Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2021Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2021 Volkswagen Golf: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
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.
These years share the 2021's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2021 checks
Worth adding to your 2021 checks
Worth adding to your 2021 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2021 Volkswagen Golf. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4L 4-cyl | FWD | 33 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2021 Volkswagen Golf, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The most serious reports describe the car braking hard while reversing and warning of obstacles that are not there. One of the 3 complaints lists an injury. Another pattern is an airbag warning light caused by a failed airbag control module. Water got into the module from a clogged A/C drain tube, and the airbags will not deploy in a crash. A faulty door wiring harness is blamed for dead driver-side blinkers, windows rolling down on their own, and rear collision sensor errors. Other complaints mention a head unit that goes black, false key-not-detected warnings, wipers that switch on by themselves, and start/stop errors.
Excerpts from complaints Golf owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Faulty door wiring harness leading driver side blinkers to stop working, windows randomly rolling down, rear collision detector errors, engine start/stop errors.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2023
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2021 has the fewest owner complaints of the 7 Golf years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2021 is the seventh model year of the Golf's seventh generation (2015–2021).
It includes the 2018 update.
What changed for 2018
Recall repairs are free at any Volkswagen dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
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.".
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.
Cars shoppers compare with the Volkswagen Golf, with their own 2021 checklists.
2021 owner complaints, side by side
