RoadVitals

2022 Volkswagen Golf R

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Oct 19, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
5
Latest Jun 27, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 10 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R, most frequently naming the driver assistance, electrical and steering categories. 5 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 326 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance640.0%
  • Electrical426.7%
  • Steering320.0%
  • Body & structure16.7%
  • Visibility16.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

5 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Jun 27, 2024
84,432 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Golf R, Golf GTI, 2024 Atlas, and 2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The rearview camera image may be delayed or deactivated after shifting into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk: A rearview camera with a delayed or deactivated image reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2024, and July 16, 2024. Owners may contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-5298. VW's number for this recall is 91US.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 91USView on NHTSA.gov

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

Nov 2, 2022
2,607 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk: An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number VW: 91EK, Audi: 91ELView on NHTSA.gov

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY

Sep 21, 2022
8,038 units potentially affected
The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Golf R A8 and Golf GTI vehicles. The radiator may not have been attached correctly to the intercooler, which can result in a damaged coolant hose.
The risk: A damaged coolant hose can leak, causing the engine to overheat, and increasing the risk of fire. In addition, large amounts of coolant spilling onto the roadway can increase the risk of a crash to other vehicles.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the radiator and replace any damaged parts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19Q8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 19Q8View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Oct 19, 2025

While stopped at a stoplight, the infotainment system went blank and all sorts of errors showed on dashboard display. The infotainment system continued to turn on and off approximately every 30 seconds. No audio, no backup camera and limited to no functionality via the infotainment system. According to VW Dealership, VW is currently working on a fix. No fix to date!

NHTSA ID
11694355
Incident
Oct 16, 2025
ElectricalSteering
Filed Jun 19, 2024

This vehicle constantly displays and announces erroneous “Emergency Assist Is Currently Not Available” and “Travel Assist Is Currently Not Available” warnings. These warnings distract drivers and put the safety of the driver, passengers, and the public at risk because drivers have to take photographs of these erroneous warnings while they are occurring. Drivers have to document this defect through photographs because the dealerships deny the existence of the defect or request documentation when the defect does not appear as a fault in the vehicle's electronics modules . This is a widespread problem with this vehicle model and apparently is caused by a defective steering wheel. Dealerships are uncooperative in fixing this defect.

NHTSA ID
11595286
Incident
Jun 18, 2024
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Jun 2, 2024

Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning.

NHTSA ID
11591997
Incident
Mar 8, 2023
Driver assistance
Filed May 15, 2024

Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. After speaking with the maintenance department at my VW dealership, they indicated that this is a widely known problem that is remedied only with the replacement of the steering wheel. There are several other sensors that are triggered by the same issue I was told by the maintenance department. They are uncertain at this time if it impacts the airbag system which is another potential safety concern. The steering wheel can only be ordered after inspection by the maintenance department and there is shortage and/or back order of the part to fix the problem.

NHTSA ID
11588920
Incident
May 15, 2024
Driver assistance
Filed May 3, 2024

The "Travel Assist is currently not available" warning and chime constantly comes on. The chime and constant alerts are extremely distracting and from looking it up online it appears other drivers are experiencing the same issue. It happens randomly and cleaning the sensors has not solved the issue.

NHTSA ID
11586724
Incident
May 3, 2024
Electrical
Filed Apr 26, 2024

Car’s GPS appears to loose location while navigating. Head unit display will behave erratically causing distractions along side noises. Additionally, car will display warnings on dash with additional noises again causing distraction. Eventually after losing GPS location car will snap back onto correct location on map. Self correction can happen between 30 seconds and 20+ minutes.

NHTSA ID
11585458
Incident
Apr 25, 2024
ElectricalSteeringVisibility
Filed Mar 21, 2024

Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. After speaking with the maintenance department at my VW dealership, they indicated that this is a widely known problem that is remedied only with the replacement of the steering wheel. There are several other sensors that are triggered by the same issue I was told by the maintenance department. They are uncertain at this time if it impacts the airbag system which is another potential safety concern. The steering wheel can only be ordered after inspection by the maintenance department and there is shortage and/or back order of the part to fix the problem.

NHTSA ID
11578708
Incident
Mar 21, 2024
Body & structure
Filed Mar 14, 2024

Water got inside of door causing damage to door, vehicle was previously repair via 57J3 service bulletin to prevent said damage but i believe repairs were made to late to prevent said issue i believe will eventually cause door to prematurely rust and create a hole in a 2022 model year vehicle Local dealerships will not repair as they state it was cause by road damage which doesn’t make sense as the damage is protruding out not in and also on the opposite side of which the paint is protruding there is another bulge No body work was ever performed on vehicle

NHTSA ID
11577408
Incident
Jan 31, 2024

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

V9123042071790_3

MIB3 Recovery Solution

VOS-26-42

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) – No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.

V9126042082628_2

Over-the-Air Software Update Dealer Recovery Process

V1718062017813_24

ENGINE

Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement

V9126042082628_1

Over-the-Air Software Update Dealer Recovery Process

TT 10-18-02_2

ENGINE

Lubricating engine components before reassembly.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volkswagen Golf R by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026200
2025010
2024111034.5
2023630
2022Viewing105044.5
2021000
2020001
2019621
2018941
2017150142.9
2016124163.1
2015101
2014000
2013400
2012100

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.