Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2011 Volkswagen Golf, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel/propulsion system30
- Power train21
- Fuel system, diesel19
- Electrical system18
- Engine15
- Air bags12
- Engine and engine cooling11
- Vehicle speed control4
- Unknown or other4
- Fuel system, gasoline4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 10 2011 Golf vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 5 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 2011 Volkswagen Golf failed the safety check 2.57% of the time — 3% more often than the average 2011 passenger car (2.49%). Median odometer at inspection: 107,947 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2011
449,457 new Volkswagen Golf cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2011; the largest markets were Germany (181,844), the United Kingdom (63,124), Italy (46,044).
- Average mass
- 1,381 kg
- Average power
- 100 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 57% · Petrol 41% · E85 ethanol 0.6%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2011 Volkswagen Golf cars on Dutch roads are the 1.2 petrol (77 kW, 103 hp), 1.4 petrol (90 kW, 121 hp) and 1.6 diesel (77 kW, 103 hp), out of 12 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 petrol | 77 kW 103 hp | 7,396 |
| 1.4 petrol | 90 kW 121 hp | 4,467 |
| 1.6 diesel | 77 kW 103 hp | 1,165 |
| 1.2 petrol | 63 kW 84 hp | 1,113 |
| 1.4 petrol | 118 kW 158 hp | 977 |
| 2.0 petrol | 155 kW 208 hp | 549 |
| 1.4 petrol | 59 kW 79 hp | 349 |
| 2.0 petrol | 199 kW 267 hp | 176 |
| 2.0 diesel | 103 kW 138 hp | 168 |
| 2.0 petrol | 173 kW 232 hp | 166 |
| 2.0 diesel | 125 kW 168 hp | 159 |
| 1.6 diesel | 66 kW 89 hp | 21 |
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
16,769 first registered in 2011 are on Dutch roads; 43% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €26,932.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde9,020
- Band onvoldoende profiel6,495
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen5,142
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld3,853
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm3,513
- Band beschadigd1,767
- Veer gebroken of gescheurd1,715
- Schijf-, trommelrem loopt niet vrij1,677
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
49,034 cars built in 2011 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 3,018 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, 52,419 of these cars first registered in 2011 took their annual MOT test. 66% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2011 the figure was 63%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 16.1% | 14.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.1% | 16.0% |
| Brakes | 8.6% | 8.6% |
| Tyres | 7.0% | 7.3% |
| Visibility | 3.9% | 5.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.5% | 4.4% |
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
4,992 of these cars first registered in 2011 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 215,000 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
3,245 2011 cars are on the New Zealand register; 80% arrived as used imports, 18% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Volkswagen Golf 2 DR FWD | — | 0.0 % |
| 2011 Volkswagen Golf 4 DR FWD | — | 12.1 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 7.3–9.5 L/100 km (about 25–32 mpg US), CO₂ 196–219 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf TDI (modified) · Compact · Diesel | 8.3 | 6.0 | 7.3 |
| Golf TDI (modified) · Compact · Diesel | 8.1 | 6.4 | 7.4 |
| Golf · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.4 | 7.8 | 9.2 |
| Golf · Compact · Regular gasoline | 11.3 | 7.4 | 9.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2011 Volkswagen Golf.
| 2018111 6 Mar 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propella… |
| 2016064 9 Feb 2016 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inf… |
| 2015344 31 Jul 2015 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the steering wheel clock spring could become contaminated with long hair or long fibers which may cause a displacement of the internal guid… |
| 2011355 3 Oct 2011 | Fuel System On certain vehicles equipped with a 2.0L TDI diesel engine, the fuel injection lines could crack. Diesel fuel leakage may ignite on a hot engine surface and ca… |
| 2010306 13 Sept 2010 | Lights And Instruments Certain Golf and Golf wagon were built with a Daytime Running Light (DRL) system that can be deactivated, which is not in compliance with Canada Motor Vehicle S… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL 2009-2012 JETTA AND JETTA SPORTWAGEN VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2008 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, MODEL YEAR 2010-2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2009 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, AND MODEL YEAR 2010-2012 AUDI A3 VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 2009 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH A 2.0L TDI COMMON RAIL DIESEL ENGINE/CLEAN DIESEL ENGINE. THE FUEL INJECTION PULSES COULD COINCIDE WITH THE NATURAL FREQUENCY OF THE INJECTOR LINE #2, IN SPECIFIC LOAD AND RPM CONDITIONS. THIS RESONANCE CREATES ADDITIONAL STRESS IN THE FUEL LINE.
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 2011 Volkswagen Golf: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010024 | Lack of paint under roof |
| 11010022 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11010021 | Additional reporting |
| 11010011 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11008861 | Fluid requirements |
| 11008858 | A list of engine oil that meet Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
| 11008857 | How to perform the engine oil consumption measurement |
| 11008856 | Checking Engine Oil and correctly reading dip stick |
| 11008853 | How to manage software versions using VW diagnostic Tool |
| 11008852 | Recommended Gasoline Quality |
| 11008851 | Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid |
| 11008850 | Fuel additive to help with misfire faults |
| 11008846 | Wind & Water Leak Checking |
| 11007398 | Battery testing |
| 11007393 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11005825 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11005820 | Engine Assembly Tip |
| 11005819 | Engine Replacement Tip |
| 11002875 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11001508 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 10253491 | Secondary Air Pressure Sensor Limited Warranty Extension |
| 10253483 | Engine Exhaust Flap Limited Warranty Extension |
| 10253439 | Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Program ? Gasoline Engines (Except Routan) - REVISED |
| 10253262 | VW Engine oil quality standards |
| 10253216 | Keyless Entry Inoperative after Access / Start (KESSY) Module Replacement |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
Diesel Fuel Injector Line Leakage
High-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation