2013 Volkswagen Golf: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 43 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (21% of complaints); the 2014 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Dec 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Misfiring after cold starts. After driving the car in freezing temperatures, problem sometimes happens when the car is allowed to sit and water in the intercooler melts. It may start fine, but then starts misfiring when pulling into traffic and creates dangerous merges. Misfire goes away in the first 30 seconds to 2 minutes or so of starting the vehicle. Several dealer complaints but they have so far refused to install their own TSB repair under warranty. The most recent dealer visit had them replace the anti-shudder valve. The problem reoccurred two days later.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2022
“Car shut off while driving on the freeway at a high rate of speed. EPS and Check Engine light came on. Luckily was able to pull over without hurting anyone. Local repair shop said it is the timing chain system.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen golf. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, he shifted into third gear and the vehicle sputtered and shut-off with the battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated a tow truck tried to boost the battery and it failed. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to his residence. The contact repaired the battery however, the failure persisted. The vehicle still failed to restart. The local dealer was contacted but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 91,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2021
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“My vw was retrofitted as required to meet federal emission and california standards following the vw emissions scandal related to vw diesel vehicles. My car's engine light is on and the dealer reports it needs a diesel particulate filter. However, the parts are unavailable nationwide. The emissions are now out of compliance. *tr”Owner report · Service Brakes · Apr 2020
“The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat overheated and burned the occupant. The burn injuries were minor and there was no medical attention sought. The contact mentioned that the front passenger side fan was failing as well. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but no failure was determined. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and the contact was informed that the rear passenger's side door had mildew and mold and that there was a leak that caused electrical damage inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 40,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen golf. While driving at an unknown speed, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The contact notified the manufacturer and was informed to take the vehicle to a local volkswagen dealer for service. The contact spoke with sunnyvale volkswagen (1025 e el camino real, sunnyvale, ca 94087, 408-739-7321) and was informed that diagnostic testing was needed. The contact refused to pay for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2019
“The gti started making clacking sounds, and shaking while on but stopped. Then the epc and check engine lights started flashing. Afterwards, the car would not accelerate at all and would shake a lot more. When taken to autozone for diagnostics of the check engine light, the report read: "perform engine de-carbon procedure." the coil packs were fine.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · May 2018
“High pressure fuel pump failure - car stalled out in the middle of normal operation, driving down the street, no signs or warning prior.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Oct 2017
“The epc started coming on, it loses power and sometimes cuts off while I am driving. My speed slows down to 3 miles an hour.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2017
“Takata recall one year has passed since the recall was initiated for the drivers airbag for my vw vehicle and to date my I have not been contacted by vw and there website states NHTSA recall number 16v078 has quote "repair not yet available." this is both disappointing and worrying since not a single vw affected vehicle appears on your published priority groups list or the "completed so far" list. Despite the fact that I live in texas which is deemed a priority zone a ! I realize this is a big problem to tackle but lack of information and updates only makes people worry an incident could occur rather than instill confidence that a solution is forth coming.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 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 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2013 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 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 2013 Volkswagen Golf reliable?
NHTSA has 43 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2013 Volkswagen Golf. The most complained-about area is air bags (21% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2013 Volkswagen Golf problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 50,000 miles or less.
Does the 2013 Volkswagen 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.