Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Volkswagen Golf owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that the vehicle jumped the curb while driving, but he was able to regain control. The driver turned off the vehicle and restarted it. Recently, while reversing out of a parking spot and placing the vehicle into drive, there was sudden acceleration, and he crashed into a fence in front of the dumpsters. The brake pedal was applied, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact's neighbor was jumping up and down in front of my vehicle, waving his arms; the driver was able to stop approximately six feet in front of his neighbor. The vehicle was turned off. While reversing, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a parked Jeep, causing damage to the driver's side front and rear doors. There was no police report filed, air bag deployment, fire, or injuries. Additionally, the EPC has been turning on. The engine was chugging. …
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. The contact noticed that the fuel pump would frequent stop while fueling the vehicle. The contact then stated that while his vehicle was being driven by a valet, fuel began to pour out of the fuel tank while on an incline. The valet attendant managed to drive the vehicle down a decline which stopped the leak. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was then driven to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer informed the contact that the suction pump, seal, and emission filter needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V647000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. …
While normally driving on the street, I noticed that the car started to overheat and could hear the radiator working to keep the heat level normal. I stopped and did not notice any leaks and added coolant to the car after I left it cool for about 3 hours. The problem went away but i still took it to the dealership and i was told it might be the head gasket of the engine or thermostat/waterpump, a $4000 repair. Was advised to just sell the car. VW should address this issue as it has been a long issue now
Thermostat housing and water pump are leaking coolant. It is available for inspection. It can cause my engine to overheat and/or fail while being used. It has been confirmed by a dealership. It has not been inspected by the police, manufacturer, or insurance company. There have been occasional reports of low coolant, and the coolant drains significantly faster than expected especially in cold weather (e.g. needing to fill coolant every 7 days). It was first repaired in 2019, and has since failed again.
Coolant has leaked all over my driveway because of a thermostat housing and water pump fail. I am getting fixed for the second time $1800 dollar fix. Very common amongst other Volkswagen owners. This is not fair. If they know of this problem it should be dealt with. Now I am out $4000 in repairs and have a big stain in my brand new driveway. This is very unsafe if driving long distances as coolant leaks everywhere.
Driving 65 mph down highway vehicle shut off with no warning. Fault code shows defective injector #1. Vw tdi (post fix dieselgate). Dealer will not fix because I cleared the code to drive home. Irresponsible for vw to make a car that shuts down completely with no limp mode or short time to clear road.
Loss of coolant due to cheap plastic housing leads to damage to the thermostat and water pump. Researching the forums on this issue has shown that it's a common problem with the vehicle that Volkswagen hasn't addressed.
I drove the car to a meeting on Thursday evening, jan 4th, 2018. Parked it in a residential home office parking area in santa fe, nm at 6 pm. At 6:10 pm another person arrived to the meeting and said she saw flames by a red car. It was my Golf. Several of us went out with pots of water and a hose to contain the fire. Moved the other vehicles away from it to avoid it spreading. The flames came down from the engine onto the ground in front of the bumper. It was smoky and smelt horrible. We were able to contain the fire. When the fire dept arrived they used a special tool to pry the hood open and used the residential garden hose to douse the engine to stop the smoldering and reduce the heat of the vehicle to assure it would not ignite again. The car was assessed as totaled. I just bought it from vw uptown abq. It was a tdi that had the modification for the emissions class action suit.
2015 Golf started experiencing problems with the engine/transmission after feb 5, 2016 on three different occasions. Upon starting car the idle is extremely rough and then a warning message appears that starts out with "transmission..." goes off quickly but a highlighted exclamation point remains. The message goes off too quickly to capture a picture of it. The exclamation point and rough idle remains until the car is turned off. When the car is turned on again it is fine. The car is currently at a dealer to be repaired as they state: we have to replace the shifter assembly. I have been told I cannot drive it, that the car has to stay in the shop and wait for a part to arrive sometime next week. This problem is separate from the other problems I have experienced: 1). …
Very rough idle/dangerous loss of power electronic power control light illuminates. Car develops issue in 2 instances, will idle smoothly at rest and then epc light will illuminate and very rough idle will ensue with entire car shaking. Car must be shutoff and restarted to correct. Once restarted car will idle normally and light is off. Second issue is with car at load, driving normal speeds when epc light will come on and engine power is dramatically reduced making for extremely hazardous condition if pulling out or accelerating in traffic. Sudden loss of power can only be resolved if safe place available to pullover and restart the car. Vw dealer says they can only repair car if it displays behavior at shop. Since light is off when restarted it is not running poorly when driven in for service they state no problem found. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Engine complaints in other Golf years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2015 Volkswagen Golf?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2015 Volkswagen Golf, 21% of the model year's 131 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › emission control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Volkswagen Golf engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-705 (engine, Oct 26, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Volkswagen Golf engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 15,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.