Certain conditions cause the electrics door locks to not function. When this happens, it is not possible to exit the car from the inside as the door handles are not operative creating a trapped situation potentially leading to injury or death if the case of a fire.
Volkswagen Golf door locks problems
18 of the 1,387 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Golf describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 18
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical mileage
- 64,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
My VW golf has experienced rear door lock issues where both rear dock locks no longer work (lock or unlock) when pressing the lock button on the key or inside the vehicle. The only way to get the doors to lock is by manually locking the doors via a little slot in the door sill on each side. While it can be unlocked internally by just pulling the handle one time. This is a safety issue as door locks are a necessity for a vehicle to prevent theft of vehicle or items inside. It can also cause safety concerns for passengers in the rear(which is usually children. This also poses a danger to children due to the ease of unlocking from inside the rear passenger seats. The problem was confirmed to be the rear door latches via a dealer on 2/23/2024, however after replacing both latches with new parts, nothing was resolved. This issue is not the first time, as it is known that VW locks and many electrical components may randomly stop working, I have experienced the issue with a previous Volkswagen vehicle as well (2009 VW Jetta). There are no warning lights on the dashboard or other signs of the failure.
Driver's door latch failed and often will not latch the door closed. Door just bounces off the door frame lightly. Occasionally I've missed that this has happened and started driving with the door unlatched.
The door latches on all four driver and passenger doors often malfunction. Most the time you have to press on the door from the outside until you hear a soft click before the the door handle will work. Otherwise it is as if it were locked when it is unlocked. Also my car will lock itself if I unlock it with the key fob and get in the driver side door without starting immediately. It doesn't seem to recognise I've entered the vehicle.
When the temperature reaches above 80 degrees fahrenheit the drivers door and the passengers door will not latch closed properly. If you try to close the doors, they just bang against the frame and swing open. Once the temperature of the door cools down, the door will eventually latch. Sometimes I have to wait till morning to properly close them shut. The dealership is asking $600 to repair this. This is a safety issue and these doors should lock properly before driving away.
White metal used in front and read windshield wipers and also rear hatch door latch flake apart and crumble making wipers and latch unusable. Replaced front wiper assembly june 2012, rear wiper does not work, same with rear door latch. Front wipers stopped working suddenly while in a summer downpour causing a major safety problem.
Possible to remove entire door lock core without setting off the car alarm in vw golf. *bf
Automatic transmission failure, mass air flow sensor failure, premature rear brake pad failure, automatic door lock malfunction, water pump failure, third brake light failure.
Automatic door lock intermittently malfunctioned in cold temperatures. Door knob popped up, but the door failed to open automatically or manually. As a result, consumer was trapped in or locked out of the vehicle. The cause of the failure had not been determined.
Multiple problems included: malfunction indicator lamp on, vehicle cut off, trunk switch fell out, driver door lock inoperative, fuel gauge inoperative, engine rattle. Multiple replacements - camshaft sensor, trunk switch, power door locks, fuel lines installed, fuel sender unit, timing belt and tensioner. *tt
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The bolts securing the front hood latch can loosen over time. The latch would move causing disengagement of the hood striker from the latch.
- Risk
- Unexpected opening of the hood could occur obstructing the driver's view of the road while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the hood latch and securing bolts and replace them if necessary.
Recall number 98V160000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Golf door locks
Which Volkswagen Golf years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (5 complaints), 2001 (5 complaints) and 2002 (2 complaints).
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