By year
Owner complaints about Volkswagen vehicles peaked at 1,918 in 2016
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 1995 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.
Make
Volkswagen
The complete NHTSA record for Volkswagen vehicles: owner complaints, recall campaigns, defect investigations and manufacturer communications, for every model and model year on file.
Most Volkswagen recalls are filed by Volkswagen, part of Volkswagen Group.
Owner complaints in the last five years7,71534,910 on file in all, across 53 models
Recall campaigns39674 in five years
Severity index7.8Crash, fire, injury or death per 100 complaints
Investigations9010,906 service bulletins
Components
Electrical system draws the most owner complaints about Volkswagen vehicles, 14% of them
Share of all owner complaints on file, by component.
Source: NHTSA ODI.
Models
The Jetta has the most complaints of any Volkswagen model
Every Volkswagen model with complaints or recalls on file, by complaints. Counts are not rates: NHTSA publishes no sales volumes.
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Severity index | Recalls | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetta | 1980 to 2026 | 10,230 | 9.4 | 229 | 91 |
| Passat | 1988 to 2025 | 7,846 | 7.6 | 136 | 79 |
| Beetle | 1998 to 2019 | 2,588 | 9.4 | 111 | 15 |
| Tiguan | 2005 to 2026 | 2,292 | 4.7 | 65 | 19 |
| Atlas | 2018 to 2026 | 1,992 | 3.7 | 77 | 10 |
| Golf | 1985 to 2024 | 1,489 | 8.5 | 169 | 57 |
| GTI | 1985 to 2026 | 1,404 | 7.1 | 83 | 33 |
| ID.4 | 2021 to 2026 | 1,005 | 13.2 | 41 | 5 |
| CC | 2005 to 2017 | 983 | 4.6 | 41 | 16 |
| Routan | 2008 to 2015 | 784 | 4.7 | 9 | 0 |
| Touareg | 2003 to 2018 | 645 | 6.2 | 30 | 9 |
| Taos | 2021 to 2026 | 495 | 1.8 | 9 | 0 |
| Atlas Cross Sport | 2020 to 2026 | 482 | 4.8 | 53 | 1 |
| EOS | 2005 to 2017 | 425 | 4.9 | 21 | 15 |
| Eurovan | 1992 to 2004 | 219 | 14.6 | 6 | 10 |
| NEW Beetle | 1998 to 2010 | 191 | 10.5 | 10 | 0 |
| Cabrio | 1989 to 2011 | 187 | 17.1 | 7 | 6 |
| Golf Sportwagen | 2013 to 2020 | 172 | 9.3 | 20 | 5 |
| Jetta Sportwagen | 2005 to 2017 | 171 | 7.0 | 6 | 8 |
| Rabbit | 1980 to 2013 | 163 | 15.3 | 22 | 8 |
| Corrado | 1989 to 1997 | 149 | 10.1 | 16 | 2 |
| R32 | 2004 to 2011 | 129 | 1.6 | 7 | 1 |
| Jetta Hybrid | 2013 to 2017 | 101 | 4.0 | 6 | 7 |
| Golf Alltrack | 2017 to 2019 | 100 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 |
| FOX | 1987 to 1993 | 81 | 7.4 | 16 | 5 |
| Golf R | 2012 to 2026 | 80 | 6.3 | 20 | 6 |
| Volkswagen | 1980 to 2016 | 66 | 9.1 | 1 | 0 |
| E-Golf | 2015 to 2020 | 53 | 7.5 | 10 | 4 |
| Vanagon | 1980 to 1994 | 51 | 21.6 | 28 | 24 |
| Passat Wagon | 1996 to 2010 | 50 | 12.0 | 11 | 0 |
| Cabriolet | 1980 to 1990 | 44 | 2.3 | 13 | 12 |
| Arteon | 2019 to 2024 | 43 | 2.3 | 6 | 0 |
| Beetle Convertible | 2000 to 2019 | 42 | 0.0 | 22 | 0 |
| Golf Sportswagen | 2015 to 2017 | 15 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Scirocco | 1980 to 1991 | 14 | 0.0 | 11 | 0 |
| ID. Buzz | 2025 to 2026 | 14 | 21.4 | 2 | 0 |
| GLI | 1990 to 2021 | 12 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Phaeton | 2004 to 2006 | 7 | 14.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jetta Wagon | 2002 to 2005 | 6 | 16.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiguan Limited | 2018 | 6 | 16.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Quantum | 1982 to 1991 | 4 | 25.0 | 6 | 11 |
| Egolf | 2015 to 2018 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jetta GLI | 2016 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jetta TDI | 2015 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Camper | 1981 to 1989 | 1 | 0.0 | 12 | 0 |
| Dasher | 1980 to 1989 | 1 | 100.0 | 3 | 3 |
| 90 | 1986 to 1990 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Passat TDI | 2015 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Polo 1.6 Comfortline | 2011 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Westphalia | 1981 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Touareg Hybrid | 2011 to 2016 | 0 | None | 7 | 5 |
| Convertible | 1980 to 1985 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Syncro | 1986 to 1989 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA ODI. Recall counts add campaigns across model years, so a campaign covering three years counts three times.
Latest recalls
Recent campaigns listing a Volkswagen product
- 26V-590 Sep 11, 2026
One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break
Steering · 209k vehicles - 26V-587 Sep 10, 2026
Software error may cause the body control module (BCM) system to reset
Electrical system · 50k vehicles - 26V-473 Jul 22, 2026
Vehicles may experience a low-voltage electrical event that affects display screen functions
Back-over prevention · 58k vehicles - 26V-321 May 20, 2026
Error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended
Back-over prevention · 8 vehicles - 26V-258 Apr 22, 2026
In the event of a rear-end crash, the fuel pressure sensor may dislodge or separate from the fuel tank
Fuel system · 39k vehicles - 26V-185 Mar 25, 2026
Instrument panel may fail to display warning lights or gauges
Electrical system · 75k vehicles - 26V-138 Mar 11, 2026
Transmission ground wire may not have been properly connected during assembly, causing an open electrical circuit
Electrical system · 48k vehicles - 26V-030 Jan 21, 2026
High-voltage battery may overheat
Electrical system · 44k vehicles - 26V-028 Jan 21, 2026
High voltage (HV) battery cell modules may contain misaligned electrodes that can result in a battery fire
Electrical system · 670 vehicles - 25V-854 Dec 10, 2025
Passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied
Airbags · 3,138 vehicles
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.