2013 Volkswagen Golf: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 67 complaints
67
Total Complaints
50,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
3
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

11,000 25th Percentile
50,000 Median Mileage
80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
14
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
11
AIR BAGS
9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
SERVICE BRAKES
5
STEERING
5
SUSPENSION
4
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
WHEELS
1

Severity Assessment

3
Crashes
3
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 5 MILES PER HOUR AND MY CAR STARTED LOSING POWER......LIKE IT HAD A CLOGGED FUEL FILTER. BRAND NEW 2 WEEKS OLD I THOUGHT NOT POSSIBLE. I TRIED TO SAFELY GET IT TO THE LEFT LANE DODGING TRAFFIC WITH MY SLOW MOVING CAR. IT WENT TO 20 MPH AND IT DID NOT COMPLETELY STOP B..."
"BRAND NEW CAR DRIVES SOMEWHAT ERRATIC. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER FOR ALIGNMENT CHECK. WAS ADVISED BY DEALER THAT CAR IS DELIVERED WITH SUSPENSION ADJUSTED OUTSIDE OF MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS. NO REASON GIVEN WHY. I CONSIDER CAR UNSAFE AS IT DOESN'T DRIVE AS EXPECTED. CHECKING SOME OWNER WEBSITES, ..."
"BRAND NEW CAR DRIVES SOMEWHAT ERRATIC. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER FOR ALIGNMENT CHECK. WAS ADVISED BY DEALER THAT CAR IS DELIVERED WITH SUSPENSION ADJUSTED OUTSIDE OF MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS. NO REASON GIVEN WHY. I CONSIDER CAR UNSAFE AS IT DOESN'T DRIVE AS EXPECTED. CHECKING SOME OWNER WEBSITES, ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28