Volkswagen / Golf / 2001
2001 Volkswagen Golf problems
Owners have filed 152 complaints about the 2001 Volkswagen Golf with NHTSA. Air bags account for 21.7% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 15.8%.
Complaints152
Crashes5
Fires3
Injuries7
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 21.7% · 33
Engine and engine cooling 15.8% · 24
Electrical system 9.9% · 15
Exterior lighting 9.9% · 15
Visibility 9.2% · 14
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.6% · 10
Power train 5.3% · 8
Vehicle speed control 4.6% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 5 describe a crash, 3 describe a fire and 7 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 7 model years of the Volkswagen Golf in this data, 2001 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 2015 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 70,896 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Golf. The side curtain air bags, including the passenger seat air bags, deployed for no apparent reason. The contact was driving 60-65 mph at the time of failure. The road conditions were normal and there was no sudden impact or crash. The failure mileage was 119,100 and current mileage was 119,350. Updated 03-05-08 Air bags · reported at 119,100 miles
2001 Vw Golf 2.0L with 59k miles airbag light came on for no apparent reason at startup and would not go off. Called vw of america and was given a case number. Took vehicle to dealer and they reported that the passenger front air bag harness needed to be replaced. Waiting for vw of america response to dealership for repairs to take place. Air bags · reported at 59,833 miles
Air bags deployed on side for no apparent reason. No damage done to vehicle other than slight scratch on the undercarriage. It could not be determined whether or not the scratch was there before or after the airbags deployed. Dealer refused to pay for the damage, and this is obviously a safety issue. Air bags · reported at 3,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…