Model year guide

2015 Volkswagen Golf

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2015 Volkswagen Golf is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 12 on record.

2015 Volkswagen Golf — representative photo
Representative photo · via Wikimedia Commons

2015 Volkswagen Golf at a glance

Safety recalls12
Owner complaints129
Combined32 mpg
Typical price$13,918

Free: specs, open recalls for that exact car, build sheet and fair price.

2015 Volkswagen Golf recalls 12

Steering:column Locking:anti-theft Device NHTSA Campaign #18V464000 · 11/07/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Volkswagen Golf and Golf Sportwagen vehicles. The build of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition while the vehicle shift lever is not in "Park." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Pr…

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37L5.

Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs NHTSA Campaign #18V904000 · 19/12/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas, 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.

Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J2/42J3.

Unknown Or Other NHTSA Campaign #18V329000 · 16/05/2018

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. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

Fix: 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. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs NHTSA Campaign #19V188000 · 06/03/2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.

Electrical System:ignition:anti-theft:control Module NHTSA Campaign #19V615000 · 22/08/2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmis…

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.

Fuel System, Gasoline NHTSA Campaign #16V647000 · 07/09/2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Audi A3 sedan and A3 Cabriolet vehicles. Due to a problem with the suction pump inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298, Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this re…

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control Module-inactive NHTSA Campaign #15V627000 · 07/10/2015

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured September 8, 2014, to November 28, 2014, Golf vehicles manufactured April 2, 2014, to December 3, 2014, and E-Golf vehicles manufactured July 26, 2014, to October 18, 2014. The affected vehicles are equipped a Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) that may have been manufactured improperly. As a res…

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the PODS control module, free of charge. The recall began on November 20, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswgen's number for this recall is 69L6.

Steering NHTSA Campaign #14V412000 · 07/07/2014

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured January 27, 2014, to May 12, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the stabilizer link fasteners may come loose and possibly interfere with the steering of the vehicle.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front stabilizer links, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40K9/1W.

Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:fuel Rail NHTSA Campaign #15V028000 · 23/01/2015

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to November 24, 2014, 2014-2015 Passat vehicles manufactured April 7, 2014, to November 18, 2014, 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured July 1, 2014, to November 20, 2014, and 2014-2015 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles manufactured March 31, 2014, to November 27, 2014. A seali…

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rails with new parts, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24BL. Note: This recall expands and supersedes recall…

Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump NHTSA Campaign #15V229000 · 17/04/2015

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Golf, and GTI manufactured on February 17, 2014, to May 22, 2014, and Audi A3 manufactured on February 16, 2013, to April 23, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any affected fuel pumps, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi at 1-800-253-2834.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine NHTSA Campaign #15V705000 · 26/10/2015

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.

Fix: 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.

Fuel System, Gasoline NHTSA Campaign #24V110000 · 14/02/2024

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions…

Fix: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-8…

Source: U.S. NHTSA. A recall applies to a model year, but only a VIN check shows whether a specific car has had the repair done.

2015 Volkswagen Golf common problems

The most-reported problem areas from 129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.

Suspension
Listen for clunks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for uneven tire wear and worn shocks or struts.
Fuel System
Sniff for fuel odor, check for leaks, hard starts or stalling, and confirm the fuel gauge reads correctly.
Gasoline
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
Fuel/propulsion System
Check for fuel or battery warnings, hard starts and stalling. On a hybrid/EV, confirm charging and range behave normally.
Vehicle Speed Control
Test cruise control and throttle response, and watch for any hesitation or unintended acceleration.
Engine
Listen for knocks or ticking, check for leaks and blue/white exhaust smoke, and make sure it doesn't overheat. No check-engine light should be on.

2015 Volkswagen Golf MPG & running costs

Combined32 mpg
City28 mpg
Highway39 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$2,200

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov, averaged across trims.

What's a 2015 Volkswagen Golf worth?

Low
$10,100
Typical price
$13,918
High
$18,000

From 12 comparable 2015 Volkswagen Golf listings.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2015 Volkswagen Golf costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$11,000
Depreciation (5 yrs)$6,200
Total$17,200
Per mile$0.23

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. Depreciation compares today's typical asking price for this model year ($13,918) with the same model 5 model-years older ($7,727), from CarLogs listing data. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2015 Volkswagen Golf trims & engines on record

Trims
1.8T, TDI · TSI S · TSI SE
Engines
1.8L 4-cyl 170 hp · 2.0L 4-cyl 150 hp

2015 Volkswagen Golf vehicles on record

Other Volkswagen Golf model years

2015 Volkswagen Golf — frequently asked questions

Does the 2015 Volkswagen Golf have any safety recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 12 safety recalls for the 2015 Volkswagen Golf. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

What are the most common problems with the 2015 Volkswagen Golf?

Based on 129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are suspension, fuel system, gasoline.

What gas mileage does the 2015 Volkswagen Golf get?

The U.S. EPA rates the 2015 Volkswagen Golf at about 32 mpg combined (28 city / 39 highway).

How much is a 2015 Volkswagen Golf worth?

Comparable 2015 Volkswagen Golf listings run roughly $10,100–$18,000, typically around $13,918 (from 12 vehicles).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.