There are 4 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2016 Volkswagen Golfin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Front passenger door opened on its own with a bang while making a left turn. Driving alone, passenger door had been securely locked for over a week, during left turn going 25 mph, a loud banging sound occurred, passenger door opened and indicator warning light in dash came on. Door opened approx 1 cm. Car is not safe to drive for fear of door opening again randomly. VW of America nonchalantly stated they are sorry my door opened and stated they would not cover any potential repairs.
CAR HAS A WATER LEAK IN THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF SINCE NEW. VWOA HAS DONE THE TSB'S BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. LEAK IS AROUND THE PASSENGER SIDE A PILLAR, SUNVISER AND DOME LIGHT.
SUNROOF LEAKS INTO HEADLINER AND DOWN THE SIDE PILLARS. OCCURS WHEN STATIONARY AND IN MOTION DURING PERIODS OF EXTENDED RAIN. RESULTS IN DAMAGE TO ELECTRONICS, SOUND SYSTEM AND FABRIC/BODY COMPONENTS.
SUNROOF FRAME LEAKS WATER INTO THE CAR. THE WATER DRIPS ON TO THE CENTER CONSOLE HARDWARE/ELECTRONICS AND HARDWARE/ELECTRONICS LOCATED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE LEAK IS A KNOWN DEFECT FOR VW GOLF 2016, AS VW PREVIOUSLY SENT OUT A RECALL FOR THE SUNROOF FRAME. THE LEAK OCCURS AFTER HEAVY RAINFALL. THE WATER DRIPS RIGHT ON TO THE ACC CRUISE CONTROL. VW ACKNOWLEDGED IN PHONE MESSAGE THAT SOURCE OF LEAK WAS SUNROOF AND THAT IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE RECALL. ORIGINALLY, I THOUGHT THE LEAK DERIVED FROM DIRTY DRAINS, BUT VW CLARIFIED THE ROOT CAUSE AS THE SUNROOF. HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT FOLLOW UP WITH ME. I RE-ENGAGED THEM AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD NEED TO TEST IT AGAIN. AFTER THE SECOND TEST, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE MY CLAIM DESPITE DESPITE THE INITIAL, POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE SUNROOF AS THE LEAK. I AM WORRIED THAT THIS WILL CAUSE OTHER, MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IF LEFT UNTREATED. THE LEAK CAN OCCUR WITH THE CAR EITHER STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. HOWEVER, THE LEAK IS MORE PROMINENT WHEN STATIONARY. FOR EXAMPLE, MY CAR LEAKS THE WORST WHEN I LEAVE IT IN THE PARKING LOT AT WORK DURING HEAVY RAINFALL. UPON ENTERING MY CAR, STANDING WATER WILL HAVE POOLED UP IN THE GEAR SELECTOR COVER AND DRIPS FROM MY REAR VIEW MIRROR ON TO THE CENTER CONSOLE. I STILL POSSESS THE VOICEMAIL WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED THE SUNROOF AS THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. I ATTACHED A PHOTO OF THE WATER STAINS BECAUSE IT WAS NOT RAINING WHEN I FILED THE COMPLAINT.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026