The 2018 Volkswagen GTI has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 950,509 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a…
Consequence
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. …
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the…
Consequence
Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC18V3690002018-06-0110,225 affected
Defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Consequence
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen…
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES
6
2crashes2injuries2deaths
ENGINE
3
POWER TRAIN
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
TIRES
1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
1
WHEELS
1
Total complaints21
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I am reporting a water intrusion issue involving the rear hatch area of my 2018 volkswagen golf gti autobahn. Water leaks into the vehicle through the hatch wiring boot area and travels into the interior of the car, causing the headliner to become saturated with water. During periods of rain or…”
“I am reporting a water intrusion issue involving the rear hatch area of my 2018 volkswagen golf gti autobahn. Water leaks into the vehicle through the hatch wiring boot area and travels into the interior of the car, causing the headliner to become saturated with water. During periods of rain or…”
“During moderate braking, the abs system was violently pulsing the brakes on the left front wheel. This occured on about one dozen braking events over a 5-7 mile distance. Afterwards upon inspection, the left front brake smelled and radiated intense amounts of heat. There were no warning lights…”
“6/1/20 brakes good measured 8 (in the green) this is when I received a new water pump (I know! Under warranty issue also imo). Milage 25490. September got new tires. Anti lock brakes went off right a way x2. 10/10/20 took car in for 30,000 mile check at 29,053 miles. Brakes measured at 3. Mckenna…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2018 volkswagen gti. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the emergency brake assist activated independently. The contact stated there was a warning message stating an object was in front of the vehicle however, there was nothing in front of the…”
“Vw corporation did not honor their warranty on my 2018 vw, gti. My 2018 vw, gti was parked, and I was inside the vehicle, when the sunroof spontaneously shatter. The sunroof was not hit by any debris. The 2018 vw gti is still under warranty so I took the damaged vehicle to ourisman vw of laurel.…”
“An issue exists where the start stop system (s/s) can cause the vehicle to stall at a stop light. At one point, the driver was in stopped in traffic, which caused my s/s to activate, turning off the vehicle's engine. The driver unbuckled his seat belt so he could put something into the glove box,…”
“On 3 occasions the manual parking brake has release fully when the car has been parked uphill on a side street with a steep incline. Twice this was after I had gotten out of the car, and once while in the car it happened immediately after the hill-holder brake released. Each time, the car was in…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
On December 12, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of Volkswagen (VW) recall 16V-647. Recall 16V-647 was issued on September 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (SJP) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the SJP could lead to a…
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
On December 12, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of Volkswagen (VW) recall 16V-647. Recall 16V-647 was issued on September 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (SJP) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the SJP could lead to a…
InvestigationRQ23007 Opened 2023-12-12 · closed 2024-07-01
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
On December 12, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-007 to investigate the remedy repair effectiveness and scope of Volkswagen (VW) recall 16V-647. Recall 16V-647 was issued on September 2, 2016, for a defective suction jet pump (SJP) inside the fuel tank. Failure of the SJP could lead to a…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Volkswagen GTI as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.