VOLKSWAGEN

Volkswagen Problems

26,185 owner complaints across 39 Volkswagen models. Below — what fails first, how often it ends in a crash, and which models draw the most reports.

NHTSA owner complaints · 26,185 reports · 39 models · Updated Sep 19, 2026
Quick answer

Volkswagen owners have filed 26,185 complaints with NHTSA across 39 models. On average the car was 4.32 years old when the problem happened, and 47.4% of reports fall inside the first three years — while the factory warranty was still running.

What breaks on Volkswagen

The systems Volkswagen owners report most, and how often each failure ended in a crash.

FIG.01·Volkswagen — what breaks
SystemComplaintsShare of VolkswagenEnded in a crash
Air Bags2,64410.1%11.4%
Electrical System2,2218.5%0.9%
Engine1,6056.1%0.8%
Power Train1,5936.1%1.8%
Unknown Or Other1,3355.1%1.9%
Engine And Engine Cooling1,2034.6%0.6%
Fuel/Propulsion System9233.5%0.8%
Service Brakes7112.7%6%
ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

When Volkswagen problems show up

FIG.02·Volkswagen — when problems appear
MeasureValueWhat it means
Average age at failure4.32 yearsHow old the car was when the problem happened
Reported inside 3 years47.4%Share of complaints filed while the factory warranty was likely still running
Complaints describing a crash986Of 26,185 total
Complaints describing a fire650Of 26,185 total
ROWS 4·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

A low average age does not automatically mean a fragile car: a brand with a young fleet on the road will always skew early. Read it next to the share reported inside three years.

Which Volkswagen models draw the most complaints

Volume follows sales, so a bestseller will always top this list. The columns worth reading are age at failure and how many reports ended in a crash.

FIG.03·Volkswagen models by owner complaints
ModelComplaintsShare of VolkswagenAvg age at failureCrashes
JETTA8,37832%4.3 yrs392
PASSAT6,46324.7%5.3 yrs190
TIGUAN2,1348.1%3.8 yrs56
ATLAS1,9107.3%2.6 yrs34
GOLF1,2434.7%3.8 yrs46
ID.49823.8%1.6 yrs108
GTI7372.8%4.4 yrs26
ROUTAN6902.6%5.9 yrs14
BEETLE5462.1%5.3 yrs24
TOUAREG4741.8%5.4 yrs12
TAOS4671.8%1.5 yrs8
ATLAS CROSS SPORT4581.7%1.8 yrs16
CC3551.4%4.5 yrs16
EUROVAN1880.7%5.6 yrs6
JETTA SPORTWAGEN1670.6%7.5 yrs5
ROWS 15·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

Volkswagen complaints by model year

A bad generation shows up here as a block of years, not as a single spike. Recent years look quiet simply because those cars are young and still under warranty.

FIG.04·Volkswagen complaints by model year
Model yearComplaintsCrashesFires
2026361
2025178183
2024496209
2023833617
20221,116274
20211,155483
2020348101
20191,326376
2018872193
2017666404
2016704327
2015838277
20141,2064710
20131,5574910
20121,5016614
20111,0243418
20101,3384113
20091,5775129
20083961011
20075271911
20061,0162912
20054031422
20046553043
200389429136
20021,1133694
ROWS 25·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints

What Volkswagen owners report

Grouped by the system owners named. Open any row for the full reports, in their own words — one per model so the same fault does not repeat.

Air Bags 10% 2,644 Read
2014 Volkswagen PASSAT · crash · fire

The contact owns a 2014 volkswagen passat. While driving approximately 20 mph, another vehicle drifted into the contact's lane. As a result, the contact crashed into a cement divider. The air bags deployed and a white, powdery substance flew into the eyes of the contact and his wife, followed by metal fragments. The contact also stated that the passenger side air bag caught fire. The contact extinguished the fire. The contact's wife sustained injuries to the hip and stomach, which did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop where it was diagnosed that a new transmission, front driver's side wheel arm, and air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was then taken to joe machens volkswagen (1200 vandiver dr, columbia, mo 65202, (855) 301-6700), but the nature of the diagnostic and repairs could not be provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000. *tt *tr consumer stated customer exited to a rest area, missed a turn and at last minute attempted to make turn, hitting a curb. Both tires on driver's side blew out and airbags deployed. Updated 10/1/18

2021 Volkswagen ATLAS · crash

My daughter hit a deer while she was on the interstate, so she had her cruise control set at 72 mph, the deer came up out of the left/median ditch (she was in the left lane at the time). There was no warning as she did not see it at all, so there was an immediate, intense impact, enough where the hood of the car ended up opening up and smashing and coming to rest against the windshield. The Front end of the Atlas was HEAVILY damaged and NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED at all! The vehicle's seatbelt did lock up and keep her from slamming into the steering column and windshield and the vehicle's Front Assist Braking system did engage after the impact to slow her down and actually tried pulling her to the side of the road, although, that could be a flaw as well as it assumed that she was in the right lane of the road to begin with, so it pulled her to stop in the middle of the right lane of the Interstate. Thankfully it was late enough in the evening and no other traffic so she was able to figure that out in her post accident confusion and was able to get the car further off the road and call for help. The Atlas had to be towed from the scene. Prior to this incident there has been no issues with any warning lights coming on and we have had all past recalls taken care of through the VW Dealership we bought our VW from, so we assume that they were taken care of properly

2023 Volkswagen TAOS · crash

Air bags did not deploy after a direct driver side hit, and I was injured because of the accident. Car was declared a total loss by the insurance. The car is being held by State Farm if inspection needs to happen. I was hurt because of the car accident, and I fear for my life or my child’s life if they would have been in the car. I want to prevent any future injuries. I was driving 50 MPH on route 60 when I was hit on my side. There was no warning light on prior to the failure

Electrical System 8% 2,221 Read
1999 Volkswagen JETTA · crash · fire

Check engine light on, car runs rough when wet. Has always. Bring it in for diagnostic and they say it is the ignition coil pack. It was replaced and the day after service is completed on the way to work check engine light comes on again. Bring it back in and after another diagnostic hook up and another $72 later now they say there are 2 more faults. The ignition wires need replacing and the long term fuel trim is running lean. I do some research on line and find out vw has had ignition coil problems and had recalls on 2001 and 2002 model years after a class action suit was filed. I contacted vw before I knew about the class action suit and the problems vw has had with the ignition coil packs and was told that they couldn't assist me. Go figure. A company who has had these very same problems in the past with other models and years isn't taking responsibility for defective parts. I am very unhappy with vw service, both at the dealer and there headquarters for not acknowledging the problem and for not taking responsibility. There is an attorney who is doing a class action investigation into the ignition coil pak problem. It is gg&d, girard, gibbs, and de bartolomeo. They are based in san francisco and have a web site. You can email them if you've had any problems with your ignition coil pack needing replacing. I think it is horrible that vw won't admit of any liability in this matter especially since they've had a class action suit already for other years. It is

2025 Volkswagen ID.4 · fire

On [XXX], shortly before 7:00 we parked our EV in the designated charging space at the EVgo charging station on at the EVgo charging station located at [XXX] and connected the charging cable to our 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in the normal, intended manner, as we had done previously. We paid by credit card and watched the EVgo screen confirm proper connection and that charging had begun. We remained in the vehicle for several minutes to verify the session was proceeding normally and observed nothing unusual—no warning lights, error messages, or signs of malfunction. Only after confirming that charging appeared underway did we leave the car. We went into the Marshalls store across the parking lot. Inside the store, I monitored the charging progress through the Volkswagen mobile app, which showed the battery percentage increasing. When the battery reached approximately 23%, the charging session stopped abruptly and without explanation. I immediately went outside to check the vehicle and charger connection. When I reached the charging station, I found the ID.4 on fire, with flames visible and shooting high into the air. A police officer was already on scene and prevented anyone, including me, from approaching due to the risk of explosion, toxic smoke, or the fire spreading. Within minutes, Somerville Fire Department trucks arrived and took control. Firefighters extinguished the fire in approximately 15 minutes, smashing the windows to vent smoke and heat and then saturating the vehi

2019 Volkswagen E-GOLF · fire

High voltage component, onboard charger, failure caused an electrical fire contained inside the case. It is available for inspection. Unclear on safety concerns. Taken to dealer and a second repair shop and they were unable to identify the issue. I opened the onboard charger and found the evidence of the fire. Has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lights were present before or after the incident

Engine 6% 1,605 Read
2020 Volkswagen ATLAS CROSS SPORT · crash · fire

The contact owned a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, he crashed into another vehicle and within seconds, his vehicle's engine compartment caught fire and exploded twice. The vehicle was engulfed in flames when the fire department arrived on the scene. The contact did not receive medical attention or sustain injuries however, the contact's wife received medical attention for injuries sustained and transported to the hospital by ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto service center and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,643

2014 Volkswagen BEETLE · crash · fire

The contact owned a 2014 volkswagen beetle. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact's vehicle rear ended the preceding vehicle. A police report was filed. After approximately 25 minutes, the vehicle became engulfed in flames and burned to the ground. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The ambulance had to transport the contact and a passenger to the hospital due to bruises from the air bag deployment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000. Updated 05/25/16*lj updated 6/6/18

2006 Volkswagen PASSAT · crash · fire

In stop and go traffic and traveling at an extremely slow speed, the vehicle bumped into the rear of another vehicle. The contact ignited the vw passat into flames destroying the entire vehicle. Importantly, the other vehicle involved has zero damage as the bump was extremely light. We are aware the model year 2006 vw passat has a history of this occurring in front end collisions. We strongly request and recommend a recall be demanded of vw

Power Train 6% 1,593 Read
2024 Volkswagen ATLAS · crash

The vehicle was driven into the garage, driver pressed park then engine stop. Driver and passenger exited vehicle, opened both rear doors and retrieved items from the rear seats. Closed rear doors. No warning sounds or lights came on when exiting the vehicle. When returning to the vehicle in about an hour it had rolled out of the garage and crashed into another garage. When the driver's door was opened the shift lever indicated PARK. The incident was reported to the dealer and taken in as soon as possible. The dealer has been unable to recreate the problem and is still researching. Very concerned about the possibility of the vehicle moving in PARK and hitting someone or something

2024 Volkswagen GTI · crash

I am [XXX] and have only ever owned manual transmission cars. I bought a 2024 GTI/Manual Transmission a few months ago. I also have a 2017 GTI Sport, 6MT. All purchased new. I was so used to the way the 2017 utilized hill hold and had not experienced a hill in my test drive before buying the car. I also drove other brands manual transmission and they all worked in a similar manner. The "Hill Hold" feature on this 2024 GTI/Manual Transmission vehicle is dangerous and does not release when it is supposed to. It is extremely aggressive in the amount that it is holding. In fact, I was rear ended 1 mile from the dealership after picking up the car because of this issue...no kidding. My current workaround is to release the brake, wait a couple of seconds until the car releases its "Hill Hold", rolls backward, and then give throttle/release the clutch. This is a safety concern in many ways. I could get rear ended again because the rear brake light goes out when I release the foot brake, even though I have to wait a few seconds to move forward. Also, in an emergency, if I had to move quickly, the car would likely stall if I tried to overcome the "Hill Hold" brake before it releases itself. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2019 Volkswagen JETTA · crash

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a handicapped parking space, the vehicle failed to stop despite the contact's foot firmly depressed on the brake pedal. As the vehicle continued to move forward with the contact's foot depressed to the floorboard, the vehicle drove over the parking barrier, knocked over the handicapped post, and entered the sidewalk. The vehicle eventually decelerated and the contact managed to shift the vehicle into reverse(R) and regain control of the vehicle. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. Despite the property damage and emotional distress suffered by both the contact and the passenger, no injuries were reported and no immediate medical attention was needed. A police report was not filed and the air bags did not deploy as a result of the failure. The incident was reported to the store manager. The contact was able to drive the vehicle back home without incident. The manufacturer nor the dealer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or serviced. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000

Unknown Or Other 5% 1,335 Read
2016 Volkswagen TIGUAN · crash · fire

Was involved in a collision, rear ended another vehicle at approximately 45mph. The only injury sustained was a broken heel by the driver, all other party's did not receive medical treatment and only cosmetic damage to their vehicles. Moments after the collision, the tiguan burst into flames. The brake petal had trapped the drivers foot and the door was jammed. Fortunately the other party was able to jerk the door until it opened to free the driver. The tiguan was a total loss, becoming completely engulfed in flames

2014 Volkswagen BEETLE · crash · fire

Rear-ended a car in stop and go traffic on freeway - fender bender-no air bags went off. Both cars drove off the freeway to the side streets to exchange information. About 10 to 15 mins later whilst the car was parked and engine turned off - there were two pop pop noises and then car burst into flames

2025 Volkswagen ID.4 · crash

I was trying to park the car in a parking spot. There was a curb to my right, So I was turning carefully to not rake my wheel against the curb. The car suddenly accelerated by itself, jumped the curb infront, hit a tree and stopped. It accelerated so much and hit the curb so hard, that the entire front right side was destroyed

Engine And Engine Cooling 5% 1,203 Read
2021 Volkswagen ATLAS · fire

The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, she had turned the air conditioner on and felt that hot air was blowing out. The contact stopped at a traffic signal turned the vehicle off and on again and noticed that the air conditioner was now blowing cool air. The contact had begun to smell a burning rubber smell and noticed that smoke was being emitted from under the hood on the driver's side. The contact stated that when she stopped at another traffic signal all of the dash alarms began to flash and she heard warning chimes sound as well. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and turned the vehicle off. The contact stepped out of the vehicle when she saw black and white smoke coming from under the hood, then flames burst out from under the hood. The contact stated that the entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The contact stated that the heat and flames melted the front tires. The fire department wrote a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was declared a total loss by her insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000

2009 Volkswagen TIGUAN · fire

I was driving on rolling road (north) toward old keen mill road in springfield, virginia around 4:05 pm on november 4, 2014 (tuesday). I saw the smoke coming out near the hood in the front while waiting for traffic light, so I pulled over to the parking lot near a gas station. I saw people waved to me, and yelled at me to stop, I got off my car and they told me my car was on fire at the bottom, we bend down and looked the bottom of the vehicle, and saw the fire burning on the material hanging down. Fortunately, a driver ran over carrying a fire extinguisher from his car, and a person from the gas station also brought another fire extinguisher, they spread the fire extinguisher to put out the fire. I could not wait for the tow truck, so I carefully drove the car to the vw dealership in fairfax, virginia. The mechanic lifted up the car and took down the burned lower engine cover, and figured that it was because many dried leaves stuck near the engine and the high heat near the engine causing the leaves to fire up and burn the lower engine cover. I've saved this lower engine cover in my trunk, and have reported this safety incident to the vw customer service. The case was documented and a case # [xxx] was assigned. I report this incident to NHTSA for the safety concern because this non-fire-resistant material can cause the life of the drivers and passengers. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

1999 Volkswagen PASSAT · fire

Was driving vehicle on the highway , the vehicle's check engine light and brake light came on and the vehicle completely shut down , I pulled over to the side of the highway I seen smoke I opened the hood and it was on fire. I called police and fire. The fire was put out the fans are melted and I'm not sure what else is burned , I have no idea what could have started the fire the vehicle is taken care of and there's no warning lights on , on the dash

Fuel/Propulsion System 4% 923 Read
2023 Volkswagen ID.4 · fire

I was charging at Electrify America charging station for approximately 20 minutes when suddenly I felt the ID.4 shaking and then seconds later I was surrounded by smoke coming from outside and beneath the ID.4. The ID.4 was not turned on and was completely stationary. I unplugged the vehicle. During this time I made a best effort to not inhale but it happened so quickly that it was unavoidable. The smoke smelled really toxic and tasted like chemicals. I felt nauseous and woozy afterwards. I called 911 to report the smoke coming out of my ID.4. Call was made at 6pm, seconds after the smoke started pouring out. The vehicle was releasing extreme amounts of cloudy thick white smoke and it completely engulfed the ID.4 itself. There was also an orange/pink-like liquid pouring out of the left side of the vehicle from the bottom. The fire department came and from what they told me, they cut a "cut loop" to prevent the battery from continuing to get more power. They told me the cells in the battery were continuing to release energy and heat to the point that it was melting the carpets in the ID.4's floor. They hosed it down for over 2 hours until the battery was cooled off enough and safe to be towed to a safe area. There had been no warning leading to this. The car did not alarm of any issues

2021 Volkswagen ATLAS · crash

Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) system traps harmful fuel vapors from the gas tank, storing them in a charcoal canister before burning them in the engine

2025 Volkswagen JETTA · crash

I am reporting a safety concern involving unintended acceleration in a 2025 Volkswagen Jetta SE (VIN [XXX] ) Te vehicle has experienced two separate incidents in which it surged forward unexpectedly when shifting from park to drive while my foot depressed the brake pedal. The first incident occurred in approximately August 2025 while attempting to move the vehicle into a residential garage. When the transmission was shifted into Drive, the vehicle accelerated forward despite continued brake application and traveled approximately 30 feet before stopping. A collision with a structural wall was narrowly avoided. The second incident occurred on [XXX]. When shifting from Park into Drive with my foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle again surged forward unexpectedly and struck a storage cabinet inside the garage, causing property damage. A family member was nearby at the time. Following these incidents, the vehicle was taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealership (Garnet Volkswagen of West Chester, Pennsylvania) on December 15, 2025 for inspection. The dealership preformed diagnostic scans and reported no stored fault codes and was unable to duplicate the condition. The vehicle was returned without repair. The vehicle was later presented to another authorized Volkswagen, Pohanka Volkswagen of Salisbury, Maryland in February 2026 for additional evaluation without any solution. I subsequently notified Volkswagen Group of America and requested a manufacturer-level engineering rev

Service Brakes 3% 711 Read
2016 Volkswagen JETTA · crash

I tried to stop my car and the brake pedal went completely to the floor and did not stop at all. There were no warning lights on, I keep my brakes and car well maintained. My car hit the rear of another car because the brakes failed to engage when I pushed the pedal down. My car which is the vw jetta was totaled in the accident. My insurance company GEICO has the car sitting at copart and it should be able to be inspected. I know the 2015-2016 vw Jetta had a recall for brake failure due to brake vacuum pump.But my 2016 doesn’t have any recalls on it. The police officer inspected the brakes at the scene

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 · crash

My car is stopped and still due to heavy traffic . All of a sudden, while stopping, it starts moving and rolling away by itself. I try to stop it using the break pedal but it doesn’t stop

2010 Volkswagen GTI · crash

Under emergency braking at around 70mph all 4 wheels locked up and abs/traction lights illuminated on dash. Caused a minor accident and flat spot on all 4 tires. ABS did not work. This is a know recall for 2009 models of the same vehicle. I replicated the issue a second time at a slower speed on a secluded road with the same results. There are numerous complaints about the same situation on this and other model VW cars of this year all over the internet forums. The ABS module was diagnosed as defective by mechanic shop

Unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Percentages are shares of all 26,185 Volkswagen complaints.

Volkswagen against the rest

FIG.05·Volkswagen versus other brands
MeasureWhere Volkswagen sitsOut of
By complaint volume#1129 brands with 3,000+ complaints
By age at failure (later is better)#2729 brands
Complaints ending in a crash3.8%across all 26,185 reports
ROWS 3·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints + ForCar

Ranking by volume says more about how many cars a brand sells than about how they hold up. Age at failure is the fairer of the two.

Volkswagen problems by model

29 Volkswagen models have owner complaints on file. Pick one for its worst years, failing systems and what owners actually wrote. Another 10 Volkswagen models have no complaints on record at all.

FIG.06·Volkswagen problems by model
ModelOwner complaintsYearsMost reported system
Volkswagen Jetta8,3781981–2026Electrical system
Volkswagen Passat6,5031989–2022Air bags
Volkswagen Tiguan2,1342009–2026Engine
Volkswagen Atlas1,9102018–2026Electrical system
Volkswagen Golf1,2561985–2021Fuel/propulsion system
Volkswagen GTI7371989–2025Engine
Volkswagen Routan6902009–2014Electrical system
Volkswagen Beetle5841998–2019Air bags
Volkswagen Touareg4742004–2018Power train
Volkswagen Taos4672022–2026Engine
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport4582020–2026Electrical system
Volkswagen CC3552012–2018Air bags
Volkswagen EuroVan1881992–2004Engine and engine cooling
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen1672009–2014Electrical system
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen1662015–2020Electrical system
Volkswagen Corrado1261989–1995Engine and engine cooling
Volkswagen Rabbit1251981–2009Service brakes
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack962017–2020
Volkswagen Golf R752013–2026Fuel/propulsion system
Volkswagen FOX551987–1993Visibility
Volkswagen e-Golf502015–2020Electrical system
Volkswagen Vanagon321983–1991Fuel system
Volkswagen Arteon232019–2023Tires
Volkswagen R32112004–2008Engine and engine cooling
Volkswagen Scirocco101981–1989Fuel system
Volkswagen GLI82008–2009Service brakes
Volkswagen Jetta Wagon62001–2006
Volkswagen Tiguan Limited62018–2018Power train
Volkswagen Phaeton52004–2006Structure
ROWS 29·SOURCE NHTSA owner complaints
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How we count

Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,109,349 of them, covering 2,013 models built between 1981 and 2026.

A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.

Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.

Frequently asked questions

How reliable is Volkswagen?

Owners have filed 26,185 complaints across 39 Volkswagen models. On its own that number reflects how many Volkswagen cars are on the road — compare the average age at failure (4.32 years) instead.

What breaks most often on a Volkswagen?

The most reported system is Air Bags with 2,644 complaints.

Do Volkswagen problems show up under warranty?

47.4% of Volkswagen complaints describe something that happened in the first three years, while the factory warranty was likely still running.

Which Volkswagen model has the most complaints?

See the model list above — each card shows its complaint count, and the model page breaks it down by year and by system.

Owner complaints from NHTSA, published as filed and unverified. Age at failure computed by ForCar from incident date and model year; production series grouped by the first 11 VIN characters. Last updated Sep 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
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