The regenerative braking system on my car shut off for about half a second before re engaging automatically. I was slowing down at a red light and had a car in front of me. As I applied the brakes, I hit a bump in the road and the brakes completely stopped working, causing me to almost hit the car in front of me. I do not believe that this issue is known among these vehicles, and I don't know if it has been confirmed by a dealer or testing lab. There were no warning signs for this event, the brakes just shut off for half a second.
The worst 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical11
- Engine5
- Acceleration2
- Fuel system2
- Steering2
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical11
- Engine5
- Acceleration2
- Fuel system2
- Steering2
- Transmission2
- Brakes1
- Driver assistance1
Recalls 5
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. An improper air bag deployment may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.
Recall number 22V543000 · Recall details
Unknown or other
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 18V329000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298 or Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834.
Recall number 16V955000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks to disengage, allowing a child to open a rear door while inside the vehicle.
- Risk
- If an unrestrained child unexpectedly opens a door, they may fall from the vehicle increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9.
Recall number 16V464000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 e-Golf vehicles manufactured May 21, 2014, to March 1, 2016. Oversensitive diagnostics for the high-voltage battery management system may falsely detect an electrical surge resulting in the vehicle's electric drive motor shutting down unexpectedly.
- Risk
- An unexpected vehicle shutdown can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will update the battery management software, free of charge. The recall began March 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93B4.
Recall number 16V138000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Technical service bulletins for the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf 531
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- These documents are for the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Limited Warranty Extension as part of the...
- Safety Related Inquiry and Reporting
- Suggested fuel additive
- This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
- Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
- Differences between a leak and seepage
- This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during...
- Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
- Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
- Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
What 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While the vehicle is attached to A/C power for charging, the forced air heating system does not warm the car. This can leave the occupants without heat for an extended period of time while charging in a remote location which could be life threatening. There used to be a "work around" using CarNET functions for this car, but that service has been discontinued for the 2016 model year. It should also be noted that other battery electric vehicles allow heating and cooling while plugged in to A/C power.
Two miles into my morning commute, I accelerated to 65 mph when the following message appeared on the instrument display "Error: electrical system. Stop!" At the same time, the vehicle lost all electrical motor drive and began to coast and decelerate. As I coasted there was a clicking noise in the drivetrain and remained audible while I changed lanes to the shoulder and made a safe full stop. I powered the vehicle OFF then ON three time or until the error disappeared. The vehicle was driven to a service location and scanned which revealed 14 error codes (ref. attachment) related to electric drivetrain. This error is a safety related fault and needs to be investigated by a the federal safety agency and a VW safety engineer.
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle with the level 3 charger, the female connector on the vehicle became loosened due to a failure with the 4 tabs holding the connector in place on the vehicle. The level 3 charger loosened and exposed the plug with live current going to the part. The contact stated that he smelled a burnt electrical odor and the charger was now inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, there were no trained technicians available to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
I was driving down the road and the car halted all of a sudden. An error appeared on the dashboard that said electric failure. Stop. Luckily no cars were behind me or it would have been an accident. The car would not start back up for 30-40 minutes.
The drop down v-clamp on the exhaust system at the engine came lose. The screw that is to secure this clamp does not function properly and will not stay in place to keep the clamp tight allowing the exhaust to come into the cabin of the automobile. I drove around with the windows down for two (2) weeks prior to my husband finding the issue. He has finally replaced the screw with another screw and a lock nut in order to keep it closed. First this was a unusual noise, then a smell of exhaust and then, my eyes were burning and running water. And you could not breath. I checked online and this appears to be a very common problem with this car. I am shocked there is not a recall. I wish I could give this car back as I feel I could have died in that car.
Metal trim around center console and steering wheel has sharp edges and can cut hands without warning. My trim was not bent until after it was caught on my hand and sliced my finger in two places.
While charging the car, an electric component failed and the card got disabled and would not start anymore. It also stopped charging. The car was then towed away from charging station to the nearest dealership.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 volkswagen e-golf. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v329000 (unknown or other). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called autonation (8201 east sprague ave, spokane, wa 99212, 866‑483‑4544) and was referred to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would not repurchase the vehicle. No additional assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.
We were lied to by the dealer about the cars history. With this current recall on the car, the major repair we just had, the fact that vw doesn't have techs in the area limiting our repair ability, and the fact that any repairs require vw to send in techs to the area, prolonging the time without the car, I asked vw to do a buy back as there is no fix for the recall. Vw refused to buy the car back.
Compare the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf
Other model years
Questions about the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf
Is the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf reliable?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf, 3.0 times a typical E-Golf model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf?
Electrical system, with 11 complaints, typically around 9,700 miles. Next is engine (5).
How many recalls does the 2016 Volkswagen E-Golf have?
5 recalls, covering air bags, unknown or other and seat belts.
What year does the Volkswagen E-Golf have the most electrical problems?
The Volkswagen E-Golf model years with the most electrical complaints are 2015 (20 complaints) and 2016 (11 complaints).
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