2016 Volkswagen E-Golf Owner Complaints

The regenerative braking system on my car shut off for about half a second before re engaging automatically. I was slowing down at a red light and had a car in front of me. As I applied the brakes, I hit a bump in the road and the brakes completely stopped working, causing me to almost hit the car in front of me. I do not believe that this issue is known among these vehicles, and I don't know if it has been confirmed by a dealer or testing lab. There were no warning signs for this event, the brakes just shut off for half a second.

NHTSA ID

11551421

Incident

Oct 21, 2023

While the vehicle is attached to A/C power for charging, the forced air heating system does not warm the car. This can leave the occupants without heat for an extended period of time while charging in a remote location which could be life threatening. There used to be a "work around" using CarNET functions for this car, but that service has been discontinued for the 2016 model year. It should also be noted that other battery electric vehicles allow heating and cooling while plugged in to A/C power.

NHTSA ID

11494331

Incident

Nov 18, 2022

Two miles into my morning commute, I accelerated to 65 mph when the following message appeared on the instrument display "Error: electrical system. Stop!" At the same time, the vehicle lost all electrical motor drive and began to coast and decelerate. As I coasted there was a clicking noise in the drivetrain and remained audible while I changed lanes to the shoulder and made a safe full stop. I powered the vehicle OFF then ON three time or until the error disappeared. The vehicle was driven to a service location and scanned which revealed 14 error codes (ref. attachment) related to electric drivetrain. This error is a safety related fault and needs to be investigated by a NHTSA and a VW safety engineer.

NHTSA ID

11489309

Incident

Sep 29, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle with the level 3 charger, the female connector on the vehicle became loosened due to a failure with the 4 tabs holding the connector in place on the vehicle. The level 3 charger loosened and exposed the plug with live current going to the part. The contact stated that he smelled a burnt electrical odor and the charger was now inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, there were no trained technicians available to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ID

11468478

Incident

Apr 23, 2022

Mileage

43,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE CAR HALTED ALL OF A SUDDEN. AN ERROR APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD THAT SAID ELECTRIC FAILURE. STOP. LUCKILY NO CARS WERE BEHIND ME OR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR WOULD NOT START BACK UP FOR 30-40 MINUTES.

NHTSA ID

11375152

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

Mileage

79,000 mi

THE DROP DOWN V-CLAMP ON THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AT THE ENGINE CAME LOSE. THE SCREW THAT IS TO SECURE THIS CLAMP DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY AND WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE TO KEEP THE CLAMP TIGHT ALLOWING THE EXHAUST TO COME INTO THE CABIN OF THE AUTOMOBILE. I DROVE AROUND WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN FOR TWO (2) WEEKS PRIOR TO MY HUSBAND FINDING THE ISSUE. HE HAS FINALLY REPLACED THE SCREW WITH ANOTHER SCREW AND A LOCK NUT IN ORDER TO KEEP IT CLOSED. FIRST THIS WAS A UNUSUAL NOISE, THEN A SMELL OF EXHAUST AND THEN, MY EYES WERE BURNING AND RUNNING WATER. AND YOU COULD NOT BREATH. I CHECKED ONLINE AND THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. I AM SHOCKED THERE IS NOT A RECALL. I WISH I COULD GIVE THIS CAR BACK AS I FEEL I COULD HAVE DIED IN THAT CAR.

NHTSA ID

11307180

Incident

Jan 20, 2020

Mileage

500 mi

METAL TRIM AROUND CENTER CONSOLE AND STEERING WHEEL HAS SHARP EDGES AND CAN CUT HANDS WITHOUT WARNING. MY TRIM WAS NOT BENT UNTIL AFTER IT WAS CAUGHT ON MY HAND AND SLICED MY FINGER IN TWO PLACES.

NHTSA ID

11204825

Incident

Apr 25, 2019

Mileage

28,630 mi

WHILE CHARGING THE CAR, AN ELECTRIC COMPONENT FAILED AND THE CARD GOT DISABLED AND WOULD NOT START ANYMORE. IT ALSO STOPPED CHARGING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED AWAY FROM CHARGING STATION TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ID

11166367

Incident

Dec 27, 2018

Mileage

9,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLKSWAGEN E-GOLF. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V329000 (UNKNOWN OR OTHER). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED AUTONATION (8201 EAST SPRAGUE AVE, SPOKANE, WA 99212, 866-483-4544) AND WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPURCHASE THE VEHICLE. NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11151854

Incident

Jul 1, 2018

WE WERE LIED TO BY THE DEALER ABOUT THE CARS HISTORY. WITH THIS CURRENT RECALL ON THE CAR, THE MAJOR REPAIR WE JUST HAD, THE FACT THAT VW DOESN'T HAVE TECHS IN THE AREA LIMITING OUR REPAIR ABILITY, AND THE FACT THAT ANY REPAIRS REQUIRE VW TO SEND IN TECHS TO THE AREA, PROLONGING THE TIME WITHOUT THE CAR, I ASKED VW TO DO A BUY BACK AS THERE IS NO FIX FOR THE RECALL. VW REFUSED TO BUY THE CAR BACK.

NHTSA ID

11115450

Incident

Aug 2, 2018

VEHICLE CHARGING PORT DOES NOT RESPECT THE SAE J1772 PROTOCOL IN STOPPING CURRENT FLOW WHEN DEPRESSING THE BUTTON (HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/SAE_J1772#SAFETY). THIS HAS CAUSED LARGE SPARKS AT CHARGING STATIONS WITH A BROKEN LATCH MECHANISM BUT WORKING BUTTON.

NHTSA ID

11052682

Incident

Dec 5, 2017

Mileage

21,000 mi

WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED.

NHTSA ID

10967595

Incident

Mar 20, 2017

Mileage

600 mi

ENGINE TURNS OFF AND CAR BRAKES TO AN ABRUPT STOP WHILE DRIVING IF "START ENGINE START" BUTTON IS PRESSED BY USER ERROR INSTEAD OF THE ADJACENT "MODE" BUTTON USED TO SELECT EITHER "NORMAL", "ECO", OR "ECO+" ENERGY LEVELS. 1. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED BOTH TIMES I HAVE TURNED OFF THE CAR WHILE IN MOTION ONCE PRIOR TO MAKING A LEFT TURN AND THEN THE SECOND TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WHICH WERE BOTH DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BUT THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. 2. THE CAR ALWAYS STARTS IN NORMAL MODE SO IF ONE IS LOW ON RANGE AS I WAS BOTH TIMES, WHENEVER THE CAR IS RESTARTED ONE MUST MANUALLY SWITCH BACK TO ECO OR ECO+. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY JUST STARTED DRIVING YOU MIGHT REALIZE THE NEED TO CHANGE MODES TO ECO FROM NORMAL FOR EXAMPLE WHILE IN MOTION. FOR SAFETY, I KEEP MY EYES ON THE ROAD SO REACHED DOWN TO WHERE I THOUGHT THE MODE BUTTON WAS AND INSTEAD PRESSED START ENGINE STOP BUTTON WHICH DRAMATICALLY TURNS OFF THE CAR. IT DOES NOT COAST, BUT COMES TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP. 3. THE VEHICLE MANUAL HAS A WARNING ON PAGE 210 TO NOT TURN OFF THE CAR IN MOTION WHICH IS STATING THE OBVIOUS BUT MANUALS DO NOT PREVENT HUMAN ERROR AND I AM NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO DO THIS SINCE HAVE FOUND AN ENTIRE THREAD ABOUT THIS ON THE MYVWEGOLF.COM FORUM. 4. THE SOLUTION SHOULD BE A STRAIGHTFORWARD VEHICLE SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT WILL LOCKOUT THE START ENGINE STOP BUTTON COMPLETELY WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, IN "DRIVE", "B", OR "R" GEAR SELECTOR POSITIONS. 5. IN THE MEANTIME TO A RESOLUTION TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE, I WILL BE PLACING A RIGID ROUND PLASTIC BUTTON OVER THE START ENGINE STOP BUTTON ATTACHED WITH VELCRO TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN BY MISTAKE. 6. I HAVE REPORTED THIS SAFETY COMPLAINT TO VW CARE VIA CHAT AND THE TRANSCRIPT IS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. 7. A PHOTO OF THE ADJACENT BUTTONS IS SUBMITTED.

NHTSA ID

10910271

Incident

Sep 27, 2016

Mileage

200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLKSWAGEN E-GOLF. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V138000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT PERFORM THE RECALL ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER STATE TO GET THE RECALL PERFORMED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10853253

Incident

Apr 1, 2016

I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM WORK AFTER CHARGING 100%. AFTER I DROVE FOR ABOUT 10 MILES ON AN EXPRESSWAY (LAWRENCE), I STOPPED AT THE SIGNAL LIGHT. AFTER THE SIGNAL TURNED GREEN, I ACCELERATED THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY, ALARMS WENT OFF AND SAID ELECTRIC FAILURE. "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: STOP!". I STOPPED AND RESTARTED THE CAR. AGAIN THE SAME ERROR. IMMEDIATELY, I TURNED ON THE FLASH LIGHTS. CAR DIDNT MOVE AND CARDS BEHIND ME WERE HONKING THE HORN. I CALLED 911 AND POLICE CAME AND SAVED ME DRAGGING THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. I COULDNT EVEN GET DOWN THE CAR DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND CARS GOING AT 50MPH. I CALLED EGOLF EMERGENCY ROAD SERVICE. THEY CAME AFTER AN HOUR AND TOWED THE CAR TO VOLKSWAGON CENTER. CAR IS BRAND NEW WITH ONLY 1500 MILES. ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION. VOLKSWAGO SERVICE REP CALLED ME AND TOLD THAT THE 12 V BATTERY IS FAULTY AND IT WILL TAKE 6 WEEKS TO REPLACE. ONE OF MY FRIENDS ALSO HAD THE SAME BATTERY ISSUE IN DEC 2015 AND HE ALSO HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH 12 V BATTERY ISSUE. I AM VERY CONCERNED AT THIS POINT THAT I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE ON EGOLF. ONE OF MY FRIENDS

NHTSA ID

10846369

Incident

Mar 11, 2016

Mileage

1,500 mi

I PULLED OUT OF MY OFFICE PARKING LOT AND AS I WAS TRYING TO CROSS INTO TRAFFIC GOING LEFT, MY CAR DIED, INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE, WITH A CAR HEADING MY WAY. BY LUCK I KNOCKED IT INTO NEUTRAL AND HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. BARELY ESCAPING AN ACCIDENT. AT ANY MOMENT IN THE FUTURE, I COULD SEE THIS ERROR AGAIN: "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: STOP!", WHICH KILLS THE MOTOR, AND MEANS NO BRAKE OR STEERING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM (POWER STEERING), AIRBAG, SAFETY BELT PRETENSIONER, AND OTHER VEHICLE SAFETY FEATURES.

NHTSA ID

10838686

Incident

Feb 25, 2016

Mileage

2,248 mi

VW E-GOLF ELECTRICAL VEHICLE DIED SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP (AS IF THE BREAKS HAD BEEN FULLY APPLIED) WHILE ENTERING SINGLE LANE HIGHWAY ON-RAMP DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR. UNABLE TO ROLL THE CAR TO THE SIDE TO AVOID TRAFFIC. UNABLE TO EXIT THE CAR AS OTHER VEHICLES WERE SWERVING ON BOTH SIDES TO AVOID A COLLISION. TOOK OVER 20 MINUTES TO GET ASSISTANCE TO PULL THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (THANKS TO A COURAGEOUS GOOD SAMARITAN) UNTIL POLICE AND TOW TRUCK ARRIVED OVER 35 MINUTES AFTER THE INCIDENT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER WHERE MECHANICS WERE UNABLE TO DEAL WITH IT (HIGH VOLTAGE VEHICLE) UNTIL THEY RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM VW OF AMERICA. IT TOOK ABOUT 1 WEEK TO HAVE THE ISSUE RESOLVED. COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK PERFORMED AT THE DEALERSHIP: "1456 VEHICLE DOES NOT GO INTO READY MODE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ERROR DISPLAYED ON MFD. GFF. P060C INTERNAL CONTROL MODULE MAIN PROCESSOR PERFORMANCE ACTIVE/STATIC IN 8C MODULE. CONTACT TECHLINE 1548611. ADVISED TO ATTACH MVB FROM 8C AND 51. ATTACHED MVB. TECHLINE ADVISED TO CHARGE 12 VOLT BATTERY AND CLEAR FAULTS. CHARGE 12V BATTERY. TEST BATTERY AND OKAY. CLEAR FAULTS. VEHICLE NOW STARTS. ROAD TEST 30 MILES. THEN CHARGE HV BATTERY WITH LEVEL 2 CHARGER. RE SCAN AND NO FAULTS. CONTACT QTM AND ADVISED TO PERFORM ANOTHER ROAD TEST. ROAD TESTED VEHICLE ADDITIONAL 20 MILES. RE SCAN. NO FAULTS. QTM ADVISES TO RELEASE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME." SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT IT WAS A SOFTWARE GLITCH AND IT "SHOULD" NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I'M CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS IF THE ISSUE REOCCURS.

NHTSA ID

10826003

Incident

Feb 5, 2016

Mileage

1,456 mi

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW E-GOLF, NOV 2015. DROVE IT 4 DAYS AND BROKE! IT'S BEEN 1 MONTH IN THE SHOP AND STILL NOT REPAIRED. VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA ANSWER (3RD WEEK) - WE WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A NEW CAR, THAT'S WHY IT HAS A WARRANTY. - WE WILL NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY BACK. - WE DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE YOU A LOANER NOR PAY FOR YOUR TRANSPORTATION WHILE YOUR CAR IS BEING REPAIRED. - YOU WILL NOT GET COMPENSATED FOR ANYTHING. - YOU OWE US THIS MONTH LEASE PAYMENT, BTW! VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA ANSWER (4TH WEEK): WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK YOU. GET AN ATTORNEY TO REACH OUT TO US. STILL CONSIDERING TO BUY AN E-GOLF?? GOOD LUCK!

NHTSA ID

10809150

Incident

Nov 9, 2015

Mileage

280 mi