps that persisted after the dealer lubricated it.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints Golf owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Engine
The engine completely failed while driving normally and lost power while on the highway, doing highway speeds. I had no power to safely exit the highway and it became extremely dangerous for surrounding traffic as I had to slow down. The problem has been confirmed by a Volkswagen dealer. Yes the vehicle has been inspected by Volkswagen. No warning lights or check engine lights prior to the failure

Filed with NHTSA, May 2023

Transmission
The transmission lurches and studders at stops with roughly 60K miles on it. The dealer believes it to be the mechatronic unit. I am put at risk because the car begins to move, stops, and then begins again moving. Cars behind me may believe I am accelerating from a stop and rear end me. There are no warning lamps, messages, or anything whatsoever, the issue generates no codes for dealer techs to diagnose.

Filed with NHTSA, January 2026

Electrical
While driving, all vehicle gauges and HVAC suddenly stopped working. Car beeped, and screen said "pull over safely" (or something like that), and then said "Check starter system". Turned car off, and then eventually it turned back on. Same thing happened again, but I was able to continue driving (engine kept running), with no HVAC, no speedometer, no tachometer, nothing. I don't know if turn signals or exterior lights were working.

Filed with NHTSA, August 2023

How the 2019 compares with other Golf years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2019 has the most owner complaints of the 7 Golf years we cover, about 4.2 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2019 Average of other years
  • Engine235
  • Transmission177
  • Electrical145
  • Brakes42
  • Automatic emergency braking43
  • Fuel system32

Where the 2019 fits in the Golf's history

Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.

The 2019 is the fifth model year of the Golf's seventh generation (2015–2021).

It includes the 2018 update.

What changed for 2018

  • Enhanced technology and updated styling.

Recalls to confirm (7)

Recall repairs are free at any Volkswagen dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.

  1. 19V879000Wheels and tiresDo not driveDec 2019

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta GLI, Golf Alltrack, and Golf GTI vehicles. The front wheel bearings may have been improperly machined, potentially causing excessive stress on the wheel, wheel bolts, or wheel bearings.

    Risk: The excessive stress can cause steering, traction or other stability issues or breakage relating to the front wheels, and increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the wheel bearing assemblies, wheels, and wheel bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40P1. Note: The affected owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repairs have been made.

  2. 24V110000Fuel systemFeb 2024

    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.

    Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.

  3. 23V604000ElectricalAug 2023

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.

    Risk: Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.

  4. 22V815000Wheels and tiresOct 2022

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems.".

    Risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

  5. 21V321000OtherMay 2021

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

    Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

    Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

  6. 19V615000ElectricalAug 2019

    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.".

    Risk: 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.

    Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.

  7. 19V188000SuspensionMar 2019

    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.

    Risk: If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.

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2019 owner complaints, side by side