2015 Volkswagen Golf Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that the vehicle jumped the curb while driving, but he was able to regain control. The driver turned off the vehicle and restarted it. Recently, while reversing out of a parking spot and placing the vehicle into drive, there was sudden acceleration, and he crashed into a fence in front of the dumpsters. The brake pedal was applied, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact's neighbor was jumping up and down in front of my vehicle, waving his arms; the driver was able to stop approximately six feet in front of his neighbor. The vehicle was turned off. While reversing, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a parked Jeep, causing damage to the driver's side front and rear doors. There was no police report filed, air bag deployment, fire, or injuries. Additionally, the EPC has been turning on. The engine was chugging. The vehicle was restarted, and the light cleared. On one occasion, the EPC light stayed on, and cylinder number 5 had stopped firing. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. Additionally, the contact wanted to send the complaint copy to the insurance company and manufacturer to obtain the EDR to provide to the police and insurance company for his claim approval. The failure mileage was approximately 114,500.

NHTSA ID

11708381

Incident

Dec 20, 2025

Mileage

114,500 mi

Thermostat housing and water pump are leaking coolant. It is available for inspection. It can cause my engine to overheat and/or fail while being used. It has been confirmed by a dealership. It has not been inspected by the police, manufacturer, or insurance company. There have been occasional reports of low coolant, and the coolant drains significantly faster than expected especially in cold weather (e.g. needing to fill coolant every 7 days). It was first repaired in 2019, and has since failed again.

NHTSA ID

11549044

Incident

Mar 5, 2019

While normally driving on the street, I noticed that the car started to overheat and could hear the radiator working to keep the heat level normal. I stopped and did not notice any leaks and added coolant to the car after I left it cool for about 3 hours. The problem went away but i still took it to the dealership and i was told it might be the head gasket of the engine or thermostat/waterpump, a $4000 repair. Was advised to just sell the car. VW should address this issue as it has been a long issue now

NHTSA ID

11541025

Incident

Aug 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. The contact noticed that the fuel pump would frequent stop while fueling the vehicle. The contact then stated that while his vehicle was being driven by a valet, fuel began to pour out of the fuel tank while on an incline. The valet attendant managed to drive the vehicle down a decline which stopped the leak. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was then driven to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer informed the contact that the suction pump, seal, and emission filter needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11495757

Incident

Mar 1, 2022

Mileage

115,000 mi

Loss of coolant due to cheap plastic housing leads to damage to the thermostat and water pump. Researching the forums on this issue has shown that it's a common problem with the vehicle that Volkswagen hasn't addressed.

NHTSA ID

11495289

Incident

Nov 4, 2022

Water Pump and Thermostat leaking.

NHTSA ID

11466165

Incident

May 23, 2022

Driving 65 mph down highway vehicle shut off with no warning. Fault code shows defective injector #1. Vw tdi (post fix dieselgate). Dealer will not fix because I cleared the code to drive home. Irresponsible for vw to make a car that shuts down completely with no limp mode or short time to clear road.

NHTSA ID

11459772

Incident

Apr 3, 2022

Coolant has leaked all over my driveway because of a thermostat housing and water pump fail. I am getting fixed for the second time $1800 dollar fix. Very common amongst other Volkswagen owners. This is not fair. If they know of this problem it should be dealt with. Now I am out $4000 in repairs and have a big stain in my brand new driveway. This is very unsafe if driving long distances as coolant leaks everywhere.

NHTSA ID

11446853

Incident

Jan 3, 2022

THERMOSTAT ELBOW LEAKING

NHTSA ID

11338906

Incident

Jun 1, 2020

THIS IS A SECOND REPAIR FOR A FAILED THERMOSTAT HOUSING/WATER PUMP ON THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST TIME, JANUAARY 2019, THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING AND RELATED SEALS WERE REPLACED. THIS TIME THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING AND WATER PUMP WERE BOTH REPLACED.

NHTSA ID

11310624

Incident

Feb 21, 2020

Mileage

55,000 mi

THERMOSTAT HOUSING & ASSOCIATED SEALS ON THE CURRENT 1.8L AND 2.0L VOLKSWAGEN/AUDI EA888 GEN 3 ENGINE ARE PRONE TO FAILURE, CAUSING LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT. THIS COULD AFFECT ANY VW/AUDI VEHICLE USING THE 1.8 OR 2.0L EA888 GEN 3 ENGINE. VW HAS A LONG HISTORY OF WATER PUMP/THERMOSTAT HOUSING ISSUES AND THE CURRENT GENERATION OF VEHICLES IS NO EXCEPTION. MANY OTHER REPORTS CAN BE FOUND ON VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS SUCH AS REDDIT.COM, GOLFMK7.COM AND VWVORTEX.COM, ETC. THIS IS A COSTLY OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIR REQUIRING REMOVAL OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND HAS BEEN REPORTED ONLINE BY OWNERS OF 2015 '2019 US MY VEHICLES. SOME VEHICLES, SUCH AS OURS, EXPERIENCED A REPEAT FAILURE. THERE ARE THREE FAILURE MODES THAT I AM AWARE OF AS REPORTED ON THE SITES MENTIONED ABOVE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILURE MODES 1 AND 2. WHEN THIS ISSUE IS OCCURRING OWNERS OFTEN REPORT THE SMELL OF COOLANT OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE 1. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SLOW WEEP OR LEAK FROM THERMOSTAT HOUSING ASSEMBLY & ASSOCIATED SEAL, MOST OF THE TIME NOT DETECTABLE AT THE HOUSING ASSEMBLY/SEAL WITHOUT PRESSURE TEST. OFTEN, VW SERVICE CENTERS ARE UNABLE TO VERIFY THERE IS A LEAK, EVEN AFTER PRESSURE TEST, OWNERS ARE SENT ON THEIR WAY, AND YET COOLANT STILL DISAPPEARS FROM THE TANK. MY WIFE'S CAR WENT IN FOR TESTING MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE ISSUE WAS FOUND. 2. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SMALL BUT CONSTANT LEAK LARGE ENOUGH TO CREATE A SMALL PUDDLE OR STREAM UNDER THE CAR. A LOW COOLANT ALERT MAY/MAY NOT APPEAR DEPENDING ON SPEED OF THE LEAK. 3. HOUSING HEATING/COOLING CAUSES EXPANSION/CONTRACTION AND WARPING RESULTING IN A SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN RAPID LOSS OF COOLANT AND CAUSING A VISIBLE LARGE PUDDLE UNDER THE CAR AND A WARNING ALERT TO APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD.

NHTSA ID

11287513

Incident

Jan 21, 2019

Mileage

42,000 mi

1. BRAKES - BACKING AND PUTTING BRAKES ON THEN INTO DRIVE THERE IS A POPPING NOISE FROM THE REAR END. BRAKES SQUEAK AT LOW SPEEDS, WHEN BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS THEY SQUEAL AND GRAB, WHEN BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS THEY GRIND. THIS HAS BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW UNTIL NOW. TWO DEALERSHIPS STATE "THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO". 2. COOLANT - CONTINUOUS COOLANT SMELL IN CAB AND AROUND CAR AFTER DRIVING FOR ANY DISTANCE. DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED CAP, RESERVOIR AND HOSES. STATE, "NOTHING MORE TO DO UNTIL A RECALL COMES OUT".

NHTSA ID

11230514

Incident

Jul 9, 2019

I DROVE THE CAR TO A MEETING ON THURSDAY EVENING, JAN 4TH, 2018. PARKED IT IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME OFFICE PARKING AREA IN SANTA FE, NM AT 6PM. AT 6:10PM ANOTHER PERSON ARRIVED TO THE MEETING AND SAID SHE SAW FLAMES BY A RED CAR. IT WAS MY GOLF. SEVERAL OF US WENT OUT WITH POTS OF WATER AND A HOSE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE. MOVED THE OTHER VEHICLES AWAY FROM IT TO AVOID IT SPREADING. THE FLAMES CAME DOWN FROM THE ENGINE ONTO THE GROUND IN FRONT OF THE BUMPER. IT WAS SMOKY AND SMELT HORRIBLE. WE WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE FIRE. WHEN THE FIRE DEPT ARRIVED THEY USED A SPECIAL TOOL TO PRY THE HOOD OPEN AND USED THE RESIDENTIAL GARDEN HOSE TO DOUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP THE SMOLDERING AND REDUCE THE HEAT OF THE VEHICLE TO ASSURE IT WOULD NOT IGNITE AGAIN. THE CAR WAS ASSESSED AS TOTALED. I JUST BOUGHT IT FROM VW UPTOWN ABQ. IT WAS A TDI THAT HAD THE MODIFICATION FOR THE EMISSIONS CLASS ACTION SUIT.

NHTSA ID

11061634

Incident

Jan 4, 2018

Mileage

24,650 mi

FOLLOWING THE RECALL NOTICE THAT I RECEIVED

NHTSA ID

10972323

Incident

Apr 6, 2017

NEED TO FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS WITH THE VW GOLF R 2015 MODEL. ANYTHING RELATED TO ENGINE, FUEL SYSTEM, EXHAUST THAT WOULD CAUSE A FIRE

NHTSA ID

10944510

Incident

Jan 5, 2017

WHEN I STARTED MY CAR, THE ENGINE JUMPED AND THE CAR SHOOK. I TRIED TO DRIVE IT BUT COULDN'T GET MORE THAN 10 FEET WITHOUT IT CONSTANTLY FEELING LIKE IT WAS BOTH STARTING AND STALLING, AND ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. I HAD TO PARK IT, AND EVEN WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED THE CAR WOULD SHAKE AND THE ENGINE MADE A TERRIBLE NOISE. MY CAR STARTED TO SMELL REALLY BAD. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THAT IT IS A COIL FAILURE IN THE ENGINE, WHICH CAUSED COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE AND LEFT ME STRANDED.

NHTSA ID

10936537

Incident

Dec 19, 2016

Mileage

28,000 mi

VERY ROUGH IDLE/DANGEROUS LOSS OF POWER ELECTRONIC POWER CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATES. CAR DEVELOPS ISSUE IN 2 INSTANCES, WILL IDLE SMOOTHLY AT REST AND THEN EPC LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE AND VERY ROUGH IDLE WILL ENSUE WITH ENTIRE CAR SHAKING. CAR MUST BE SHUTOFF AND RESTARTED TO CORRECT. ONCE RESTARTED CAR WILL IDLE NORMALLY AND LIGHT IS OFF. SECOND ISSUE IS WITH CAR AT LOAD, DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS WHEN EPC LIGHT WILL COME ON AND ENGINE POWER IS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED MAKING FOR EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CONDITION IF PULLING OUT OR ACCELERATING IN TRAFFIC. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER CAN ONLY BE RESOLVED IF SAFE PLACE AVAILABLE TO PULLOVER AND RESTART THE CAR. VW DEALER SAYS THEY CAN ONLY REPAIR CAR IF IT DISPLAYS BEHAVIOR AT SHOP. SINCE LIGHT IS OFF WHEN RESTARTED IT IS NOT RUNNING POORLY WHEN DRIVEN IN FOR SERVICE THEY STATE NO PROBLEM FOUND. THEY CLAIM THE ECU FAULT CODE DOES NOT TELL THEM THE CAUSE ONLY THAT IT HAPPENED EVEN THOUGH OTHER DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS DESCRIBE THROTTLE BODY ISSUES OR BAD SPARKPLUG COILS MAY BE AT FAULT. WHITE KNUCKLE ISSUE WHICH ELIMINATES CONFIDENCE IN DAY TO DAY DRIVING. THERE IS NO WARNING INVOLVED IT JUST HAPPENS. CASUAL RESEARCH INTO THESE SYMPTOMS RESULTS IN AN ALARMING NUMBER OF OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SAME ISSUES. CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE WHEN POWER LOSS MANIFESTS ITSELF. MANY OTHERS ALSO DESCRIBE A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS FOR THROTTLE BODY FOR WHICH THERE IS AN INTERNAL VW TSB BUT DEALERS SAY IS TIME CONSUMING AND THEY ARE NOT REIMBURSED FOR IN A TIMELY MANNER BY VW OF NA. DISAPPOINTMENT AND THEN SOME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10935556

Incident

Dec 10, 2016

Mileage

15,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V647000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE CONTACT MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO REACH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS REFERRED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH A LIVE AGENT FOR WEEKS. THE DEALER WAS UNAWARE AS TO WHEN THE MANUFACTURER WOULD SUPPLY THE PARTS TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10924689

Incident

Oct 3, 2016

LETTER FROM SENATOR BROWN ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT REGARDING HIS DISSATISFACTION WITH THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA FOLLOWING THE PURCHASE OF HIS JETTA TDI (ATTN: JOHN PATTERSON). *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED VOLKSWAGEN DELIBERATELY ADDED SOFTWARE TO DECEIVE ITS OWNERS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10850575

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

2015 GOLF STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION AFTER FEB 5, 2016 ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. UPON STARTING CAR THE IDLE IS EXTREMELY ROUGH AND THEN A WARNING MESSAGE APPEARS THAT STARTS OUT WITH "TRANSMISSION..." GOES OFF QUICKLY BUT A HIGHLIGHTED EXCLAMATION POINT REMAINS. THE MESSAGE GOES OFF TOO QUICKLY TO CAPTURE A PICTURE OF IT. THE EXCLAMATION POINT AND ROUGH IDLE REMAINS UNTIL THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED ON AGAIN IT IS FINE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT A DEALER TO BE REPAIRED AS THEY STATE: WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD I CANNOT DRIVE IT, THAT THE CAR HAS TO STAY IN THE SHOP AND WAIT FOR A PART TO ARRIVE SOMETIME NEXT WEEK. THIS PROBLEM IS SEPARATE FROM THE OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED: 1). THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT HEATER COME ON AND HEATS UP TO EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE DEGREES-- DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM. 2). THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM GOES BLANK-- DOESN'T WORK-- DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM 3). A WARNING AND BEEPING THAT THE FRONT RIGHT SEAT BELT NEEDS TO BE FASTENED-- AND NO ONE IS IN THE SEAT, JUST A CELL PHONE. THIS GOLF ONLY HAS 10,600 MILES ON IT.... DID I PURCHASE A LEMON? THE DATE BELOW IS THE LAST TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. IT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT BUT THE CAR DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM UNTIL AFTER THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS DONE IN FEBRUARY.

NHTSA ID

10850324

Incident

Mar 16, 2016

Mileage

10,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V705000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE FOR LONGER THAN A MONTH. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT TO WAIT UNTIL THE SECOND NOTICE WAS MAILED TO DETERMINE WHEN THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A TIME FRAME THAT THE PARTS WOULD BE SUPPLIED TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10824898

Incident

Dec 18, 2015

2015 VW GOLF SPORTWAGEN TDI 2.0L THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON IT AND ALREADY TWICE I GET AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) TO "REDUCE OIL LEVEL." I HAVEN'T EVEN TAKEN IT IN FOR ITS FIRST SERVICE YET AND NOW THIS. TOO MUCH OIL? I CHECKED THE LEVEL SEVERAL TIMES AND THE DIP STICK INDICATES THE LEVEL IS WITHIN TOLERANCE.

NHTSA ID

10808181

Incident

Dec 3, 2015

Mileage

4,700 mi

THE FIRST TIME, BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE IN PARKING LOT STARTED TO GO FORWARD AND THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF ON ITS OWN. IT HAS DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES LEAVING ME IN IN HARMS WAY TRYING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC IT JUST SHUTS OFF ARBITRARILY NO TELLING WHEN ITS GOING TO HAPPEN. ALSO HAVE HAD PEOPLE IN THE CAR WITH ME WHEN IT HAS HAPPENED.[ KINDA LIKE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE ] HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALERS THREE TIMES INSIDE OF 2300 AND THEY HAVE FOUND NOTHING. FIRST TIME 1 DAY SECOND TIME 7 DAYS, MORE THAN LIKELY 3 OR 4 MORE DAYS AT DEALER NOW. THREE OF THE TIMES HAPPENED JUST STARTING TO PULL OUT ON TO THE STREET. ONE IN A PARKING SPACE BACKED OUT STARTED TO GO AND IT DIED. ONE TIME TURNING ON CITY STREETS . TO ME MIGHT BE FUEL PUMP OR SOMETHING ELECTRICAL.

NHTSA ID

10786213

Incident

Oct 23, 2015

Mileage

700 mi

I LEASED THE E-GOLF FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND SUDDENLY CAR SHUT DOWN. AN ERROR "ERROR:ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. STOP!" APPEARED. CAR STOPPED AND BLOCKED THE LANE. I CALLED VW SOS AND THEY CONNECTED ME TO 911. POLICE OFFICER CAME AND HELPED ME PULLING THE CAR TO THE ROADSIDE. THE WINDOWS AND MULTIMEDIA WORKED. TRIED TO PRESS THE POWER BUTTON OFF AND TURNED IT ON BUT SAME ERROR SHOWED. I WAITED FOR ONE HOUR TO TOW MY CAR TO THE DEALER. I GOT CAR BACK FROM DEALER 4 DAYS LATER, IN THEIR REPORT STATED " CHECKED FAULTS IN SYSTEM, FOUND P0C0100 DRIVE MOTOR A CURRENT HIGH. CONTACTED VW HELPLINE. VW HELPLINE ADVISED THESE FAULTS ARE RELATED TO CUSTOMER PRESSING START/STOP BUTTON WHILE DRIVING" , I'M PRETTY SURE I DIDN'T TOUCH THE POWER BUTTON WHEN DRIVING. AND THEY " CLEARED ALL FAULTS, SET BASIC SETTING FOR ELECTRIC DRIVE AND ROAD TESTED EXTENSIVELY FOR 90 MILES AND NO MALFUNCTION OCCURRED AT THIS TIME". I LIKE THE CAR'S DESIGN AND STILL DRIVING THE CAR DAILY BUT JUST REALLY REALLY WORRY ABOUT THE SAFETY.

NHTSA ID

10748597

Incident

Aug 9, 2015

Mileage

3,470 mi

I WAS IN HAYWARD ON THE 880 FREEWAY (FLAT, DRY ROAD) IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, IN THE HOV LANE GOING ABOUT 40 MPH, AND MY VW E-GOLF JUST SHUT DOWN AND SHOWED THE ERROR "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE: STOP!". I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO COAST 5 FEET OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE (CENTER DIVIDER) I COULD NOT MAKE IT COMPLETELY OUT OF THE LANE. CARS WERE LAYING ON THEIR HORN AND SPEEDING PAST ME WHILE MY BUMPER HUNG OUT A FOOT INTO THE LANE. THE CAR IS 3 MONTHS OLD. IT HAD A CHARGE OF 86 MILES WHEN IT HAPPENED, I HAD IT ON A CHARGING STATION IT SHOWED I CHARGED MY CAR ACCUMULATED (KWH): 29.523. THE RADIO, WINDOWS, BLUETOOTH AND ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL POWERED INSTRUMENTS STILL WORKED. I PRESSED THE POWER BUTTON OFF AND TURNED IT ON AGAIN , THE ERROR STILL REMAINED, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT "TURN ON".

NHTSA ID

10725422

Incident

Jun 10, 2015

Mileage

17,000 mi