The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the messages "Service Vehicle - Place Vehicle in Park" and "Transmission Error" were displayed, with an audible chime. The “Gearbox Overheating” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle felt as if the transmission was in neutral(N), and the RPM became elevated, and the A/C stopped blowing cool air. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and independently reset. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and DTC: U0103, P0914, and B1162-29 were retrieved. The contact referenced a repair under TSB: 2047609. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 142,000.
Volkswagen Golf overheating problems
30 of the 1,387 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Golf describe engine overheating, most of them for the 2017 model year.
- owner complaints
- 30
- worst model year
- 2017
- typical mileage
- 59,025
By model year
Often reported together
Headlights 2Engine failure 2Wipers 1Stalling 1Fire or smoke 1
Trouble codes mentioned
U0103 1P0914 1B1162 1
What owners say
The water pump in these vehicles are known defects, with class actions resulting. My water pump has failed at less than 70k miles. This results in engine overheating and possible failure. Luckily I was able to get the car off the road.
Thermostat housing and water pump are leaking coolant. It is available for inspection. It can cause my engine to overheat and/or fail while being used. It has been confirmed by a dealership. It has not been inspected by the police, manufacturer, or insurance company. There have been occasional reports of low coolant, and the coolant drains significantly faster than expected especially in cold weather (e.g. needing to fill coolant every 7 days). It was first repaired in 2019, and has since failed again.
While normally driving on the street, I noticed that the car started to overheat and could hear the radiator working to keep the heat level normal. I stopped and did not notice any leaks and added coolant to the car after I left it cool for about 3 hours. The problem went away but i still took it to the dealership and i was told it might be the head gasket of the engine or thermostat/waterpump, a $4000 repair. Was advised to just sell the car. VW should address this issue as it has been a long issue now
The thermostat housing leaked all my radiator fluid across the front of the engine block. I have to refill the reservoir every 2-3 days in order to keep the coolant in the engine and to keep it from overheating. Low coolant lights came on at a stop light, to initially alert me of the problem. There's currently a class-action suit against VW for this and it's time to issue a recall.
The vehicle overheated during normal driving. The car advised the driver to stop immediately. The car was inspected later the same day by a VW dealer service department that determined the water pump and thermostat housing required replacement. Estimated cost is $1400.
Faulty/unreliable water pump resulted in sudden coolant leak and subsequently overheating the engine. This seems to be a common problem when looking at reports/discussion from other owners of this vehicle online. It’s a known issue that the stock water pump is bad.
Low coolant light appeared on dashboard. Radiator assembly had became dislodged and caused a coolant leak. Required immediate pullover on the interstate.
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat overheated and burned the occupant. The burn injuries were minor and there was no medical attention sought. The contact mentioned that the front passenger side fan was failing as well. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but no failure was determined. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and the contact was informed that the rear passenger’s side door had mildew and mold and that there was a leak that caused electrical damage inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Radiator became loose causing radiator to have play, which in turn caused it to push the radiator hose into the drive belt causing the vehicle to spill coolant everywhere and overheat
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
- Risk
- If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑822‑8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Recall number 15V705000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system: fan
- What is wrong
- Improper material was used in manufacturing the radiator fan motor shaft causing the shaft to wear and become noisy.
- Risk
- A worn and noisy fan motor shaft can seize renderingthe fan motor inoperative, eventually causing the engine to overheat and stall. A stalled vehicle in traffic can increase the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the complete cooling fan assembly on vehicle having the potential shaft material problem. Dealers will install a new fan blade including a new lock nut on vehicle with loose fan blade lock nuts.
Recall number 95V178000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Golf overheating
Which Volkswagen Golf years have engine overheating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2017 (6 complaints), 2022 (6 complaints) and 2016 (4 complaints).
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