4.3

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #6

May 142024

Golf SportWagen

  • miles
Despite settling a class action lawsuit re: moonroof leakage, VW refuses to cover the same repair for my VW Golf Sportwagen. I have the same issue but could not participate in the class action suit due to mileage. I routinely have to bail 1/2 - 1 gallon of water out the spare tire area if its been raining. Water now also collects in the footwell behind the driver's seat/in front of my child's seat. The bolts affixing the seatbelts to the floor are rusted and there is mold under the carpet. The car now has electrical issues, including the alarm no longer sounding when I am reversing and someone is approaching in my blind spot. In addition, when the weather has been wet, the back up camera does not work and, mid trip, the car alarms sound, indicating the car must be serviced and the brakes and airbags are not working. These problems disappear after a few days of dry weather.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #5

Mar 012024

Golf SportWagen

  • miles
Clockspring failure. VW does not cover this critical safety part under warranty. Air bag is non functional (air bag light on) horn is non functional. Other controls on steering wheel not functional.

- Sunland , CA, USA

problem #4

Mar 292021

Golf SportWagen

  • 66,000 miles
Existing NHTSA recall 69L2 but on different model year - VW driver side airbag and horn/steering wheel buttons disabled. My airbag warning light came on and my horn and steering wheel buttons became disabled simultaneously as I was in motion driving down the road. Now my airbag and horn/buttons are not working including cruise control. VW recalled earlier-model vehicles but this appears to be a problem that still hasn't been solved and affects more than just the models listed in the original recall. I called VW care to see if my vehicle was covered under a campaign or extended warranty. However the person I spoke to told me that my clock spring was not covered and I would have to pay out of pocket. This is infuriating because it's a known issue that's disabling my airbag and horn but VW is refusing to take responsibility. Judging by how many complaints I've seen I am definitely not alone. My vehicle only has ~66K miles. Here is a related VW extended warranty bulletin I found posted to your website: Https://static.NHTSA.gov/ODI/tsbs/2018/mc-10149942-9999.pdf investigation into whether VW didn't recall enough models: Https://www.forbes.com/sites/jensen/2018/04/21/feds-investigate-whether-VW-should-recall-more-models/"sh=159D58364C60 customers continuing to have problems even after fixing, suggesting VW has not fixed the issue: Https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/6185-VW-clock-spring-recall-may-have-failed www.vwproblems.com/clock-spring-failure/ more complaints: Https://www.vehie.com/complaints/Volkswagen"vehie_model=golf+sportwagen https://www.carcomplaints.com/Volkswagen/golf_sportwagen/2016/seat_belts_air_bags/clock_spring_broken.shtml article mentioning that 15/16 sportwagens notoriously have clock spring issues: Https://www.wheels.ca/car-reviews/buying-used-2015-2019-Volkswagen-golf-sportwagen/

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #3

Dec 012020

Golf SportWagen

  • 41,000 miles
Clock spring has failed with horn and airbag malfunction.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #2

Jun 152020

Golf SportWagen 4-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
Clockspring failure at 32K miles. Turned car on and got an airbag warning and all controls on the steering wheel are dead. Out of warranty and not part of the recall according to vwoa.

- West Chester, PA, USA

problem #1

Jul 282018

Golf SportWagen

  • 23,000 miles
The drain on retractable roof became blocked. Rainwater drained into car saturating carpets. Water flowed into control system causing an emergency dashboard alert to stop driving immediately while driving on highway. This event occurred twice: Firstly in New York then two weeks later in pa. VW service in pa replaced connectors. VW service in brooklyn NY and westchester pa explained that there is a design fault in the drainage system in the retractable roof.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA