Most common 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf problems
Share of the 17 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Volkswagen E-Golf complaints by model year
Best E-Golf years: 2019. Compare all years →
2016 Volkswagen E-Golf recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Unknown or other
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.
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.
Seat belts › Pretensioner
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017.
Latches/locks/linkages
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016.
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 e-Golf vehicles manufactured May 21, 2014, to March 1, 2016. Oversensitive diagnostics for the high-voltage battery management system may falsely detect an electrical surge resulting in the vehicle's electric drive motor shutting down…
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will update the battery management software, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf:
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
What 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf owners say
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle with the level 3 charger, the female connector on the vehicle became loosened due to a failure with the 4 tabs holding the connector in place on the vehicle. The level 3 charger loosened and exposed the plug with live current going to the part. The contact stated that he smelled a burnt electrical odor and the charger was now inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, there were no trained technicians available to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
Two miles into my morning commute, I accelerated to 65 mph when the following message appeared on the instrument display "Error: electrical system. Stop!" At the same time, the vehicle lost all electrical motor drive and began to coast and decelerate. As I coasted there was a clicking noise in the drivetrain and remained audible while I changed lanes to the shoulder and made a safe full stop. I powered the vehicle OFF then ON three time or until the error disappeared. The vehicle was driven to a service location and scanned which revealed 14 error codes (ref. attachment) related to electric drivetrain. This error is a safety related fault and needs to be investigated by a NHTSA and a VW safety engineer.
Engine & cooling
Two miles into my morning commute, I accelerated to 65 mph when the following message appeared on the instrument display "Error: electrical system. Stop!" At the same time, the vehicle lost all electrical motor drive and began to coast and decelerate. As I coasted there was a clicking noise in the drivetrain and remained audible while I changed lanes to the shoulder and made a safe full stop. I powered the vehicle OFF then ON three time or until the error disappeared. The vehicle was driven to a service location and scanned which revealed 14 error codes (ref. attachment) related to electric drivetrain. This error is a safety related fault and needs to be investigated by a NHTSA and a VW safety engineer.
Vw e-Golf electrical vehicle died suddenly while driving coming to an abrupt stop (as if the breaks had been fully applied) while entering single lane highway on-ramp during morning rush hour. Unable to roll the car to the side to avoid traffic. Unable to exit the car as other vehicles were swerving on both sides to avoid a collision. Took over 20 minutes to get assistance to pull the car to the side of the road (thanks to a courageous good samaritan) until police and tow truck arrived over 35 minutes after the incident. Vehicle was towed to dealer where mechanics were unable to deal with it (high voltage vehicle) until they received instructions from vw of America. It took about 1 week to have the issue resolved. Complete description of the work performed at the dealership: "1456 vehicle does not go into ready mode electrical system error displayed on mfd. Gff. …
2016 Volkswagen E-Golf engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | FWD | 126 / 105 / 116 MPGe | 83 mi |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the E-Golf to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf?
The electrical system — 10 complaints, 59% of all complaints for this model year, most often about propulsion system › charging › cable/cord › accessory. Next are the engine & cooling (5) and speed control & acceleration (2).
How many recalls does the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf, the most recent from July 27, 2022 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Volkswagen E-Golf?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2019. See the full Volkswagen E-Golf years comparison.
At what mileage do 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 2,000 miles; 91% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.