2002 Volkswagen Golf

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Volkswagen Golf, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Air bags22
• Engine and engine cooling13
• Exterior lighting11
• Electrical system11
• Visibility7
• Power train4
• Structure3
• Seat belts3
• Service brakes, hydraulic3
• Steering3

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 10 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 8 2002 Golf vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 9 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2002 Volkswagen Golf failed the safety check 2.67% of the time — 33% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 168,350 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Engines

The most common engines in 2002 Volkswagen Golf cars on Dutch roads are the 1.6 petrol (77 kW, 103 hp), 1.4 petrol (55 kW, 74 hp) and 2.0 petrol (85 kW, 114 hp), out of 12 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

4,047 first registered in 2002 are on Dutch roads; 9% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €26,795.

Most common APK defects

• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,906
• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen1,794
• Band onvoldoende profiel1,693
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm1,132
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld929
• Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse822
• Stofhoes stuurinrichting beschadigd, dicht niet af739
• Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect725

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

10,110 cars built in 2002 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 10,311 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 16,887 of these cars first registered in 2002 took their annual MOT test. 56% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2002 the figure was 58%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

2,289 of these cars first registered in 2002 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 285,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

413 2002 cars are on the New Zealand register; 49% arrived as used imports, 47% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 6.1–10.4 L/100 km (about 23–39 mpg US), CO₂ 165–239 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Volkswagen Golf.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 2002 Volkswagen Golf: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation