Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Volkswagen Golf owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. …
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. …
I am reporting this same issue for two separate vehicles (same make, model and year): All of the sensors relating to parking, rear cross traffic, ACC, etc. fail intermittently. (They all fail as simultaneously and resolve simultaneously.) This has now occurred on two separate cars that I have owned (same make, year and model). The first was repurchased as a lemon, but the exact issue is now present on the second car (see separate report). The issue is dangerous since these are core safety features (e.g., rear cross traffic, emergency braking). The issue has been confirmed by a VW dealer on both vehicles. I also have photographs of the warning messages and lights on both vehicles. This problem is reported by many other owners of 2022 VW Golfs. …
I am reporting this same issue for two separate vehicles (same make, model and year): All of the sensors relating to parking, rear cross traffic, ACC, etc. fail intermittently. (They all fail as simultaneously and resolve simultaneously.) This has now occurred on two separate cars that I have owned (same make, year and model). The first was repurchased as a lemon, but the exact issue is now present on the second car (see separate report). The issue is dangerous since these are core safety features (e.g., rear cross traffic, emergency braking). The issue has been confirmed by a VW dealer on both vehicles. I also have photographs of the warning messages and lights on both vehicles. This problem is reported by many other owners of 2022 VW Golfs. …
My shift knob would pop out of place easily almost everyday. One day it popped out of place and when I popped it back in it wouldn't go into any gear at all. I was stuck on the side of the road until it eventually let me go into 1st, 3rd, and 4th but not 2nd. It took longer for it to even let me into 2nd. My car is also having electric issues. Out of nowhere it'll say that my front sensors aren't working. My parking brake also has gone out a few times to where I can't even safely exit my car worried it'll roll away. The car had a sound coming from the engine and come to find out a sensor was causing an oil leak and oil was getting on one of my belts. My shift knob also has a crack on it and it's been there since before I hit 1k miles. My car has been at a VW shop for 2 months with no eta on parts.
All VW models of this model year suffer from this problem, as evidenced on many forum posts while researching this issue. The problem is that any time you turn the steering wheel even slightly, all safety features of the vehicle fail and notices of their failure are promptly displayed on the screen. My example has had this issue since the day I leased it and after 18 months of leasing the problem remains unresolved. VW states there is a part shortage, but I have two different dealerships trying to get me a new steering wheel and neither one has reported receipt of a replacement wheel. This is a SAFETY FEATURE. The vehicle is UNSAFE TO DRIVE. This impacts ALL VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA VEHICLES. VW should be forced to halt the sale of all vehicles until this problem is RESOLVED.
Infotainment center will randomly go into "component protection" mode, and the center console will become stuck in a loop of rebooting. While component protection is active, the following systems become unavailable: Backup camera, radio, climate controls, advanced driver assist systems, park assist system, drive mode button, cruise control Situations that have occurred to me personally: Climate control fan becomes stuck on high, radio stops functioning, radio power button does not respond, parking menu button does not respond, car drive mode button does not respond, advanced driver sensor assist button does not respond, climate control button does not respond. Attempt to resolve this issue through Volkswagen certified technicians 6+ times.
My GTI currently needs a new steering wheel per my dealership. However VW is unable to provide any new steering wheels or get me into a safe car. My car started having an issue around 2 months ago where I will get random cruise control, emergency braking and other safety related system errors. When this happens, it dings, disables anll buttons on the steering wheel and abruptly shuts off all safety features, including cruise control if it's active. This poses a safety risk that could potentially cause accidents or worse. There are currently 8 GTIs waiting for a new steering wheel at my dealership, with more across the country at other dealerships waiting for a steering wheel.
I have errors popping up on my dashboard. It says "travel assist is currently not available " or "emergency assist is currently not available " . This does not happen every time I drive the vehicle but it happens quite frequently. When it happens It flashes and beeps constantly for a couple of minutes or even longer. Sometimes it beeps during the whole 30+ minutes trip. There is no way to turn it off. This is not just an annoyance but also a safety concern because it's distracting. I brought my car to the dealership in September and after a couple of days they said that they're not able to reproduce the problem. The problem still exists
Emergency SOS and Travel Assist will intermittently fault out sending a loud chime in the cabin warning me that said assist devices aren't available. Sometimes the chimes will go off for minutes on end and be completely random. This persistent chime is distracting and also frightening as I think I'm about to get into an accident. Further, with the persistent chime, it will make the driver immune to the noise which could be dangerous if there actually is an emergency. Took the the VW dealership multiple times and they can't figure out the issue. They're going to try replacing the steering wheel to see if that rectifies the issue.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Golf years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2022 Volkswagen Golf?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2022 Volkswagen Golf, 30% of the model year's 81 complaints. The component named most often is warnings (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2022 Volkswagen Golf collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA lists no driver assistance recall for the 2022 Volkswagen Golf. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
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.