2016 Volkswagen E-Golf: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 17 owner complaints on record; most reports concern electrical system.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jul 2022
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2019
“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.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2018
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2018
“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.”Owner report · Power Train · Mar 2017
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 0 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 e-Golf vehicles manufactured May 21, 2014, to March 1, 2016. Oversensitive diagnostics for the high-voltage battery management system may falsely detect an electrical surge resulting in the vehicle's electric drive motor shutting down unexpectedly.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will update the battery management software, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93B4.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks to disengage, allowing a child to open a rear door while inside the vehicle.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
How other years compare
Check your exact E-Golf by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf reliable?
NHTSA has 17 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf. The most complained-about area is electrical system.
Does the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning unknown or other. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.