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2023 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

Gas
Compact Cars
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
D
Safety Signal
63 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA23
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA28 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2023 Volkswagen Golf / GTI is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the GTI, is EPA-rated at 28 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 23 complaints, most often about the electrical system.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
GTIGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo243428$2,250
GTIGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233227$2,300
Golf-RGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233026$3,000
Golf-RGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo202823$3,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 45415, 45416, 45429, 45414.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2023 Volkswagen Golf / GTI is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
○minor

Back Over Prevention

91SB
8,237 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Golf GTI vehicles. A software error may delay or deactivate the rearview camera image, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."RiskA rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91SB.
NHTSA campaign 25V103000reported Feb 19, 2025Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
○minor

Back Over Prevention

91US
84,432 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Golf R, Golf GTI, 2024 Atlas, and 2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The rearview camera image may be delayed or deactivated after shifting into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."RiskA rearview camera with a delayed or deactivated image reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.FixDealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2024, and July 16, 2024. Owners may contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-5298. VW's number for this recall is 91US.
NHTSA campaign 24V480000reported Jun 27, 2024Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Suspension

40T3
59 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Golf R A8 and Golf GTI vehicles. The strut mount may be deformed, loosening the bolted connections to the suspension strut mounting.RiskLoose suspension connections can cause steering instability, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace the right and/or left suspension strut mountings, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 18, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40T3.
NHTSA campaign 23V437000reported Jun 21, 2023Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Back Over Prevention

VW: 91EK, Audi: 91EL
2,607 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."RiskAn inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.
NHTSA campaign 22V823000reported Nov 2, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

19Q8
8,038 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Golf R A8 and Golf GTI vehicles. The radiator may not have been attached correctly to the intercooler, which can result in a damaged coolant hose.RiskA damaged coolant hose can leak, causing the engine to overheat, and increasing the risk of fire. In addition, large amounts of coolant spilling onto the roadway can increase the risk of a crash to other vehicles.FixDealers will inspect the radiator and replace any damaged parts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19Q8.
NHTSA campaign 22V707000reported Sep 21, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
23complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2022: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 5

Most-cited components

Electrical System9
Back Over Prevention6
Forward Collision Avoidance5
Service Brakes3
Unspecified3
Power Train3

What owners describe

“The vehicle has a feature called "hill hold" that can not be disabled where it holds the brakes when stopped on a hill untill 3 seconds after removing your foot from the brake pedal. This has resulted in many near miss safety hazards because I can not move the vehicle quickly enough to make a safety maneuver in the eve…”Oct 29, 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“Acquired this vehicle at 6,800 miles. At about 10k miles the clutch went out and had to be replaced. This should have been the stock clutch system. I was able to examine the old clutch kit. It was determined that the disk was damaged due to overheating, the throw out bearing had cracked in pieces, and the fly wheel had…”Jul 8, 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report
“Hello, The problem that I am having, and that many people have been having with the 8th generation Volkswagen Golf Rs (and GTIs as well) is with the "hill hold" feature. My car is manual transmission. When on a hill, the hill hold feature automatically holds the brakes after you take your foot off the brake. The way th…”Feb 13, 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Golf / GTI model years

A

2026 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

0 recalls · 3 complaints

A

2025 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

1 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2024 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2 recalls · 40 complaints

F

2022 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

6 recalls · 119 complaints

A

2021 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

2 recalls · 11 complaints

D

2020 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

3 recalls · 14 complaints

F

2019 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

7 recalls · 283 complaints

F

2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

10 recalls · 75 complaints

F

2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

7 recalls · 298 complaints

F

2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI

14 recalls · 237 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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